Five Down, One to Go

"I can't believe we've just sacrificed so many valuable artifacts," Lucius moaned as he watched both the locket and the ring melt. The soul pieces wafted from the destroyed jewelry, screaming out their agony as they faded into the ether. "First was Helga Hufflepuff's cup, and now Slytherin's locket and Peverell's ring. With the Merlin-be-damned resurrection stone! Un-bloody-believable!"

"Yes," Severus said unsympathetically, "and we have one more to sacrifice. We will go to Hogwarts tomorrow and do a thorough search of the school. The diadem was lost there, somewhere. Have you done an adequate search into the family history of Rowena Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, Severus," Lucius said flatly, still mourning the loss of the resurrection stone. "The diadem was stolen by Rowena's daughter, Helena Ravenclaw. She had claimed that she'd lost it, but if the Dark Lord had used it to make a horcrux, then I suspect that she had been charmed by the young Tom Riddle into telling him where she had hidden it. It stands to reason that he'd secreted it somewhere in the school, probably during one of the two times he'd tried to apply as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It would have to be hidden somewhere within the castle that no one knows of. I'm sure even Dumbledore is not privy to all of Hogwarts' secrets."

"You're probably right," Severus murmured distractedly. "However, I'm sure we know someone besides the Dark Lord who was able to divine all of the castle's secrets."

Sirius Black was not expecting visitors. He'd been told by the guards of Azkaban that he wouldn't be allowed any. So he was suitably surprised when he was told he'd had a visitor. That surprise turned to outright shock when he saw who it was. "What the bloody hell do you want, Snivellus?" the man barked loudly. Severus remained silent as he sat across the visitor's table from the angry animagus. He watched Black for a few moments before finally pulling the letter from his pocket and sliding it across the table to Sirius. Black scowled at the Potions Master for a moment, before picking up the letter and reading it.

By the time he'd finished reading, his whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the belligerence; in its place was sadness and resignation. "They're right," he murmured, not expecting any form of answer. "I am childish and irresponsible. If I would've thought of anyone but myself, Harry wouldn't have gone to someone else. Especially not you. I'm just surprised Albus let you have him."

"Albus Dumbledore did not let me 'have' Hadrian," Severus told the other man matter-of-factly. "Albus Dumbledore gave my son to Petunia Evans and her fat bastard of a husband."

"He didn't," Sirius gasped, for once forgetting his animosity.

"He did," Severus concurred, eyes narrowed. "They turned around and abandoned Hadrian in the middle of Lesnes Abbey woods, where I found him. He'd been left in a cardboard box, with no covering whatsoever, in the middle of the night at the end of November. By the time I'd found him, the temperatures were already at negative one degree Celsius and falling. Had I not found him when I did, he would have died of hypothermia."

"That bitch!" Black snarled loudly, startling the guard that was standing outside the door.

"That wasn't all. They'd neglected to feed him adequately, and he had bruises on his body. He was very weak and malnourished, and it took several weeks of intensive physical therapy to get him able to walk."

"He's all right now, isn't he?" Sirius asked almost desperately, seeing in this man the type of protector that Black himself had failed to be.

"He's wonderful," Severus replied softly, eyes gently gleaming at the thought of his son. Sirius saw the softness in the Potions Master, and, for the first time, was ashamed of himself and his actions.

"I…I'm sorry, Snape," he murmured, surprising the dour man. "I know that I was…vicious in school. It's just…well…James had fallen for Lily from the moment he saw her, and he saw you as a rival for her affections. And…well…the memories of my family colored my opinions on everything Dark and Slytherin. I couldn't go after them, so I went after you. I'm beginning to realize how wrong I was, especially in light of the letter James and Lily left you."

"Thank you, Black," Severus murmured, bowing his head respectfully. "I am not totally blameless in our altercations in school. As you know, I am a halfblood, and my time in Slytherin was…difficult. Unfortunately, I fell in with the 'wrong crowd' and we behaved entirely stupidly. I must share in some of the responsibility for our mutual hostilities."

"Appreciate that, Severus," Sirius quipped jovially. "Now why are you here? I was told that I wasn't to have any visitors but the Minister, and that only once a year."

"Lucius has been whispering in the Minister's ear about incarcerating 'a Lord of a most Noble and Ancient House', and one of the 'Sacred Twenty Eight' without trial. So, he is attempting to work some of his Malfoy magic to get you an actual trial before the Wizengamot, under veritaserum of course, and get you freed."

"You…you believe I'm innocent?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"I do. Most of it was through the letter. I could practically feel the love and faith they had for you, even though they didn't think you'd be suitable as Hadrian's godfather. Besides, we were able to corner a special sort of rat, skulking around Malfoy Manor. Apparently, he was looking for a way to hide until his master returned. In fact, you may actually be familiar with him."

"You have Peter?" Black hissed venomously, a look of feral glee on his face.

"Indeed."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Well, as it stands, even with veritaserum testimony, Fudge may continue to make things difficult for you. As well, Dumbledore will most likely poke his long crooked nose into it, and delay your release for quite some time. So, Lucius and I have decided to…give Bartemius Crouch Sr. a little present. I've heard he's always wanted a pet."

"You are evil, Severus," Black cooed, a wide grin on his face. "I love it. Was that all? You just came here to brighten my day?"

"No. I also come with some questions. We are relatively assured that the Dark Lord will attempt to make his return. Are you familiar with horcruxes?"

Sirius' eyes widened in horror. "He did that?" the animagus gasped.

"Ah. So you are familiar with them."

"Living in my family, I've become familiar with a whole host of the blackest magics possible."

"Fair point," Severus conceded with a respectful nod. "Lucius and I have managed to destroy five. We have one more to eliminate, and that will end the tenuous hold on life that the Dark Lord now enjoys. However, in order to get it, we first have to find it."

"Tell me what the horcruxes were, and maybe I can help."

"The first was a diary by a halfblood named Tom Riddle. He became Lord Voldemort later on. The next was a ring that belonged to his ancestor, Cadmus Peverell. He'd stolen it from his maternal grandfather. Next was the Hufflepuff cup, which he took from Hepzibah Smith, before he murdered her. Then we have Slytherin's locket, which also belonged to his grandfather. His mother sold it after the muggle who fathered him threw her out. Then we have…Hadrian. He was made a horcrux the night the Dark Lord went to kill him. It was purely accidental, but we were able to remove and destroy it. Finally we have Ravenclaw's diadem. Lucius and I assume that, somehow, Tom Riddle charmed the Grey Lady, who is the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw, into revealing where she had hidden it."

"H-Harry was a horcrux?"

"Yes, Black, Hadrian was."

"Sorry, Severus," Sirius apologized with a blush. "It'll take me a bit to get used to. Now, I'm assuming that all but the…diadem?" At Severus' nod, the animagus continued, "were destroyed. Where do you think it is?"

"We assume that he may have hidden it at Hogwarts. He tried, twice, to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but was turned down both times. He saw Hogwarts as home, so it would be something of a coup to hide one of his safeguards there, right under the headmaster's nose. However, it would have to be somewhere that no one else can find."

"Hmm. James, Remus and I were all over the castle while we were there. We even made a map that shows just about every room and secret passage. It also shows every single person on Hogwarts grounds. It even shows the ghosts! Anyway, only two places couldn't be put on our map; the Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement."

"Room of…but that's a myth, Black." The smug grin on the animagus' face made Severus want to punch him.

"No it's nooot!" Sirius replied in a singsong voice. "The reason it's unplottable, and damned hard to find is because it exists in a sort of…dead space, for lack of a better term. On the seventh floor, past the headmaster's office and Gryffindor tower, there is a painting, depicting Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach a bunch of trolls how to dance the ballet. The wall directly opposite is where you'll find the room. All you need to do is pace back and forth in front of it three times, and the room you need will appear. It has to be a vital, desperate need for the Room to respond. I've no doubt that, if you pace wishing for a room with the diadem in it, it will appear. Problem solved."

"Thank you, Black," Severus said again, a small smile on his face. "When you are released, go to the Leaky Cauldron. We will have a room set up for you. There, you will meet with Lucius and I, and I will also bring Hadrian. We can discuss your future then."

"Got it!" Severus trumpeted as he apparated into the middle of the entrance hall. Lucius had keyed Snape's magical signature into the wards, since the Potions Master and Hadrian had moved in there, anyway. He was waving a small tiara around frantically, and as soon as he got his bearings, he headed for the dungeons, Lucius hot on his heels. They made it to the cell in record time, Severus lowering the wards and Lucius putting the crown in the protected space. He flung the fiendfyre as Snape closed the hole, and they watched with satisfaction and relief as the last of the anchors burned away with an agonized scream. Instantly, both men hissed, grabbing their left forearms and collapsing to their knees. Once the pain faded, they drew up their sleeves, gaping in stunned surprise at the clean, unblemished skin.

"We're free," Lucius gasped out, tears welling in his grey eyes. "Thank the gods! We're free!"

Deep in an Albanian forest, just as the disembodied bit of spiritual ooze that was all that remained of a vicious Dark Lord was beginning to win the trust of a truly magnificent python, it screamed in agony before winking out of existence. All over the British wizarding world, those who once bore the Dark Mark collapsed to their knees, keening in agony as the brand burned itself from their arms. Those in Azkaban saw this as a way to win their freedom, and began to scream and yell, trying to gain someone's attention. For those scant few who were truly devoted to the Dark Lord, living without his Mark, his presence, was unbearable. Bellatrix Lestrange screamed in terror and fury, unable to comprehend the loss of the only being she'd ever loved, and in her despair she clawed her throat out, bleeding to death, gasping out "Master!" with her dying breath.

Bartemius Crouch, Jr. cackled insanely and began to bang his head against the stone wall, turning his skull into pulpy mush. When the guards found him later, they spied words, scrawled erratically on the walls in the prisoner's blood. "My true father is gone, so I shall join him." Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, who had been forced into the Dark Lord's service by their father, stared at their arms. In the only kindness shown to them, they had been placed in cells right next to each other, so they were able to talk quietly when the dementors weren't patrolling their level. At the disappearance of their Marks, both men thrust their arms out through the cell bars, each man gaping at his brother's arm. For a while, no sound was heard from either man, until finally, the words "We're free!" were whispered into the air.

The disappearance of the Marks had stunned Bartemius Crouch, Sr. He went from cell to cell, examining each and every Death Eater detainee, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that these men no longer exhibited the evidence of their master's ownership. When he got to the cell of his son, he hung his head and wept, realizing for the first time that, perhaps, had he not been so focused on his career, his son might not have turned to another for validation. As the feeling of despair increased, the man looked up, spying a pair of Dementors floating at the end of the corridor. He turned to his escort, grief in his eyes. "We'll take our leave for now," he said, nodding in the direction of the 'guards'. "I will set up a meeting with the full Wizengamot in the morning, to discuss this unusual turn of events."

"We have made our ruling," Amelia Bones said into the silence. Sirius Black, under the influence of veritaserum, had just finished giving testimony to his innocence. Bartemius Crouch, Sr. had also brought the 'pet' Lucius had gifted him with, and now had the animagus in his human form, chained to a prisoner's dock with magic suppressing cuffs. Peter Pettigrew whimpered as he saw all of the glares focused on him. He had also been given veritaserum, and had confessed fully to the betrayal of his best friends and his role in their deaths, and his support of the Dark Lord. He also confessed to framing Sirius for their deaths, and the deaths of the thirteen muggles, who had been caught in the crossfire. "We find Sirius Black innocent of all charges, and grant him immediate release." She banged her gavel on the desk, the magic of the ruling sealing the official record of Sirius' trial. She then turned to the rat, smirking cruelly as he flinched.

"Peter Pettigrew, for the betrayal and murders of James and Lily Potter, and for the murders of thirteen innocent muggles, you will be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. The sentence will be carried out immediately." She again banged the gavel on the table, sealing the verdict and allowing the guards to open a door on the far side of the chamber. A patronus-like shield rose instantly around all the participants, except for the condemned, as the Dementor floated in, aiming unerringly toward its meal as it hurriedly rushed up to Pettigrew. The rat animagus quivered in his chains, his eyes wide and terrified as the cloaked monster leaned over him. A strange hissing rattle erupted from the being, and Peter screamed as his soul was sucked from him, leaving behind nothing more than a living doll.

"Take him to the prison infirmary," Amelia snapped, grimacing at the lifeless look in the condemned's eyes. The Dementor was quickly herded away from Pettigrew, and forced back through the door from which it had entered. Another guard unchained the prisoner and carefully led him through another door. Albus Dumbledore had watched all of this with a blank face, seething inside as he saw all of his carefully orchestrated plans starting to crumble. "You may go, Sirius Black," Bones said softly. "You are free, and you have my deepest regret that you had suffered here for the few weeks you were incarcerated."

"Congratulations, Black," Severus murmured as the animagus stepped through the door of the room that he and Lucius had obtained for their meeting. Sirius smiled widely at the two men as he came in, walking to the table and collapsing in the empty chair in relief. Instantly, the table was groaning with food Sirius hadn't seen in a while, and he dug in, suddenly starving. The only sounds in the room for a bit were the noises of scraping cutlery and chewing as the men satisfied their hunger. Once sated, the table cleared and they got down to business.

"Thank you, Malfoy, for doing all you did to have me freed," Sirius said, looking at the blond aristocrat gratefully. "I'm coming to learn that all was not as it seemed in my narrow, bigoted little world."

"It was my pleasure, Black," Lucius replied with a graceful nod of his head. "Circumstances had…changed, and I wanted to make sure that only the deserving were punished." Before Sirius could answer, the pitter patter of little feet alerted him to the other occupant as Hadrian toddled up to his father, raising demanding arms. With a small chuckle, Severus leaned over and lifted his son into his lap, settling the child so he was facing Sirius.

"He looks wonderful," the animagus breathed, grey eyes shining delightedly. "You have done an exemplary job of mitigating the abuse he'd suffered, Snape. Thank you." Emerald eyes focused in on the speaker, and instantly pudgy arms were out and waving around.

"Unka Pa'foo'! Unka Pa'foo!" the toddler cried excitedly. With a glance for permission at Severus, Sirius picked up the squirming baby and held him close, chuckling wetly as the boy grabbed his hair and tugged.

"Hey there, pup," he husked out, brushing a gentle kiss to the chubby cheek. "I am so very happy to see you, Har-Hadrian," he amended as he saw the glare of ebon eyes. "Did you miss your Uncle Padfoot?"

"Yeth," the boy lisped quietly, smiling widely at his favorite uncle. "Wheh ith Unka Moo'y?"

"I'm…not sure," Sirius murmured, eyes guarded. "I suspect he's hiding somewhere, grieving. I'm pretty sure he blames me for the deaths of his pack."

"I know where Lupin is," Severus interjected, noting the sadness in Sirius' eyes. "We will get you settled in your new living arrangements, then contact him for a meeting."

"About that," the animagus said. "Where, exactly, am I going to live?"

"I have a great many wings in my Manor," Lucius contributed, silver eyes gleaming with amusement at the stunned expression on the Marauder's face. "You are welcome to choose one and live with us, if that is agreeable to you."

"W-why?"

"We felt that you would want to be near Hadrian, to help in raising him," Severus answered softly. "Though Potter and Lily didn't name you as godfather, they still trusted you implicitly with my son. It would be unconscionably cruel to deny you access to your…pup, was it? Besides, Hadrian so obviously loves and remembers you. I will do anything to keep my son happy, including tolerating you."

"Thank you, Severus," Sirius whispered. "It is more than I deserve, after the way I treated you in school. You are a far better man than I ever was."