It was midnight. The Witching Hour, and on this dark, windy night in May,
seven particular magical beings were camped in the middle of a moor; five
wizards, including one who was also a werewolf, and two witches. All of
them were sleeping, except one of the wizards, who kept watch by the small,
dying fire.
Sirius Black peered around him, clutching his knife in his hand, alert to even the tiniest of noises. He had volunteered to watch while everyone else slept, because sleep gave him no comfort-the moment he closed his eyes, he was plagued by dreams in which his friends battled Lord Voldemort, and he could do nothing to help. He was haunted by the fear that some of his friends may have died in the battle the day he and his comrades departed from Grimmauld Place. He was also haunted by his godson Harry's face, when he had last seen Sirius.
On the whole, it was much easier to stay awake.
It was two weeks since Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Bill Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Oliver Wood and Eva Cleansweep had started their deadly mission. They were travelling to the fortress of Azkaban, to try and destroy a silver orb-the source of all the Dementors' powers. Sirius had been there before, and knew the horrors which lay ahead. He shivered at the very thought.
He turned his knife over and over in his hands. He had discovered, after the battle at Grimmauld Place, that the knife alays returned to him magically. He had used the knife to kill a Death Eater, and left it embedded in the man's chest, but shortly after they had escaped from Grimmauld Place, it had reappeared in his pocket. He was not surprised that it was magical-after all, it had come from the land of the dead, beyond the veil. The blade never became blunt, or dull. Sirius was grateful that at least he had a magical weapon, even if he no longer had any powers.
He looked around his comrades, in their sleeping bags (conjured up by Bill) and sighed. He felt useless when he watched them cast spells, and saw Tonks alter her appearance. Having no magic was a difficult thing to get used to, but every time he considered moaning about it, he pictured the look on Harry's face if his godfather really had died in the Department of Mysteries, instead of trading his magic for his life. The thought steeled his nerves and made him think positively.
The journey had been relatively easy so far-mostly trekking across country, occasionally using routes which were invisible to Muggles. Oliver Wood's injuries from the battle had been quickly cured by Snape, but progress had still been slow for the first few days, due to poor weather and very pessimistic attitudes. But on the whole, things hadn't been so bad.
The most difficult part was learning to put up with Snape. Sirius made a face at his childhood enemy in the dark. Snape seemed determined to make life hell for everyone, but especially Sirius. Of course, Sirius had responded with his fists and, on one particularly painful occasion, a headbutt. Snape had not dared to rile him after that. Sirius just hoped the peace would last.
He checked his watch. It was almost one o'clock. He stood and stretched. It was time to start walking again-normally, they slept all day and walked all night, but Remus was taking time to recover from the full moon, so they had decided to rest for longer than usual. Now, it was time to wake them up.
Sirius crept over to Remus and shook him gently. His friend looked ill and exhausted-there was a long gash above his right eye where, as a werewolf, he had accidentally scratched himself. He opened one eye, and moaned.
'Time to move on, Moony', Sirius hissed, offering Remus his hand. Remus took it, and stood up, yawning.
'You look awful', he remarked, studying Sirius, who shrugged and looked away.
'I'm just tired', he answered truthfully, then added with a grin 'you're not looking too pretty yourself.'
'I never am', Remus said, in mock sorrowful tones, 'come on, let's get the others up. I'll wake Severus, I don't want you laying a finger on him today. That headbutt looked really sore.'
'Yeah', Sirius replied proudly, striding over to Bill, and tugging his ponytail until he woke up with a yell.
'Ouch! What time is it?' Bill yawned, giving Sirius a dead arm before crawling out of his sleeping bag.
'One AM', Sirius whispered, shaking Oliver Wood to wake him up, 'we need to start walking if we want to make Helga's Hollow by dawn.'
Remus was doling out oranges to everyone. 'Breakfast is served', he said, making a face.
As a child, Sirius had vowed never to eat another orange, after his mother practically forced him to eat he pieces of orange from his fruit salad, even though she knew he hated them. Now, he was left with little choice but to eat the sweet oranges Remus carried. As he sucked on one of the segments, he stamped the fire out, and kicked soil and moss over their tracks, while Oliver magically restored the trampled grasses to their proper height. When the two had finished, there was no sign that anybody had ever camped there.
These tasks completed, the party headed due south, towards Helga's Hollow.
Helga's Hollow was named after the famous co-founder of Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff. It was on the moors, across which the group now travelled. It was a small valley, entirely surrounded by silver birch trees, and was said to be the birthplace of that famous witch. Her mother and father, knowing the powerful witch she would grow up to be (a prophecy was made about her), had laid many strong enchantments on the hollow, so that nothing or nobody could harm Helga as long as she lived under their roof. It was a difficult place to find, but widely acknowledged as a safe haven for all good, kind witches and wizards. It was also one of the last safe magical places before the wastelands started-those desolate lands lay approximately one hundred miles south of Helga's Hollow.
It was Oliver Wood, with his keen eyesight, who spotted the silver birch trees on the horizon. As the sun came up, the party finally reached Helga's Hollow, and passed through the trees into the valley.
'Wow!' Tonks breathed. The valley was truly beautiful; a small stream flowed through it, next to which stood an ancient stone cottage, with only half a roof, and pigeons nesting in the windows. The grass was a lush green, and daisies and various wildflowers danced in the breeze. Bill let out a whoop of joy, and raced over to inspect the cottage, while Tonks, Oliver and Remus went to the stream, to drink the spring water.
'This is like paradise!' Sirius murmured. As a man who had spent thirteen years in a hellish prison, and a further three years in hiding in various dark, damp caves, this place was heaven.
Bill emerged from the cottage, grinning. 'This place is cool', he stated, 'there's food inside, and proper beds! Must be some sort of charm on the cottage, 'cos on the inside, it doesn't look like the roof's broken.'
'Excellent!' Sirius exclaimed, 'how long will we stay for, Remus?'
'Why are you asking me?' Remus asked, looking amused.
Sirius shrugged. 'You're good at taking decisions.'
Remus laughed. 'I think we should elect a leader', he announced loudly.
'Oh Remus', Tonks cried exasperatedly, poking her head out of the cottage window, 'leave that 'til later! Come and look at the cottage, it's amazing!'
Remus and Sirius wandered over to the tumbledown cottage, and opened the heavy wooden door.
'Wow', Sirius gasped. The cottage really was amazing! It was huge on the inside ('must be a hidden depth spell', remarked Bill) , and there was every home comfort one could imagine: a cheery fire crackling in the huge, ancient hearth; a long settee, and several large armchairs and footstools; a row of cupboards, packed with food of every kind. At the far end of the long room were seven large, comfortable-looking beds, with plump pillows and spare sets of robes laid on each bed. There were several spellbooks, a Foe Glass, a copy of the Daily Prophet from that day, and a note, written in a beautiful, sloping hand:
Welcome, Order of the Phoenix
It is a pleasure me to be able to give you some well-earned rest and luxuries. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Stay as long as you wish, and take whatever you want.
Yours,
The Keeper of Helga's Hollow.
'Someone knows we're here', Bill gasped, looking shocked.
Remus nodded, apparently unconcerned. 'Helga's Hollow is guarded by a Keeper-it is his job to know who comes here, and to provide them with whatever they need-provided their intentions are good. A Death Eater couldn't enter the hollow-the trees would prevent him, Whomping Willow- style!'
'So where is this keeper guy?' Oliver asked, taking a chocolate biscuit from the biscuit tin.
'Oh, nobody ever sees him', Tonks stated, 'but he always knows exactly what you'll need.'
'Weird', Bill shook his head in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Snape was eyeing the house, with an expression on his face that made it look like he was sucking on a lemon.
'What's up, Snivellus?' Sirius asked testily, 'is this place not good enough for you?'
'I do not trust my life to mysteries as easily as the rest of you', the Potions Master declared loftily, 'I have discovered that it is unwise to accept anything unless you know and understand its source.'
Sirius said something very rude, which made Eva click her tongue disapprovingly. 'Get over yourself, Snivellus', he groaned, 'just relax- this place is renowned for its hospitality. Oliver just ate a biscuit, and he hasn't been poisoned yet, has he? And Tonks is sitting in an armchair, but it hasn't chewed her up and spat her remains back out, has it?'
Snape gave Sirius a withering look. 'May I remind you, Black', he said, smirking, 'that if anything unpleasant does happen, you are relying on the rest of us for your protection, seeing as you are practically a Muggle, and therefore useless in a crisis.'
Everyone fell silent. An argument between Sirius and Snape usually ended in Snape being punched-a show nobody wanted to miss. Sirius took a deep breath, and counted to ten, before pulling his knife from his robes, and holding it up for Snape to see.
'I wonder', Sirius said softly, in a deadly tone of voice, 'if you'd think this knife was so useless if it was pointed at your heart. Imagine, Severus, what would happen if my hand...slipped.'
Swiftly and deftly, Sirius changed his grip on the knife and made a stabbing motion through the air, until the knife was a hair's breadth away from Snape's heart. Nobody moved; nobody even breathed. Beads of perspiration formed on Snape's pale, greasy face, and he swallowed hard.
'I don't like you, Severus', Sirius hissed, holding the knife tightly, 'to be quite frank, I can't even stand the sight of you. And if you make one wrong move, or make one more stupid reference to my lack of magical ability...let's just say useless old me will find a nice place in your heart for my useless old knife. Get the picture?'
Snape gave Sirius a look filled with such loathing that a lesser man would have backed down. But not Sirius. He held his knife steady, and glared back at his childhood enemy. 'I get the picture', Snape snarled at last, stepping away from Sirius, and striding out of the cottage, seething with rage. Sirius nodded, and put the knife back inside his robes. He then turned slowly to face his comrades, expecting them to chastise him at once. But as he looked at each of them in turn, he saw only admiration and respect in their faces.
'What?' He said huskily.
'Nice one, Sirius', Tonks whispered awefully, 'you sure told him where to go!'
'You weren't actually gonna...were you?' Bill asked, gazing at Sirius, a look of ecstasy on his face, 'Either way, I'm going to treausre that moment for ever...'
'I wouldn't have done anything to him', Sirius admitted, 'I just couldn't resist the temptation. He just doesn't realise that magic isn't the only weapon in the world. He needs to shut up and get over the fact that I have no magic-I mean, I can still beat him in a fair fight!'
Remus chuckled. 'It was nicely done, I must admit', he remarked, 'but is it wise to have open hostility between you two?'
'He'll ignore me for a few days-give himself time to lick his wounds', Sirius spat contemptuously, 'if he starts annoying me again...well, it's his own funeral-literally!'
'Sirius!' Eva sounded shocked, 'you shouldn't talk like that! You of all people, who spent thirteen years in prison for murders you didn't commit, shouldn't talk about murder so lightly!'
'Eva, do you remember how Snivellus cursed me every time he saw me?' Sirius asked coolly, 'or how he was constantly snooping around me, James, Remus and that scumbag Peter? Or how he was a Death Eater, but apparently reformed? No, Severus Snape would be no loss to the human race.'
'Still doesn't mean you can kill him', Eva argued, 'he's on our side now.'
'Or so we believe', Bill interrupted darkly.
'Oh, can we just forget about Professor Snape?' Oliver begged, 'my memories of Potions class are still too fresh! We should be relaxing and enjoying ourselves, while we've still got the chance!'
'Hmm', Eva mumbled.
Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. 'I promise you I won't kill him, Eva', he said in a bored voice.
Eva looked up at him, and gave him a small smile. 'I'll hold you to that', she replied quietly.
Since their journey had started, neither Eva nor Sirius had mentioned the kiss they shared while Sirius was in a Muggle hospital. Sometimes, the atmosphere between the two was quite tense, while at others, they shared glances and smiled knowingly at one another. Sirius knew that now was not the time to start dating the girl he had liked since his days at Hogwarts. That could wait until after the mission. Assuming they both survived.
The evening passed pleasantly for everyone except Snape, who sat in the furthest corner from Sirius, glaring at the ceiling. Tonks entertained everybody by changing her appearance to look like people they all knew (her best was the imitation of Molly Weasley). Bill regailed them with stories about his time spent in Egypt as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts Bank. Oliver, who had remained relatively quiet throughout the journey so far, gave very animated accounts of the quidditch matches he had played in at Hogwarts. These were of particular interest to Sirius, as Harry was a central feature of many of the matches in Oliver's career. Next, Remus, Eva and Sirius related their memories of Hogwarts and its teachers, compared with the school during their younger comrades' years. It was four o'clock in the morning before they finally went to bed.
*************
The seven travellers spent three more days in Helga's Hollow, dreading the moment when they would eventually have to move onwards into the wilderness. Snape stayed well clear of Sirius , while Oliver, on the other hand, followed Sirius around, treating him like some sort of hero or role model. It was the first time in Sirius' adult life that anyone had ever admired him, and aspired to be like him, so he took a special interest in Oliver, and to a certain extent, took him under his wing.
It was early in the evening of the third day when disaster struck.
Bill had been standing at the top of the hollow, surveying the surrounding area, when Sirius heard him let out a sharp cry.
'There's a load of Death Eaters headed this way-oh no!'
'What is it?' Sirius asked sharply, scrambling up the bank, together with Remus and Tonks.
Bill came crashing through the trees towards them, pale and shaking. 'There are about forty Dementors following them, about a mile behind.' He told them, looking terrified.
Cursing under his breath, Sirius ran past the trees, and gazed out at the land around him. There, on the horizon, was a sight that filled him dread. His heart dropped liked a stone, and his stomach felt as though it were full of cement; an army of black-robed figures was fast approaching Helga's Hollow.
'We won't have a chance if we stay here!' He called back to the others, 'they obviously know we're here, they'll encircle us and trap us in the hollow! We have to run!'
Remus nodded silently, tight-lipped, and ran back to the cottage to alert the others.
And for the first time in two weeks, Sirius realised that his knife would be of little use here. He followed Remus into the cottage, while Tonks and Bill stayed to observe the progress of Voldemort's supporters.
'Don't worry', Remus assured Sirius, seeing the look on his friend's face, 'I can conjure a Patronus strong enough to protect us both.'
'But you can't hold the Patronus and fight the Death Eaters at the same time!' Sirius protested.
'You heard what Bill said', Remus replied, stuffing his belongings into his rucksack, 'the Dementors are about a mile behind. Hopefully, we will have dealt with all the Death Eaters by the time they arrive.'
'Unless...' Sirius was feeling pessimistic, 'remember last time, the Death Eaters often fought side by side with the Dementors, and we realised that the Dementors had an agreement with Voldemort-they'd get the souls of the enemies, as long as they didn't prevent the Death Eaters from doing their dirty deeds. The Dementors must be able to turn their 'charms' on and off as they please.'
'Controlled by the orb, no doubt', Remus added thoughtfully, 'well, we'll just have to live with whatever comes. If we have to deal with Death Eaters and Dementors together, so be it.'
'I wish I had your attitude', Sirius groaned.
Everyone was in the cottage now. Tonks, Bill, Eva and Oliver, who had never dealt with a host of Dementors before, looked terrified. Snape looked determined and tense, while Remus looked calm and somewhat resigned. He was the first to speak;
'We need a leader', he said, repeating his idea from a few days ago, 'this is a battle, and we need a general. Let's take a vote. I vote for Sirius.'
Sirius began to laugh, but then realised it was not a joke. 'I vote for Remus', he said promptly.
'I vote for Sirius', Oliver added.
'Me too', Eva said, smiling.
'I vote for Remus or Sirius', Bill said, shrugging, 'either one would make a great leader.'
'Same here-one of you two should lead us', Tonks agreed.
Snape grimaced. 'My vote must go to Lupin', he said coldly, 'although I do not believe he will make a successful leader.'
'So Sirius, you got three straight votes, and two maybes.' Remus said, grinning, 'I think you should lead.
'You got two straight votes, and either of the maybes could go to you!' Sirius argued.
'Well I don't want to lead', Remus retorted, 'so it has to be you.'
Sirius' jaw dropped. He grinned weakly. 'Do you people honestly want to trust me with your lives?'
'Can't think of a better leader, Sirius', Remus stated, 'you know the Dementors better than any of us, you've fought in a war against these people before, you're confident and not afraid to speak your mind. So, General Black, what are your orders?'
Standing amidst his peers, listening to Remus' praise, Sirius felt ten feet tall. He swallowed hard and looked around at the five trusting and one sneering face.
'I say we stand around the trees at the top of the bank', he announced, 'and we make a stand.'
It was approaching midnight when the minions of Lord Voldemort reached the hollow. Sirius and the others stood in the shadowsof the trees, Sirius with his knife at the ready, the rest with their wands. Sure enough, the Death Eaters waited for the Dementors to join them before moving closer to the hollow. Sirius felt all his bravado and ferocity being drained for him, adn being replaced by hopelessness and despair. He could wait no longer.
'NOW!' He bellowed.
For those seven witches and wizards, the war now began.
Sirius Black peered around him, clutching his knife in his hand, alert to even the tiniest of noises. He had volunteered to watch while everyone else slept, because sleep gave him no comfort-the moment he closed his eyes, he was plagued by dreams in which his friends battled Lord Voldemort, and he could do nothing to help. He was haunted by the fear that some of his friends may have died in the battle the day he and his comrades departed from Grimmauld Place. He was also haunted by his godson Harry's face, when he had last seen Sirius.
On the whole, it was much easier to stay awake.
It was two weeks since Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Bill Weasley, Nymphadora Tonks, Oliver Wood and Eva Cleansweep had started their deadly mission. They were travelling to the fortress of Azkaban, to try and destroy a silver orb-the source of all the Dementors' powers. Sirius had been there before, and knew the horrors which lay ahead. He shivered at the very thought.
He turned his knife over and over in his hands. He had discovered, after the battle at Grimmauld Place, that the knife alays returned to him magically. He had used the knife to kill a Death Eater, and left it embedded in the man's chest, but shortly after they had escaped from Grimmauld Place, it had reappeared in his pocket. He was not surprised that it was magical-after all, it had come from the land of the dead, beyond the veil. The blade never became blunt, or dull. Sirius was grateful that at least he had a magical weapon, even if he no longer had any powers.
He looked around his comrades, in their sleeping bags (conjured up by Bill) and sighed. He felt useless when he watched them cast spells, and saw Tonks alter her appearance. Having no magic was a difficult thing to get used to, but every time he considered moaning about it, he pictured the look on Harry's face if his godfather really had died in the Department of Mysteries, instead of trading his magic for his life. The thought steeled his nerves and made him think positively.
The journey had been relatively easy so far-mostly trekking across country, occasionally using routes which were invisible to Muggles. Oliver Wood's injuries from the battle had been quickly cured by Snape, but progress had still been slow for the first few days, due to poor weather and very pessimistic attitudes. But on the whole, things hadn't been so bad.
The most difficult part was learning to put up with Snape. Sirius made a face at his childhood enemy in the dark. Snape seemed determined to make life hell for everyone, but especially Sirius. Of course, Sirius had responded with his fists and, on one particularly painful occasion, a headbutt. Snape had not dared to rile him after that. Sirius just hoped the peace would last.
He checked his watch. It was almost one o'clock. He stood and stretched. It was time to start walking again-normally, they slept all day and walked all night, but Remus was taking time to recover from the full moon, so they had decided to rest for longer than usual. Now, it was time to wake them up.
Sirius crept over to Remus and shook him gently. His friend looked ill and exhausted-there was a long gash above his right eye where, as a werewolf, he had accidentally scratched himself. He opened one eye, and moaned.
'Time to move on, Moony', Sirius hissed, offering Remus his hand. Remus took it, and stood up, yawning.
'You look awful', he remarked, studying Sirius, who shrugged and looked away.
'I'm just tired', he answered truthfully, then added with a grin 'you're not looking too pretty yourself.'
'I never am', Remus said, in mock sorrowful tones, 'come on, let's get the others up. I'll wake Severus, I don't want you laying a finger on him today. That headbutt looked really sore.'
'Yeah', Sirius replied proudly, striding over to Bill, and tugging his ponytail until he woke up with a yell.
'Ouch! What time is it?' Bill yawned, giving Sirius a dead arm before crawling out of his sleeping bag.
'One AM', Sirius whispered, shaking Oliver Wood to wake him up, 'we need to start walking if we want to make Helga's Hollow by dawn.'
Remus was doling out oranges to everyone. 'Breakfast is served', he said, making a face.
As a child, Sirius had vowed never to eat another orange, after his mother practically forced him to eat he pieces of orange from his fruit salad, even though she knew he hated them. Now, he was left with little choice but to eat the sweet oranges Remus carried. As he sucked on one of the segments, he stamped the fire out, and kicked soil and moss over their tracks, while Oliver magically restored the trampled grasses to their proper height. When the two had finished, there was no sign that anybody had ever camped there.
These tasks completed, the party headed due south, towards Helga's Hollow.
Helga's Hollow was named after the famous co-founder of Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff. It was on the moors, across which the group now travelled. It was a small valley, entirely surrounded by silver birch trees, and was said to be the birthplace of that famous witch. Her mother and father, knowing the powerful witch she would grow up to be (a prophecy was made about her), had laid many strong enchantments on the hollow, so that nothing or nobody could harm Helga as long as she lived under their roof. It was a difficult place to find, but widely acknowledged as a safe haven for all good, kind witches and wizards. It was also one of the last safe magical places before the wastelands started-those desolate lands lay approximately one hundred miles south of Helga's Hollow.
It was Oliver Wood, with his keen eyesight, who spotted the silver birch trees on the horizon. As the sun came up, the party finally reached Helga's Hollow, and passed through the trees into the valley.
'Wow!' Tonks breathed. The valley was truly beautiful; a small stream flowed through it, next to which stood an ancient stone cottage, with only half a roof, and pigeons nesting in the windows. The grass was a lush green, and daisies and various wildflowers danced in the breeze. Bill let out a whoop of joy, and raced over to inspect the cottage, while Tonks, Oliver and Remus went to the stream, to drink the spring water.
'This is like paradise!' Sirius murmured. As a man who had spent thirteen years in a hellish prison, and a further three years in hiding in various dark, damp caves, this place was heaven.
Bill emerged from the cottage, grinning. 'This place is cool', he stated, 'there's food inside, and proper beds! Must be some sort of charm on the cottage, 'cos on the inside, it doesn't look like the roof's broken.'
'Excellent!' Sirius exclaimed, 'how long will we stay for, Remus?'
'Why are you asking me?' Remus asked, looking amused.
Sirius shrugged. 'You're good at taking decisions.'
Remus laughed. 'I think we should elect a leader', he announced loudly.
'Oh Remus', Tonks cried exasperatedly, poking her head out of the cottage window, 'leave that 'til later! Come and look at the cottage, it's amazing!'
Remus and Sirius wandered over to the tumbledown cottage, and opened the heavy wooden door.
'Wow', Sirius gasped. The cottage really was amazing! It was huge on the inside ('must be a hidden depth spell', remarked Bill) , and there was every home comfort one could imagine: a cheery fire crackling in the huge, ancient hearth; a long settee, and several large armchairs and footstools; a row of cupboards, packed with food of every kind. At the far end of the long room were seven large, comfortable-looking beds, with plump pillows and spare sets of robes laid on each bed. There were several spellbooks, a Foe Glass, a copy of the Daily Prophet from that day, and a note, written in a beautiful, sloping hand:
Welcome, Order of the Phoenix
It is a pleasure me to be able to give you some well-earned rest and luxuries. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Stay as long as you wish, and take whatever you want.
Yours,
The Keeper of Helga's Hollow.
'Someone knows we're here', Bill gasped, looking shocked.
Remus nodded, apparently unconcerned. 'Helga's Hollow is guarded by a Keeper-it is his job to know who comes here, and to provide them with whatever they need-provided their intentions are good. A Death Eater couldn't enter the hollow-the trees would prevent him, Whomping Willow- style!'
'So where is this keeper guy?' Oliver asked, taking a chocolate biscuit from the biscuit tin.
'Oh, nobody ever sees him', Tonks stated, 'but he always knows exactly what you'll need.'
'Weird', Bill shook his head in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Snape was eyeing the house, with an expression on his face that made it look like he was sucking on a lemon.
'What's up, Snivellus?' Sirius asked testily, 'is this place not good enough for you?'
'I do not trust my life to mysteries as easily as the rest of you', the Potions Master declared loftily, 'I have discovered that it is unwise to accept anything unless you know and understand its source.'
Sirius said something very rude, which made Eva click her tongue disapprovingly. 'Get over yourself, Snivellus', he groaned, 'just relax- this place is renowned for its hospitality. Oliver just ate a biscuit, and he hasn't been poisoned yet, has he? And Tonks is sitting in an armchair, but it hasn't chewed her up and spat her remains back out, has it?'
Snape gave Sirius a withering look. 'May I remind you, Black', he said, smirking, 'that if anything unpleasant does happen, you are relying on the rest of us for your protection, seeing as you are practically a Muggle, and therefore useless in a crisis.'
Everyone fell silent. An argument between Sirius and Snape usually ended in Snape being punched-a show nobody wanted to miss. Sirius took a deep breath, and counted to ten, before pulling his knife from his robes, and holding it up for Snape to see.
'I wonder', Sirius said softly, in a deadly tone of voice, 'if you'd think this knife was so useless if it was pointed at your heart. Imagine, Severus, what would happen if my hand...slipped.'
Swiftly and deftly, Sirius changed his grip on the knife and made a stabbing motion through the air, until the knife was a hair's breadth away from Snape's heart. Nobody moved; nobody even breathed. Beads of perspiration formed on Snape's pale, greasy face, and he swallowed hard.
'I don't like you, Severus', Sirius hissed, holding the knife tightly, 'to be quite frank, I can't even stand the sight of you. And if you make one wrong move, or make one more stupid reference to my lack of magical ability...let's just say useless old me will find a nice place in your heart for my useless old knife. Get the picture?'
Snape gave Sirius a look filled with such loathing that a lesser man would have backed down. But not Sirius. He held his knife steady, and glared back at his childhood enemy. 'I get the picture', Snape snarled at last, stepping away from Sirius, and striding out of the cottage, seething with rage. Sirius nodded, and put the knife back inside his robes. He then turned slowly to face his comrades, expecting them to chastise him at once. But as he looked at each of them in turn, he saw only admiration and respect in their faces.
'What?' He said huskily.
'Nice one, Sirius', Tonks whispered awefully, 'you sure told him where to go!'
'You weren't actually gonna...were you?' Bill asked, gazing at Sirius, a look of ecstasy on his face, 'Either way, I'm going to treausre that moment for ever...'
'I wouldn't have done anything to him', Sirius admitted, 'I just couldn't resist the temptation. He just doesn't realise that magic isn't the only weapon in the world. He needs to shut up and get over the fact that I have no magic-I mean, I can still beat him in a fair fight!'
Remus chuckled. 'It was nicely done, I must admit', he remarked, 'but is it wise to have open hostility between you two?'
'He'll ignore me for a few days-give himself time to lick his wounds', Sirius spat contemptuously, 'if he starts annoying me again...well, it's his own funeral-literally!'
'Sirius!' Eva sounded shocked, 'you shouldn't talk like that! You of all people, who spent thirteen years in prison for murders you didn't commit, shouldn't talk about murder so lightly!'
'Eva, do you remember how Snivellus cursed me every time he saw me?' Sirius asked coolly, 'or how he was constantly snooping around me, James, Remus and that scumbag Peter? Or how he was a Death Eater, but apparently reformed? No, Severus Snape would be no loss to the human race.'
'Still doesn't mean you can kill him', Eva argued, 'he's on our side now.'
'Or so we believe', Bill interrupted darkly.
'Oh, can we just forget about Professor Snape?' Oliver begged, 'my memories of Potions class are still too fresh! We should be relaxing and enjoying ourselves, while we've still got the chance!'
'Hmm', Eva mumbled.
Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed impatiently. 'I promise you I won't kill him, Eva', he said in a bored voice.
Eva looked up at him, and gave him a small smile. 'I'll hold you to that', she replied quietly.
Since their journey had started, neither Eva nor Sirius had mentioned the kiss they shared while Sirius was in a Muggle hospital. Sometimes, the atmosphere between the two was quite tense, while at others, they shared glances and smiled knowingly at one another. Sirius knew that now was not the time to start dating the girl he had liked since his days at Hogwarts. That could wait until after the mission. Assuming they both survived.
The evening passed pleasantly for everyone except Snape, who sat in the furthest corner from Sirius, glaring at the ceiling. Tonks entertained everybody by changing her appearance to look like people they all knew (her best was the imitation of Molly Weasley). Bill regailed them with stories about his time spent in Egypt as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts Bank. Oliver, who had remained relatively quiet throughout the journey so far, gave very animated accounts of the quidditch matches he had played in at Hogwarts. These were of particular interest to Sirius, as Harry was a central feature of many of the matches in Oliver's career. Next, Remus, Eva and Sirius related their memories of Hogwarts and its teachers, compared with the school during their younger comrades' years. It was four o'clock in the morning before they finally went to bed.
*************
The seven travellers spent three more days in Helga's Hollow, dreading the moment when they would eventually have to move onwards into the wilderness. Snape stayed well clear of Sirius , while Oliver, on the other hand, followed Sirius around, treating him like some sort of hero or role model. It was the first time in Sirius' adult life that anyone had ever admired him, and aspired to be like him, so he took a special interest in Oliver, and to a certain extent, took him under his wing.
It was early in the evening of the third day when disaster struck.
Bill had been standing at the top of the hollow, surveying the surrounding area, when Sirius heard him let out a sharp cry.
'There's a load of Death Eaters headed this way-oh no!'
'What is it?' Sirius asked sharply, scrambling up the bank, together with Remus and Tonks.
Bill came crashing through the trees towards them, pale and shaking. 'There are about forty Dementors following them, about a mile behind.' He told them, looking terrified.
Cursing under his breath, Sirius ran past the trees, and gazed out at the land around him. There, on the horizon, was a sight that filled him dread. His heart dropped liked a stone, and his stomach felt as though it were full of cement; an army of black-robed figures was fast approaching Helga's Hollow.
'We won't have a chance if we stay here!' He called back to the others, 'they obviously know we're here, they'll encircle us and trap us in the hollow! We have to run!'
Remus nodded silently, tight-lipped, and ran back to the cottage to alert the others.
And for the first time in two weeks, Sirius realised that his knife would be of little use here. He followed Remus into the cottage, while Tonks and Bill stayed to observe the progress of Voldemort's supporters.
'Don't worry', Remus assured Sirius, seeing the look on his friend's face, 'I can conjure a Patronus strong enough to protect us both.'
'But you can't hold the Patronus and fight the Death Eaters at the same time!' Sirius protested.
'You heard what Bill said', Remus replied, stuffing his belongings into his rucksack, 'the Dementors are about a mile behind. Hopefully, we will have dealt with all the Death Eaters by the time they arrive.'
'Unless...' Sirius was feeling pessimistic, 'remember last time, the Death Eaters often fought side by side with the Dementors, and we realised that the Dementors had an agreement with Voldemort-they'd get the souls of the enemies, as long as they didn't prevent the Death Eaters from doing their dirty deeds. The Dementors must be able to turn their 'charms' on and off as they please.'
'Controlled by the orb, no doubt', Remus added thoughtfully, 'well, we'll just have to live with whatever comes. If we have to deal with Death Eaters and Dementors together, so be it.'
'I wish I had your attitude', Sirius groaned.
Everyone was in the cottage now. Tonks, Bill, Eva and Oliver, who had never dealt with a host of Dementors before, looked terrified. Snape looked determined and tense, while Remus looked calm and somewhat resigned. He was the first to speak;
'We need a leader', he said, repeating his idea from a few days ago, 'this is a battle, and we need a general. Let's take a vote. I vote for Sirius.'
Sirius began to laugh, but then realised it was not a joke. 'I vote for Remus', he said promptly.
'I vote for Sirius', Oliver added.
'Me too', Eva said, smiling.
'I vote for Remus or Sirius', Bill said, shrugging, 'either one would make a great leader.'
'Same here-one of you two should lead us', Tonks agreed.
Snape grimaced. 'My vote must go to Lupin', he said coldly, 'although I do not believe he will make a successful leader.'
'So Sirius, you got three straight votes, and two maybes.' Remus said, grinning, 'I think you should lead.
'You got two straight votes, and either of the maybes could go to you!' Sirius argued.
'Well I don't want to lead', Remus retorted, 'so it has to be you.'
Sirius' jaw dropped. He grinned weakly. 'Do you people honestly want to trust me with your lives?'
'Can't think of a better leader, Sirius', Remus stated, 'you know the Dementors better than any of us, you've fought in a war against these people before, you're confident and not afraid to speak your mind. So, General Black, what are your orders?'
Standing amidst his peers, listening to Remus' praise, Sirius felt ten feet tall. He swallowed hard and looked around at the five trusting and one sneering face.
'I say we stand around the trees at the top of the bank', he announced, 'and we make a stand.'
It was approaching midnight when the minions of Lord Voldemort reached the hollow. Sirius and the others stood in the shadowsof the trees, Sirius with his knife at the ready, the rest with their wands. Sure enough, the Death Eaters waited for the Dementors to join them before moving closer to the hollow. Sirius felt all his bravado and ferocity being drained for him, adn being replaced by hopelessness and despair. He could wait no longer.
'NOW!' He bellowed.
For those seven witches and wizards, the war now began.
