The figure of a man appeared within reach and leaned towards him, another strip of paper in his hand. The man was afraid of what those pieces of paper could do, so when his neck became sensitive again and he felt the new touch, he wanted to fight, but there was nothing he could do. However, the paper wrapped around his entire neck and became intangible, and then the sensitivity of his body returned to him, which the man was not slow to take advantage of.
The man rolled away and jumped to his feet (or so he thought, but in reality it was done awkwardly and slowly, so if it had been necessary, Sora would have had time to react several times), the man took out a wand made by the Japanese and pointed it at him. The spell that was about to come out of the tip of the wand was scattered in a harmless stream of wind, except for the dust. Sirius tried again and again, maneuvering, but it was just as effective as the first time, or worse, as some particularly dark spells didn't work at all, and Cruciatus gave Black a painful cramp.
— That's enough, Mr. Black. — The Japanese man, who had been watching him calmly the whole time, looked like an unperturbed monk looking down on a puppy, and that was enough to annoy the Animagus. — The wands I make will never attack me or my blood. Now I command you! — Sirius felt goosebumps run down his body at the last word, and the hairs on his head stood on end in horror, for there was something on his neck that felt like both a snake and barbed wire, and the Japanese man's words made the paper come to life. — Put your wand back where it belongs and come to me. — Sirius wanted to howl, but his body obeyed the orders of its own accord, and in a few seconds they were standing face to face again.
The Japanese man's gaze was extremely calm, confident, determined, and he looked at Black with a strange expression, but his instincts said, You're in trouble, mate. For a while, the man was looked at with a strange look that made the bad feeling grow stronger and stronger, and he began to think the worst, willy-nilly. If he had had any hope of Kreacher at the beginning, it was gone now.
— Kreacher, come closer. — The man's voice was still calm, causing a strange mixture of emotions: fear of possible ruthlessness and hope for a good outcome.
The elf obeyed and slowly approached at arm's length, looking into the boy's face as he only did with the Black Family. The Japanese man himself extended his hand to the house elf, in which a paintbrush (the man thought it was a paintbrush, but it was actually a calligraphy brush) immediately appeared. A few deft strokes, masterful, Sirius remarked as he watched several hieroglyphics appear on Kreacher's forehead. A moment, and it was as if a strange gleam had appeared in the house-elf's eyes, which immediately disappeared.
— Mistress! — Kreacher cried, smiling foolishly as tears streamed from his eyes. — You are a great wizard, Master! — The house-elf sobbed happily. — Before, no one knew how to hide their masters from house elves!
— Since you can sense them, tell me, is it safe to move pregnant women with house-elf magic?
— Yes, of course it is! — Long, drooping ears resemble overcooked noodles.
— In that case, go to her, explain everything properly, and then I'll wait for you both here. Go ahead.
Kreacher nodded and disappeared, leaving only two men in the dark house, and one was free to decide the fate of the other.
— Look, — the man began. — We can make a deal without extremes. We're reasonable people... — There was little hope, but Dumbledore had always said that anyone could be negotiated with, if they made the effort and found the right words. Sirius wasn't delusional about his powers, but he hoped to raise doubts, hoped to delay his own demise.
— You know, Mr. Black, — the Japanese man glanced at him briefly and turned away, looking around the large, dark living room. — If you were a reasonable man, you wouldn't have made so many serious mistakes. And I'm not talking about the current situation. Take your godson, for example. — Sirius didn't like the subject, but he decided to keep quiet, because dialogue is better than silence. — Why did you give an orphan to a half-blood obsessed with dangerous creatures? Why did you hope that Dumbledore, who had never had a wife or children, and who was rumored to be a homosexual with Grindewald as his partner?
— Sirius wanted to be outraged, to shout objections, but the collar squeezed his neck warningly and the man coughed. — Dumbledore is idealized, forgetting that all men have their weaknesses, their vices, and the dark part of their souls. — The Japanese man hummed, turning his head slightly towards the man to reveal his crooked grin. — Besides, the director is an experienced politician who doesn't even have friends, only "associates" and "subordinates". — A short pause — does this remind you of anyone? — The boy turned away, his orange glasses glinting (how did he do that?) and began to walk slowly around the living room.
Sirius wanted to continue the conversation for a while, thoughts and emotions burning on his tongue. But at the same time, the gentle pressure of the paper did not allow him to forget himself, and he remained silent. And after a while, the man realized that they were not going to kill him, since he was still breathing, so he could stay still. For the time being.
Carefully touching the staff, the man froze for a few moments, expecting punishment, but there was none. Then he carefully retrieved it, freezing again, but it seemed he was not forbidden to use the wand. A few simple charms, and now it was no longer disgusting to sit on the couch, and the dust stopped swirling in the air. Sitting comfortably, Sirius thought about firing the Stupefy at the Japanese man's back, but immediately a whip rustled across his neck. Well, the mechanism seemed to be clear.
Black reluctantly thought about what the boy had said, and there was silence in the living room, but not for very long, only about fifteen minutes later there was a clap, and Kreacher and a strange woman appeared in the dark living room. Sirius thought so for the first few moments, and then his eyes almost popped out of his head, and his wand was in his clenched palm. The man didn't even think about who the 'mistress' could be, but he certainly hadn't expected to see Bellatrix, and so young.