Chapter 10

Sirius looked half lidded up at Remus and down at Peter.

Remus was immediately concerned by his friend's bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair, and his inability to stand up straight. There were spots of wine staining his shirt. Remus inhaled and the smell of alcohol on Sirius's breath was so strong the young werewolf blinked.

"Rough day, Padfoot?" Peter asked, an amused look on his face.

"No idea what you're talking about, come in," he grumbled as he stumbled back inside, Peter following closely behind him.

"Sirius, it's 6 o'clock..." Remus trailed off, closing the door behind him as he followed them in. The apartment was dark, and Sirius made no move to turn on any lights, so Remus did for him with a wave of his wand.

"Ah, I was wondering what time it was, cheers," Sirius said, swiping an unfinished bottle of wine from the dining room table as he carefully stepped over broken glass on the floor to walk into the adjoined living room. He sat on the sofa, facing away from the table and towards the windows.

Peter sat in the armchair beside the sofa.

Remus cleaned up the broken bottles as soon as he saw the mess and remained standing by the table.

"Haven't you had enough?" Remus asked, surveying the other empty bottles still on the table. "Have you eaten anything today?"

"Quit motherin' me Moony." Sirius slurred, taking a drink of wine straight from the bottle, adding an extra few gulps before pulling back with a satisfied sigh.

Remus frowned, sharing a look with Peter.

"What're you here for?" Sirius asked, wiping his mouth on his bare arm.

"I just got back from a mission," Remus said. "It's been a while. I invited you to meet, but didn't hear from you. Peter and I were already in London so we wanted to check in. Have you been here all day?"

"Yes, long day avoiding the day."

"What's there to avoid?" Remus asked, walking around the sofa to face him.

"What's with the third degree?" Sirius took another drink.

"Is this about James's sister getting married?" Peter asked innocently, like he was solving a puzzle.

Sirius choked and red wine sputtered from his mouth and down his chin and neck, staining the collar of his shirt. He began coughing profusely.

"What?" Remus asked, looking between Sirius and Peter.

"Mother saw the announcement in the paper a few days ago," Peter explained, sounding excited to know something Remus didn't. "We also saw her in Diagon Alley a couple days ago while on patrol too, she was with Narcissa Malfoy. Right, Sirius?"

"Bloody hell, Wormtail," Sirius regained his breath and glared at Peter, who looked unsure of what he did wrong.

"Emily and Regulus got married?" Remus asked.

"No, she married Dumbledore," Sirius said sarcastically, finishing off the rest of the wine, looking more upset by the second.

Peter laughed, but Remus watched Sirius nervously, surprised by how upset he was, but also realizing this was the reason he was drowning himself in wine all day.

"Mother said James and his family are the only real Potters left," Peter continued and Sirius bristled, his hands tightening over the bottle.

Remus threw Peter a look of warning, but he missed it.

"She said James's parents are rolling in their graves over Emily, especially Joan. She said Emily will get what she deserves-"

Abruptly, Sirius stood and threw the bottle across the room and it hit the wall with a loud 'smash!'

"No one cares what your mother has to say!" Sirius screamed, his chest heaving, looking ready to hit him.

Peter squeaked in fright and jerked back, raising his arms to cover his face. Remus rushed forward and grabbed Sirius by the shoulder to stop him.

"Calm down Sirius," Remus said, pulling him with extraordinary strength to sit him back down. "Peter, can you get him some water?"

Peter nodded and practically ran to the kitchen, hiding behind the wall that blocked most of the room from the living room. Remus looked down at Sirius, a hand still on his shoulder to stop him if he tried to get back up, but he didn't move. He suddenly looked overwhelmed, his anger turning into anguish and regret as he looked up at Remus.

"Remus, what have I done?"

"What have you done?" Remus asked, bewildered and confused. He knew Sirius wasn't talking about throwing the bottle or getting mad at Peter.

Burying his head in his hands, Sirius mumbled, "Nothing, I did nothing."

"Sirius I have no idea what you're talking about," Remus said and took a seat beside Sirius on the sofa, trying to get him to look at him. "Is this about Emily?"

He groaned and shook his head. "She wants nothing from me."

Peter appeared again and handed a glass of water to Sirius, his hand shaking as he did. Sirius took the glass and drank half the water. Peter sighed in relief and sat back down in the armchair.

"This isn't healthy, Sirius, you never even dated her, yet you're acting like you two just broke up," Remus said, his concern turning into frustration. "How can you do this to yourself over someone like her?"

Remus couldn't stand seeing Sirius tear himself apart over Emily, a Death Eater. She was just as evil and power hungry as the rest of the Slytherins she surrounded herself with. Somehow Sirius got caught into her web during school and never got out.

"Someone like her," Sirius repeated slowly, becoming lost in thought.

"Yes, someone that's cruel and turned on her own family," Remus insisted. "You need to let go of whatever fantasy you have about her."

Sirius laughed. "You sound just like her..."

Remus blinked and suddenly wondered when the last time Sirius spoke to Emily was. Other than their recent run-in at the apothecary they hadn't seen her since she graduated Hogwarts and moved out of her parent's house, or so Remus thought.

"Have you spoken to her?" Remus asked, suspicion bubbling up.

Peter looked interested as well, leaning forward to listen closely.

"How could I? I'm invisible to her," Sirius laughed again at another inside joke. "You can't speak to someone who's not there."

Remus made a face. "Don't risk anything for her, Sirius, you know who she is. She'll betray you the second you try and see her. She doesn't care about you."

Sirius drank the rest of the water he was given and put the glass on the coffee table. He fell back onto the sofa cushions and ran his hand through his hair, his fingers trailing over his cheek, where they paused as he became lost in thought once more.

"Sirius!"

"I know," Sirius snapped and took a deep breath. "I know."

"Do you?" Remus asked, his tone turning from frustrated to angry. "Because you're acting like she means something to you. Don't forget she's your brother's wife now-"

"I know!"

"-and more like the rest of your family than her own. She's a Death Eater!"

"I KNOW!" Sirius yelled and stood, but immediately lost his balance and almost fell. Remus stood to help steady him.

Peter stayed seated, watching them.

"Shove off!" Sirius snarled, trying to push Remus away, but failed. Remus was taller, and stronger than Sirius.

"You're the only one who can keep James and Lily safe!" Remus yelled back, shaking him slightly to get through the drunken stupor. "You can't be like this with their lives on the line. Emily is dangerous, she's not worth the risk."

"Stop lecturing me about things I say I know! I can protect them all. You're just jealous James didn't pick you." Sirius snapped and tore away from Remus, who let him go as if burned. The hurt on Remus's face must have gotten through to Sirius, because he paused. "Wait, I didn't mean that. Damn it, I'm too drunk for this!"

"You're right," Remus said coldly, all emotion gone from his face. "Peter, let's give Sirius some time to sober up."

"Fine, perfect, goodnight." Sirius's anger returned and he walked to his bedroom, not looking back.

Remus and Peter left the apartment in an uncomfortable silence, and each said short goodbyes before Disapparating away.

The Next Morning

A cloaked figure appeared before the black gates of the Lestrange Manor and moved inside quickly, holding his hood down to hide his face, scurrying down the front drive and into the manor. The double door closed behind him with a loud 'slam' that caused him to jump. His heart was beating so fast he couldn't hear anything but the pounding in his ears. Moving through the entrance hall without hesitation, he made his way to the great hall, where he knew You-Know-Who was waiting.

This was not Peter Pettigrew's first visit.

Upon entering the great hall Peter immediately bowed and waited. He didn't need to survey the room, his new master was always seated in the elegant black leather high backed chair in front of the fireplace whenever Peter made his weekly morning visit.

"Rise and come forward, Wormtail," the Dark Lord said, his voice sending shockwaves of terror up Peter's spine. "What do you have to report?"

"I-It's about their s-secret k-keeper... My lord..." Peter kept his head bowed and walked forward on shaky legs until he was standing behind the chair.

The room was cold, there was no fire lit, casting the room in an eerie darkness. The only light was emanating from the edges of the large curtains closed to block the morning light.

"Too ashamed to say their names?"

"N-No, it's about J-James and L-Lily's secret keeper, Sirius Black, I found what you asked for," Peter paused, his gut twisting painfully.

"Spit it out Wormtail, I do not have time for your guilt."

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat. "S-Sirius's weakness, I believe I have something."

"This will need to be better than your last suggestion if you want to avoid punishment for wasting my time."

Peter's blood froze. "I-I swear, my lord, this is better. There's someone... Someone he's in love with. I hadn't realized he still had feelings for her, but last night he-"

"A name, Wormtail."

"Emily Potter - er - Black," Peter said, correcting himself on her new surname.

"Potter," the Dark Lord hissed and stood.

Peter fell to his knees, bowing his head as his master appeared from around the chair to face him.

"How do you know this?"

"He's had an obsession with her since school," Peter said, talking very fast. "But he stopped mentioning her after school ended, but then we saw her recently before her wedding in Diagon Alley - during our patrol for the Order- and Sirius left his post to reveal himself to her, but she left. I don't know if she didn't see him or if she didn't care - she was never kind to anyone or showed him any love - but I know she's your subject, and she could be used to get information from him. He would do anything for her, and he said something yesterday that sounded-"

"Stop babbling and look at me!" the Dark Lord snapped.

Peter raised his head so quickly his neck cracked, his beady eye wide and full of fear as he met the Dark Lord's gaze and felt an icy probe into his memories. He had no choice but to show him everything Sirius said and did over the last week, and his state the night before.

Suddenly the Dark Lord laughed. "You've impressed me, Wormtail, you were able to rile Black up enough for him to slip and look suspicious to the werewolf. You will keep turning them against each other. Your friends underestimate your skills, but I don't."

"Thank you, my lord," Peter said, pleased. Despite his fear, Peter felt a small ball of pride form in his chest. He was never the one being praised, never the smart one, or the useful one.

"Yes, you should feel proud. Show them how wrong they are about you," the Dark Lord said smoothly as he circled him, breaking his intense gaze. "Those fools are making this too easy. Their love and trust will be their downfall and my power will overtake them all. Remember, Wormtail, you will be rewarded greatly for your readiness to use your friend's love against him."

"Yes, my lord, Sirius always thinks he can get whatever he wants, do whatever he wants, but he can't," Peter said and scowled, remembering how inadequate he felt with his friends. He didn't choose to betray them, he was threatened and forced to, but he couldn't deny that the power he felt over them now was addictive.

"If that is all you have to report you may go. This information is adequate."

"That's all, my lord. Thank you, my lord." Peter bowed one last time and exited the hall and the manor as fast as possible.

A knowing smile stretched over the Dark Lord's face, "Bellatrix, I know you are there."

"I apologize for listening, my lord, I was bringing you another guest." she said as she entered the room from the double doors beside the fireplace. She gave him a small bow.

Kreacher the house-elf followed her in and bowed as well. "Master Regulus has asked Kreacher to be here. Kreacher is honored to serve the Dark Lord."

He ignored Kreacher and waved Bellatrix forward. "My most loyal follower, there is no need to apologize. I was going to summon you next. I have a personal errand to run so I am entrusting this new matter to you."

Bellatrix bowed again and smiled widely. "I am honored, my lord."

"All of my plans are coming together, and another piece has fallen into my lap. The one standing in the way of my assured victory, your blood traitor cousin, Sirius Black, his weakness has been with us the entire time. Did you know?"

"No, my lord, I'm as surprised as you. This is the first I've heard of any connection between Emily and that blood traitor. Cissy or I would have noticed something. However, if this is true, and she loves him back, I will personally kill her for the shame she's brought on my family."

"Your bloodlust amuses me, Bellatrix, but do not kill her yet. Find out what she knows, this seems to be something else she failed to tell me. She will need to be punished and prove her worth once again. Whether she likes it or not, she will be the bait to lure Sirius Black out. Imperius her if you need to."

"Yes, my lord, I will use any means necessary to make sure that Emily does what she is told. That is my specialty."

"Good, I will return before nightfall, do not wait, find her now."

Bellatrix nodded and left to fulfil her orders.

The Dark Lord turned to Kreacher and stared into his eyes, sending him a message of their destination. Kreacher nodded and together the two disappeared.

The morning after her wedding Emily didn't feel right. Her body was on fire when she woke up, and she felt exhausted and ill, her head pounding. When she sat up a wave of nausea hit her and she ran to the bathroom.

"Emily?" Regulus sat up in bed, surprised by her sudden departure. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" she called out after she emptied her stomach in the toilet. She stood and cleaned her mouth out at the sink. "I must have indulged too much at our wedding feast. Go back to bed."

"I'm up, do you want some water?" He walked to the doorway of the bathroom and watched her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. He had thrown on a pair of dark grey robes.

"No, thank you," she said, leaving the bathroom and stopping in her closet to pull on a pair of blue robes. Once dressed she turned to face him and smiled. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Still living in marital bliss, wife," he said and was glowing as he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her. "Utterly in awe I can call you that now."

"It's like living in a dream," she said, trying to smile, but still feeling overly unpleasant. She thought she avoided drinking too much at the reception, because she had feared being caught off guard, but now she was feeling hungover.

"One I don't want to wake up from," he whispered as his hands trailed up and down her arms and then leaned forward to place light kisses up her neck. "Should we go back to bed?"

Her gut flipped uncomfortably and she placed a hand over her stomach. "Sorry, I may not be up for that right now. I'm still feeling off."

"Come on Emily, I can hardly remember last night," he said, looking disappointed as his hands continued to trail further down her sides and the front of her hips, where she grabbed his hands.

"Well it was amazing, I wish you could have been there," she teased, stepping around him to grab her wand from the bedside table and leave the bedroom, heading down the hall to the kitchen.

"Hey now," he protested, following her. "I'm just kidding."

"Now now Regulus, don't pout, I'll make it up to - "

"About time you two woke up."

Emily froze in the doorway of the kitchen, unable to hide the surprise and horror that struck her at the sight of Bellatrix Lestrange sitting at her table, sipping a cup of tea. Regulus stopped right behind her, his hands going to her waist.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"You both really need to work on your protection spells," Bellatrix said as she put down the tea cup and stood up to face them. "I need to speak with Emily, privately."

"Anything you have to say to me, you can say with Regulus here," Emily said, unable to stand the thought of being alone with this crazy woman.

A cruel look came over Bellatrix's face. "Have it your way. Expelliarmus!"

Emily's wand flew out of her hand and into Bellatrix's, leaving her unprotected. She hadn't even seen Bellatrix pull out her wand.

Bellatrix kept her wand pointed at Emily. "How long have you been sleeping with Sirius Black?"

Emily's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Bellatrix hissed, taking a step closer. Emily felt Regulus let go of her and take a step back, causing her blood to run cold. "Speak!"

"I have never slept with Sirius Black," Emily snarled. "He's a blood traitor who has brought me nothing but misfortune."

"Did you know he loves you?" Bellatrix whispered, her eyes narrowing.

Emily could feel a clawing at her inner mind and she let Bellatrix see whatever interactions with Sirius fit the dark picture Emily wanted to paint, pushing everything else far into the back of her mind as if nothing good ever happened with him.

"It doesn't matter what he feels. I chose Regulus a long time ago," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I would never betray you like that."

Regulus looked unsettled, like he was remembering something he'd rather forget, and then he gave her a look she couldn't read.

"So you admit you thought about it," Bellatrix said, her voice raising an octave. "A choice means you thought of them both as a possibility."

"You're twisting my words." Emily snapped, turning her attention back to Bellatrix and the wand pointed at her chest. "Where is this coming from? How dare you come into our home accusing me with no explanation."

Bellatrix flicked her wand and Emily's right arm shot out and twisted in an unnatural direction until her shoulder gave a gruesome 'pop!'

Emily screamed and fell to her knees, holding onto her arm as it dangled uselessly at her side, the shock subsiding into an agonizing pain that pulsed throughout her upper body. The pain increased as Bellatrix pressed her wand into Emily's neck and her skin burned as the tip of the wand glowed bright red, reflecting in the older witch's crazed eyes.

"A little birdie said that Sirius is tearing himself apart over you," Bellatrix said casually. "The love of his life, as if he's picking at a fresh wound."

Emily cried out as Bellatrix burned a line down her neck to her collarbone, going through the neckline of her robes.

"Bella, stop!" Regulus yelled, looking horrified. "Emily isn't in love with Sirius!"

The burning stopped, but Bellatrix didn't move her wand. "I know Regulus, but she knew he loved her. Don't you feel betrayed? Your own brother? Unless..."

"I knew about his feelings," he said quietly, not daring to move closer to Emily, knowing Bellatrix wouldn't be afraid to hex Emily to stop him. "But it was a long time ago. Emily and I worked through all of that."

"Worked through what? What had she done?"

"Nothing," he said, holding back his anger. "He was always trying to force himself on her, because he wanted to take her from me, but Emily never loved or slept with him. All of this is none of your business. I want you to leave!"

Abruptly, Bellatrix slashed at Emily's cheek a large gash appeared from her temple to her chin. Regulus and Emily both cried out and he watched helplessly as blood poured down her face. Emily slumped forward, panting heavily and using the bottom of her robes to cover her wound.

"Don't be a child, Reg. This became the Dark Lord's business the moment we found out Sirius is the Potter's secret keeper!" Bellatrix shrieked. "The Dark Lord knows Emily kept this from him and he wants her punished."

"We both knew!" Regulus screamed. "Please, don't kill her, Bella!"

"I won't tell him of your involvement, baby cousin," Bellatrix cooed. "Don't worry, he doesn't want Emily dead, but she will need to prove her loyalties once I'm through with her. Watching this can be your punishment as much as hers. Crucio!"

Emily fell forward and shrieked wildly, her body convulsing as white-hot knives bore into her skin, the blades slashing her to the bone and leaving fire behind. Blood from the gash on her face went everywhere and her ears filled with the 'snaps!' and 'cracks!' of her body.

"Please...stop..." Emily wept, wishing the pain would end. "Regulus...help...me."

Bellatrix cackled and pushed her harder, drawing another ear piercing scream.

"BELLA! STOP!" Regulus screamed. "WHAT CAN WE DO?!"

The pain finally stopped and Emily gasped, her body coated in sweat and twitching from the aftershock.

Bellatrix smiled. "Finally, I've wanted to wipe that smug look off her face for the longest time. Clean her up Reg."

Regulus rushed to help her. Blood was everywhere. He pulled his wand and cast a cleaning spell. The blood vanished. He had to cast a few healing spells to get the gash on her face to stop bleeding, but a fresh scar still remained. The burn on her neck was easier to heal, and he mended the front of her robes. He wanted to do more for her arm, but couldn't, he didn't have the skill to completely heal her.

All the while, Bellatrix took a seat at the table again. "She can be back on her feet in a day I'm sure. Call the family healer, no need for rumors to spread from St Mungo's."

"Emily, wake up," Regulus whispered, careful not to move her further. She moaned and her eyebrows furrowed, pain written all over her face.

"You're lucky, Reg," Bellatrix said, taping her tea cup to warm up the tea again. "I told the Dark Lord I've never seen her do anything with Sirius. No need to thank me, I will always take your side, and yours too Emily. Oh, dear, is she not waking up?

Regulus glared at his cousin. "What does she need to do?"

"Emily will need to find out the Potter's location. I'm sure you can imagine what she'll need to do in order to get such valuable information out of him willingly."

"No," Regulus growled. "You will not use my wife like that, we'll do anything else.

"Either she agrees to do this, or I will force her and then kill her. You could do better anyway cousin, someone less gloomy."

Regulus closed his eyes, unable to bear the thought of losing Emily. His chest heaved and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and think of something. He was no match against Bellatrix, and with Emily knocked out there was no way of escaping the situation.

"If we agree, will you leave?" he asked softly.

"Of course! I'll be happy to let the Dark Lord know she's agreed to do this."

"She'll do it," he said. "She'll find out where they're hiding."

Emily gasped, half-conscious, struggling to open her eyes.

"Good. The assignment begins as soon as she's presentable." Bellatrix gave her a look of fake concern. "That arm truly looks awful."

Bellatrix stood up and threw Emily's wand at her feet.

"Such a disappointment," she sighed. "I thought you would be much more of a challenge, Potter, but you're nothing but a weak little girl. If you fail, I will kill you myself."

With that threat, Bellatrix turned on her heel and Apparated out of their apartment, which should have been impossible, but she really had taken down all of their protection spells.

Regulus waved his wand to levitate Emily and bring her back to the bedroom. She whimpered as her body touched the mattress, tears streaming down her face. Regulus ran to the bathroom and grabbed a pain numbing potion from the medicine cabinet. He kneeled beside her left side and helped her drink the potion.

Almost immediately she looked relieved of pain, but he knew her arm was still broken in many places. He put the empty vial on the bedside table and returned to her side to hold her uninjured hand in his. In such a short span of time Bellatrix destroyed every ounce of happiness he received from marrying the love of his life.

"What do we do?" He cried, bowing his head. "How can I help you? Tell me what to do Emily."

Emily didn't open her eyes, letting the tears fall as her heart and willpower broke. "I don't know, Regulus."