~Always Pure~

Sirius knelt at his master's feet, watching him pace up and down before him from beneath his fringe. Voldemort paused and pointed his wand between Sirius' eyes. "Give me one good reason why I should not kill you right here." He said softly, his fury almost palpable.

"I can't, My Lord. You must do as you see fit." Sirius replied, lowering his head and closing his eyes.

"Death does not scare you?"

"It scares me as much as it does anyone, My Lord."

Voldemort considered him for a moment. "It is such a shame that you turned out to be so disloyal, I am sure that you could be so much more useful…" He paused and smiled. "And I suspect that you still could be, tell me, Sirius Black; are you in contact with the Werewolf?"

Sirius froze, his fingers tightening on the fabric of his robes as he averted his eyes. "M-My Lord I-"

"Do not worry, I have my answer." Voldemort resumed his pacing, his robes flying out behind him majestically. "If only I could trust you enough to use you to your full potential. You are in the perfect position to be used as a spy, someone who would be able to worm his way deep into their ranks. So many of them trust you, especially that Werewolf of yours." Sirius remained silent as he followed the Dark Lord with his eyes, he had no idea where the conversation was going and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to find out. Abruptly Voldemort stopped before Sirius who slowly looked up. "Not to worry I have found another who is perfectly suited to that job, I have no need of a second. Frank and Alice Longbottom have no idea of the Potter's whereabouts, you say?"

"Yes My Lord." Sirius said, jumping on the change of topic eagerly. "I heard it from…from the Werewolf."

"Of course you did, and you are absolutely certain that he was not lying to you?"

"He wouldn't." Sirius said with utter certainty. "I trust him with every ounce of my being."

"Then you are a fool. My source has told me that the Longbottom's are fully aware of where the Potter's have been hidden, in fact they were overheard discussing it by my faithful servant."

Sirius felt as if the earth had dropped from beneath his feet, he gaped up at Voldemort, feeling like a fish out of water. "I-It can't be true! It…it has to be false information!"

"The Werewolf has much more sense than I have given him credit for, he was right not to place his trust in you." Voldemort smirked down at Sirius as he bowed his head, unable to look into those smug eyes. "You were perfectly happy to give up Longbottom and his pregnant wife if it meant that your friends could live, I am sure your friend will not be pleased to hear when I have them tortured."

Sirius lifted his eyes, forcing himself to meet the Dark Lord with some semblance of dignity. "I didn't betray them." He said softly, defiance clear in his voice. "You stole the information from my mind."

"Ah, sometimes truth can be twisted to one's advantage." Voldemort replied softly as he ran long, pale fingers down the length of his wand. "Once I have leaked the tale that you gave me information on the Longbottom's your little friend will never want to see you again."

Sirius went pale, he swallowed as a hard lump grew in his throat before he bared his teeth furiously. "You'll never get away with this!" He growled. "You'll die! You'll be defeated! The Order and the Light will win! I hope that when that day comes you regret everything in your final moments!"

"You dare threaten Lord Voldemort?" The Dark Lord hissed softly, his wand lifting until it pointed directly at Sirius' heart. "Do you have a death wish?"

Sirius' shoulder's straightened even as fear twisted his stomach into knots. "Perhaps I do." He breathed. "Maybe it would have been better if you had killed me the moment Bellatrix offered you my soul."

"Lord Voldemort is merciful but I would advise you not to push your luck." Voldemort lowered his wand and turned away for a moment. "You may still be of some use, if only as a scapegoat…but if you continue to speak to me in such a fashion I will have no qualms about ending your pathetic life. I have no need of Bloodtraitors who refuse to do as they're told. Perhaps yet another dose of pain will remind you who is in charge?" He turned and with movements faster than a striking snake hit Sirius with crimson agony.

~Always Pure~

"He's going to pin the Longbottom's disappearance on me!" Sirius gasped and buried his face in his hands, he was still shaking violently from head to foot from the after affects of the curses Voldemort had thrown at him.

"I cannot say that I am unsurprised." Snape replied coldly as he yanked Sirius' hands away from his face, he pushed his head to the side to reveal the large cut that ran down his chin and throat. "I can heal it but it will most likely scar." He said and lifted his wand; Sirius winced as a weird, tingling sensation rippled across his flesh as the wound healed itself. "Now then, get out of my house." He said as he stood up from where he had been crouched by Sirius' side, he turned his back and moved towards a glass fronted cabinet that held several dusty crystal decanters and two tumblers.

"Wait…aren't you going to help me? I need to find a way to get out of this…I need to be able to prove my innocence! If the Dark Lord is defeated I-I'll end up in Azkaban for certain!"

"And?" Severus turned and lifted an eyebrow, his face was the perfect mask of indifference.

"And…well…I…" Sirius sighed heavily and stood up on unstable legs, he stumbled a little and put a hand to his head as the world swam before his eyes. "Ugh…" He blinked away the worst of the greyness before attempting to move towards the door of Snape's living room. "Fuck…" He felt his knees give way and he fell to the floor, his face hit the carpet and caused agony to explode through his nose.

"Most interesting, I have not yet witnessed the effects of such an intense bout of Cruciatus before. You make an excellent guinea pig it seems."

"Fuck off…Snape…" Sirius mumbled from the floor as he forced himself onto all fours, he managed to reach his knees as the world see-sawed around him and his stomach did sickening somersaults.

Snape's face twisted before he sighed heavily and pointed his wand in the direction of his pantry, through the open door a potion bottle came whizzing towards his open hand. He caught it smoothly and put the bottle on the floor before Sirius who grabbed it eagerly. "I would hate to watch you vomit on my floor, do be careful and drink that slowly. Then you can get out of my house."

Sirius downed the contents in one swift draft and gasped in a breath, he hung his head as he felt the awful tingling sensation in the tips of his fingers and toes slowly fading. "Thank Merlin." He breathed in relief.

"I do not have any sympathy for your dilemma." Snape said softly from the shadows. "My only concern is the fate of the Potters, we are only working together to ensure that they live. I do not care about you or your pathetic problems, would you not die to protect your friend?"

"Of course I would!" Sirius snapped in reply, turning to glare furiously at Snape. "What do you take me for? I didn't go through all this for nothing. I joined the Death Eater's with the sole purpose of ensuring my friends lived."

"Then why do you care what rumours the Dark Lord spreads?"

"Because it would mean that Remus...a-and James would never speak to me again! I'd be sent to Azkaban without even the love of my friends! I…I would die alone a-and un-mourned! I can't do it. I won't." His eyes flicked away from Snape's and he understood that Sirius wasn't speaking the whole truth.

"I would suggest you become used to the idea of being hated, Black. It is something that comes from willingly taking the Dark Mark…it is like a curse, one that will eventually destroy you from the inside out."

Their eyes met and the silence was heavy with unspoken understanding, Sirius stood up after breaking the eye contact and strode towards Snape's door. "Contact me if there's any news." He said quietly before leaving the house.

~Toujours Pur~

"Alice and Frank have disappeared." Remus said softly, his eyes on the rug as he absently turned the mug of tea in his hands around and around.

"What?" James looked up, startled from his silent contemplation of the Daily Prophet.

"Dumbledore said that the Death Eater's thought they knew where you're hiding." He winced as James groaned. "I'm sorry, I thought you should know."

"Merlin, I hope they're alright. Alice is heavily pregnant."

"I…" Remus paused and sighed, he put down his mug and pushed his hands into his hair. "It's all my fault."

"Don't be stupid." James said with a shake of his head. "How can it be your fault?"

"Because…because I lied. I've been lying to everyone." He took a shaky breath and felt James' eyes boring holes into him. "I've been meeting up with Sirius, we've been…been having a secret affair. I…I assumed it was ok, I thought…I trusted him."

"You told him that Frank and Alice knew about us?" James asked, astounded.

"No! No of course I didn't. I trusted him but I didn't trust Voldemort to not read his mind…It turns out that Sirius worked out I was lying, he was the one who…who kidnapped them."

"No." James shook his head almost violently. "Impossible."

Remus looked up and gave James a sad but slightly patronising look. "James, we have to accept that Sirius has been so deeply embroiled in the Dark Arts that it has corrupted him. He's always been unstable, unable to control his emotions…particularly his anger. Maybe…maybe it's time we realised that he's not the boy we used to know, maybe it's time we accepted that he's truly a Death Eater."

James' eyes hardened in determination. "I won't believe it until I see it for myself. Remus, Alice and Frank can't tell them where we are, because they're not our Secret Keepers, I'm sure Sirius would have been intelligent enough to work this out for himself. Why would he kidnap people who he knew would be physically unable to give him information? Why would he put an unborn child at risk like that? I know Sirius, and so should you. I think that maybe these rumours have been spread by someone else, perhaps someone who doesn't like Sirius or…or maybe Voldemort himself as some kind of sick punishment."

"James, he doesn't know we're using the Fidelius Charm! No one does! As far as Sirius is concerned Alice and Frank will be able to give him what he wants."

"I'm sorry Remus, I will never, ever distrust my friends without absolute proof. Sirius would never do something so evil, he would never hurt a child."

"But he's perfectly happy to go about murdering innocent people, torturing them into insanity and tearing apart families; all the time using the excuse that he's acting on orders!" Remus felt searing anger flash through him and was forced to take a calming breath, Sirius' betrayal hurt worse than anything he could imagine. It was as if someone had reached deep into his chest and ripped out his heart. "A man who is so deep in the Dark Arts is capable of anything, you need to accept that."

James' eyes moved to a set of old photographs that sat on a shelf in the living room, he stood up and went over to them and picked one up. It showed himself, Remus, Sirius and Peter all standing in a group and hugging. James was in the middle, wearing the gold and crimson of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, he was holding a great big silver cup in one hand while the other was wrapped firmly around Sirius' shoulders. Both of them had massive grins on their faces, their foreheads were pressed against each other and he could hear the remembered roar of the crowds. He turned around and held out the picture to Remus who took it automatically. "Do you remember that?"

"Of course I do, it was the first time you won the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor in third year."

"Yes. Do you remember what Sirius was like back then? All the times he would take a Slytherin curse for one of us, every time he planned a prank in revenge if someone dared to insult any of us? The boy in that picture would die before hurting any of us, even if it's by hurting our friends."

Remus gazed down at the picture sadly, he ran a finger down Sirius' laughing face slowly as he allowed himself a small, nostalgic smile. Finally he looked back up at James. "But Prongs, Sirius is no longer the man we knew back then. Trust me, I've seen it. He's changed in some fundamental way that not even I can put finger on, he's much more dangerous, almost out of control. It was he who approached me and began our secret meetings, it was him who…who seduced me and made ignore my instincts in favour of keeping him by my side." He sighed heavily and stood up, replacing the picture back on its shelf. "I'm just too weak, James. I couldn't say no to him…I never could."

"Remus, if we can't trust in our friends, what is the point in continuing?" James asked softly, taking his friends arm in his hand and forcing him to turn to face him. "We have to trust each other or Voldemort's already won."

Remus looked away, gazing down at a spot on the carpet with a small frown. "I can't do it. I can't take the risk…I…I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because I was stupid and let something slip to him. I'm sorry, I can't trust him anymore." He pulled away and moved towards the door. "I'll let myself out, Thanks for the tea." He left and James stood there, gazing at the door before turning his eyes back to the photograph.

"Sirius, what are you doing? Why won't you come back to us?" He whispered into the quiet house.

~Always Pure~

"Mother, I'm back!" Sirius called through the house as he hung up his jacket and limped towards the stairs. His hand touched the banister as he heard the now familiar sound of sobbing coming from somewhere above him. With a heavy sigh he began trudging up the stairs, wincing each time he was forced to put weight on his leg. Somehow it had been hit by a stray spell when he had been attacked by members of the Order of the Phoenix for the millionth time. It was becoming increasingly dangerous to leave his house. It had been months since he had discovered Voldemort's plan to use him as a Scapegoat and distraction, and it was working marvellously, much to Sirius' continued irritation. Snape had heard nothing from Dumbledore, or so he said and so they could only wait. He reached the first floor landing and continued on upwards, he knew where she would be, she was always in there these days. He reached his brother's bedroom door and pushed it open, he looked around and spotted his mother on her knees before Regulus' wardrobe and clutching one of his baby outfits close to her chest. He sighed and stepped into the room, his foot landing on a particularly creaky floorboard.

Walburga spun around, here eyes wide in her white face and tears streaking her pink cheeks. She uttered a strange gasping noise before launching herself at her eldest son, she knocked him off his feet and wrapped both arms around his neck. He felt her sobbing into his shirt and felt a violent surge of revulsion before he squashed it. "Oh! Oh my dear boy! I knew you would come back! I always had faith. I knew you weren't dead, no matter how many times your filthy brother tried to tell me you were! I'm so glad to see you! Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you let me know you were safe? Oh Regulus, I love you so much my dear, sweet boy."

"M-Mother…" Sirius said roughly and pushed her away from him a little harder than was probably appropriate, she gasped in shock as he backside hit the floor and stared at Sirius with huge, watery eyes.

"Why? Why would you push me away? Are you hurt? Have you been fighting with your brother again? If so I will punish him! I will lock him up in the cellar and he can starve there for all I care, no one hurts my baby!"

"Mum, it's me! It's Sirius!" Sirius shouted over her loud ramblings. He was used to her mistaking his identity by now, she had done each time he came home since Regulus' death.

"S-Sirius?" Walburga whispered, a small frown creasing her brows. "You!" She screamed, lifting a finger and pointing at him accusingly. "You did this! I know you did! You drove your brother away! You made him disappear! Bring him back! Give my baby back to me!" She lunged forward but Sirius stood up and backed away from her grasping hands, with a scream that sounded as if it had torn her throat she fell forward and began sobbing into her arms, her robes splayed about her like a black sea. Sirius stared at her coldly for a long time before turning away and leaving her to it, he stepped into the hall and summoned Kreacher, when the little elf appeared he bowed low but Sirius saw the hatred in his eyes. "Kreacher, get mother some Dreamless Sleep and a draft of calming potion…she'll wake the whole neighbourhood." Sirius ordered dismissively and Kreacher bowed again.

"Yes Master." He croaked and disappeared.

Sirius looked back once to see his mother still screaming and weeping loudly before he went into his bedroom and cast a silencing charm to shut out her incessant noise. He sat down on his bed and put his head in hands.