Maverick wasn't just listening—throughout the entire conversation, he had also been skimming the broken man's surface thoughts and quietly reading his emotions with his Magical Sense as well.
Sure, he remembered how the events had played out in the original story… but at the end of the day, that was still just a story.
Reality—especially in a universe as much of a chaotic mess as this one—could very well turn out differently. That was exactly why he had made Sirius recall everything for him, just to be sure.
Fortunately, things had lined up more or less the way he remembered. And now… he could finally begin the next phase of his plans.
"You are… a pitiful man, Sirius Black. Brave, sure—taking Azkaban on the chin for choosing Pettigrew, knowing it got your friends killed. But let's be honest… it was also foolish. You never stopped to think the rat might've escaped… which should've been obvious if you'd even entertained the thought."
"Or you could've at least exposed him. Brought some kind of justice for the Potters—who you've claimed time and time again were your closest companions. But instead… you let your guilt bury you. You hid behind your grief and called it penance."
"You're a coward too, Sirius Black. A brave man… who ran."
Hahaha.
Sirius let out a hysterical laugh, loud and broken. Even Maverick's Patronus, which had been quietly calming him until now, was beginning to lose its effect.
"Yes… I'm a coward. A bloody coward who ran instead of facing it all. A coward who let his best friend's son grow up in a Muggle shithole, never knowing the truth. I knew it… I know it… but so what?"
"What can change now, huh? What's left to fix? They're dead. James… Lily… all gone. And I—"
He tugged at the restraints, growing wilder with every word that left his mouth.
"I just ran. Like a useless, gutless fool. So yeah… call me whatever the fuck you want... I don't bloody care anymore!"
"My heart…" he growled, yanking hard at the ropes again. The bindings held firm, causing the chair to creak and nearly tip over.
"My heart only wants revenge now! Now that I know the rat's alive—killing that son of a bitch is the only thing keeping me breathing! You hear me, you condescending little fuck? Let me go!"
His eyes turned bloodshot as he thrashed against the restraints, yanking over and over, desperate to break free. His voice rose to a raw, broken scream.
"Let me fucking go! I want to kill the bastard who got my friends killed! I want to kill—"
Then… a quiet sob slipped out.
Just moments ago, he had been thrashing in his chair, screaming for blood, his eyes wild and furious. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, his fury cracked.
Maverick, even with his overpowered Magical Sense, found it difficult to grasp the barrage of emotions pouring off him. The little sanity Sirius had left was crumbling like a demolished building—and it was happening at an alarming rate.
The broken man's whole body slumped as though the fight had drained out of him all at once. The ropes held firm, yet he no longer struggled against them. His breath hitched. A second sob followed the first, and then another.
"Let me go.
Just… let me go and…"
Maverick watched the man break down and let out a quiet sigh. It was time to end the interrogation.
He exhaled slowly, then flicked his finger, and Sirius Black went limp, unconscious in an instant. Another flick, and the ropes vanished, leaving the broken man to slump out of the chair—but just before he hit the ground, a soft mattress formed beneath him, cushioning the fall.
Grrrr.
With a low growl, Ali—who had been silently watching the whole time—also moved. His form shrank, then morphed into his human self as he stepped toward the unconscious body.
"Do you feel sympathy for him?" Maverick asked from behind.
"Yes..." Ali didn't hesitate. "But like you said, boss... he's a coward who ran. At the same time, that doesn't erase the fact that he's still an innocent man who's suffered far too long."
Maverick tugged a brief smile at his friend's straightforwardness. He stood up, and the chair behind him vanished as he too walked over to Sirius, and then crouched down beside him.
Ali watched silently as Maverick retrieved a vial from his storage ring, and then placed a finger against the unconscious man's forehead.
After a few quiet minutes, wisps of silvery substance began to rise from Sirius Black's head, almost like drifting smoke. With calm precision, Ali observed as his leader guided the strands into the vial before sealing it shut with practiced ease.
"Clean him up and take him to a guest room. Let him rest, and give him a few rejuvenation potions while you're at it," Maverick said, rising from his crouch. "But don't leave him alone—not even for a second."
He gave Ali a brief pat on the shoulder as he passed, heading for the room's only door.
Maverick could, of course, end it all right now if he wanted to—take the memories, capture the rat, hand it over to the Ministry, and effectively reopen the case for Black. He had more than enough influence now in the Wizengamot to ensure that Fudge, or any other idiot, wouldn't be able to sweep the case under the rug to save face.
But it can't happen now. Maverick needs Fudge to mess up badly enough before he takes action. Besides, the one who would make that happen would be Greengrass, not him.
As for the rat, he planned to capture it tonight—without the Weasleys ever knowing a thing. Letting that garbage run free any longer was no longer necessary. Until the time came to use it, he would keep the coward locked up and miserable.
Passing through a couple of doors, he stepped out onto an empty street in Hogsmeade Village. This was just one of the many properties he had purchased and converted into a safe house.
It was nearly midnight, and not a soul was in sight. Then, a soft pop later, he vanished with the destination clear in his mind: the Burrow.
---
Half an hour later, he hovered over the Weasleys' property, peering down at the peaceful—though somehow oddly unsettling—house. Or building, really, whatever it was. And next to him, a cage held an unconscious, scruffy brown-furred rat with a missing toe.
It was hardly a challenge. Finding the rat, knocking it unconscious, and securing it in a cage took only a matter of minutes. As for how he got inside and past the wards—well, the house barely had any to begin with. The few in place were nothing more than simple Muggle-repellent charms and basic intruder alarms.
For someone like him, they were little more than a mild inconvenience, easily slipped past without so much as a whisper.
Next, with a soft pop, he vanished once more—this time reappearing above the Greengrass family estate. Tonight's events, which had originally been planned for a much later date, had forced an early change. Several adjustments would now have to be made to the careful blueprint he had drawn up for the year ahead.
Precisely, it was about freeing Sirius Black and, at the same time, dismantling Cornelius Fudge's political power. And since Greengrass would be the one leading that charge, Maverick had come to inform him of the necessary adjustments—and deliver precise instructions.
---
Inside the Greengrass Lord's private study.
Jameson Greengrass sat across from Maverick, dressed in loose evening robes, staring in disbelief at the scruffy brown rat curled up inside a small cage on the desk between them.
"So this is Pettigrew? The 'brave' wizard who 'sacrificed' himself to stop the 'mass murderer,' Sirius Black?" he asked dryly, sounding far from surprised.
Of course, he was already aware that Sirius Black was very likely innocent, and that Pettigrew was still alive as Maverick had told him everything long ago.
By now, Lord Greengrass was a firm believer that Maverick was a powerful Seer, especially since many of his predictions had already come true.
"Yes," Maverick nodded. "Look after the rat for me. He can't transform or break out—I've placed strong enchantments on the cage. Just make sure he's fed so he doesn't starve. Also, the rat doesn't know I'm the one who captured him, so you can follow the original script I gave you. When the time is right, hand him over to Bones."
"And what about Black?" the older man inquired.
"Black's situation is... a bit complicated. But one way or another, I'll get him to follow the plan too." Maverick sighed, thinking back to what had happened earlier tonight.
Yes, Black also had a role to play in his roadmap, but the man needed to be sane for it. Still, he was confident he could bring Black on board, so he brushed the thought aside for now.
"What's Fudge's plan for catching him?" Maverick leaned back slightly.
Lord Greengrass smirked at the question. "That insufferable fool wants to flood Hogwarts with Dementors, convinced Black will make a move on the Potter boy. Many have raised objections, but stubborn as he is, he's determined to catch the escapee—regardless of the chaos it might unleash."
"What a moron," Maverick muttered with a sneer. He couldn't fathom what on earth gave Fudge the confidence to think he could completely control the Dementors.
"Well, stick to the plan. But because of this," he said, nodding toward the cage, "a few changes need to happen."
Maverick then laid out to Lord Greengrass the steps he needed to take over the coming months—things he had already been told before, but now with a few adjustments, mostly about when to act in response to certain news.
It wasn't much—just a few key points—and in under ten minutes, he covered everything on his mind.
"Remember, don't let anyone know about the rat until the time is right," Maverick said as a final remark.
Just as he was about to get up, he heard the older man speak—hesitantly.
"Leader, there's a tiny nuisance who's been nosing around our people lately. One of Fudge's."
Maverick raised an eyebrow. "If it's so little, why bring it to me?"
Lord Greengrass sighed. "It is little, but a persistent nuisance. Are you familiar with Dolores Umbridge?"
"Umbridge? Fudge's secretary?"
"Yes. She's been poking around, trying to figure out who's backing us—asking questions, making vague threats to some of our members. Thankfully, none of them are part of our inner circle, so she hasn't gotten anything. Still, it's a damn nuisance."
Maverick narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before finally standing up. It was well past midnight, and he didn't want to stick around any longer than necessary with a grown-ass man.
"You can handle such trivial matters yourself, Jameson," he said with clear displeasure. It was, after all, a small issue—one that a man leading a major faction within the Wizengamot should be more than capable of handling on his own.
Maverick then waved his hand in a slow circle, and a glowing portal shimmered into existence before him.
Lord Greengrass's heart thumped as he sensed his leader's displeasure. And now that he thought about it, such a minor issue really shouldn't have been brought to the highest level in the first place.
"My deepest apologies, Leader. Such incompetence on my part will not be repeated," he said quickly, bowing his head as Maverick stepped into the portal—though no response came.
That was, until just before the portal closed.
Maverick's voice echoed through the room, cold and sharp, sending a chill of regret down Greengrass's spine.
"If you need me to step on ants for you, Jameson, you don't belong in that seat."
—————————
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