Chapter Twenty: Prisoners:

Diagon Alley:

It was a cold rainy day and very fitting for what had happened to Sirius Black. Remus and Padfoot were out and about shopping in Diagon Ally. Remus needed a few things as did Sirius and so with Sirius/Padfoot Remus could get what was needed. They had just finished at one shop and were headed to another when several black robed and hooded wizards Apparated into the alley. They were masked and it was clear they were death eaters. At once Sirius knew he could not stay in dog form and protect Remus. He knew it was Remus these death eaters were after and he had to protect Remus at all costs. He morphed into his human form and had his wand out at once. Many of the death eaters were shocked and a bit scared to see Sirius Black here as he was royally ticked off and was suppose to be dead.

"Hi remember me?" Sirius asked. "I spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime I did not commit and as such I am just a tiny bit crazy, insane, and a bit upset."

"Get out of our way Black, we don't want you, give us the werewolf." One of the death eaters said.

"I don't think so." Sirius said putting up a shield charm between himself and Remus and the death eaters. "Remus get into a store now."

"No, Sirius you cannot…."

"Do it or I swear I will hex you!" Sirius said. "I am alpha you must obey!"

"Damn you, damn you Sirius to pull that now!" Remus said having no choice but to obey.

Remus went into a shop and he was safe here with other terrified shoppers. The store owner shut the door and activated the wards to protect the front of the shop. They were safe here from Apparation as all the buildings in the alley were protected against anyone trying to Apparate into them. Remus cursed Sirius, he had used their friendship and Remus' need for the pack to save his life. It should be Remus out there but he had had no choice but to obey, Sirius was his alpha and so he had to obey. Chalk up another curse of the werewolf, the pack mentality.

Outside Sirius along with a few other witches and wizards were fighting the death eaters. Many were injured and hurt and they began to flee. Sirius should have stayed put but he saw a figure that despite her robes hood and mask he knew was his cousin. To him it was payback time and he ran after her firing hex after hex after her. He ran down Knockturn Alley and cornered her, she threw off her mask and hood and glared at him hatred etched on her face. He knew his face showed the same and he really wanted to kill her as he had not wanted to kill anyone for a long time, save Wormtail.

"Azkaban did not deal well with you dear cousin." Sirius said firing a curse at her which she blocked.

"Nor did it for you." Bellatrix said firing one back at him.

"You should have died there!" Sirius said. "That would have saved the world a lot of grief."

"Tell me how is dear Severus these days?" Bellatrix said. "I see you love playing the part of mutt."

"Better than the part of hag and murderer." Sirius said getting her with a hex causing her to gasp in pain. "I don't speak to Severus, he has no idea what I am."

"Oh really? Hiding from him, scared of him?" Bellatrix said.

"No, I am going to kill you and when the time is right him." Sirius said playing his part well. "First let me show you how much I hate you, Crucio!"

The spell hit her dead on and she screamed in agony. Sirius was not being nice, he really hated her and wanted her to suffer as she had made him suffer. He refused to take it off and found he liked watching her suffer. Unfortunately he was not paying as much attention as he should as another death eater came into the alley and shot at stunning spell at him. Sirius crumpled to the ground and the wizard went over to Bellatrix and forced her to her feet.

"Come Bella." Lucius Malfoy said. "Our mission failed, we have to leave."

"No, we have not fully failed, he comes with us." Bellatrix said looking over at Sirius out cold on the cobblestones.

"He is not worth anything." Lucius said.

"He is, the dark lord will be pleased." She replied.

Lucius grabbed the heavier man and grunted, he was not used to carrying people in this manner but to Apparate with Sirius he had no choice. With two cracks the two death eaters and their prisoner left the dark street just as backup from the order came. They scanned the area and then went to speak to Remus. They heard what Sirius had done and realized that Sirius had sacrificed himself for Remus a fact Remus was having a hard time dealing with. He had got one of his long lost friends back, had him for not even two years and now he was gone again just like that.

Meanwhile Sirius was dumped unceremoniously on the floor before Voldemort. Voldemort ordered him brought to and bound and once this was done he realized he had a far greater prize before him than even the werewolf. This was so much better, Sirius Black was the godfather of Harry Potter and he was going to be a great help in getting Harry to get what he wanted from the hall of prophecy. He could get information from this broken wizard before him, after all he had been hiding in his Animagmus form just as Wormtail told him he would be. Voldemort would have preferred him dead but now alive he could continue on with his plan.

"I must confess I was not expecting this." Voldemort said.

"I am sorry master." Lucius said looking at the floor. "We tried to get the wolf, however I was not aware that Black was the wolf's alpha."

"You could not know, I want a word with Severus, he had to know." Voldemort said.

"If you think for one moment I would show my true face to that vile murderer then you do not know me." Sirius said laughing. "Wait until he finds out that his loving dog was Sirius Black! You want to know why your plans failed lord snake face?"

"You dare speak to my master…"

"You know what Bellatrix?" Sirius said looking over at her. "Shut the hell up."

"Why you…."

"Oh do go on Mr. Black it seems you have much to say." Voldemort said glaring down at him.

"Oh yes, Severus thought he could betray the order, but I knew his true loyalties, though I die you will lose even with him on your side. Why do you think many of your plans failed? I was a dog, nothing more and so he trusted me as I could not speak."

"You lie!" Lucius hissed from behind his mask.

"This is why one must choose their familiars carefully." Voldemort said. "But do go on Sirius, you must think you are so very clever don't you?"

"Oh I am, I just wish Dumbledore would believe me about Snape, but now with my death I think he will." Sirius said.

Now Sirius knew he was a dead man but he was skilled at Occulumency and could lie without being detected even by Voldemort, he had after all blocked out Dementors in Azkaban, what was one dark lord to him? He would keep Severus alive even if he had to lie and die to do it. So he continued to weave his tale and knew that at least in the end this would give Severus a fighting chance to live and raise his son.

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Hogwarts:

The man Sirius Black was trying to save was headed once more for Umbridge's office. He dreaded these meetings and wished only that he would never have to see her again. He walked into the office dreading what she would do to him this time. Once more he put his wand on her desk and stepped back waiting for whatever punishment she had in store. She seemed to like to focus on humiliating him and he hoped that tonight he would get away with only a few Crucio curses and not anything worse. Yet it was about to get far, far worse. He turned as two men exited the floo network and he knew at once they were Aurors and were here to take him.

"Headmistress what is this?" Severus asked coldly.

"This the one Deloris?" One of the lower ranking Aurors asked Umbridge.

"Yes this is the one who helped several death eaters escape from Azkaban." Umbridge replied.

"I did no such thing!" Severus snarled, "this is outrageous!"

"You bare the mark of the dark lord and helped several prisoners escape!" Umbridge said, "check his arm, you will see the mark of evil on him!"

Severus found his right arm twisted behind his back cruelly and the sleeve of his inner robes unbuttoned and shoved up to show the evil mark on the pale skin of his left arm. With a snarl Severus was hit and thrown to the floor and cursed in turn by the Aurors with some dark and painful curses. Severus realized how lucky he had been when Moody had interrogated him all those years before, he never did anything like this to Severus! What would he think of the Auror force stooping so low as to torture a suspect as they were doing now? Severus was drug to his feet by his hair and his hands were chained behind him, he struggled but was punched for that as a metal collar was forced around his neck.

"Get him out of here, I will deal with him later!" Umbridge said coldly.

"You are making a mistake." Severus snarled refusing to show his fear.

"I doubt it death eater!" Umbridge said coldly.

The last thing Severus saw that evening was Umbridge staring at him with cold eyes. He struggled as a hood was put over his head and he was drug through the floo. He knew once he arrived at his destination he was not at Azkaban, that much he knew as it was too quiet and he could not feel the presence of Dementors. He was drug down a series of corridors and finally to a dark cell where he was thrown in for the night. He was sure he was going to suffer and badly before this was all over. He knew that there would be no rescue for him, he was a pawn and like a pawn he was expendable to everyone. His last thoughts before he blacked out were of his son and what would become of him.

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Yea poor Sirius but he did have to protect Remus, no way would he want his best friend to be hurt. As for Voldemort being able to read his mind? No he could not, not with Sirius being still mostly sane after his stay in Azkaban! As for Umbridge having Severus taken to the ministry, it was ordered by Fudge. He knows Voldemort is back and he wants what Severus knows about him and about where Dumbledore is.

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