I can't believe how far this story has come. Hope you are all ready for this. Thank you so much for sticking with me!
-Cat
Chapter 30
Rise/Raze
March 23, 1986
He became a wanderer. This was somehow easier than remaining in one place for too long. It gave him a focus, kept him anonymous, even to himself. Remus was not sure where he was now, except it was somewhere in Norway and it had a beach. He liked the beach, despite his cane sinking into the sand and the cold wind tearing at his thin clothes. It reminded him of his mum.
"Do you remember your mother?"
He recoiled abruptly.
Reset.
Blank mind. He breathed in the scent of new green things from further inland, the salty spray of the ocean. It chilled his lungs. Gulls screamed overhead.
At some point he wandered back to civilization. The beach became mostly sandy dunes and the smell of fish filled his nostrils. There were rows of docks, green, mussel-encrusted legs exposed by low tide. With some difficulty, he climbed up an embankment to a road that ran into the town. He'd made a little money helping to unload fishing boats the day before, so he ducked into a cafe and ordered coffee and eggs from the bar in English. The man behind the counter glared at him suspiciously, but entered in the order. Remus took the time to rest and look at the people. The muggle world continued on. So had the wizarding world, it seemed. Except for himself, an alpha werewolf, and a mad Death Eater.
None of the people spoke in languages he understood. He was okay with that, taking in the conglomerate of humanity. Ordinary muggle families. A group of fishermen in one corner, a few loners. Weathered and worn, faces hidden by shadows. One man wore a bowler hat, reminding Remus of a certain grizzled auror. His gut clenched. Was it Mad-Eye that had seen the evidence that Remus truly was a monster?
"I'm here because, for whatever reason, I've decided to care about what happens to you."
Remus hoped that Mad-Eye gave up on that sentiment quickly. Better not to waste his energy on a dead werewolf.
He drifted. Dangerous, but he could not seem to help it. It had gotten better since his stay in Godric's Hollow. Half of the time he could not sort which was reality and which was his own starved soul making up stories to keep itself together. But something about the Potters' grave kept him grounded long enough to find his feet. He was even strong enough to wonder why things had happened the way they did.
Raucous laughter shook him back to his empty coffee mug. Stupid. He was being hunted, that he knew. He had to stay alert.
He had tried to see Harry twice. The first time was unsuccessful. The second time a member of Greyback's pack was lying in wait. So Remus never went back, if only to keep his hunters away from Harry.
Two travelers settled themselves down the bar, carrying a hushed conversation in English. They were dressed in long coats like cloaks. Remus watched them surreptitiously, tensing his hand in his pocket where her wand was hidden. His sharp hearing picked up only a few snatches of their gossip over the rabble.
"-says he was living with a wizarding family-" "-cut it off, he did-" "-had to pardon-" "-never was a trial-"
"-crazy story if you ask me."
"I think it's the truth. Checked his wand and everything."
Magic folk. Unease scurried up and down Remus' spine. What were the odds they ended up in the same muggle cafe as him? He scanned the rest of the people. One table was empty, a half-eaten plate abandoned in front of a chair. The man with the bowler hat was gone and Remus realized he had been unable to see his face. Had he gone to the bathroom or gone to contact his hunter?
He left his dishes at the bar and limped towards the bathrooms, trying to stay casual. Then he slipped out the backdoor into an alley filled with bins and a stray cat. A tall man was smoking a cigarette near the entrance. Remus' stomach turned, thinking of the stench of blood and nicotine smoke on Greyback's breath.
He went the other way.
Regretfully, he thought about the abandoned hunting cabin where he had spent the last full moon. It was time to leave this place. He'd stayed too long. He would have to find a new place, and quickly. The ghostly gibbous rising in the blue sky over the village was a subtle reminder.
Without warning, his path was blocked by a shadow.
WHAM!
His back and head collided with the wall. There was a clatter, his cane on the pavement. Remus' hand scrabbled at the one on his throat, the other grasping for Lily's wand. Stars were bursting colorfully in his vision.
"I don't think so," hissed a voice, grabbing his wrist and twisting it over his head.
Desperately, Remus kicked out. His foot connected, pain shooting through the old injury in his femur.
"Oof!" gasped his attacker.
The grip on his neck loosened. He twisted, then rolled away. Once he was standing, the wand was in his hand, aimed at his assailant.
The man in the bowler hat. He was certainly a werewolf. The reason for the hat was strikingly apparent now that it was tipped back. Half of his face was torn away, revealing scarred-over muscle tissue, an empty socket, molars. His hair was thick and black, now flecked with gray. Remus searched his spotty memory and finally landed on a name. Owais.
Behind Owais, the taller man flicked away his cigarette and approached. Now Remus knew the hulking outline, the heavy leather coat.
"You're going to have to go further than a Norwegian fishing village to evade me, Lupin," Greyback said. "We've known you were here for days."
"Why wait until today to say hello?" asked Remus warily. Behind him, disturbed stones skittered across the dirty pavement. More werewolves.
"No particular reason. I find the thrill of stalking my prey before the kill quite… arousing."
But Remus could see it was more than this. Greyback's leer was a farce. He was examining him, like he was measuring some change. Whatever he saw seemed to satisfy him. A smirk spread slowly in the stubble.
"Pyrites said I could kill you if I wanted."
"After all those years keeping me alive. Why the change of heart?" Remus asked, without really expecting an answer.
Greyback did not give him one.
"I don't care," he growled. Then he and Owais surged forward.
"Bombarda!"
The two werewolves were blasted backwards. He spun. Two more emerged from the entrance to the alley. Remus ducked as one slashed at his face, then stunned him. The other had a wand. Two curses in quick succession flew at him. Remus blocked them, barely, tripping backwards. His bad leg gave out and he landed on his backside by his cane. He thrust his wand downward, sending a shockwave that overbalanced the other werewolf.
He did not wait for them to recover.
He grabbed his cane with one hand and focused on the beach. With a crack, he arrived underneath the docks, the freezing tide up to his shins. He gasped with shock at the icy water, retreated up to the mud-slick bank, tripping over encrusted oysters and rocks. Finally, he landed on his hands and knees, shivering.
For an instant, he considered going back to the alleyway. It wouldn't be a bad way to go, facing down Greyback and his pack. To stop losing himself and finally just… lose.
His hand clenched over the slender wood of Lily's wand. It was almost invisible under a layer of sandy muck. A wave washed up to his knees, but he no longer felt the stinging cold. Haltingly, he sat back on his heels to scrub the dirt and grime off the wand.
The waves ebbed, each new one flowing in, frigid and clear enough to see his own shadowy reflection. He looked almost human.
"You could be a man or you could be a monster. Or you could be nothing at all."
The haunting words from long ago in a Croatian forest rose unbidden in his mind. When was the last time he felt like a human? Mirror-worlds confused with true memories of Hogwarts and graduating and wedding days and a birth… Was Remus the only one in the world who cared that the Boy-Who-Lived was loved? Did that even matter?
Remus doubted that it mattered enough to clean Carmichael's tissue and splintered bones from his mouth. Perhaps Pyrites had created a monster. So that left only the last two choices. A monster. Or nothing at all.
Another wave splashed against his back, washing icily up his spine. He couldn't lose. Not yet. There were worse things than monsters hiding in the dark corners of the world. Voldemort lived. And Remus had not forgotten.
So, with one hand picking up his dropped cane, the other gripping Lily's wand, Remus rose to his feet.
June 29, 1986
Molly had sent all of the kids out to de-gnome the garden with strict instructions not to leave the backyard. She propped the two-way mirror on the window so she and Remus could attend the Order meeting and watch them at the same time. They joined once the meeting was over.
Gnomes were a bizarre infestation that Remus had never dealt with as a child, but it was an oddly satisfying activity to get rid of them. The dying day was deceptively beautiful, the sun touching the western horizon with bright orange. He had just let a fourth gnome fly in a great arc when the caterwauling charms went off.
Molly gasped sharply. Ginny shrieked and dropped the small gnome Fred and George helped her catch. The gnome tumbled and scurried away cackling.
Then the caterwauling stopped. A deafening silence followed. Even the insects quieted. No sounds of battle came from the borders, but that could mean the aurors had been taken care of stealthily.
"Everyone inside," Remus whispered harshly.
Molly was already scooping up Ginny and shoving the boys ahead of her. Remus felt someone grab his leg. Harry. He bent and lifted him with one arm, tucked his cane under the other to draw his wand. They piled anxiously into the house, Remus and Bill coming last and closing the door behind them.
"Bill, Charlie, wands out. If you have to, use them, don't worry about the trace," he said to the white-faced older boys.
They had planned for this. The priority was evacuating the kids. Molly already had the box of floo powder in her hands. Remus went to the kitchen window and cautiously drew aside the lacy curtains to peer out. The caterwauling charms should only go off for unexpected visitors. Still he silently prayed, Please let it just be Sirius and Arthur…
It wasn't.
Remus felt his organs vanish. No, no, not now- "Molly, stay inside. Don't let anyone come out."
"Remus-"
"It's not an attack," he said grimly. It took seconds to make a decision. He stowed his wand in his pocket with trembling fingers. "Harry," he murmured. "Harry you need to stay with Mrs. Weasley."
"No!"
Harry clung stubbornly to his shoulders, pulling his legs up so he couldn't be put down. Remus met Molly's eyes. She nodded, handing Ginny to Percy and reaching out for Harry.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Remus heard himself repeating as he relinquished Harry to Molly. Harry didn't cry or scream like any other child would. He only held on tighter, his face getting red. Finally, Molly had him and small tears leaked out of his eyes.
"Who are they?" Molly asked. She could see the dark figures outside the window approaching. The leader was tall and dark-haired, his cloak billowing behind him. A cream-colored piece of parchment flashed in his hand.
"A colleague of Sirius'," Remus said truthfully.
"An auror?"
He nodded. "He's here for me. Please, stay inside."
"Why?"
"Tell Sirius not to do anything stupid. I know what I'm doing." He made for the door.
"No, wait, you could take the floo. You could escape," suggested Charlie suddenly. Remus glanced backwards. His brown eyes were wide and desperate. His siblings still did not seem to understand. Remus exhaled, his gaze going from Charlie to Harry's teary face.
"Not this time," he murmured.
"What do you mean?" demanded Molly. "How does he even know you're-"
But Remus did not listen to the rest of Molly's question. He needed to meet them now, before they came into the house. He exited through the front, methodically straightening his button-down, unrolling the sleeves that he had pushed up while catching gnomes.
The auror paused when he saw Remus come out. Around him, the uniformed squad of Werewolf Capture Unit wizards halted, wands drawn.
"Hello Augustine," Remus said, expressionless.
"Lupin," Burke acknowledged. A smug smile curled his mouth. "So you are alive. What a pleasure it is to be right."
"I take it you checked Sirius' cottage first?"
"No one was home."
Remus nodded. His gaze traveled over the WCU wizards. Two auror sentries were hovering uncertainly in the background.
"I assume you know what this is," Burke said, holding up a folded paper.
"A warrant for my arrest."
"You know your crimes?"
"Enlighten me."
Burke smirked, tucking the warrant into the inner lining of his cloak. "The murder of Liam Carmichael. Suspected collusion with Death Eaters. Maybe we can add Saul Croaker by the end of this. What do you think?"
"I think I'll be easy to convict."
"I agree."
"I'm not guilty," Remus said, knowing it wouldn't make a difference.
"In my experience, innocent people don't run. You've been running for years," Burke drawled. "Arrest him."
Two of the WCU officers advanced. Remus did not resist, allowing them to cuff his wrists behind his back. The trusty cane toppled to the ground. The manacles were wrenched tight. Burke approached until he and Remus were nose to nose.
"No Moody to the rescue this time," he whispered as he removed Lily's wand from Remus' pocket. He tossed it uncaringly aside. "I doubt Black will be able to add anything to your defense, seeing as he aided a wanted man."
"Black has nothing to do with this. I forced him to hide me." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something bright streak out of the Burrow and into the sky. A patronus. Burke seemed to have noticed it too and his dark eyes narrowed. Cursing silently, Remus added, "The Weasleys don't know anything."
Burke looked him over mockingly. "I think I'll check with Black and the Weasleys myself."
"Remus!"
Remus twitched and turned his head. Harry came running down the front steps, tears still on his face. Molly was right behind him and caught hold of his arm. She was pale and angry, but not with Harry.
"What on earth do you think you're doing arresting this man?" she shouted.
"Molly-" Remus started. Burke interrupted.
"This werewolf is a suspect in a murder investigation," he said coldly.
"This man is my friend," she said. Remus' throat tightened. "How dare you come to my house unannounced-"
Harry wriggled free. He made it about four paces before one of the other WCU officers stepped in his path and grabbed his t-shirt to stop him.
"Let me go!" yelled Harry. "That's my friend!"
"Harry, no!"
"Let me go! Let me go!" Harry screamed. He started pounding at the officer's arm with his free fists with no effect.
"Hey!"
Remus subconsciously yanked against the officers holding him and a curled fist slammed into his face. He grunted, stars exploding across his vision. There was a feminine shriek of rage. Distantly, he could hear Harry yelling, Burke's harsh, angry voice, shouts of alarm from the aurors…
Suddenly, Harry's cries changed. He let out a sharp yelp of pain. The officer holding him promptly let go and Harry dropped to the ground, his hands clutching his head.
Remus acted swiftly. He launched himself backwards, taking the shocked men on either side with him. They hit the dirt hard and Remus wrested himself free, rolled upright. Struggling for balance without his hands, he stumbled to Harry and fell to his knees next to him. No one stopped him this time. The third officer was standing there dumbly.
"I didn't-I don't know what happened-" he stuttered. "I was just holding him back-"
"Harry! Harry what's wrong, what hurts?" asked Remus. Merlin, he needed his hands free.
"My-my head," Harry whimpered.
Then Molly was there. Very gently, she pried Harry's fingers out of his hair.
"Shh, shh," she soothed. "Come on Harry, dear, let me see."
His green ears were swimming with tears, but he let her run her hands over his head. She frowned at Remus, who was watching helplessly, his wrists straining against the cuffs. "No bumps, no blood. Where does it hurt, Harry?"
"Everywhere," he sobbed. He pressed his hands to his forehead. Right over the lightning-bolt scar. Remus felt the blood drain from his face. At the same moment, a loud, furious voice barked across the yard.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"
Remus had never been so happy to hear an enraged Sirius in his life. He twisted, his knees grinding into the path. Sirius was sweeping into the yard, his cloak billowing out behind him, followed closely by Arthur and Mad-Eye. His face was murderous, fixated on Burke, who was standing where Remus left him, mouth hanging open.
"Sirius," Remus gasped.
Sirius' eyes found him, then slid down to where Molly was cradling Harry. His face whitened and he sprinted to them.
"What happened?" he demanded, knees skidding in the grass.
"I don't know. His head hurts," Remus explained urgently. "Sirius, his scar."
Sirius gathered Harry in his arms, murmuring, "Hey Prongslet, it's okay, it's okay."
Harry hiccuped, then began to cry in earnest, face buried in Sirius' chest. Behind them, Mad-Eye's and Burke's voices were raised in a loud argument. Sirius looked desperately at Remus over Harry's messy hair.
"What do we do?"
Remus' mind raced. He didn't know anything about curse scars. Could there be a delayed effect?
"Call Dumbledore," he said to Arthur, who was standing guard over their huddle, glowering at the WCU wizards. Arthur nodded tightly and raised his wand.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Remus' knees shook. Mad-Eye's and Burke's argument cut off. Patronus charm forgotten, Arthur looked around wildly, finally fixing his gaze somewhere above. Remus followed it. Overhead, the magical protections were suddenly visible, a great transparent dome refracting the dying sun. Then the boundary started to crack and peel like burning skin. Blackened pieces fluttered to the ground around them, leaving open, crimson-streaked sky.
The wards were broken.
Sirius stood with difficulty, holding Harry close. The air filled with a rumble like thunder. Dark figures were appearing, cloaked in black, death masks white as bone against the dusky fields and trees. Five, ten, twenty-Sirius lost count. Too many, closing in on the Burrow like a constricting serpent. Fear clawed at his throat, adrenaline boiled in his belly.
"Get to the house!" he shouted. Arthur grabbed Molly and shoved her in front of him. Remus struggled to get his feet under him until Sirius grabbed his arm with one hand and hauled him bodily upright. They dashed for the Burrow. Burke, Mad-Eye, and the WCU were on their heels, momentarily united against the new threat.
"Mum! Dad!" Bill was framed in the doorway. "There are people outside-"
Molly reached him first, pushing him back inside.
"Molly, get the kids out of here!" Arthur bellowed. He spun, wand out, just in time. "Protego!"
The first hexes exploded at Sirius' back with bright, yellow flashes. Screams echoed from the house. Another curse flew overhead and slammed into the second story with a whoosh! Sirius hunched over Harry as shards of glass rained down on his head.
The WCU officers had their wands drawn and were facing outwards with dazed looks. Burke was stumbling against the siding, dark eyes wide.
"My hands," Remus said tightly.
Mad-Eye aimed his wand at his back and snarled, "Alohomora." The cuffs popped open and Remus rolled his shoulders and massaged his wrists. Death Eaters were advancing past the gate, their skull-masks grinning. The two aurors were lying motionless on the ground.
"Lily's wand!"
"Accio," Sirius intoned. His voice cracked, but the wand came zooming towards them. Remus snatched it from the air. He adjusted his grip, his face set like pale marble, and wordlessly blocked another volley of magic.
"Wait-" started Sirius, but the noise of crackling spells was too loud. "Remus!" he shouted. His arm was beginning to ache where he held Harry, who was trembling, face hidden.
Remus ignored him. With a slash of his wand, blue fire flared like a whip from the end, then sliced into the grass, forming a wall of flames between them and the Death Eaters. The WCU wizards fell backwards against the Burrow, shock highlighted in cerulean.
"Moony!" Sirius said this time, clutching Harry tighter. Finally, he had the werewolf's attention. "You need to leave."
"They've already tried to arrest me, Padfoot, hiding's pointless-"
"Harry," Sirius interrupted with a desperation he'd never felt before. Over the flames, a masked Death Eater had reached the front gate. His hands were gloved in satin white as snow. "Get him out of here, go with Molly, just keep him safe."
"Don't be ridiculous, you're outnumbered," Remus snapped.
"Not for long."
Even as Sirius said it the sky was streaked with brightest white, coalescing into Kingsley, Scrimgeour, Savage, Finch, Hapley. Aurors were filling the yard outside the blue fire-ring. Soon the area was heaving with battle. The smell of sulphur and ozone tingled Sirius' nose.
"Please, Moony. I need to know you're with him."
Remus' gaze shifted. Spell-light flashed like lightning across his face, illuminating slightly raised eyebrows and open mouth. The blue flames rose higher, almost obscuring the battle from view.
"I-Sirius-"
"I lost you once. I'm not losing you again," Sirius said firmly. "Go. There's no one I would trust more."
Remus' mouth closed. He blinked and swallowed hard. "Okay," he whispered.
"Harry, time to go. Moony's going to take you."
Harry's hands were pressed to his face again, his breath hiccuping in his chest. He didn't even notice Remus lifting him easily away. Sirius felt his godson's weight disappear, eyes locked with Remus.
"See you soon."
Remus' jaw clamped shut, but he nodded and disappeared into the dark house. Arthur caught Sirius' eye and followed. Moments later, he returned.
"He's gone."
Sirius nodded his thanks.
Order members were beginning to arrive too. Dumbledore swept across the yard, his long silver beard streaming behind him. The blue firelight flickered on his face making it terrible to behold.
Sirius was quickly distracted by the Death Eater with the white gloves.
He was close enough that his face was visible over the fire, anemic and punctured by flat, lifeless eyes. He swept his wand in a low arc. The ground trembled. Sirius and Arthur steadied themselves against the house. The grass near the flames began to heave and writhe. Then the dark earth burst open and monstrous serpents of mud reared upwards. They crashed over Remus' wall of flames, suffocating them and plunging the yard into strobing darkness.
Momentarily blind, Sirius blinked rapidly. A smog of steam and smoke engulfed the fighters. He could hear the WCU officers yelling with shock, breaking glass, shrieks of pain. Then, dark figures bloomed in the gray. Arthur raised his wand and shouted, "Stupefy!"
There was a return of jinxes and then Sirius lost track of him.
Suddenly, Pyrites was right in front of him.
"Hello again, Sirius."
Sirius did not have time to respond before he was blocking a curse and ducking a second. He grimaced as he heard it crash into the Burrow behind him.
"The wizarding world knows who you are now, Pyrites," he bit out, advancing forward. Then, "Stupefy!"
Pyrites blocked it lazily. "And who do you think I am?" He was moving his wand in a complicated motion. Before he could finish it, Sirius threw another spell his way.
Again, Pyrites blocked it with barely a twitch of his wrist. Then, his face twisted and he thrust his wand forward quick as a striking snake. A burst of invisible power rippled the air.
"Protego!" Sirius roared.
Pyrites' spell rammed against the shield with the force of a tidal wave.
Sirius panted with effort, holding the shield by sheer willpower. Whatever it was, Pyrites' spell battered it steadily, and then it shuddered... Sirius could feel the push against his magic change, like the bubbling surface of a cauldron. A harsh wind engulfed him with smoke from the scorched grass. His eyes burned. Pyrites blurred, became a dark figure against the orange flames with hands of white.
"We never finished our conversation in the Death Chamber," he hissed. His voice was wavering strangely. "The one about the prophecy. Who lives and who dies?"
"You'll fail," coughed Sirius. "I know he's here too. You can't bring him back."
The shield was getting harder and harder to hold, but Pyrites' magic only seemed to be getting stronger. And beyond it, his enemy's mouth was stretched wide. The laugh that was dripping from the man's pale lips was eerie, resonating in Sirius' ears and skull like it was not quite a true sound.
"Do you not know me yet, Black?" asked the man in front of him. The pale eyes reflected the light and shone crimson. Soot gathered around his mouth and nostrils, making his face like a snake's.
Then Sirius did.
"Voldemort."
"That's right," hissed the Dark Lord softly. "Pyrites is no longer in control. I am getting stronger."
Sirius' arms were shaking with effort now.
"You can't win," he rasped over the pounding sound in his head.
"Can't I? Even death could not stop me."
"You're a parasite. Nothing more."
"This body… is only a temporary chrysalis. Soon you will see me in my old likeness, Black. Just as your friends did before I ripped away their pathetic lives."
His arm twitched oddly and he grinned. The expression was unnerving, half-formed. Both Pyrites and Voldemort. He released his spell and Sirius fell forward, catching himself on his palms. Embers charred his knees and he snatched his bare skin away from the ground quickly.
When he looked up, Pyrites had pushed up a black sleeve, revealing the Dark Mark. It writhed in place, blacker than the night sky.
Those pale, bloodshot eyes flickered. Triumph.
"Until next time, Mr. Black," he whispered.
Crack!
He was gone. The others were disappearing now too, sharp pops drumming against Sirius' ears in rapid staccato. He tasted ashes in his mouth.
"They've gone!"
"Where did they go?!"
Aurors and Order members lowered their wands, staring about in confusion. Some rushed to check injuries and put out the roaring infernos. The Burrow was burning, like an enormous bonfire in the night. The heat of it was intense, tightening his skin. Sirius rotated, feeling like the ground was tilting beneath his feet. Something was wrong.
"Pettigrew!"
"Incarcerous! Someone grab his wand."
Sirius ignored the commotion, searching for Arthur or Mad-Eye, but it was impossible to spot them in the chaos. Irrational panic constricted his lungs. There was Dumbledore, surveying the destruction, Scrimgeour stomping over to speak to a group of aurors. Savage was stoically examining a long cut on her arm. McGonagall and Deadalus Diggle were edging around the Burrow, water jetting from their wands to douse the fire.
Sirius took a stumbling step towards the house and tripped over something in the grass. He looked down and saw a long, wooden shape. A cane.
"Sirius!"
Mad-Eye. He was limping towards him, his face gray underneath the soot. At once, the roaring in Sirius' ears overwhelmed all sound. Mad-Eye's mouth was moving, but Sirius couldn't understand the words. Only the first one he could read from Mad-Eye's lips. Harry.
He disapparated. The burning Burrow scalded against his retinas in the sudden darkness of his own yard. The cottage door was crooked on its hinges. Above, a serpent twisted in the mouth of a skull. The wards were gone.
"No, no, no…"
He climbed over the broken door. The lights were on and he was met with a white-faced Arthur Weasley. Sound was returning. He could hear crying from the living room. Ginny. He pushed past Arthur. Percy held Ginny, his eyes haunted behind his glasses. George had his arms around Ron on the couch. Fred stood protectively over them. Bill and Charlie were on either side of Molly, who was silently shaking in the armchair, head in her hands.
There was no sign of a fight. All of Harry's crayons were still scattered on the coffee table. A doodle of Firebreath. Another, three stick figures. One was much smaller than the other two.
"There was a group waiting for them," Arthur whispered from behind him. "They threatened to-to kill the k-kids. One at a time."
He didn't need to finish. Sirius knew the rest. He couldn't move or speak. He could only stare at Lily's wand abandoned on the floor.
Aurors parted before him like water. The Department was seething with chaotic activity, but all of it came to a standstill as Sirius passed through the bullpen. No one dared walk close to him. Sirius hardly noticed. He focused straight ahead. Down a dark hallway, past the temporary holding cells. A right to the interrogation rooms.
Mad-Eye stepped out of the far one, locked it behind him, and approached Sirius. His wooden leg made a rhythmic, hollow thunk in the thick silence. With a twitch of his head, he indicated the first room on the right.
Sirius did not stop to knock.
The door bounced off the wall. Savage and Scrimgeour jumped to their feet. But Sirius could only focus on the man cringing and pulling against the shackles that chained him to the metal table. When he saw Sirius, he squeaked with fright and jerked even more frantically.
"No! Don't let him near me, he'll kill me!" he sniveled. "Take his wand, take his wand!"
The aurors were unimpressed by this display.
"I'll brief the Minister," Savage said. She shot Peter a disgusted look and exited the room.
Scrimgeour nodded and addressed Moody after giving Sirius a warning glance. "He won't talk, but you're welcome to try."
"He's a coward," Sirius said loudly. "We'll get him to talk."
"You won't," said Scrimgeour. He pointed to Peter's hands, purple from his effort to yank them out of the cuffs. Except there were fine, white scars criss-crossing over the hand with four fingers.
Sirius swore violently, making Peter jump in his seat and rattle the chains. Scrimgeour ignored him and said, "I'm going to start liaising between press representatives. We'll need to do a press conference."
He left, closing the door behind him and leaving Sirius and Mad-Eye alone with Peter. Sirius breathed in and out, struggling to pull back his barely-maintained composure. He dug his fingernails into his palms to distract himself as he sat in front of his old friend.
Azkaban had deflated Peter like a balloon. The swollen belly he'd had in March was gone, like an empty space behind his shirt. His jowls were loose and the skin around his eyes drooped. It was almost like he had decayed. The rot inside of him was finally reaching his skin. Sirius barely recognized him.
"Where are your new friends hiding, Wormtail?" he asked.
"I-I can't-"
"Fine. I'm guessing whatever plan they had was too important to tell you?"
Peter mouthed for a few seconds, his expression going from terror to indignation and back. "They-they told me," he insisted feverishly. "But I can't tell you."
Sirius' hold on his desperation began to slip. "They took them, Pete," he said urgently. "Harry and Moony are gone. If they ever meant anything you-"
"I never meant anything to you!" Peter squawked. "You thought I was useless and stupid. A coward!" He flung the word back at Sirius, his voice high and frenzied. "I never belonged, y-you all looked down on me! It's your fault I'm like this!"
"Don't play the victim!" Sirius snarled.
"If you hadn't ignored me, James wouldn't be dead!"
"JAMES WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU!" Sirius bellowed. Peter cowered. Sirius hardly noticed that he was on his feet. "IF HE HAD LIVED, HE WOULD BE ASHAMED!" He struggled to breathe. "God, Wormtail, he only saw our goodness. He never believed any of us were capable of betraying him. He trusted you with his wife and child!"
Peter refused to look at him. His hands were shaking. Finally, he muttered, "He was wrong, then. He shouldn't have believed in any of us."
Sirius stared down at him, a strange ringing in his ears.
"Where are they, Wormtail?"
Peter's right hand spasmed.
"I can't say."
"They'll kill them, Pete," Sirius tried. Fear mangled his voice. "Please."
Peter glanced up at him briefly, eyes watering and red. Then he said almost inaudibly to the table, "Better them than me."
Sirius' wand was aimed at Peter's face in seconds.
"Expelliarmus!"
His wand flew from his hand to Mad-Eyes. It didn't matter. He didn't need a wand. He lunged across the table. Peter's shriek was cut off when his nose crashed into the metal surface. Blood spurted from both nostrils, spattered the ground with red droplets. Two pairs of strong hands grabbed Sirius' arms, hauled him backwards.
"Get him out of here!" roared Mad-Eye. "I'll deal with this."
Sirius was shoved into the dim hallway. The door to the interrogation room slammed shut. He wrenched free from the restricting grips, spun away to the opposite wall, breathing hard. He wound up a fist, but Harry's voice suddenly broke into his head.
"You punched a wall?... But… now you just hurt more."
So instead of punching the wall, he pressed both hands against it. The ringing in his ears became a high-pitched whine. It filled his skull, blotting out even his pounding heart. Something snapped inside of him and someone yelled, an anguished, animalistic sound.
The whine stopped. The hallway seemed hollow and desolate, the two aurors behind him only phantoms. He sucked in a breath and his throat was raw. He had made that sound.
He stayed like that, paralyzed, for a long time. He wanted to be left alone, but his companions did not move. Eventually, he turned and slumped against the wall, feeling the coolness through his shirt.
"Sirius…" said a soft voice.
Sirius finally looked at them. It was Nelson Hapley and Ava Finch. He didn't know her well. She had joined the force while he was in prison. But Mad-Eye trusted her to stand guard at his cottage multiple times by now. The Dark Mark flashed in his vision.
He sighed and leaned his head back, letting the back of his skull bounce against the wall.
"I know," he said to Nelson. "Lost it again." He tried to make it sound dry, but it only sounded empty.
"I don't think anyone would blame you."
Sirius didn't speak.
"We'll find him," Nelson added quietly.
Sirius blinked rapidly against the burning in his eyes. He was tired. Tired of failing people. Tired of hope. He tried not to imagine how Harry felt right now. Or Remus.
It was several minutes before anyone broke the silence.
"Them," said Finch, tentatively. "We'll find them. You asked where they were, and you weren't talking about the Death Eaters."
Sirius tilted his chin down, sharply assessing her. "You were observing?"
She nodded. Nelson's eyes widened a fraction.
"You called him Wormtail. Nickname from school?"
"Yes."
"So Moony must be…" He trailed away. No one finished the sentence, but Sirius could tell that Finch understood as well. But she did not react beyond the comprehension in her steady gaze. How many people had Burke told about Carmichael's death before setting off to make the arrest?
"We'll find them," Nelson corrected himself. Firm.
The door to the interrogation room opened and Mad-Eye stumped out, his scarred face set like an old tree.
"Your wand," he grunted, holding out the thin piece of wood. Sirius accepted it silently. "Did a number on his nose. Shame. I'm not the best with healing spells, he'll have to wait to have it fixed."
Sirius couldn't bring himself to care.
"Scrimgeour was right, he's not speaking. Pyrites learned early not to trust, so this is how he gets his loyalty. I wonder how many Unbreakable Vows he's forced on people."
Sirius did not speculate. It would be written underneath those spotless gloves.
"We'll find them some other way," said Nelson bracingly.
"Not necessary," announced Scrimgeour's gruff voice. He was sweeping down the corridor towards them. His shoulders were set and his eyebrows drawn tight. Beyond him, the sounds from the bullpen were oddly strained and quiet. "We know where they are now."
Immediately, Sirius pushed away from the wall, spine ramrod straight.
"Where?"
"How?" asked Mad-Eye at the same time.
Scrimgeour answered Mad-Eye first, avoiding eye contact with Sirius. "The guard change is what alerted us," he said. "And their numbers at the Burrow. It was a calculated attack. Three targeted locations, not two. We were distracted. The guards were imperized and with the dementors going rogue… they would not have needed a large force."
Sirius' insides were replaced by dread. Pervading shadows leered suddenly from the darkest corners of his mind. Always there. Expertly ignored…
"They've taken over the prison," Scrimgeour continued. And now Sirius could feel every eye on him. "They've taken Azkaban."
A/N: Here we go... please review!