Sirius looked dubious. "Just because Voldemort
and the Ministry are both looking for me? They
haven't caught me yet."
"But last time, they came close."
He was silent for a moment. "How did you meet
this guy, anyway?"
"In Bulgaria, with Viktor."
"The Quidditch star."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I
should only have dated Ron or Harry at school.
Viktor was very sweet, you know. It's not like I
was dating Malfoy or something."
"Fine," Sirius said. "I'll meet this guy Krycek."
Anything to get her to change the subject. He
listened half-heartedly to her explanations until
something caught his attention. "Russia? A bit
too close to Durmstrang. There are a lot of dark
wizards in Russia right now."
"It's the last place anyone would look for you.
And we could use someone on the ground keeping an
eye out for those dark wizards."
"I don't speak Russian."
"You'll learn," she told him.
Which was how he found himself in a bar in
Amsterdam, waiting for this friend of Viktor
Krum's. Good looking, I guess, Hermione had said.
Small features, green eyes, dark hair. She hadn't
said, he walks like a killer, but maybe she hadn't
known what that meant. She hadn't said wary, or
beautiful, or wounded, maybe past repair.
They sat encased in the dark wood of a booth,
drinking their beers, keeping one eye on each
other and the other on the door. Krycek put down
his bottle. "She says you need to disappear."
"This is a crazy idea. I can't hide in Russia."
"Oh, it's easy to hide in Russia. The hard thing
is finding your way back out." The twist in
Krycek's smile told Sirius that this wasn't a
joke.
"What's in it for you?"
The same twist of a smile, which never reached
Krycek's eyes. "I could use someone with your
talents. You want to stay away from other
wizards, right?"
"Maybe. What kind of business are you in,
anyway?" Hermione had been vague on the subject.
That was when the smile turned real, giving Sirius
a glimpse of the flesh-and-blood man under the
beautiful killer's face. "The usual thing:
outclassed, outnumbered, losing a war that never
seems to end. Resist or serve, fight or die. You
know, that business."
"Not the war I'm fighting, though."
Krycek lifted the bottle to his lips, stretched
out his throat as he swallowed. "No," he said
when he was done. "But it might be." There was a
little liquid shining at the corner of his mouth.
"Not while..." Sirius paused.
"While Voldemort is still out there making
trouble?"
"You know a lot about my business."
Krycek shrugged one shoulder. "I hear rumors."
"Hermione has a high opinion of you."
For a second, he thought Krycek might give him an
honest answer. Then his mouth twisted again. "I
guess witches like me."
Sirius reached across the table to take the beer
from Krycek's hand. He drained it and placed it
back in front of the other man with an audible
clink. "What about wizards?"
Krycek's lips were parted. "Wizards... I don't
have the same luck with wizards."
"Want another?" Sirius tried to sound casual.
"Another beer? No."
Just outside the door, when they were alone on the
street, Sirius caught a fistful of Krycek's
jacket. "One thing. No Unforgivables."
"No killing, no torture, no mind control.
Anything else you don't do?"
"Try me and see. I'll let you know if something
seems wrong."
Krycek looked like he was trying not to laugh.
Watching humor chase caution and temptation across
his eyes, Sirius was revising his first opinion—wounded, but not past repair—when Krycek leaned
forward and kissed him. He tasted of beer, their
teeth knocked together before their tongues met,
and just for the duration, Sirius forgot to worry
about who might be sneaking up on him. Then he
broke away, needing air, and Krycek asked, "Did
that seem wrong?"
"Very much so." He was still clutching Krycek's
jacket. "Still willing to help me hide?"
"Anything to keep Hermione happy." Krycek
answered.
Author's note: I've always thought Krycek and
Black would make a good pair. This one's for
Medie and the Random Hundreds.
Parallel Catastrophes: Beer in Amsterdam
by Vanzetti
It had been Hermione's idea. "He might be able to
help. He knows how to disappear into the Muggle
world."
