Happiest of birthdays to Fred and George Weasley, the inseparable twins <3

For April fools, I did a grande prank on my sister and my friends, and oh man, if only magic was real, they would have hexed me into oblivion. 

In light of recent events and with the reminder that we only live once, stay safe and healthy.

Quarantine nickname is: how you feel + the last thing you ate, what's yours?! Mine is anxious apple.

***
Stripping the cloak off of his shoulders, Sirius wished he could just cut off his deadly thoughts from where they had resided. He was then greeted by the last person he expected to see here in Umbridge's office.

"Er, oh," mumbled Sirius in surprise, "what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," replied the elderly witch, her voice stiff and her faint eyebrows arching upward. "And mine, you will answer."

"Well, I just--" Sirius began, but he had no idea what he was about to say. "Nothing."

Sirius had a sudden shift in mindset of being caught out of line alongside the marauders, just like the good old days, and once again he tried to buy his way out.

"What are you on?" She asked again, though not as firmly as she had intended that he smirked back at her. "I am serious."

"Are you, now?" Sirius spoke in an amused voice, with a soft chuckle. "I don't recall talking to myself."

She sighed in artificial irritation, mentally face-palming and groaning. "I can easily tell that Dolores has aroused a fierce indignation in you."

"Oh Minnie, you know I mean no harm," said Sirius, his eyes twinkling with long-gone mischief, provoking a glare of disbelief to come his way. "But yes, she does."

"What will you do with her?" She asked in a low and slow voice, giving every word a weight on its own that even Sirius couldn't disregard.

"Alright, alright--" said Sirius, gulping and raising his arms in mock surrender. "Torture will pay for torture, that's all for now. She has hurt so many --my godson, so terribly-- and I'd like to see some justice working on her."

McGonagall gave him a slight shake of disapproval, yet she couldn't find it in herself to argue with him.

When he received no confirmation, Sirius continued dramatically, picturing himself under the spotlight in a theatrical performance. "Oh c'mon, it's worth her crimes against humanity."

McGonagall glared at her former student from under her round glasses, for she knew that even he would back-down under the intensity of such a gaze.

If it weren't for the gentle reminder he gave himself that he was no longer a student, Sirius was positive this would have landed him in detention, not that he cared much.

It was then that his most respected professor cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses in a gesture of formality.

"Well I do feel offended on a personal level by her love for cats," said McGonagall not as firmly as Sirius anticipated, understanding flashing across her face.

"Yes, of course," said Sirius at once, in a forced reserved tone. A long moment it took for him to frown and mumble, with her far from expected words finally reaching his brain. "I er, what?"

"I'd consider it a gift if you'd change the cat pictures hanging on her wall into anything else," commented McGonagall, relenting with a small grin that stretched the wrinkles on her worn-out face.

"Maybe something like er-- I don't know, a dog," said Sirius thoughtfully, and just then his smirk deepened for him to forget the trace of any frown that had once came across his face. "A black dog sounds more like it."

"Perfect choice," said McGonagall brightly, sharing a knowing expression with Sirius, giving him a gentle pat on his arm. "It would freak her out, I'd say."

"Right, dogs are dangerous-- hypothetically, of course, given that you're a cat yourself," said Sirius, unable to hide his smile from growing.

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at him, to which Sirius had the slightest urge to run away from her.

"So, um, what were you doing here?" Sirius asked, swallowing slowly, aiming to shift the topic at hand-- since he didn't look forward to become the first experimental subject of testing whether glaring looks could indeed take a life.

"Well, I see no damage in telling you now," responded McGonagall with a soft sigh. "All through this year, I've been keeping a close eye on Dolores, using my animagus as an advantage-- spying for the Order."

"Ha, what a cat of tricks you are!" Sirius exclaimed quietly, awed.

Within Sirius, there was another spill of respect added to Minnie's records, which was already reaching the wall of its limits.

"Once, I spilled on her a cup of hot tea, leaving a burnt mark on her hands." McGonagall couldn't help but grin, before shaking her head with the reminder of Umbridge's destructive nature. "When she was giving a first year Slytherin a hard time with that quill of hers."

"Nice one, Minnie," said Sirius, giving her a sideway wink. He gave her his back, though not before seeing her return his grin.

Sirius had then taken her request as a command and already began transforming the cat pictures into that of vicious dogs.

McGonagall made her way to the door before stopping mid-way to glance back at the man she had grown to care for, inhaling a deep breath.

"It's nice to see you running wild and free again." She spoke in a genuine voice, another smile playing along the edge of her thin lips.

Sirius felt his heart warm-up with the digestion of her caring gaze into his system.

"Ah, I just can't help it, you know-- I love it when you grin with pride just after you roll your glaring eyes at me," said Sirius after a long moment of silence, his twinkling eyes sincere.

"You're never going to stop, are you?" McGonagall allowed herself to laugh, shaking her head, to which he smiled warmly back at her.

"I hope not," replied Sirius, more to himself.

Sirius knew that he had been through hell and back, not just once, yet still what always brought a bucket of relieving water back into his burning life was his willpower to live for someone and die for the same cause before falling into his unavoidable and eventual death.

Ever since he could remember, he had set himself on his flaming desire to steal some lively moments of happiness, just like this one now... for such were the brightened stars navigating his way forward, with the first steps of hope, to a new destination.

**********
Umbridge couldn't stop herself from panting, even as she gripped the doorknob with her sweaty palms. She had just bumped into toxic old Minerva, who had only wished her good luck with a sly grin before walking past her as if she, Dolores Jean Umbridge, wasn't worth a moment of precious time.

Shaking it off, Umbridge walked into her comfort zone to restore her dignity, unknowingly meeting her demise.

"Ah, finally there you are," greeted Sirius coldly, sitting on her high-chair, at complete ease, placing one leg on top of the other. "You had me waiting."

"You're trespassing... who--?" She muttered, out of breath, before the answer was written in her eyes.

"Yes, yes, me-- Sirius Black in the flesh, present," said Sirius, his head held high before leaning closer, to which Umbridge made a choking noise. "The very same one known as the notorious mass-murderer, thanks to your ministry."

Never was Umbridge in need of her wand more than now. If it weren't for the half-breed centaurs, who had snatched her most precious possession from her, she would have gotten an end to Black, and the wizarding world would have surely raised her station of power.

"Though I've combed my hair, so there's that," remarked Sirius, his face stretching into a wicked smile for a split of a second, before his face muscles relaxed into a blank blunt expression.

It was only then that Umbridge, with ragged breaths, glanced down at her opponent's wand, which could be the end of her.

"I had my image tarnished and any future left for me destroyed," continued Sirius, trying his best to seal his pain and control his temper.

"You've got what you deserved, Black-- it was only prudent," said Umbridge in a surge of courage, but at once she was filled with dread from his reaction.

Sirius felt his blood boil in his veins, wanting to snap the life out of her already, that he had to remind himself of how disappointed Harry would be of him and the amount of regret Sirius would feel if he failed to pull himself together.

"You know absolutely nothing, and I suggest you leave it at that," said Sirius in a low dangerous voice, his steely eyes fierce.

Umbridge filled her chest with slow intakes of breath, taking a few steps backward.

"You're foolish to come here, of all places," said Umbridge, frantically averting her gaze back and forth. "Well, at least it's the perfect trap, for as you surely must know, my loyalty lies with the ministry."

Sirius refused to get ridden by the memories of agony his melancholic imprisonment had left for him, since he had more important matters at stake now.

"I am not here for me, but for my godson," said Sirius, his eyes narrowed to slits, to which she frowned in confusion.

"Ehem, I am afraid you're mistaken," replied Umbridge, clearing her throat and adjusting the roll of her sleeves. "I merely intend to teach the children at Hogwarts manners consistent with their age, and the importance of respecting authority figures who surely know much more than what their incompetent minds could ever come up with."

Sirius had the urge to roll his eyes out of boredom and irritation, especially through the middle when he had meant to interrupt her with a bunch of colourful curse words that were spinning in his mind. "Harry Potter, rings a bell?"

"Oh, that one," scoffed Umbridge, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He intentionally took lies to an elevated level-- just to plunge everyone into chaos and public terror."

Sirius stared brazenly into her eyes, clenching his teeth and sitting at the edge of his chair, feeling repulsed by her words.

"Don't--" began Sirius in a low voice, his eyes flashing dangerously in warning of his inflamed rage.

"I only aim to teach Mr. Potter a lesson of vital importance," said Umbridge, smiling sweetly. "Since apparently he had no one else in his life to do the job and show him right from wrong."

"Care to say that again," growled Sirius, jumping to his feet with his wand only inches from her face, to which she gasped weakly. "And I'll flip you like an omelette!"

If Umbridge had been equally terrified and outraged before, it was nothing compared to now. Even just from the intensity of madness in his rising voice, she knew that this man wasn't someone to mess with, especially given his history.

"I--I," mumbled Umbridge, "did nothing wrong."

"Oh please," snorted Sirius, rolling his eyes, "you're all wrong." Bitterness laced his tone, as he lowered his wand with a sigh.

"That is something you'll pay for." Umbridge resorted to threaten as best as she could, attempting to hide how scandalized she truly felt.

Her gaze flew to the enchanted drawings of her cats, which could have sent word of aid to spare her, but she was left wide-eyed and out of breath seeing wicked dogs taking their place.

"Yeah well, I'm more concerned with what will happen to you now though." Sirius shot back, a challenging glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Umbridge asked, clutching her heart, wide-eyed.

"Payback," replied Sirius simply, being as vague as possible, rubbing his hands together at the ready.

Umbridge puffed her chest in an attempt to show more courage than what she currently possessed, but still she couldn't deny how futile it seemed. She took a deep breath and fell for her desperation to survive.

"If you let me go, I promise to prove your innocence to the world and do all I can to clear your name from all charges." She bargained, willing to reach him from what she presumed was his weakest point.

"I already got that sorted, thankyouverymuch," replied Sirius coldly, giving out a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I am no longer the Undesirable Number One."

Umbridge covered up her frown of shock with a feign of concern. "But you're still very much undesirable in the eyes of the people, and you can't fight this battle on your own-- you need someone with an increasing influence on the public mind."

Sirius tilted his head to the side, with a low hum of thought, his eyes narrowing a fraction.

Seeing him consider her proposal, Umbridge inwardly smirked in triumph and gave him another of her sweet smiles.

Sirius couldn't deny that it was indeed a delicious offer given to someone starving to death, but he knew better than anyone the deadly amount of poison it brought.

"It seems I underestimated you and how manipulative you are," said Sirius quietly, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

She gulped and raised her eyebrows. "Tut-tut, well, that's a mistake on your behalf. Now, think wisely, and don't let your refusal be your second mistake."

"I would never trade my godson's trust for anything-- not even my freedom," said Sirius without a flicker of hesitation, his voice trembling only at the dreadful prospect of broken trust.

"Don't let emotions cloud your judgement," urged Umbridge one more time, with a sigh of impatient disapproval. "I am offering you a golden chance, one that you're in dire need of."

"Which I gladly refuse," replied Sirius with a stiff smile.

Sirius wouldn't give her the chance to abuse her power on him too-- the same way she did not only to a countless number of innocent students, but also and most importantly to Harry, his godson.

Sirius could now feel all what had befallen on his godson hit him instead, one blow after the other: Umbridge was cruel in sending the dementors to expel Harry from Hogwarts and to suck out his soul along the way-- continuously torturing him with the Blood Quill-- being merciless in accusing him of spreading lies and instilling the belief inside his godson that he certainly deserved to be punished-- hurting him with the reminder that he had no one to turn to, when he felt wronged.

Adding on top of all that, she was the reason Harry just felt betrayed by his godfather.

"You cost me more than you could possibly imagine." Sirius spoke in a constricted voice, feeling a surge of guilt spiral in his gut. "And as it so happens, I am not at all forgiving."

With no way out, Umbridge was beyond terrified that she had been locked in a cage of vulnerability, with all the influence of public power she had once possessed being ceased from her grasp... what she appreciated above all else was snatched away from her, and now all she was forced to do was plead for mercy-- for her life, or else her death awaits.

"No, this can't be happening." Umbridge spoke in a weak warning voice, yet she still couldn't shun away her ever-growing terror of the unknown.

Sirius just blocked her way to the floo-powder that she was sneaking to get closer to, for a desperate call of help or a form of escapism.

"Now now, you're heading the wrong way-- c'mon, I want you seated over there, oh yes, good gal," said Sirius, directing her to a chair adjacent to a small desk by the corner, on top was a single parchment and quill. "I hate to assume that this is exactly where you forced Harry to write those lines of torture, yes?"

"You can't do this," stuttered Umbridge, horrified.

"I very well can," replied Sirius, his voice leaving no room for arguments and his glare vibrant.

There was a certain aura of pride in him, Umbridge thought, making it seem that crossing him would be something she'd regret... in fact that was exactly marking the hellhole of her current situation.

Her head no longer held high, she was willing to beg for her life, something she never thought herself capable of ever doing. "Leave me be, please."

A frown coming over his face, Sirius for one knew that such a desperate tone would run deep inside the soul that a small part of him wanted to spare her-- but for Harry, he would never relent.

"You're making it harder on yourself," said Sirius, heaving a sigh and inclining his head to the quill, to which she slumped her shoulder in defeat.

Panting, Umbridge took hesitant slow footsteps to where she would be endlessly humiliated and tortured. She felt the world coming in and out of focus, reaching her trembling hands to hold onto the chair with a firm yet sweaty grip.

Not looking forward to wait for the black dots to take over her vision completely and block her from the world, she took a seat soon enough, her breath coming out in short pants from where her throat felt like burning.

"What should I write?" She asked lowly, casting her gaze downward, feeling every ounce of indignity meant for her.  

"Valid question." Sirius nodded, humming in thought and brushing his hair backward. He pondered over the best possible word choice.

Umbridge waited with bated breath for what she knew would be the words of her demise.

"Don't expect to escape the grim without a bite." Sirius spoke in determination, a twinkle of mischief shining in his eyes. "That will do."

"So it was you-- the omen of death?" She asked, her voice doubtful and her gaze hopeful.

Sirius only gave her a malicious smile, which made her tremble under his gaze, and he nodded. "Your scream was so squeaky, you know."

Umbridge breathed in relief, with a light cough. "At least now I am certain that death is not knocking on my doors."

Sirius couldn't pride himself much on walking over someone's death. His next few words were genuine, spoken with a slight shake of his head. "Well, you'll soon realise there are fates or even moments that could eat you alive."

The soothing sensation she had felt was so easily snatched away from her aching heart.

Sirius glanced at the clock chiming with running clicks-- he had to get this through, Remus should be done by now and possibly even waiting for the final and most vital component of their plan.

"Now then," said Sirius, raising his eyebrows in cold anticipation. "The lines."

Defeated, Umbridge had nothing left in her hands to do but to obey the command she was given.

Don't expect to escape the grim without a bite.

Every single letter bore daggers into the back of her no-longer-soft hand, leaving her wrinkles to twitch in protest, her veins turning purple with the words carving on her skin. Biting on her lower lip till it bled, she suppressed the urge to scream at the top of her lungs from the surge of pain that broke through her.

Across the fifth dose of torture from the Blood Quill, Sirius terminated her full-time agony.

"Enough?" Umbridge had asked, dumbfounded and arching her eyebrows upward.

She had thought he wouldn't let her stop anytime soon. Unlike the hours of torment she spent with that godson of his, for her, it was only a decade of minutes-- but still, it was of equal misery.

"It might come new to you, but I don't find much pleasure in people's suffering," said Sirius, with every word standing on its own. "Besides, we're running out of time, tiktok."

Umbridge inhaled a deep breath and resorted back to her old means of threats, taking advantage of his one and only previous slip of a tongue.

"Well, as payback to your generosity, I'll let the world know that you're an unregistered animagus. Hem, hem-- you may be cleared through means I still do not know of, but I am positive that Fudge would be most pleased with such news... to lock you back where you belong."

Umbridge grinned upon the trapped expression that was instantly drawn on his face.

"Your cell in Azkaban awaits you, surely you've missed your stay with the dementors," she carried on, a sly smirk etched on her round face.

At the mere mention of the state that had clouded over him for years, a flicker of sorrowful anguish passed through Sirius' grey eyes, before he swallowed thickly.

If Sirius was yet again forced to live off scraps with the dementors for helping a friend in need-- for giving Remus company when he was at his most vulnerable and equally dangerous form-- at least, this time, it was for doing what's right.

Yes, he would once again lose all the happy glimpses that came with his freedom, but his suffering would be worthwhile that he would even be proud of himself instead of mercilessly engaging in self-induced guilt.

Sirius felt himself nod stiffly, his left eye twitching in a hidden shade of fear and grief... before a desperate image flew through his mind.

But... being thrown back to Azkaban, Sirius wouldn't be able to be there for Harry-- forever losing hope of granting his godson a life resembling that of a real family-- and that dark prospect was even worse than the dementors.

Sirius couldn't bear even the thought of abandoning Harry one more time.

"It is inevitable that you'll pay for what you've just done to me," snarled Umbridge, re-adopting her tone of power.

"Happy to disappoint you, as I can't allow it to stand," said Sirius lowly, as powerful as he could master, his no longer trembling jaw set very firmly.

She scoffed, clearly undermining him.

"And by extension," Umbridge continued coldly in disregard of the interruption, standing up behind the table, "we could even get lucky and give Mr. Potter a better round of punishment--"

Now was Umbridge's turn to get interrupted, for she had struck a nerve.

"You have ten seconds to take that back," said Sirius, his voice rising and his eyes narrowing. He felt a smirk come over his face, before he shrugged dismissively. "3,2,1-- bye."

Sirius acted on the first thought that crossed his mind, not leaving himself a moment to further calculate beyond directing his impulse, raising his wand at her face with a non-verbal spell.

Hit by the curse, Umbridge stumbled a few steps backward, trying and failing to keep a hold of her balance that she fell back into the chair. With a grunt of pain, her eyes turned inward, before she was left staring sightlessly at a wall.

"Serves you right," mumbled Sirius, sighing in relief, knowing that he did modify the targeted memory that could act as spoken proof of his animagus form.

From his pocket, Sirius extracted a countable amount of 'dongbombs' to be left hidden here and there behind the shelves-- for soon enough, an explosion would sound in the heart of her office, and she would come out coughing and gagging from the foul odor.

With that in mind, he left Umbridge to her fate. Sirius meant to find Remus as soon as possible to put the final pieces of her downfall in their rightful place.

Being almost done with his mission, Sirius had his thoughts run back to his safe haven-- Harry.

Sirius was now satisfied that at last he had succeeded in making-up for the emotional hurt and the physical damage that had been inflicted on his godson-- for once, Sirius managed to take revenge in his own hands, without making it all worse.

Or did he?

He did make it a whole lot worse, by cracking the trust Harry had once held for him...

Sirius did everything he could for his godson, yet Harry still saw it differently-- proving that his trust was not strong enough to build the prospect of a loving family on.

***
Hope you enjoyed reading!

I know this update is pretty late, sorry for the long wait.

Vote and comment, please, make my day much better.

Also, given your unique personality, what animagus do you think (or even hope) you would be? Of course, given that this is all real, not just a fragment of wild imagination!

Until next time :)