House: Ravenclaw
Category: Themed (power)
Prompts: [First Line] "Of all the people I could have seen against me in this fight… My child was the one I wanted least," [Character] Sirius Black
Word Count: 2643
Also, thank you to alixxblack for helping so much with the beta process
Power is Might
Orion's POV
Of all the people I could have seen against me in this fight… My child was the one I wanted least.
"It's not too late to join us, son," I called out, ducking a stream of red light cast in my direction. I saw my son's face adopt a look of surprise as he realised the voice came from his own father.
The look quickly changed into silent concentration as he dodged an amber spell shot to his left. It was three against one, and my son had broken into a sweat, the look of furious determination in his eyes quite unnerving. Although I was against having blood traitors like him in the Death Eaters, the Dark Lord thought he would be a great asset to the dark side; he and his friend Potter were excellent duellers . It wasn't Sirius we were here for though – it was his boyfriend, the werewolf.
I screwed my face up in disgust as I thought of my disgraced son being with a filthy half-breed. That was the last straw for us - we kicked him out as soon as we found out about it.
"Never!" he shouted. I realized then how much he differed from Regulus, my youngest son who had given in at the first promise of power like the rest of us. It wasn't long after my son joined that I realized this was what I wanted too, and also joined the Death Eaters. We wanted glory, and the Dark Lord would give it to each and every one of us. Regulus knew this and would be rewarded.
Sirius, however… I never understood what went through his mind. What would he gain from being a nobody, someone who was too naïve to understand how to truly get by in the world?
"Hold your fire!" The Dark Lord's voice rang through the house and we immediately lowered our wands, apart from Bellatrix, who took the chance to stupefy Sirius while he was distracted. He fell to the floor with a sickening thud.
"The werewolf isn't here. Take Black. He could be useful in finding Lupin's whereabouts. He'll just need a little… Persuasion." Orion could practically here the sneer in the Dark Lord's tone as his voice disappeared leaving the room silent.
"Well?" Rodolphus snarled, grinning nastily at my son. "What are we waiting for?"
I knew that I had no choice. I knelt down beside Sirius and grabbed onto his arm as I apparated to Malfoy Manor.
Sirius' POV
I didn't expect to come home to see Remus packing his things. It was supposed to be 'movie night', in which Remus would show me another of his muggle films, I would cook spaghetti, and we would snuggle on the sofa all evening.
In the end, it was all Voldemort's fault. If he hadn't been trying to recruit werewolves, then I would still have Remus and my date-night.
It was Regulus who had warned Remus about Voldemort's visit. I felt immensely proud of my brother when I heard of this – it seemed Regulus still cared enough about my happiness to prevent the love of my life being taken away from me, even if it did mean going against one of Britain's most powerful wizards.
I didn't want Remus to go away. He would have to stay at my cousin Andromeda's for at least a week before it was properly safe to come back. I wanted more than anything to go with him, but I knew I should stay here to throw the Death Eaters off the scent. If I went with him, they'd probably find us as we would be staying with one of my relatives, despite the fact the house would be well protected. If I stayed here, however, and pretended not to know where he was, Remus could be anywhere.
There was a sharp knock on my door at exactly seven o' clock. As I was standing up to open it, the door in question was blown off its hinges, revealing the group of masked, cloaked men.
"Search the house."
The voice didn't come from the group, but simply filled the space around us, making me feel very, very trapped. Of course Voldemort could still control his followers even when he wasn't with them. He could be miles away for all I knew, but his voice still spiked fear in me. What would happen when they didn't find Remus? What if they found out where he was staying? What would happen to Remus then?
The death eaters barged into our house and I watched them silently as they tore apart the small bungalow Remus and I had tried so hard to make our own, piece by piece. They threw things haphazardly to the ground, emptied cupboards and pulled picture frames off the walls. I saw red when a picture of me and Remus at a Muggle fayre smashed into pieces as a Death Eater threw it to the floor.
"Hey, stop that! This is vandalization you know!"
The death eater turned towards me, not believing that I would dare stand up to them.
"Stupefy," they muttered, sounding rather bored, as if they didn't think they would need much effort to take me out. I blocked the spell, shocked.
Oh no they didn't.
A couple of seconds later, I was on my feet, sending any jinx I could at the group of Death Eaters, who had the nerve to ruin my date-night, destroy my house, then try to stupefy me.
Apparently, the they hadn't even considered the fact that I might try to fight back, because within a matter of seconds, I had taken out three of them. Unfortunately, all of the others began rushing to help, and soon I was faced with about seven of them, none of whom would care at all if I ended up dead.
Bugger.
It started off well. I managed to take out around four of the seven, although the remaining three were good. I was doing well though, or at least I was until I heard an unwelcomely familiar voice.
"It's not too late to join us, son," the voice called out, throwing me off guard. As I stared at my father, I only just dodged a spell aimed at my chest. It was too close for comfort.
What was my father doing here? It was a stupid question, of course – he was a Death Eater.
Maybe I was stupid to think he'd at least avoid duelling his own son… I swallowed the lump in my throat. He wasn't exactly a model father figure and our views were always opposed, but it still hurt to realize he wouldn't mind seeing his own son dead in return for power and fame. What kind of father would choose a false promise like that over his son?
"Never," I shouted, furiously. What did he think I was going to do? Throw my wand down in the middle of the duel and surrender? Just when I was seriously starting to doubt the odds of winning the battle when Voldemort's voice filled the room once again.
"Hold your fire!" That was the last thing I heard before a red light clouded my vision and everything turned black.
Orion's POV
"Black, bring me the prisoner."
The Dark Lord had returned to Malfoy Manor and had made himself at home in their living room. He sat in the largest armchair next to the fireplace and had his back to us, his feet stretched out before him, but his posture tense and unnaturally straight.
"Yes, my Lord." I left the room and walked towards the descending set of stairs which lead to the dungeons. I cast 'lumos' and held my wand out in front of me, the damp, musky scent of the dungeons causing me to pinch my nose in disgust. I opened the door slowly, half expecting Sirius to immediately jump on me in a bid to escape. When he didn't, I pushed the door open all the way and, at this, Sirius, who had been slouched in the corner, picked himself up and strode over to me. Before he could do anything he'd regret, I jabbed my wand into his chest.
"Don't move." If he was surprised it was me that came, he didn't show it, instead putting his bound hands up in surrender.
"Where are we headed, mate?"
I ignored his cheek and didn't reply, instead motioning for him to walk in front of me, then putting my wand to his back. "Move."
The journey to the Malfoys' lounge was uneventful, I occasionally barked directions and he followed them obediently. When we reached the door, he asked another question.
"What's the run down then? What's going to happen to me?" His voice showed no signs of emotion, but despite his attempt at nonchalance, I could tell he was frightened by the way his brows furrowed slightly and his lips were pursed tightly together.
Instead of answering, I pushed open the door and Sirius stumbled inside. The Dark Lord had swivelled his armchair to face us and was staring at Sirius with a stony expression. His face was pale and bony and his eyes so piercing they seemed as if they could impale stone walls.
"Black." His gaze swept over Sirius as if deciding what to do with him. He pointed to a wooden, straight-backed chair before him.
"Sit."
Sirius didn't move. I couldn't decide whether I was proud at my son's courage, or outraged at the disobedience he showed the Dark Lord.
"I said, sit," the Dark Lord hissed, elongating his 's', forcing me to compare him to a snake. He stood up and pointed his wand at Sirius.
"Incarcerous." Thick ropes shot from the Dark Lord's wand and wrapped themselves around my son. He was slowly dragged towards the chair, which he was quickly tied to. The Dark Lord paced in a circle around him as if trying to decide his fate.
"You can still join me," he hissed at my son, letting me think that he was not completely lost. Of course, I should have known it wouldn't matter. "Power and glory can be yours."
"Liar," Sirius growled, struggling against his binds which only made them tighter. "And besides, what makes you think I'd ever even consider joining you?" With these words, he spat in the Dark Lord's face.
I stifled a gasp. What was he thinking?
The Dark Lord wiped his face furiously, and his voice turned dangerously soft. "Sirius, you should know that there are still options. Should you tell me where we can find your half-breed friend, you can still go free." But he held up his wand with a smirk. Even I knew that Sirius would not agree to those terms. The Dark Lord would have to try harder than that, and he did, too. When Sirius didn't show any signs of listening, his voice became gravely serious. "If you need convincing, however, Bellatrix can assist you."
The Dark Lord twirled his wand in his hand. They waited patiently for his reply, at least as patiently as I'd ever seen them. Remus Lupin was wanted quite direly, and nobody wanted to be quick to ruin their chances of capturing him. When the unnoted time ran out, though, the Dark Lord sighed in mock defeat. Bellatrix cackled at the thought of torturing her cousin and could have been heard a mile away.
But Sirius still remained silent.
"Not talking? What a pity," the Dark Lord said in a deceivingly bright tone. It wasn't but a second before he cast his punishment upon Sirius for his refusal to cooperate. "Crucio!"
Sirius gasped as the spell hit him, but quickly pressed his lips together in an effort not to make a sound. Sweat started to pour down his forehead as he remained silent, and I could see a stream of blood trickle down his chin from where he was biting his lip.
The Dark Lord began to grow frustrated, growling at Sirius' silence. He motioned for another of his Death Eaters to cast the spell as well. Bellatrix stepped forwards gleefully, her eyes shining.
"Crucio!" She sounded completely delighted at the flinch Sirius gave as her spell was added. This went on for half a minute, but Sirius still hadn't made a sound. His breath was coming in short gasps and his eyes were unfocused, as if was detached from the room completely.
Two others added to his misery, and Sirius let out gasp of pain, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Orion," the Dark Lord said, gesturing for me to come over and torture my son. I couldn't, could I? I knew the expectation was there, and he reinforced that knowledge when I took my first hesitant step. "We must rid ourselves of the enemy.
Sirius, my son, had never been like the rest of the Black Family. In nearly every way, he was a blood traitor and an enemy of our cause. But he was still my son, despite all of his mistakes. 'He can't come back now'. That is all I thought as I settled myself next to the Dark Lord and lifted my chin.
"Crucio," I muttered, and as my son's pain-filled gaze locked with mine, Sirius opened his mouth and screamed.
Sirius' POV
It was when my father's curse hit me that the pain became so overwhelming, I could no longer bear it. I let out a hoarse scream, unable to hold it back. I choked back a sob. I told myself I wouldn't beg but that's just what I ended up doing.
"P-please! S-stop," I cried out, my voice breaking.
Voldemort smirked, the glint in his eyes showing nothing but evil. "Ready to speak, Black?"
"N-no."
Voldemort threw back his head and laughed. As I felt my consciousness slipping away, I heard the door being blasted open behind me.
'Maybe the order has found me', was the last thing I thought before I closed my eyes and succumbed to the darkness.
.
I opened my eyes and immediately shut them again due to the bright light of some clean, white hospital room.
"Sirius?" It was Remus' voice. I reopened my eyes to find my boyfriend sitting in a chair next to my bed. His eyes were red.
"Sirius!" The next thing I knew, Remus had wrapped his arms around me. "I thought… I thought I'd lost you!"
I returned his hug, despite the fact my body was aching all over. "It's okay Moony. I'm okay." I looked into his bright amber eyes as we pulled apart and felt a sense of relief wash over me at the knowledge he was safe.
"They didn't find you and that's all that matters."
We were together now. We would be okay.
Orion's POV
"Orion."
The Dark Lord looked down on me, his face emotionless. Briefly, I wondered if I had done anything wrong, but I couldn't think of anything. I stepped forward, hesitantly.
"Yes, my Lord?"
The Dark Lord stared at me for a while longer, his face impassive. Then, something very, very rare happened. His mouth curled up into a smile.
"You have done well. You have overcome the weakness which comes from... personal attachments." I watched his face turn blank again. It was hard to say if he had finished speaking so I waited. Then he nodded. "You will be rewarded."
"And what will be my reward, my Lord?"
The Dark Lord's smile widened and he repeated the words he told us all when we became Death Eaters. "A share in my power when we overcome the light."
I bowed, and retreated a few steps. Power, I thought, is everything.
It was with that thought that I decided I wanted nothing more from the boy I used to call my son.