Disclaimer: As I round on the fourth chapter, I still do not own anything but the idea.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Good reviews good motivation. LoL Thanks again. This chapter is kinda dark. But I didn't want things to be easy. Needed a little angst in there.

Chapter 4: Something Unexpected

"How much longer will we be staying at Black Manor?" Harry asked curiously.

"We leave tomorrow after breakfast," James said.

"I hope that's enough time," Harry said. "If I stay up all night it should suffice."

"For the research you mentioned?" James asked.

"Yes" Harry replied.

Harry ate dinner quickly that evening and went straight into the library and began pouring over book after book, looking for just the right one (if it existed). The answer he was searching for did not lie in "Dark Magic and Countercurses" Volumes 1-20, nor did it lie in "Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts: The Book" or "101 Ways to Rid the World of Evil." Harry was beginning to lose hope of ever finding a way to make it all work out. He knew he had to find the answer in the library of Black Manor because Hogwarts wasn't likely to have these sorts of books. Sometime after 1 in the morning, Harry finally came across a book called "Curses of Ancient Descent: A Guide to Some of the Oldest and most Complex Curses". He flipped through the book anxiously until he came to a particular section that caught his eye.

Just as he finished reading, there was a loud noise coming from outside. Harry ripped the page from the book and after folding it, stuck it into his pocket. He ran to the window and looked for signs of what caused the noise. He looked towards the gates at the entrance of Black Manor, and just then he saw about 10 men on horses with torches gathered around the gate. A moment later, the horses began galloping quickly towards the mansion.

Harry came back to his senses and ran through the house yelling for everyone to wake.

"Mom! Dad! Sirius! There are Death Eaters coming up the road towards the house! Wake up!"

Moments later James, Lily, and Sirius ran down the stairs.

"What are we going to do?!" Harry cried.

"I have a hidden room in the library. Come with me! Quick!" Sirius cried.

The four of them ran into the library. Sirius jumped towards a particular shelf of books and pushed on it. It slid back slightly, and sprang open just as the doors to Black Manor burst open.

"I heard something coming from that way!" One of the men called, pointing towards the library. Three of you go and survey the upstairs, three of you check the rooms down here, and the rest of you come this way!"

The men that remained downstairs didn't even bother to dismount their horses; they proceeded through the house horseback. They galloped through the house, destroying anything in their way.

"Inside quickly! Stay quiet. I'll get rid of them." Sirius said frantically.

James, Lily, and Harry went inside the room and Sirius closed the door. Within a matter of seconds, the men entered the library.

"Sirius Black!" one of them called.

"Sorry fellows, no horses in the house. I'll have to ask you to take them outside." Sirius said.

"Where are the Potters?" the man called.

"Lucius Malfoy, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"We know you've been hiding them here. If you want to live, you'd best tell me now." Lucius said angrily.

"I haven't seen James & Lily in months. A year maybe." Sirius said coolly.

"Crucio!" Lucius cried. Sirius fell to the floor and writhed with pain. After a few seconds, Lucius relented.

"Are you ready to tell us yet?" Lucius asked snidely.

"I-told-you" Sirius said between breaths, "I don't know where they are."

The men that had been in other parts of the house entered.

"Mr. Malfoy, there's nothing upstairs. They're not here." One of the men said.

"There's nothing in any of the rooms on this floor either." Another said. "They're not here, sir."

"Very well." Lucius said. "Apparently we were wrong. But, in good spirit, we'll be taking you with us."

"No!" cried Sirius. He tried to run but the men seized him and knocked him out.

"Let's go!" yelled Lucius. "Tie up Black and destroy the house."

From inside the hidden room, the Potters couldn't hear anything that had happened outside. They glanced around the room. It was completely empty except for a light coming from a corner. In that corner, there was a spiral staircase in the corner leading to another room. They clambered down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, a concrete door slid across and covered the hole from which they had come down. They looked around in amazement. There were beds in this room, as well as food and practically anything else they could need. Sirius had apparently anticipated an emergency situation when he built this room. They didn't plan to stay long enough to take full advantage of the room though.

"Well. I suppose we could lie down for awhile and wait for Sirius to come get us." James said.

"That's not a bad idea." Lily agreed.

James & Lily took one bed, Harry the other. They all fell asleep within a few minutes and slept the rest of night.

The next morning, they awoke to find themselves still beneath the house.

"I wonder how long we've been here?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. Something doesn't seem right." James asked. "Let's just go back up ourselves." James said.

James tapped the concrete slab repeatedly and muttered a few well-chosen words. Finally, it slid open and they proceeded forward. When they reached the top, the house was in ruins. Most of it had been blown up, what remained was smoldering. Sirius was nowhere to be found. They assumed he was dead.

"No...not Sirius!" Lily cried.

"It's our fault. We shouldn't have come here. We put his life in jeopardy just by stepping through the door." James said, distraught.

"Perhaps the Death Eaters only took him away and didn't kill him. In any event we really need to get to Hogwarts. How far is it from here, Dad?" Harry asked.

"From here? I'd say it's at least two days walk." James replied.

"Why can't we just apparate?" Harry asked.

"Because Harry. If we apparated we would be detected much more easily and we do NOT need that" Lily said.

"Oh. Well let's move on then." Harry said in a dry tone. And so they went, unsure of where their next point of rest would be.