Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling except the concept of this story.
The
Secret Keeper
Chapter XVI
Sirius snapped his eyes up from the huddled form of his godson lying collapsed at his feet at the mention of Snape's name, wryly thinking that at least things couldn't get any worse. In the course of a day he had succeeded in not only uncovering a conspiracy to keep him imprisoned for the best part of twelve years, but had actually managed to get himself, his godson and Arabella captured by Death Eaters and thrown at the mercy of the most feared dark wizard in the world. And here to witness the full extent of his incompetence, with impeccable timing as always, was Severus Snape. Sirius could feel Harry stirring against him, looking searchingly up at his face, no doubt waiting for the explosive reaction that seemed inevitable, but Sirius knew better than to mistrust Snape now, however great his dislike for the man.
Snape had risked everything, even his life, to gain intelligence for the Order of the Phoenix, information that the Order could never have hoped to obtain without his assistance. He had given up a comfortable, if unfulfilling life, to aid in the fight against Voldemort's tyranny, and Sirius could not help but hold a certain grudging respect for him. The two had reached an unspoken agreement during their painful departure from Hogwarts just over a month ago. As they had left the hospital wing, neither man had spoken, but both had expressed their mutual dislike by keeping as much space between themselves as possible during their hasty exit. It had been a ridiculous, childish display, rendered almost impossible by the crowds of weeping schoolgirls, desperate either to ask their forbidding teacher if Harry was all right, or to pat the cute black dog for comfort.
Sirius had been on his way to look up his old friend Remus, looking forward to a reunion he had only dreamed about in Azkaban, while Snape had been facing possible execution for his delay in replying to the Death Eater summons. Nevertheless, before he had disapparated from beyond the school grounds Snape had had the decency, through an unconcealed scowl, to wish him good luck. Sirius still regretted not returning the sentiment, but kept reminding himself that this was the same man who tried to hand him over for execution to the dementors a year ago. Dumbledore was right; a lack of open hostility really was the most that could be hoped for in their relations.
Watching
the entrance of the cavern, Sirius saw Arabella and Ron being ushered in by
Snape, who walked a short way behind them carrying his slim ebony wand at his
side. Snape had a most curious walk. He seemed to almost glide across the
floor, holding his head perfectly stationary at a fixed height above the ground
and, dressed in his long flowing robes, one would be forgiven for suspecting
that he moved without feet. It
was no wonder then, that so many of his students feared him,
for he was ghostlike in appearance,
tall and pale, with dark, receding greasy hair, his presence often unnoticed
until his voice spoke suddenly from
behind you. Only then would you know
that were in trouble.
As his long-standing enemy looked directly at him, Sirius noticed that for the most part Snape was unchanged, bearing no obvious indications of punishment from his master. This came as a relief to Sirius who was well aware that Snape's infrequent spy reports had a disturbing tendency to dwell more on the necessary arrangements for protecting Harry's life than on the necessary arrangements for ensuring his own continued safety within the Death Eater circle. Snape's expression was as unreadable as ever (the ideal poker face, as Sirius had often joked to his classmates during their late night card sessions in Gryffindor tower), but his eyes quickly darted away as he adopted a submissive stance at a respectable distance from Lord Voldemort.
Arabella and Ron continued to walk deeper into the torchlit room to stand before Voldemort. Sirius was glad to note that they seemed unharmed and was impressed that Ron did not flinch under the Dark Lord's gaze. Evidently, four years with Harry had granted him nerves of steel. Harry on the other hand was still half-sitting, half-lying on the floor below him, looking completely exhausted. Sirius reached down to help him up, scrutinizing him closely to try and figure out what Voldemort had done to him, but as usual, Harry's expression was blank and gave nothing away. Sirius looked at him questioningly but Harry kept his focus on Voldemort,who was walking slowly back and forth in front of Ron, sneering at him through his cold, reptilian eyes.
"Are you not afraid of Lord Voldemort, Weasley?"
Ron seemed unsure how to answer and gaped imploringly at Harry.
"Leave him alone! I thought it was me you were after…" Harry demanded in a weak drawl.
"Don't be rude, Harry! Crucio!"
Sirius gripped Harry as he writhed silently in pain. He let him sink gently to the ground to catch his breath. Voldemort was ignoring them, however, his attention still
rapt on a rather uncomfortable looking Ron.
"Now, Weasley, we were talking about fear, were we not?"
Ron glanced at Harry, barely conscious on the ground.
"Ignore him for now, Weasley! He bears a difficult burden, but you shall relieve him of it soon…"
"What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded getting to his feet to stand defensively over Harry.
"Ah, Sirius Black! I remember you well. You remind me a lot of young Weasley here, actually, living in the shadow of your great friend James Potter. It must have been difficult for him having to babysit you as well as his wife and son. I haven't forgotten what you did to Nagini's mother, by the way…but I'll let her punish you for that… However, I can see you are confused, so before you die I shall explain to you the importance and the true nature of what you have failed to protect, but first, a little test…"
Voldemort swiftly pointed his wand at Ron, who seemed paralysed with shock. Harry made a sudden movement to get to his feet, but almost immediately fell down onto his stomach in exhaustion. Before Sirius could act, the Dark Lord was uttering the incantation.
"Imperio!… Take this knife, Ron, and stab Harry in the, oh, why not the back?…Do it! Stab Harry Potter in the back!"
Sirius recognised the vacant, relaxed expression in Ron's eyes and knew that the boy hadn't a hope of resisting the curse the way that Harry could. Without hesitation, Ron accepted the proferred knife and strolled dazedly over to Harry's slumped form. As he raised the knife vertically above Harry's back, Sirius reached out to stop him, but instantly felt his body being pulled away by an invisible force. He was helpless to stop it. With his arms flailing vainly, Sirius struggled to escape whatever force was pulling him from his godson, but to no avail. He heard the swift, remorseless passage of the knife through the air, followed by Harry's grunt of pain as through a daze and when he looked up he saw only the look of triumph on Voldemort's bony visage.
"Excellent, Weasley! You will do very well… You see how foolish you are, Black, to fight me. I believe it's time you learned the truth about your godson since without the protection of his mother's Fidelius Charm he will soon die of that wound…"
There was a stark clinking noise as Ron dropped the bloody knife from his hand. He remained kneeling on the floor for a long time, his face white under his freckles, staring open-mouthed at the large gaping wound on Harry's back. With tears in his eyes, he turned rapidly to Voldemort, who laughed manically at his pained expression.
"It's pathetic really: The great Harry Potter, stabbed in the back by his own best friend. Sound familiar, Black? There is a very good reason why the so-called, "Boy-Who-Lived", should be made to suffer in this way. You shall understand it soon enough…Severus, leave us! See if young Draco needs any help with the dementors! 'And if you see Wormtail, tell him to begin the preparations! I don't have all day…"
Snape walked gracefully out of the cavern without a backward glance, and Arabella took advantage of the distraction to pull Ron into a tight hug and lead him over to stand next to herself and Sirius. Ron buried his face in her robes, but no sound emerged as he sobbed silent bitter tears. Harry lay prone on the hard floor, his shoulders heaving with the effort to keep breathing, while on his back a sickening dark stain was spreading steadily out from the open wound, visible even in the semi-darkness of the cavern. Arabella whipped off her cloak and mopped at the blood, applying as much pressure as possible to stop the incessant flow, but Harry barely even registered her presence; he merely continued to shake with the numbing cold and the pain.
Voldemort walked lazily to his throne and sat down, laying his own wand on his lap next to Harry's. His blood red eyes glinted eerily in the semi-darkness as he stared into the fire. Without glancing at his captives he began to speak.
"Centuries ago, in his pioneering studies of manuscripts of ancient lore, my greatest ancestor Salazar Slytherin learned of a forgotten talisman that was said to hold the source of all magical power in existence. The first wizarding scribes named it the Penna Potissimus, or Primal Feather, for it was said to have manifested itself in the embryo of a new-born phoenix and thus it would remain immortal. Lord Slytherin, in his infinite wisdom, recognised the danger of leaving such a powerful object undefended and so undertook a great quest to retrieve it, not to wield it for his own gain, but simply to protect it from the muggle barbarians who threatened to abuse it.
It was a noble mission, aimed at ensuring the infinite reign of wizards, but was sadly blighted by the troublesome interference of Godric Gryffindor. Not long after my ancestor came upon the Penna, Gryffindor greedily demanded that it be placed under his own protection. A desperate battle between the two mages ensued in which my great ancestor fought bravely, but Gryffindor finally emerged triumphant, forcing Slytherin, the greatest wizard of all time, into a dark underground where he initiated a new Age of Purity among wizards. Those wise enough to join him were educated in a revolutionary style of magic, and so the greatest curses came into existence, my own favourite Cruciatus among them.
When I first read of my ancestor's heroic past, I vowed to continue his important work, and so I did, while at the same time continuing my search for the Penna Potissimus and Gryffindor's heir. You can imagine my delight when I discovered that the family line extended to the Evans family, a family by no means distinguished for their powers or strength. Descended from Gryffindor's only daughter, the Evans woman was weak and helpless to defend herself, but refused to surrender the talisman to me. Stupid woman! I searched her house but it eluded me, so I killed her, her husband too. Ah! I can still hear her pathetic cries for mercy… Some brave Gryffindor! I left the house in a rage, determined to find it no matter how long it took.
The years passed and I became more and more powerful. Soon I had the entire wizarding world at my feet. Only Hogwarts stood between me and my domination over the muggles. I raised a terrfying army of wizards, giants and dementors and prepared for a final decisive attack on Dumbledore's stronghold, but then one day, a stupid young wizard and his girlfriend broke into my fortress at Azkaban to rescue their careless friend, you, Black, who had foolishly been captured by my loyal servants. Their plan succeeded, but before they left, the prisoner thought it would be funny to attack Nagini's mother who was then with child. I arrived in time to stop the unprovoked attack, but not to prevent the three escaping through the use of a portkey. Before they left, however, I noticed that the girl looked familiar. She had the same red hair and green eyes as the Evans woman.
I began to realise what had happened. Sarah Evans did not tell me where the Penna was because she did not know. She had used the Fidelius Charm to conceal it from me, making her only magical daughter her Secret Keeper. It was a brilliant plan, I must admit. Over the next two years I learned all that I could about the girl and her friends. Luring Pettigrew into my service helped a great deal… The rest of the story is well documented. Suffice it to say that I did not realise the girl had had the foresight to perform the same charm on her baby son, and so I met my downfall…until last year."
Sirius nodded grimly at Arabella, remembering how they had unwittingly teased Lily about her supposed relation to Godric Gryffindor. It was not very surprising then that Harry, in whom he had always detected something special, an aura of hidden power as it were, should be Gryffindor's heir. Evidently, Arabella was quite surprised by this revelation for she was watching Harry in amazement as though seeing him truly for the first time. Sirius tried to imagine the portrait of Gryffindor hanging over the fireplace at Godric's Hollow. He could still picture the old man's unmoving green eyes, still bright and radiant despite the years of dust that had accumulated on the canvas. Yes! That could be Harry sixty years from now! If he survives this…
Sirius angrily approached Voldemort's impressive throne, his gaze automatically connecting with one of the wands lying across the Dark Lord's knees. Harry's wand seemed to have a barely perceptible gold streak running through it that Sirius had never noticed before. Quite a pretty wand, really…For a moment he eyed it hungrily, desperate to reach out for it and curse Voldemort into oblivion, but knew that he probably wouldn't survive a duel with the dark wizard anyway.
"Harry has already said that he won't show you where this talisman is, and he can resist the Imperius Curse-"
"I am aware of that, Black. I shall therefore transfer the Fidelius Charm to another more malleable Secret Keeper. Weasley here will do nicely, very little resolve I see…"
"I won't do it! I'd sooner die than make you more powerful-" Ron blurted.
"Yes, yes", Voldemort hissed idly, waving his hand, "We'll see…Ah, Wormtail. Excellent. You may begin the preparations. Has Severus brewed the potion?"
"Here, my Lord."
"Very well. Harry, drink this!"
"I will not!" Harry exclaimed with surprising strength from his position on the floor.
"Drink it or I will kill your godparents! I have no use for them after all…"
Voldemort extended his wand and pointed it at Sirius' heart. Unwilling to call the Dark Lord's bluff, especially when his godparents' lives were in danger, Harry got slowly to his feet, gripping his back with one hand and brushing away Sirius' tight restraining grip with the other, and took the goblet from Wormtail's silver hand. The metallic cup felt cool to the touch, and inside was a thin green liquid. Harry looked down at it nervously, trying to guess what kind of a potion it was. Assuming it was just part of the procedure for performing the Fidelius Charm, he took a long swig from it. Almost immediately he felt the cold liquid travel all over his body, turning his insides to ice and making him shiver. His mouth filled with a strange metallic taste causing his stomach to lurch forbodingly and Harry retched uncontrollably on the floor. Feeling slightly nauseous and dizzy, Harry whispered to Sirius, the anxiety in his voice making his godfather very uneasy.
"Is this part of the charm?"
"It wasn't when I did it. James just used a simple incantation on me. What does it feel like?"
"Awful. Sirius, I can't let him do this... He's killed too many people. Listen, I have Voldemort's knife here in my pocket. I'll have to kill myself-"
"Harry! "
"If I die now, before he can transfer the charm, then the Secret dies with me-"
"-Or the charm will end altogether and he'll find the Penna straight away! No, we have to wait and see how this plays out… Look. I'm no expert on charms, Harry, but I don't think what he's planning is possible. Only the person who performed the charm on you can transfer it. I ought to know, since I had to get James to transfer it from me to Wormtail-"
"Then what's he going to do? Raise my Mum from the grave?!"
"I don't know, Harry…just try to hang on. We'll get out of this. 'Bella, 'any idea how he means to pull this off?"
"No, he's crazy. It can't be done. I'm sure of it, and I wouldn't worry about necromancy. The last of the necromancers died out centuries ago."
"Then how-"
Harry broke off suddenly and Sirius turned to see Voldemort standing directly behind him, holding his godson's wand in his long, bony hand.
"I might have use for you after all, Black. Follow me!"
Sirius stood resolutely beside
Harry, who was beginning to look decidedly ill. His messy dark hair was
clinging to the perspiration on his skin and his breathing seemed shallow. What's
wrong with him? It can't just be the knife wound, surely…
"Very well. Wormtail, kill the woman!"
"No! I'm coming."
Sirius hurried after Voldemort directing a murderous glance at his former friend, who quailed visibly before him. Voldemort led him across the cavern to a position near the wall.
"Wormtail! Where is the antidote?"
"Here, my Lord."
Harry looked up in alarm as Voldemort took the small glass phial from Wormtail and tied it around his neck.
"You poisoned me," he stated simply, numb wth disbelief.
Sirius nearly exploded with rage, "Poison? Why?"
"Silence! Black, return to your position! I will not warn you again… Carcer niger!"
A black beam shot out of Voldemort's wand creating a small cage, just barely large enough for two people. Sirius watched Wormtail carefully out of the corner of his eye, daring him to hurt either Arabella or Harry as he opened a door in the flickering black bars and ushered them inside. He practically had to drag Harry across the floor, who seemed to have lost all strength in his legs. Ron was standing nervously alone on one side of the cavern, his eyes flitting from one side of the room to the other as if searching for somewhere to hide.
"Wormtail, stand here and take the wands…"
Sirius was amazed as Voldemort directed Pettigrew to a position directly opposite him on the other side of the room and handed him the two wands. Pettigrew seemed unperturbed by his master's strange behaviour. Whatever was going on, Sirius thought angrily, he was in on it. Pettigrew had not changed much since their last brief encounter in the Shrieking Shack. His tattered, grey robes still appeared several sizes too large for him, despite his capacious frame, and his chubby nose still looked in urgent need of a tissue. Pettigrew was the kind of person who never looked clean or well-groomed no matter how hard he tried, and his sloppy, inelegant appearance was grossly mirrored in his awkward, ungainly carriage. He carried out his master's orders with an air of self-importance and indifference that Sirius found infuriating. Pettigrew did not meet his eye as he idly twirled Voldemort's and Harry's wands in his stubby hands, as if the other man was too lowly to be of consequence to him, but Sirius knew from the fretful twitching of his mouth that Wormtail was fully aware of being watched; he was just hiding his fear under a mask of superiority.
Presently Snape entered, looking curiously at Sirius and Wormtail standing opposite each other and at the black cage holding Harry and Arabella. He strided speedily to the farther wall, followed by a host of other Death Eaters, among them Mundungus Fletcher, Lucius and Draco Malfoy and several other old 'friends' from Hogwarts whom Sirius had witnessed turning their backs on Dumbledore for a chance to acquire some smidgen of power. Sirius eyed them distastefully as they entered in their dozens, silently lining up against the walls of the cavern. Voldemort turned to them, raising his hands pompously.
"My Loyal servants! Today I shall accomplish what Salazar Slytherin never could, and you shall be honoured to behold my triumph. Each of you shall be generously rewarded for your services as promised, after we follow our loyal minions into battle and retake the home and riches of my ancestor that have heretofore been impounded by that Mudblood-loving fool, Albus Dumbledore. Even now, the Dementos of Azkaban are marching toward Hogwarts. They only await our glorious arrival. With the power of the Penna Potissimus behind us, we will not fail!… Now, Wormtail, give him Potter's wand!"
Sirius had only a moment to register his astonishment as Wormtail tossed Harry's wand to him, for no sooner did he catch it than his opponent knocked him off his feet with the Cruciatus Curse. Cursing profusely, Sirius leapt up and pointed the slender gold-streaked magical instrument at Wormtail, who clumsily gripped the Dark Lord's wand in his hand. This was the moment Sirius had been waiting for, the opportunity to wreak vengeance on the man who had destroyed all his hopes of a blissful life with Arabella, the man who had betrayed his best friend and restored an evil wizard to his seat of power. He didn't want it to end too quickly, so with the sole intention of causing his opponent as much pain as possible, Sirius stepped forward intimidatingly and roared, "Crucio!" The curse shot out of Harry's wand at amazing speed, taking Sirius by surprise. He smiled in satisfaction, however, as Wormtail fell to the ground, his struggled comeback refusing to surface.
Clutching his body in pain, and
for the moment quite defenceless, Wormtail was unaware of the other man
approaching his prone form with true murderous intent written on his face.
Sirius stealthily stepped up to the pathetic wizard simpering on the ground, ready
to deliver the final curse, but the irritating voice of his conscience caused
him to hesitate. His arm wavered as Harry's indignant voice echoed in his mind,
"I don't reckon my Dad would've wanted his best friends to become killers-just
for Pettigrew". How could he ignore Harry's wishes, which would undoubtedly
have been shared by his father? Harry and James could be wretchedly moral at
times, unknowingly causing their friends to feel shamefully unprincipled, but
Sirius was inclined to believe that in such matters as these they were usually
right. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake himself so quickly of the obsession that
had consumed his days in Azkaban. The rat betrayed us all. 'Because of him I
spent twelve years in this awful place…
It was all too easy finding reasons for killing Wormtail, as Sirius realised suddenly, but that didn't justify doing it. Killing an unarmed and defenceless man just didn't seem right. It was dishonourable. Geez. I hope all those years in prison didn't make me soft! What am I doing? Kill him!
Wormtail was looking pleadingly up at him with his slate grey eyes, waiting for a swift death and apparently showing some courage at long last. Noticing Sirius' inner turmoil, a glimmer of understanding passed over his face and he sat up slowly, almost timidly. Sirius said nothing, but lowered his wand and slumped away feeling strangely drained. He realised that the Death Eaters were talking animatedly, but he didn't turn around. Voldemort's high, cold voice pierced the gloom as he screamed at Wormtail.
"You fool! Attack him now! Watch him closely for the timing…"
Confused, Sirius turned around only to realise that Wormtail was pointing Voldemort's wand directly at him. Sirius glared at him in disbelief, his amazement shortly being replaced by a look of extreme hatred and revulsion.
"You evil, conniving little git! I let you live!"
Pettigrew quailed before his anger but did not lower his wand. He retreated a few steps guiltily and for a tiny flickering moment seemed to be considering running away, but his fear of Lord Voldemort granted him the resolve he lacked.
"I'm sorry, Sirius…Crucio!"
This time, Sirius was prepared, and with an almightly rage surging through his veins yelled, "Expelliarmus!" The two curses hit in mid-air and Sirius instinctively ducked, waiting for the curse to ricochet at an unpredictable angle, however something quite unexpected occurred. A tremendous surge travelled down the wand to his wrists, and as Sirius looked down in dawning comprehension at the willowy instrument shaking in his grip a brilliant gold band suddenly sprang across the void connecting the two wands, splintering off at intervals to form a gigantic gold cage shutting them off from the intrigued onlookers. The serene melody of phoenix song burst through the air, as the reverse spell effect asserted itself. In that instant, Voldemort's words made sense. Timing…He's trying to invoke Priori Incantatem…'But why?…'And why didn't he just duel with Harry again?…
Wormtail's terrified face greeted him from the opposite end of the golden ray, his hand shaking madly under the pressure. Harry's wand, however, now became perfectly steady, returning the gold pulses of light that travelled along the beam back to Voldemort's wand with perfect ease. It felt remarkably cool to the touch, which was surprising since Sirius could feel the sweat running down his back. As he peered through the cage, Sirius could discern Voldemort approaching the edge of the enclosure, holding a wand point to the gold crossbars, apparently waiting, his eyes glinting maliciously through a gold square. The shaking in Wormtail's wand became more pronounced and he looked wildly around for his master's assistance. The small pulses that had been travelling between the two wands had merged into a single bead that was rapidly approaching Wormtail's wand. Just a bit farther…It wasn't very difficult…Suddenly, the bead connected with Voldemort's wand, which began to emit echoing screams of pain. Sirius was certain it would shatter… The noise of the phoenix song grew louder in his ears and with it his awareness that whatever he was doing, he was winning. On the other side of the cage he could see Voldemort's lips moving from behind his borrowed wand. What was he saying?… Wormtail's wand was screaming deafeningly. Soon it would all be over, but suddenly something else happened.
The gold cage surrounding Sirius and Wormtail vanished completely, and all around them were Death Eaters. As a smoky, silvery form began to emerge from Voldemort's wand in Wormtail's trembling hand, he heard the Dark Lord cry out a foreign incantation.
"Agito porto sempiternos!"
The dazzling gold beam connecting the wands quickly branched off into the fire, which immediately erupted in bright blue flames, and then died away leaving only the eery azure corona of the fire. Rising out of the flames was a silver mass, gradually gaining depth and colour. It was growing and adopting a more definite form, almost hand-like in appearance…
Sirius watched in awe as Wormtail's silver hand floated upward and came to rest on the ground before the fire. If this was the reverse spell effect, he thought distractedly, then it was not occuring as Harry had described it.
Another form was beginning to rise out of the blue fire, and it certainly didn't require a greater intellect than Sirius' to knew what to expect. As the athletic body of a young man stepped forward, Sirius was amazed by the resemblance to his old schoolmate Amos Diggory. Handsome and muscular, Cedric began to stride around the outer rim of the fire with his long legs, apparently looking for Harry and Voldemort.
"Expelliarmis!"
Without warning, Harry's wand shot out of Sirius' hand and, as he followed its swift course through the air, he saw that the Dark Lord had retrieved his own wand from his servant. Silently reproaching himself for not having used the wand to escape while he had the chance, Sirius took a moment to analyse the situation. It wasn't looking good. Harry and Arabella were trapped inside some strange black cage, Ron was standing in a mass of Death Eaters by the wall, and he, the great Sirius Black, was wandless. Sure, Snape might be able to help them escape, but surrounded on all sides as they were, even this seemed impossible.
Voldemort's outrageous plan was becoming apparent. If he could invoke Priori Incantatem there would be nothing to stop him from speaking to Lily and James; they were bound to appear soon, and Voldemort needed Lily to transfer the charm to Ron. 'But won't they just disappear after a minute like last time? They won't have long enough to do it. Besides, there's no way James and Lily will agree to do this if it will kill Harry. He must know that…
The plump figure of Bertha Jorkins emerged from the blue fire, looking around for the duellers and looking very confused. Shaking her head sadly she joined the old Muggle who was leaning nearby on a walking stick surveying the situation.
Sirius knew who would be next. What would he say to them? More importantly, what would they say to him? Would they blame him for his failures as a godfather? A sudden hush of expectation fell on the crowded room and Sirius began to feel panic building up in the pit of his stomach. This was all happening too fast. He longed to slow time down, just for a moment, to give him time to think about what he would say to Lily and James. So many things…
A silvery feminine form was growing in the flames, her long hair visible from Sirius' position. Oh, God. Lily… Already her hair was turning red, her skin was turning pink, her robes… Those emerald robes… She had worn them to Moony's birthday party two weeks ago. Two weeks before she died, Padfoot…She was standing upright in the fire, tall and erect with the blue flames licking her body harmlessly, so lifelike... Was she alive? She was achingly close, close enough to touch, and appeared perfectly solid, not at all ghost-like. Gazing around with her dazzling hazel eyes, Lily bore a greater resemblance to her Gryffindor ancestor than Sirius had ever registered. She presented an ethereal vision of such heavenly beauty, such sublime nobility, as to appear separated from some divine legend. Sirius was captivated by her tragic figure, rendered all the more impressive and dreamlike from her martyrdom, and found it surprisingly difficult to remind himself that it was just Lily. Swallowing nervously and feeling a blush rising inexplicably in his face, Sirius offered her his hand, which he saw was shaking uncontrollably. Lily smiled warmly at him and accepted it, stepping closely up to him and looking deep in his face.
"Sirius," her voice had a strange hollowness to it, as if coming from a great distance, "are you here to protect Harry?"
"I-I'm sorry, Lily-"
"For what? I see no reason to apologise…"
"I failed you. I told you to change to Peter. Harry had to be raised by Muggles, when it should have been me who-who…"
"You've never failed me, Sirius, and you're protecting Harry now, as I always knew you would. I'm very proud of you. Thank you."
Sirius' eyes were burning and he couldn't speak, not that he wanted to. He was afraid that if he spoke everything might change and Lily would be yelling at him for being such a terrible Secret Keeper. He didn't want to ruin the moment especially since, in one short speech, Lily had said everything he had longed to hear since that fateful day of her death. It was best to say no more. Lily seemed to understand and, giving his hand a final squeeze, she turned to the fire where her husband was already standing and smiling at them.
"'Padfoot being a sentimental twit again?"
Ludicrously enough, Sirius burst into laughter, with the hot tears streaming down his face in torrents and torn between the urge to dance for joy and to throw himself down in misery. James hopped out of the fire and embraced him brotherly, the familiar sensation driving a host of happy memories through Sirius' mind. It was as if James and Lily had never been gone, and Sirius gripped his old friend tightly, wishing above all else that the moment could last forever, that they weren't standing in a cave at Azkaban full of Death Eaters, and that a year from now he and James could still be hugging. Sirius held his eyes firmly shut to blot out the painful reality, aware only of the rough texture of James' cloak against his damp cheek and the maddening knowledge that the hand rubbing his back belonged to his long-dead best friend. Silently thanking James for not pulling away, Sirius held fast to him, his former intention of expressing his grief verbally now seeming quite unnecessary. It was so pleasant to stand here, inhaling James' familiar scent, reminiscent of fresh coffee and scones. There was only one being who could interrupt this miraculous and seemingly unlikely reunion…
Voldemort.
A/N: I'm very sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I want the last few parts to be good and so have enlisted the assistance of the excellent Coqui (Thank you so much!), who kindly agreed to beta-read this chapter. It was definitely worth the wait (believe me, it was! I never realised how terrible my grammar and punctuation were until now! ) and I hope it has whetted your appetite for the next chapter, in which Lily and James face their killer. Will they give in to his demands? Um, I'm not saying. Please don't forget to review, and offer suggestions, criticisms, death threats etc! Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last part:
Rufus: I know the last part was confusing, mainly because I didn't have a clue what this part would be about! Sorry you're sick, but maybe this will cheer you up a little, or am I just having delusions of talent again? That must be it. Oh well! I try… Unfortunately I wasn't able to review the last part of your series; I didn't even know it was posted and was lucky to find it about a week later, but I really loved it. That was so funny, Harry walking around Hogwarts as a panther for ages and nobody even guessing it was him. LOL. I'm delighted you're writing a sequel.
Dumbledore: (makes a drooling Homer Simpson voice) Ummmmm, Pistacio…. Ice cream sandwiches….
Amanda Mancini: Please tell me you're not confused now! I tried to explain that ending in this part, I really did…
Sailorcelestial: Hey, thanks! Hopefully, there'll be more Draco before the end. I only just discovered Cassandra Claire's famous stories and have fallen in love with them. It's wonderful the way she portrays him, horrible and yet lovable. I know I could never hope to emulate her work, but at least it has inspired me to consider including him. Also, thanks for the fish!
California Love: I'm really really sorry for making you wait as I gather from you're "review" telling me to "hurry up" that you were anticipating it. I'm flattered you want to read this so badly, but you really need to chill! I just checked out your author page. Are you prolific, or what?! I'll make sure to sign that petition you mentioned…
PEZ: I'm sorry you didn't get your Authoralerts. I hate it when that happens. As you can see, Harry is in a decidedly bad situation, but you know I wouldn't have included that Penna thing if not to let him use it against his arch nemesis…
*cocacola*: Sorry for the heart attack. Hopefully this part won't be so upsetting.
Adelina: Thanks for reviewing again. In the next part you'll see what happens to Ron. Sorry I had to make him do that to Harry! Don't worry. He's still innocent and cute. I'm sure he didn't mean it. It was that damn Voldemort again. Somebody really should give him a good slap across the face.
Nameless: No, don't worry. Snape isn't evil. He's just caught in a bad situation and can't show that he 's a good guy for fear of being seen by Voldemort. He was actually hiding with Arabella and Ron outside the cavern in the last chapter but Voldie, clever guy that he is, sensed his presence and told him to come in. I'm sure Voldie also knows perfectly well what Snape's agenda is. He's probably just stringing him along for his own profit. Well, you'll see later…
someone2 : Sorry this took a while. I hope it was worth the wait. It might have been longer but for some impatient people!
Nagh: LOL. Great, but totally confusing, huh? Yeah, that seems to be the general concensus! Sorry, my bad…I hope this is less confusing.
name: Oh you poor poor thing. I hope that physics homework didn't leave you too educated! Well, this part is longer than the last so perhaps it will help you delay having to do anymore.
Belle M. : Thank you so much. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Harry's Crush: Yes, Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! is one way of putting it! I've got to stop writing cliffhangers, I just can't help it. They're awful to read, but so much fun to write. Anyway, thanks for reviewing again.
Rede: Great! Reviewing is working again! Thanks again for letting me know about that and for reviewing again. It's good to know I haven't completely lost the plot!
Dunno: Nope, as you know now Voldie can't force Harry to transfer the Fidelius Charm to Ron. Only Lily can do that. This will be the main issue of the next chapter, i.e. will she agree to it? Obviously not, unless Voldemort threatens to do something terrible if she doesn't. Thanks for saying my fic is getting better as the climax is always the most difficult part to write and I really don't want to make a mess of it.
~tiger_eyes~: Ah, my first negative review. Well, I had to get one sooner or later! I think my ridiculously long email answers your questions. I hope it wasn't too boring!
OrcaPotter: Thanks for taking the time to catch up on all the chapters. If it had been me, I probably would have just said, "Ah, to hell with it. I'll just go read something good!". I'll continue to try to live up to your expectations. Anyway, thanks for reviewing again.
Harry's mum lily: So good of you to review. This isn't exactly in the same league as your fic, but I'm learning a lot from it. The Dark Sigil is just, well, breathtaking for its style and erudition. I can't wait for the next part.
Ryuu kaze: Sorry if these chapters are coming out too fast. To be honest, I keep letting myself get rushed by impatient reviewers and so I upload as quickly as I can and don't bother to edit. That's why I took my time on this chapter. Don't worry about my killing Sirius. It'll never happen. And thank you for reviewing again!
Pleiades.
