Dumbledore stopped in the kitchen and noted everyone, but Sirius was there. "Molly, my dear, perchance do you know where Sirius is?" he asked the fuming woman. She had Flooed him earlier and ranted at him for an hour after Sirius had his little talk. It had taken quite a while to calm her down and let her know that he would handle it. He was just glad that he had been able to. Sometimes, when Molly got on a rant, nothing would help. She was loyal to him though, so he did his best to accomplish his task of calming her down. It worked, eventually.
"He's in the study at the end of the hall. Probably, thinking of more ways to 'punish' me," she said, grumbling under her breath, snatching some of Arthur's socks to darn. She pushed the needle in so hard that it almost flew out the other side. Since she was no longer allowed to cook, she had to do something with her hands, but she was not getting far in her task, since she was not paying attention, too busy fuming over Sirius, so her seams would come out crooked, and she would have to restitch every other poke or so. Oh yeah, she was angry.
"Thank you, Molly. I will endeavor to make him return the wards to me. I am sure that he is merely venting some frustration on his lack of use for the Order. Don't trouble yourself any further," he said, his eyes twinkling like they always did when he felt he was right.
Molly gave a curt nod and went back to her sewing. The kids started whispering about what might be said between Sirius and Albus until Molly glared them into silence.
Albus, with his colorful and tacky robes of orange and green, followed Molly's directions and soon came to his destination. He flowed into the room Sirius was in and settled on a chair. He smoothed out his long white beard, so it sat perfectly down his front. Then he laced his fingers across his stomach like he was the old grandfather he pretended to be. Since he never had children, the man didn't understand what a grandfather was, though he liked to think he did. He then looked expectantly at Sirius, like the man was a toddler caught stealing biscuits, and that with just that look alone, he should confess.
Sirius snorted at the way the man acted. He picked up his glass, raised it in salute at the old man, and drank. Putting the glass down, he nodded. "Dumbledore," he said curtly.
"Sirius," the man replied, running his hand down his beard. "Can you tell me why you have relieved me of being the Secret Keeper for this house?" he asked, looking perplexed like he didn't understand why the man in front of him would not think him worthy of holding the wards.
"Sure," the dogman said with a shrug. "It's my house. Only I should be able to invite people to come to it." He said it with such an air that one would think he was talking to a child who should have known the answer. He inwardly smirked at the look of shock on the old man's face.
"Whatever do you mean? No one is here that I do not approve of," Albus said, furrowing his brow as if trying to work a difficult puzzle.
"Yes, you approve of it," Sirius said, sipping his brandy, then twirling the liquid around in the glass, watching the amber liquid make small waves. It was a bit calming to him. He then pulled his gaze away and gave a firm look to the old man sitting across from him. "Look, I offered this house as a meeting place, not a safe house. You moved people in without my consent or even asking me. You just showed up with them and said they were staying. I'm a bit peeved about that," he answered with a bite in his tone.
"Surely you could see that they needed…" the old man started, only to be interrupted. He didn't even acknowledge the fact that the younger man was angry, only that he wasn't doing what Dumbledore thought he should be. This was uncharted territory for him; everyone listened to him. Well, not the likes of Malfoy, but those on the light side of magic did.
"That's not the bloody point. You didn't ask," Sirius snapped, making Albus' head snap up a bit as if startling him from his thought. Sirius showed just how mad he was by slamming his glass on the table, making the brandy spill everywhere.
"Come now…"
"No! Albus, get it through your head that you are not Merlin or any deity known to wizards. It is common courtesy to ask a person if he minded having houseguests. By bringing everyone here, you denied my right to veto who could stay. Since she arrived, I've had to listen to that harpy go on and on about what a horrible person I am," Sirius seethed, gritting his teeth, and then taking a deep breath to try and calm down. He needed to stay rational right now. Dumbledore was a master manipulator. If he let his anger control him, he would fall for some subtle influence, and that was the last thing he wanted. There was no way he was going to let Albus guilt-trip him into giving up control.
"Now, Sirius, there is no need to be so upset. I was merely making sure that your godson's friends were safe," the old man placated with a calming gesture of his hands, ignoring the accusations. "It behooves you, as Harry's godfather, to protect the people he cares about."
"Don't pull that with me. These people are not my responsibility," Sirius stated firmly with a sharp slash of his hand. Then he took another breath and changed the subject. "And what of Harry, why is he not here?" he demanded.
"Harry is safe where he is. There is no place safer for him than his aunt's house," Dumbledore answered in his best grandfather's voice. "Will you return the wards to me?" the old man changed the subject back to the original content.
Sirius scoffed, "No."
"Why ever not?"
"Read my lips, Albus, this is not your house."
"I need to be able to invite others in. What if someone joins the Order that you don't know?" Albus inquired a bit forcefully as if trying to get his way but showing how powerful he was.
"Then you are out of luck until you introduce them, aren't you," came the bland reply.
"Sirius, my boy, you are being unreasonable," Dumbledore said, looking over his half-moon glasses as if chastising an unruly child.
"See, that right there is why you do not have control of this house," the younger man said, pointing an accusing finger at the elder. "It is the main reason I took the wards from your control. You seem to think that you must oversee everything and that anyone who defies you is just being a child. I am not a child, Albus. I am a grown man that you have trapped in this house. Bound by duty and circumstance."