An extract from the first chapter of the sequel A Dark Path. Check it out on my page.
Remember to follow and favourite the sequel. Enjoy...
xoxo
~ A DARK PATH ~
1. Dreams and Reality
Sirius couldn't decide how he felt. Did he feel different? It had been a few weeks since he made the horcrux and already he felt like there was a cloud over his head. His eyes were darker than their usual grey, his voice gruff and curt. He felt darker, colder and he was scared. He'd never been so scared. Sirius could barely recognise himself when he looked in the mirror, he looked in the mirror a lot now. Willing the man he once saw staring back at him to appear. What had he done?
His eyes met Dumbledore's again and he blushed, looking away quickly. Sirius didn't think he would ever be able to look the man in the eye again. A horcrux...
The very instrument that killed Regulus. The very thing that his brother died to destroy, Sirius went and created one of the same. How was that anything like avenging Regulus? Wasn't that the total opposite of avenging his dear brother?
The Order meeting he was currently sitting in took up the largest room of the underground base. It was packed with new initiates who were once old Aurors; they had finally realised just how crooked the whole Auror segment of the Ministry was. Good on them. There were also a few seventh years who had given up on education all together and fled, seeking refuge with those they knew could protect them. The fearless seventh years wanted to join the war.
Sirius was snapped out of his reverie when he heard James tell him to listen. It happened a lot to him now. He couldn't keep his attention on one thing.
'... now Crouch is dead—' Dumbledore said in his loud, ringing voice.
Yes, Crouch was dead, and so of course rumours were spread about him. But whereas the ones spread about Sirius's death were nasty and complete lies, most of Crouch's rumours were probably true. In the last few years of the man's career, he had become everything he was fighting against. Only he was worse.
The man couldn't tell the difference between a scared teenager and a Death Eater in the making. He had always been gruff with Sirius, if not a little cold and hard. But what did Sirius expect? His surname was enough of an indication as to why he was treated so ruthlessly by people like Crouch. The Blacks where known for their prejudiced and pureblood supremacist ways but they themselves were judged without people ever getting to know them.
Even Moody, now a role model and good friend of Sirius's, had treated him a little coldly when they first met. Sirius was trying to become an Auror as quick as he could and Moody had heard enough about Blacks, one pretty Black in particular ... the older man had watched the boy closely for a few weeks before he realised that really, Sirius was a harmless Black. Or rather, he was harmless to people he liked. To the people on his side. To anyone else the infamous Black insanity came out and he was ruthless.
Anyway, Dumbledore was going on about how Crouch's death was a good thing, no matter how tragic it was that their old friend had died. He hadn't been killed by Lord Voldemort's side, but instead he killed himself which was why there were vicious rumours spreading through the tabloids and on the WWN. Voldemort was furious that he had lost the man who could have been useful.
'... could have used Crouch as an asset, he's a brilliant Auror, a quick thinker, he has a strong mind ... Voldemort would have tried to use these things to his own advantage. Also, I'm unsure as to what ...'
Dumbledore could drone on for a while. But everything he said was important. Everything he said made sense and captured the attention of each and every person in the room. 'We need to kill Voldemort if we're to return the Wizarding World of Britain to normal again. We cannot do this with him still here.'
His piercing blue eyes clashed with Sirius's. They shared a deep and dark look with more than a million thoughts behind it; Sirius ran a hand over his bare stomach, swallowing nervously. It was so hot in the room. Dumbledore spoke to him often about whether Sirius felt any different, if he needed any magical assistance. But he knew what the Headmaster was really asking; are you turning dark? 'Sirius is going to try and do that for us.' Dumbledore said, snapping him once again out of his thoughts.
The handsome man almost groaned. All eyes turned to him. James was sitting beside him, holding baby Harry. On the other side of Sirius sat Rose, with SJ in her arms. He was making quiet fussed noises. Sirius looked down and pressed a quick kiss to his son's nose before looking up at everyone again.
'Maybe this time I might do it right.' He said with a big but fake smile on his face. Only the Marauders could tell it was fake. Sirius was a good actor when he wanted to be one.
Dumbledore smiled blandly. 'Yes, maybe you will. But we mustn't set everything on Sirius. We need to take down—'
'All of Voldemort's wingmen. Bellatrix, Lucius Malfoy, the likes ...' Moody interjected. 'We need to weaken him as much as we can.'
'I ... I want to do it, I agree with you Moody. We need to get rid of the things he values most; his head Death Eaters, his claim to immortality; we need to succeed in getting him as weak as possible if I'm to even try and defeat him but ...'
'Pads,' James said from beside him, questioningly.
'But it's going to be hard, Voldemort's fall is going to require every single one of us, working together ...' Suddenly, a very peculiar memory sprung into his mind.
A memory that kept revisiting him.
xo
This is like 1/5 of the chapter, you can see the rest if you go on my profile and click on A Dark Path.
