Glancing at the window, Rowan remembered the time. "I have one more place to visit before dinner, Lorcan, but I will inform one of the house elves once I am out of sight to inform the adults of Barty's arrival."
"It's fine," Lorcan said in a hushed voice. "I won't be going anywhere," he indicated to the infant resting against his chest and the book in his hand.
"Alright," Rowan gently reached over to tousle his head, before very carefully reaching down to touch the baby on the head who merely snuggles deeper into his warm nest.
Quietly Rowan departs leaving two mourning teenagers and an innocent baby, who had no idea he would soon be motherless. Striding down the hall, a fair distance away, she stopped and called out, "Finney!" She wasn't about to risk getting Kreacher again, not after his lack of tact in Lorcan's room!
An almost musical pop is heard as a pretty house elf with Chanel-like cut hair, wide brown eyes, and dimples in a neat little French maid outfit bows prettily to Rowan. "How might be of service, Miss Prince?"
"Apologies for the abruptness," Rowan confessed, "however, Barty is here visiting Lorcan. He has not slept in days and has lost nearly a stone in weight. Though at present, he is sound asleep, so please do not disturb him. Please inform the elders and adults of the family that Barty needs to be looked after along with the infant, Lycoris. It would appear that Mr. Crouch is either too busy to make time for his sons or has commenced to grieve for his wife prematurely."
"Finney shall gladly do so. Is that all, Miss Prince?" Finney sincerely asked.
"Yes, that would be all," Rowan paused, "but if you would tell me, where Sirius is, I would greatly appreciate it."
"Of course," Finney paused and tilted her head as if listening or sensing something. After a moment she says, "The young master, Sirius is moping in the blue chess room. It is down the hall to the first right, then a left, and another left."
"Right," Rowan muttered under her breath at the instructions, before she could ask for further clarification, the house elf vanished with almost no sound.
With a destination in mind with a hazard set of directions, Rowan set off again. Following the instructions, she quickly found herself at the entrance of what would appear to be a type of conversation room. There are two bookshelves filled with books along with various chairs set about. The light easily enters the room where two velvet armchairs sit in front of the high window and a wizard chess board resting in between.
In one chair sits a tall, slender handsome young man with fair skin, lustrous black hair, and piercing gray eyes. Yet the once merry eyes are solemn and dark. Sirius Black's face is narrower causing his face to have a sharpness it did not have before. Lost in his own thoughts, he failed to notice the presence of Rowan standing in the doorway.
"Rook move two squares to the right," Sirius instructed the rook. "And check, Brahms."
His opponent lets a loud meow as if in protest. The gorgeous white Turkish Angora with bright blue round eyes blinks slowly. It meows again and a random chess piece on the wizard chess board moves. "Well, checkmate, Brahms," Sirius mumbled as he put the King in checkmate.
Brahms proudly meows and begins to clean his face with his pink-padded paws. Brahms stops and sniffs the air before calling out in friendly greeting. "Tiffany, I said I want to be alone." Sirius coldly barked without even glancing up.
"Well, if that's how you are speaking to Tiffany, I ought to give you a good sock in the face, Sirius," Rowan warningly said as she approached from behind.
A flash of surprise flashes across Sirius's face as he sits up and turns around to face Rowan. "I-," his voice cuts off as his expression turns into a sulk. "It's not any of your business what I do, Rowan."
Rowan does not hesitate to give him a good thump on the head as she passes him by.
"Ow!" Sirius reached up his aching head, all the while glaring at Rowan.
Rowan gently shoos Brahms who more than happily jumps off the chair as if to say, "Finally! He's your problem now!" With his tail high, Brahm sashayed away to find his human. He had not received his proper care this morning as was his due.
"Resorting to playing with a cat, oh how the mighty have fallen," Rowan remarked as she sat down her satchel on the ground.
"Tsk," Sirius clicked his teeth together in a grimace and folded his arms over his chest. He unconsciously shuffled his feet and winced as his left leg moved with a thump.
Rowan didn't even glance down at the prosthetic limb and instead ordered the wizard chess pieces to reset. "After you," she motioned for Sirius to go first.
"Fine," Sirius bitterly spat and made an aggressive, but calculated first move.
With the intent not to win but rather to test Sirius, Rowan moves her pawn to establish control in the center of the board. The match continued in silence mostly except for their giving verbal instructions to the board pieces. "Bishop to the right three spaces," Sirius said setting his Bishop up for attack.
"Rook back two spaces," Rowan countered.
"You are leaving your Knight open to my Bishop, Rowan that is an uncharacteristic rookie move."
"Perhaps."
Sirius did not hesitate to attack and took the initiative. He kept pushing Rowan until her King was in jeopardy. He successfully corralled the King. "Checkmate," he proudly declared.
"So it is," Rowan acknowledged the brilliant gameplay. "I remember in our first year at the start you said that you hated chess, Sirius. Yet by the end of the year, you had begun to play to an extent that you were giving Terry a run for his money. He always mumbles under his breath that you are "a devious brute, who uses his foolishness to hide his deep-natured viciousness (like that of a lion)."
"I didn't fully agree with Terry's statement," Rowan mused as she took in the board. "However, I think Terry might be right after all in the end. I owe him a box of ice mice."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Sirius snapped irritability.
Rowan looked up to stare Sirius straight in the eye. "Sirius Black, you are the heir of the noble house of the Blacks and whether you realize it or not," she gestured to the chess board where the winning enchanted white chess pieces are cheering, while the black chess pieces bemoan their fate.
"It is a sign of your pureblood pedigree," Rowan pointedly gestured to the chess board, "to know how to make use of the board in front of you."
The feathers of Sirius are ruffled in anger as he sits up enraged by Rowan's words only to be further enflamed by her following words.
Rowan glanced down at the enchanted prosthetic that looked and moved just like a real leg. "Yes, you lost your left leg, Sirius. However, you have lost nothing that cannot be regained or relearned, including Quidditch."
"I can't even walk without the use of a cane, Rowan!" Sirius shouted back gesturing at the elegant cane residing next to his chair. "I can't even ride a broom without help. Believe me, I have tried! I am not an idiot nor an infirm! So don't try to feed me these bullsh*t lies!"
Sirius sat back down and leaned against his armchair. "My metal prosthetic looks and moves like a real leg, Rowan, but it has none the flexibility of my leg. I may be able to walk someday without the use of a cane, but it will never be the same," he closed his eyes in pain. Pain and anger are all that he feels now.
Seeing that Sirius is no longer willing to speak, Rowan sincerely says, "I will never lie to placate you, Sirius, nor much less pity you."
Sirius opens and closes his mouth unable to think of a comeback. He knew that Rowan would never lie nor placate him. Certainly not about this.
"You are the Gryffindor Keeper and Quidditch Captain, Sirius," Rowan plainly said. "It is your arms not your legs that block the Quaffle. Undoubtedly, you will be slower than before, but that merely means you must use your mind to anticipate your opponent's movements."
Glancing at his left leg, Sirius with trembling fingers slides down to his knee to the end of the stump. There is a well-fitted small cushion between him, and the magical prosthetic made of goblin silver. There are straps that connect the prosthetic to his lower thighs to keep the prosthetic from staying in place.