Harry Potter and the Search for Sirius
Authors/Note: I have had this reproduction of the Story of Harry Potter on my computer for quite some time now. I believe that it is far past due for its appearance on I hope you enjoy, I've tried to make it different than others. And it has been edited and revisited more than once now so it should do the job…
Now, take my hand, we have a friend to meet, last time we parted ways I believe we were trapped in the department of mysteries, fighting for our very lives….
Chapter 1- Returning, Reacquainting, Fighting, Losses, Transport…
Summer has almost arrived, yet the night we find ourselves in is quite chilling. However we shan't concern our selves with this, as we speed through this cloudy, deceptively cold night at about 5000 feet with a brightly lit city in the distance. It is illuminating the darkness of night with its so many lights like garish jewels and baubles ornamenting a woman's body. This city is London.
Thousands of late night commuters traverse the snaking arteries that gird the city. Perhaps they're heading home to a quaint home in a quiet suburb with a plain wife making an average but filling supper before heading to bed. Unfortunately our late night commute won't be taking us to a nice, if rather mundane, home. No, I'm afraid we're heading straight to the bowels of the city.
The structures we're passing are steadily but now increasingly growing from stout and humble homes and farms to larger and taller buildings. It's quite disconcerting, like watching a civilization progress from humble domesticity, to advanced industriousness in a few short minutes. We've reached the outskirts of the city now. The sounds of the city are quite audible for we have descended to around 500 feet above the streets. We're beginning to weave our way through buildings and skyscrapers as we steadily advance on our target. Our target is a rather mediocre, and quite possibly out-of-service, telephone booth.
Are you ready? I hope so, we've just arrived. Take a moment to stretch your legs while I open the door. Now, please come in while I dial a number, I believe it was six-two-four-four-two. As the last number is dialed a cool woman's voice can be heard from inside the booth.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."
We remain silent, and as if in response the booth lowers into the ground, we watch as the sidewalk steadily rises above our heads. It's very good we're not claustrophobic. Now we observe as a faint golden light spills over our shoes, that slowly widens and reaches up our legs until we're greeted with a rather familiar sight through the booth window.
We're standing at the far end of a large and splendid hall with a highly polished floor of dark cherry wood. The ceiling is blue with small intricate symbols seemingly in perpetual motion. The walls on each side are paneled with a wood of a slightly lighter shade perhaps ash, though still finished in a high gloss. However the walls were interspersed every few feet or so with tall fire places obviously used for the magical flu transportation. However all these hearths happen to be quite devoid of any warming fire at the moment. Now as we traverse the hall we close in on a large and fabulous fountain. Standing in the center like chess pieces are five life-size statues wrought of gold. The centerpiece standing tall and arrogant like a king, is a glorious looking wizard with his wand held aloft, from which sprouts a fine stream of water. Encircling him like pawns protecting their sovereign are a beautiful witch, a centaur holding a drawn bow, a goblin, and a lowly house elf. The last three are gazing at the wizard with unabashed reverence. More jets of water sprout from the witch's wand, the point on the centaur's arrow, from the point on the goblins hat, and from both tips of the house elves' large ears. The steady tinkling of the water is comforting to us, as no other sound seems to be emanating from around the lobby. As we walk past the fountain we notice a small sign a certain boy noticed almost a year ago as he made his first trip through this daunting building.
The sign reads "All Proceeds from the Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries." Perhaps if we leave this place intact we'll donate some of our own golden galleons to those poor blokes suffering from magical maladies and injuries.
As we pass the fountain a desk becomes visible to our left. Above which hangs a sign saying security. At the moment the desk is quite unoccupied. Atop it however is what appears to be a set of brass scales for checking wands. We however won't present our wands as we proceed to the golden gates at the far end of the hall.
As we pass through the gates and leave the comforting sound of trickling water behind we find ourselves in a slightly smaller hall with many lifts and elevators closed off by golden grilles. We press a button mounted on the wall next to one and settle back to wait for our lift to arrive. The sound of metal clanging and clattering immediately becomes audible and shortly after a decently sized lift becomes visible.
As the golden grilles slide out of view we move inside the lift and press the button with a small number 9 next to it. The grilles shut with a crash and the elevator begins its smooth descent.
The elevator slows down before coming to a squelching stop. We once again are greeted with the cool females voice as she informs us that we have arrived at the, "Department of Mysteries." The grille slides open and we are greeted with a sight quite different from the grandeur above. We have found ourselves in a deserted corridor with bare walls and granite floors. The only apparent exit is a large and black door standing guard at the end of the hallway; it is easy to conjure an image of two knights garbed in black armor flanking each side of the door blocking entrance to all but some regal king and his subjects. As we progress down the corridor a single descending staircase becomes visible on our left, however we are unable to determine for how long it reaches on through the darkness that swallows everything but the first few steps.
We've almost reached the door but instead of slowing down to open it, we proceed as if to walk through it, but at the last instant it swings open, just as we knew it would; just as it did, not thirty minutes ago for a boy and five of his friends.
Now we find ourselves in a large circular room where everything is black. The only light extends from candle-bearing sconces set periodically around the room. Their fire blue rather than red, and cold rather than hot as it makes it appear as though we're walking right on water. The only other interesting part of this room is the black, faceless doors surrounding us and that each seemingly has no handle or knob. The door we entered through swings shut behind us and the doors around us begin to spin.
Disoriented? Me too. But luckily a certain girl has left some flaming Xs on a few of the doors to mark her and her friends' progress through this mysterious place. As we are about to open an Xed door we can hear the raucous din of fighting and yelling from all around us.
Our time is running thin so we must proceed quickly, but first we still have time to meet a few old friends and enemies. We proceed through the first open door and are immediately greeted by a large room with a huge aquarium style tank dominating the center of the room. Inside of which seems to be large clusters of cauliflower. However as we get closer many different things greet us all at once.
First we realize that inside the tank is not cauliflower but full size human brains floating languidly through the greenish, gelatinous liquid. Second we see a short, but fairly pretty girl wearing radish shaped earrings and starry wizards robes sprawled on the floor behind a desk, apparently unconscious. She has dirty blonde hair that reaches down to the small of her back, her eyes, though closed at the moment are rather wide giving her a constant look of surprise. Her name is Luna Lovegood. She is one of our dear friends' acquaintances, who decided to tag along for this late-night romp through the department of mysteries. You can instantly tell from her appearance that she is "different" from most people. However don't be frightened she'll be quite fine later on after the battle is over and a healing spell is placed upon her stunned body. Next we come across an older girl of about 16 also lying on the floor but in an even deeper stage of rest than poor Luna. She's a rather plain and slim but clearly intelligent girl with bushy brown hair cascaded on the back of her black robes. Her name is Hermione Granger, and an advanced form of wandless magic has hit her, yet it has the same effect, as a simple stunning spell so never fret she, just as Luna, will be just fine. Now we traverse the floor and reach a tall gangly boy lying in a fetal position on the floor. He has a thick shock of red curly hair reaching down his forehead just above his eyes, we also notice he has many freckles accenting his pale skin. This is our friends' best friend, Ron Weasley. He is sprawled face down on the floor with his torn robes half on half off. He seems conscious but his breathing is shallow and ragged and is interspersed every few seconds or so with a shrill intake of breath which sounds like some sort of horrid dying laugh. If we had been here merely 10 minutes earlier we would have born witness to his epic struggle with one of the brains in the jar as he summoned it to himself in a fit of hysteria placed upon him by some dark curse or other. But just as the rest he will turn out fine in the end. Lastly we find Ron's younger sister, Ginevra "Ginny," Weasley, she has born the burden of a very heavy infatuation with our hero but luckily for her that phase has quite passed for her. She is also lying face up, unconscious on the floor. She is about an inch taller than Luna and about as pretty. Her hair is the same shade of red as Ron's and reaches down just past her shoulder blades.
Now we'll proceed through the only other door left ajar in this room. This door is going to lead us to our old friend. As we pass through we find our selves in a large amphitheatric styled room. It is shaped in a semicircle with stone benches made of roughly hewn slabs of granite of light gray. These lead down to a small area with a stone tile floor where there is a raised dais made of dull marble that has long since lost it's luster, but a room such as this seems to defy any happiness anyway, against the far wall. Upon this dais rests an archway draped by a single old tattered, moth-eaten tapestry of the deepest indigo overlaid with thousands of tiny intricate patterns of embroidery ranging from simple runes to detailed pictures and phrases. This arch is of some import but I'm afraid its importance arises a bit later.
Next, we can see two boys near the arch at the bottom of the room. One is lying on the floor breathing heavily and clutching his nose, and the other standing and holding some glowing orb in his hand. Surrounding them are many black-robed figures in white masks. All of whom are holding wands out prepared to curse the boys into oblivion. We now descend the benches and as we shoulder through the death eaters we can now see both boys clearly.
The boy lying on the floor is none other than Neville Longbottom. He is a thin boy not quite intelligent looking but obviously strong-willed. Both of his hands are clutched around an obviously broken nose that's steadily seeping blood down onto his black robes that have been knocked askew. He has recently been placed under the cruciatus curse, which overloads the entire bodies nervous system with intense pain. However he has held up quite remarkably and is still conscious. His brown hair is plastered to his face with sweat and covers his deep blue eyes. The boy standing is….
Is our good friend Harry Potter, he is very slim, but not quite malnourished such as he might be from the Dursley's abode, he also isn't as tall as his friend Ronald standing about 5'9 ft. high. His face is grim and he gives off an aura of defiance and anger. He appears to be the last one of his friends standing. His messy shock of black hair is swept back from a clear brow; his emerald eyes are continuously shifting around watching each death eater watching for the next curse. In one hand he carries the glowing orb we had seen from afar and the other holds his wand aloft much as the wizard above held his, but no gentle spray of water will come from this wand.
"That was just a taster," says one of the cloaked figures. "Now Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!" This death eater is Bellatrix Lestrange. Her body is thin, widening only slightly at her hips; her hair is thin and dull but reaches to her lower back. She is the only one without a mask on, her face is gaunt, her eyes piercing and haunted. She may have once been quite beautiful, but the many years she spent in Azkaban saw to the extinction of any last remnants of her beauty.
But before we can observe Neville "die the hard way," one of the doors from above bursts open. And in comes several members of the Order of the Phoenix. First is a very large and intimidating black man, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the order's most menacing duelists and an important informant as well. Remus Lupin, Harry's favorite teacher and one of his good friends, closely follows him through the door; he is looking pale and thin today in his shabby robes but his eyes gleam in anger and anticipation of the fight ahead. But behind him enters Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks. Both of whom happen to be aurors that are loyal to Albus Dumbledore. The former being a veteran, and the latter being a new recruit, yet both are extremely dangerous to their foes. As more members of the order of the phoenix descend from the door, the din of fighting and yelling erupts from all around us.
We quickly ascend to the ceiling so as to avoid the bursts of light bursting from all around the room. However the curses soon become more localized as the wizards and witches pair up and fall in to dueling stances and prepare to cast all sorts of unimaginable pain upon each other. Soon bodies begin to hit the floor and the walls, most are fine but some may not walk away from this place, or walk ever again. Lupin is paired with Rodolphus Lestrange. Kingsley has paired up with Crabbe. Alastor is dueling and destroying Dolohov. And Tonks is matched up with Goyle. Now entering the fray is a man of great significance to our young hero. He has thick shaggy hair that reaches to his shoulders. He has a rough but handsome look and is built not thick but quite athletically. He has a fevered look about him and there is quite a kick in his step as he descends through the benches. Before he can join battle with some other candidate he is intercepted by none other than his dearly disliked cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. No words are exchanged just grimaces of hate and expressions of joy when wounds are inflicted upon the other. Both of the fighters have very different techniques, and styles, where Sirius's depends upon flair and dodging, Bellatrix's focuses on standing and casting shields. Sirius's style is more focused on light hexes and jinxes, with a few dark curses. Bellatrix's attacks however are deep and wide-ranging in the various forms of dark magics she uses against her foes. And it is this breadth of power and variety she possess' that allows her to force Sirius onto the raised dais.
Fighting up there they can be seen from around the room and draw many eyes to the pair of them as they become the center of the skirmish. They also draw two green eyes from across the room, these eyes belong to Harry Potter, and these eyes watch as Sirius is cursed into the tapestry and into whatever hellish place must lurk within. There was still a look of surprise upon his face as he fell.
Many things happened at once then. Bellatrix gave a shriek of joy, everyone's heads turned from around the room to watch Sirius' descent through the arch, a gasp of surprise was audible followed by a scream of anger and sadness, and Harry's expression turned from bewilderment to one of incomprehension. Then from incomprehension, to one of dawning terror mingled with indescribable grief. From our position we cannot possibly begin to imagine the tumult of emotion raging through this young man's body and if we could, I am sure we couldn't have done a thing to prevent the next tragedy from taking place. After witnessing his godfather disappear through a tapestry and not come out the other side some synapse or nerve relay in Harry's mind must have over loaded, and impaired any rational control Harry could have used to stop himself.
The next occurrence in the death room of the department of mysteries created many different feelings within it's occupants. It caused many a tear to be shed, and many a laugh to be uttered. For from our perch we have a perfect view as we watch our good friend Harry sprint up to the dais with tears streaming down his face. We also watch as Harry shoves his wand into Bellatrix's left eyeball producing a sick popping sound, that induces a scream of rage and terror from the woman as the wound seeps blood and a viscous whitish fluid down her cheek.
And lastly we watch as our hero takes a deep breath, takes one last look around, and dives through the tapestry after his dearly beloved godfather…
Now are you ready my friend, it's time for us to follow our dearly beloved protagonist. For we could never leave him alone to face whatever terrors are opposing him now. Take one last look if you wish, for I can't say for sure if we are ever going to see these people again, in fact I'm not sure if we'll ever see any people again.
We've almost reached the tapestry now, if we understood the dead language of Latin I'm sure we could peruse some of the phrases on here. Our hair is stirring on our heads although no wind is about to move it. And we're shivering despite the warmth of the room from the pitched battle fought. Now we're ducking our heads to pass through the veil…
To Be Continued
A/N- Well I hope you enjoyed, I'm not positive how fast I'll be able to get out another chapter, though some reviews might help me go a little faster, if you know what I mean. My apologies if it's a bit short, I'll try to add some more length to the next chapters. Also this story will be picking up in action in the next few chapters. I know you want it.
Thank you for reading,
Sincerely, Elijah Black...