Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong

Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.

With mixed feelings, Sirius apparated to the closest spot he could get to Malfoy manor. On the one hand, he hoped that Voldemort's hint was nothing more than a lie, considering that he did not trust the man and hated him with a passion. On the other hand, however, he was an Auror and wanted the criminals back in Azkaban as soon as possible.

He realised, contentedly, that most of his colleagues, whom Amelia had summoned, were just arriving.

"I will do this the polite way, but please ready yourself for a possible fight." With that, he approached the entrance door and knocked, not surprise when it was a house-elf who opened the door.

"Auror Black here. I wish to speak with Lord Malfoy."

"Master Lucius and Mistress Dolores are not at home, sir."

Sirius frowned. 'Who knows if it's safe to believe things that a house-elf says?' he thought. 'Kreacher would lie his way through the day.'

"Apparently, the escapees from Azkaban are currently here. Please show me to them."

With that, the house-elf had the gall to simply pop away.

'Oh well, he seems to be faithful to his family,' he thought in annoyance, when he recalled what Narcissa had told him about freeing a crazy house-elf. 'I think Dobby was the name.'

"Dobby!" he called out, tentatively.

To his relief, a house-elf popped up right in front of him, staring at him from large eyes. He was wearing a bright green scarf and a pair of mismatched socks in pink and light blue. "Lord Black, the godfather of the great Harry Prince, saviour of the elves, has called Dobby?" he shouted in apparent excitement.

"Hello Dobby, nice to meet you, too," Sirius replied, ignoring his colleagues' snickering from behind him, before he quickly explained why they were here and that the Malfoy elf had not helped them.

Dobby nodded, eagerly, his large ears almost touching the floor in apparent excitement.

"Dobby knows his way around the manor. Dobby wills shows you to the guest rooms. They coulds be there or in the dungeons."

Sirius and his colleagues followed the overexcited elf through the large manor, stunning all the portraits on the way as they went. Dobby led them to a wing at the other end of the building, pointing out that it was the guest wing.

"Three of you in front of each door, then open the doors all at once. Try to be quiet though, as there is a possibility that they're all asleep, considering that it's after midnight. I'd prefer to do this without a fight."

To his relief, his colleagues easily accepted his lead in this case and obeyed. They were lucky that the prisoners indeed were not only present in the guest rooms but also fast asleep. 'Probably due to exhaustion from their stay at Azkaban,' Sirius thought, grimly, 'one of my nastier experiences.'

Thirty minutes later, they had sent all Death Eaters back to the prison by Portkeys, each accompanied by one Auror, so that the Aurors on duty at Azkaban would not be overwhelmed by the number of prisoners arriving at the same time. The Aurors who remained with Sirius quickly composed a list of whom they had found and sent back.

'Cousin Bellatrix is missing,' Sirius realised, inwardly groaning, 'and I wonder where Malfoy and Umbridge are. I can't believe that these two are working together. I look forward to seeing Umbridge at work in the morning.' The thought 'I should go to Nott manor and speak with Voldemort' crossed his mind; however, he decided to return home and fill in Meli first. 'Perhaps, she'll offer to go and speak with the bastard instead of me,' he thought, hopefully.

"Black."

"Moody." Sirius let out a tired sigh.

"How did you know where to find the prisoners?"

"Voldemort contacted me through telepathy earlier. Told me that Malfoy and Umbridge hid them here."

"Voldemort? Umbridge?" The old Auror who was long beyond retirement but still supported them let out a scoff.

"Perhaps, I should trust Harry more. He always says that Lord Gaunt is not evil anymore."

"Pah. Listen to Dumbledore. He knows best."

Sirius nodded. There was no way he'd discuss this with one of Dumbledore's worshipers. He'd rather discuss the point with Meli for the umpteenth time. 'I'll go and speak with Gaunt myself,' he decided. 'I won't endanger Meli. She needs her sleep anyway, considering how often Lily wakes her up during the night.'

That decision made, he swiftly said his good bye to the remaining Aurors, thanked everyone for their assistance and apparated away.

HP

Together with Marvolo, Artemis Nott and Bellatrix Noname, Severus discussed how to proceed to get Beatrix off the list of known Death Eaters.

"You'll have to undergo a questioning with Amelia Bones under Veritaserum like Marvolo did." Severus cast Marvolo a questioning look.

"Yes. In fact, I've alerted Lord Black to the fact that the other escapees should be at Malfoy manor, and I also told him that he could find me here if he had any questions." Ignoring Severus' and the others' surprised look, he added, "That was right after Lucius left. As we haven't heard anything yet, I suppose that Black organised a rescue party for the prisoners."

"They will notice that I'm missing." Bellatrix' voice was laced with obvious worry.

"Don't worry, dear. The three of us heard the truth and will be able to protect you and ask for an official questioning for you." Marvolo then turned to Severus. "May I ask that you remain for a little while longer, considering that I suppose that Black will come to see me sooner or later?"

Severus gave him a sharp nod. 'Regina, I am sorry, but this will take long tonight. I am at Nott manor together with Lord Nott, Marvolo and Bellatrix Noname, who has been questioned under Veritaserum and was apparently victim of a curse as well. We're waiting for Sirius to come and possibly question her. I am sorry dear. Please don't wait for me and go to bed. I am safe, and I will come home as soon as possible.' He then sent a similar thought to Harry, who replied within the minute.

'Dad, please be careful. We love you.'

'Good night, son.'

Feeling the urge to still return home as soon as possible, he decided to send a message to his son's unofficial godfather. 'Black, Severus Prince here. In case you're bored, we're waiting for you at Nott manor. You need to question your cousin Bellatrix under Veritaserum, as she seems to have been a victim of a curse as well.'

Suddenly, Marvolo's elf whom Severus knew to be Draht popped up in front of them.

"Marvolo, sir. It is done."

tbc...

Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. I appreciate it very much, and my muse really needs the feedback. Thank you.