The Dark Mark

Jaelawyn Noble [ Jaelawyn@comcast.net ]

Disclaimer: Love 'em, dun own 'em.
Warnings: OotP spoilers, NCS
Fandom: HP
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Remus/Sirius, Sirius/Voldemort
Archive:
Summary: The truth of what drove Sirius to run away
Feedback: 'm a whore for it.
Notation: *hums innocently* This is not the product of an evil and deranged mind. Nope, not in the least. This isn't Jae being evil, or ironic, or being sly. Nope, this is an INNOCENT fic. *ignores muses who die of laughter and shout inappropriate comments at her* Ya see, this is what happens when one starts trying to figure out how Sirius could have been so easily framed by our darling Peter.
- "Thine backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract" is from the Tempest, by Shakespeare.

~

"You will come with us tonight, you ill begotten whelp!" Davan Black snarled, backhanding his eldest son, causing the boy to fall to the floor in a sprawl. "The Dark Lord commands it!"

"The Dark Lord can command it all he wants," Sirius Black, heir to the Black Family Fortune, growled, wiping the blood from his mouth and getting to his feet, standing his ground and defying his father once more. "I refuse to become one of his mindless minions because he has the 'right idea' when it comes to those who aren't pure blood and who are for peace!"

"You should learn to take a page out of your brother's book!" Azzia Black shrieked loudly. "Honestly! The two of you are twins! One would think both of you were be perfect sons! But no! Our heir has to be a disgusting blood traitor! Why I let you live under this roof is beyond me!"

"Oh yes, of course, mother," Sirius said sarcastically. "Regulus is such a darling. If asked to jump, he'll always just ask how high and if told to sing, he'll ask what song. Such a sad, pathetic, mindless crony who sucks up to anyone with the slightest bit of power!"

Davan grabbed Sirius' mid-shoulder length hair and yanked his head back, forcing the sixteen-year-old to his knees. "Now, boy, you listen to me. You've always been the willful one, always defying us when your brother has obeyed without question. You've shamed the family time and time again, messing about with that Potter and being in Gryffindor when you should have been in Slytherin! You will do this of your own freewill, or I swear I will put you under a permanent Imperius Curse and make you do it anyway!"

"Oh, Father, why do you bother?" Regulus asked pathetically, crossing his arms and pulling a pout. "He doesn't want the honor of serving the most powerful man in the Wizarding World. Put him under a Cruciatus instead of the Imperius and keep it on him till he dies of the pain. It'll be so much easier and the only bad thing is you'll have to listen to his screams of agony."

"Oh, yes, brother," Sirius snarled. "You'd like nothing else than to see me dead, wouldn't you? You'd be heir then, have all the money and power, be the most powerful pure blood wizard besides Voldemort. Even Snape and Malfoy would bow down to kiss your feet!"

"At least I have pride in what I am, you vain, hell-hated, harpy!" Regulus snapped out angrily.

"Thine backward voice is to utter foul speeches and to detract," Sirius drawled easily. "Besides, if anyone is the vain harpy, it's you!"

"SIRIUS GALEN BLACK!" Davan roared, wand pointed at his son. "That. Is. IT! CRUCIATUS!"

Sirius, caught unawares by his father's shout, had no way to try and dodge the curse the older man shouted out. The spell hit him directly in the chest, causing the sixteen-year-old boy to fall to the ground, crying out in agony. The Curse didn't last too long, but it lasted long enough to assure Davan that his son would not, could not, fight back.

"I warned you, boy," Davan growled, standing over Sirius, face a mask of rage. "I warned you time and time again. This time, though, will be the last time. IMPERIUS!"

~

"Good of you to come," Voldemort smirked, eyeing the two identical boys, one of them wearing a vacant look in unusual silver-sapphire blue eyes. "Imperius, eh, Davan?"

"It's about time he learned to toe the line at home, m'lord," Davan said, bowing deeply before the Dark Lord.

"Yes, well, let's hope that he won't throw it off," the taller, darker wizard said in amusement. "Shall I do his first?"

"I would like to be first, m'lord," Regulus said, bowing deeply. "Let those truly loyal be first."

"Ah, loyalty. Yes, my lad, but how far does your loyalty to me go, I wonder?"

"As far as you want it to, m'lord…"

"What a lovely child you have, Davan," Voldemort laughed softly, patting Regulus on the head lovingly. "Give me your arm, dear child." Regulus held out his arm, trusting the man who touched the wand to his soft, young skin.

The pain of having the Mark literally burned into his arm caused Regulus to cry out in anguish, trying to pull his arm from Voldemort's clutches. Fire, actual fire, was burning his skin, creating the black, twisted Mark. Ignoring the boy's sobs of pain, Voldemort continued to burnt he Mark deeper, darker, making sure nothing would be able to take it off. Just as quickly as he has seized the boy's arm, he released it, leaving Regulus a sobbing mass of hair and flesh and robes on the ground at his feet.

"What do you have to say to your Master, Regulus?" Davan asked in a nasty voice, one hand tightly gripping the empty-eyed twin's shoulder, making sure the boy would not leave nor fight.

"Th-thank you, Master," Regulus sobbed, clutching his arm, the freshly burned Mark oozing red blood.

"The other one, Davan," Voldemort said, stepping over the younger twin. "Let me see his arm."

Davan lifted Sirius' arm, turning it so that his wrist was bared to Voldemort's wand.

~

Sirius was floating in the darkness of his mind, vaguely recognizing commands issued in his father's voice. He tried to refuse, trying to gain control of his body but failing miserably each time. Time passed, silence enveloping him, lulling him into a sort of half-sleep.

Screams of agony startled him, though he could not see, nor could he respond to the screams. All he knew was that they were Regulus' screams, and he felt a flare of pain in his wrist, an echo of his twin's pain.

But then the screams stopped, and someone with cold hands gripped his arm and his wrist. He felt the blunt tip of a wand touch his wrist fleetingly and then flaring pain followed, as if someone had set fire to his skin.

The pain was unbearable, but he could focus on that pain. Sinking hooks into that pain, Sirius dragged his mind out of the darkness, forcing his eyes to clear, for him to gain some control of his body. Finally, with a shout, he yanked his arm away and knocked his father off of him.

He was standing right in front of Lord Voldemort.

Eyes wide, Sirius started backing away from him, backing right into his father's arms.

"I'm so sorry, m'lord," Davan said apologetically. "I had no idea he would be able to throw it off so quickly. Let me Curse him again, and find an easier way to keep him under control for you."

"No."

"No, m'lord?" Davan asked, panicking.

Voldemort smiled, moving closer and stroking the side of Sirius' face. "He is a pretty little thing, isn't he? And so strong willed. I very much need such a perfect servant…"

"I won't serve my parents, what makes you think I would serve you?" Sirius snarled.

Voldemort laughed in mirth. "Oh, such a strong will…"

Sirius increased his fight against his father's arms, frantic to get away from this obvious madman, not sure why the Dark Lord was watching him with such a hungry look. "Let me go, you old toad!" he shouted at his father, kicking with all of his might at his father's legs.

"Release him, Davan," Voldemort said softly. "I can contain the…child." Davan reluctantly let Sirius go, not in the least surprised when Sirius could no longer move. "Such a talented boy, aren't you…?"

"You revolt me!" Sirius shouted, trying to get away from the man in front of him.

"Davan, you and Regulus leave," Voldemort commanded, watching Sirius with interest. "Leave the Young One to me."

Davan bowed, "Whatever you say, m'lord." With a crack, he and Regulus were gone.

"Now, then…Let us get acquainted with each other, hm?"

~

Sirius looked around the room, suspicious of Voldemort's reasons for letting him move freely, eyes stopping when he noticed the room dominated by a large bed. Eyes wide, Sirius spun around, coming face to face with the tall wizard.

"No," he squeaked out. "No way! I refuse to! You can't—"

"Yet you allow your dear friend Remus to do similar things, if not all the things that I shall do tonight, to you at school," Voldemort said softly, soothingly while he smoothed Sirius' shirt and robe off. "This is exactly the same thing, child. Only I will not be so…caring as your dear friend the werewolf."

"You can't! This is…this is rape!"

"Mm…and the problem with that is?" Voldemort laughed in amusement. He slowly unbuttoned Sirius' soft black jeans, pulling the zip down a second later. He backed the now naked boy over to the bed, shedding his own robe in the process. "Rape can be enjoyable."

"No! You can't do this!" Sirius cried out, struggling in vain.

"You are testing my patience, pretty one," Voldemort murmured, stretching Sirius over the bed and snapping his wrists into the manacles that were already there. Sirius struggled frantically against the cold metal. "Now then, that's much better."

"You can't—!"

"Do you want the Ministry to come and take your dear Moony away?" Voldemort smiled slyly at him. "I can tell them about him, and they wouldn't mind going to take him away. Dark creatures, now a days, can't really tell who's side they're on…"

"Remus wouldn't hurt anyone!" Sirius shouted.

"Yes, you know that," Voldemort purred, "but who else cares? Be a good little child for me tonight, and maybe I'll forget all about your dear…werewolf."

Sirius turned his face away, eyes closed. "What do you want from me?" he asked, voice dead.

"Ah, wonderful! I thought you might need some more work! Ah well, I'll make sure you'll get a thorough work out."

Sirius flinched at the sound of the words and nodded, slowly allowing Voldemort to touch him where not even Remus touched. The cold, slick fingers inside him made his stomach churn while the other cold hand held Sirius' limp member, coaxing some life into the flesh, while the Dark Lord ignored the shudders of pain Sirius felt at the feeling of the sharp nails inside the smooth, silky inner walls of his body. Slowly muscles were stretched, and if not stretched then ripped from lack of patience until a hard, pulsing cock thrust itself deep inside him, it's way eased by both blood and magick.

Sirius could not stop the whimpers, as they were encouraged as the Dark Lord continued to pound into him, urging the blood to flow, urging the screams to come; and the blood did flow, and the reluctant screams were voiced. When the Dark Lord was spent, and Sirius was left a shaking, bloody mess on the bed, only then did the Dark Lord withdraw from the boy's bloody body.

"Such a sweet child you are…" Voldemort said softly, stroking Sirius' face and kissing him with cold, wet lips. "Maybe I shall enjoy you again before I let you leave…"

Sirius suppressed a shudder and a mournful wail and waited until Voldemort had left before he began to cry, yanking at the manacles around hi wrists, determined to escape before that snake came back once more to claim his body. Slowly he focused on Padfoot – the manacles were just right for human hands, not animal paws – and he felt the slightest twinge in his body as he transformed into the big, black Grim.

There was only one place Sirius knew he could go where he would be safe…

~

"Remus, relax, all right?" James laughed. "The full moon isn't for another week! My parents know and understand, okay? Everything is all right now…"

"No, it isn't!" Remus argued. "I'm not worried about the moon, that's actually the farthest thing from my mind. But…Sirius. You wrote to him not too long ago. Why hasn't he replied yet?"

"You know his family," James said softly. "For all I know, the letter was confiscated and ripped to shreds before he could read it. They're all a bunch of lunatics."

"I know, but I'm—"

A soft scratching at the door and a hoarse whimper shut both boys up. James frowned and peered outside, yet saw no one around that he could see. The scratching came again, and this time James opened the door and looked down.

"Padfoot!" James yelped, surprised. "Inside, c'mon. Man, you're good. We were just talking about you."

"And you look horrible," Remus murmured, stepping closer to the naked boy curled around himself where a dog had been. "What happened? You're all bloody…"

Remus and James both knelt down, trying to help Sirius into a sitting position, not noticing how Sirius winced horribly when he sat up. Once he was sitting, James fetched one of his spare robes and wrapped it around his friend, concerned.

"Re's right, mate. You look dead awful."

"Not going back," Sirius whispered. "Never. I won't ever go back; I can't…"

Remus frowned at the empty look of his friend's eyes, the cold sweat on his skin, the way he shivered. Slowly he slipped the robed off Sirius' body and closed his eyes when he found what he suspected – deep, bloody slashes of a certain curse on Sirius' flesh

"They put you under the Cruciatus, didn't they?" he asked softly.

"Not the worst part of it, but yes," Sirius murmured.

"You going to tell us what the worst part is?" James asked, grabbing his wand and sitting down next to Sirius, beginning to heal some of the minor wounds on his friend's body.

"No," Sirius whispered hoarsely, eyes closed tight. He could tell them anything, and they would stay by him through it all; but staying by someone who had been touched, marked by the Dark Lord as he had…he couldn't – wouldn't – take that risk.

"Why are you clutching your wrist?" Remus asked softly, pulling at Sirius' cold fingers. "Are you hurt there too?"

"No," Sirius said, voice dead of emotion. "No, I'm fine now… Thanks."

James nodded, "All right. I'm gonna head up to bed now. You and Remus can bunk together, right?"

Sirius nodded.

"Okay…" James said, eyeing his unusually silent friend. "See you two in the morning then!" With a wave he went up the stairs, turning out the lights as he went.

"C'mon," Remus said softly, pulling Sirius into a sitting position. "Let's get into bed, eh?"

Sirius shook his head. "I…I can't, Re. Not…not tonight."

Remus looked slightly wounded, "Oh. All right. You take the bed, then. I'll take the couch in the living room."

"No, you take the bed. The full moon's soon. You need the rest, and I know I won't be getting any rest tonight."

Remus pulled Sirius into his arms and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "You are staying with me tonight, if only to let me mother hen you. You look horrible, Si, and you're scaring me. Stay with me and let me worry over you?"

Sirius nodded and let Remus lead him into the room and under the covers, trying hard not to break down in tears.

"They did it, well, tried to do it tonight," Sirius murmured.

Remus froze. "They took you to—?"

Sirius nodded. "I was under the Imperius Curse."

"Oh, Sirius…" Remus whispered, touching his shoulder.

"He didn't finish it. I snapped out of it half-way through."

"What was—?"

"—it like?"

Remus nodded.

"It was the second most painful thing I had ever felt."

"What was the first?" Remus asked softly, drawing Sirius' head down into his lap, softly stroking his forehead.

"The other thing that happened to me tonight, the one secret that I will never speak, one that I will take with me to my grave, and I hope to the High Gods that that grave is soon."

"Oh, Siri…" Remus murmured, voice choked with emotion.

Sirius closed his eyes, "Forget it, Re… I'm just being melodramatic me. You know how I am."

"I do know that, Siri, but still…"

Sirius sat up and kissed Remus on the forehead, smoothing his brow with his fingers. "Remus, hush, okay? It's not as bad as I make it out to be, I'm sure. It's just me being me."

"Swear to me, Si, that one day you'll tell me what happened to you, before we die," Remus said softly.

"I promise…" Sirius murmured softly.

~

"I promise…"

Remus looked up from the note and wiped the tears from his face before standing and going to the window. It had been so long since that promise, so many long years. He was surprised Sirius had even remembered the promise. But not too long after they had come back from seeing Harry safely to his aunt and uncle's car, there was a letter waiting in Remus' favorite book to read when in pain.

A letter that explained it all, especially Sirius' own, private Dark Mark.