Chapter 19 Bad Moon Rising

"Very well, Mr. Genius." Said Snape, "We are inside. Now what?"

The three found themselves in a narrow hallway about five feet wide and thirty feet long. There was a door at the end of the hall as well as a door on either side about halfway down the length. They tried the first door they came to on the left side. It turned out to be a janitorial closet. The door on the opposite side of the hall was the entry to a small office that had quite obviously not been used in some time.

"The door at the end of the hall must lead to the main area." Sirius remarked.

"Are you sure they are here?" Snape hissed. "I don't hear any movement. It's way too quiet."

"There could be a dozen reasons for that, Severus." Lupin pointed out. "They could be using a muting charm to surpress the sound of their activities."

"Okay, if it makes you feel better let me check." Said Sirius. He went through the routine to become his owl form. He sat on the desk and concentrated for a minute, then he became human again.

"He's here." Sirius confirmed. "I can feel it."

"Do you know how many others there might be?" Asked Lupin.

"I can only focus on one person at a time." Sirius replied, "And I have to know who it is I need to find. We are just going to have to take our chances."

"I feel so much better." Snape groused.

"We are not going to accomplish much sitting here." Said Sirius. "Let's check out the door at the end of the hall."

They moved out of the office and down the hall toward the door. Before they reached it Snape waved Sirius and Lupin back.

"Let me go first." He said taking a glass globe filled with a milky substance from his bag. He also took out three crudely made pairs of glasses. They were not much more than wire connecting a roughly cut pair of crystalline lenses. "Put these on." Snape urged.

Sirius and Lupin did as Snape requested. Snape carefully went to the door and gave the knob a turn. He pulled and the door opened a crack. Snape slowly opened the door further and looked out. He turned and waved to the others to join him. They found themselves in an alcove just off the main space of the warehouse. There were boxes stacked up in front of the alcove, effectively hiding them from view. Looking out into the room they saw a number of Deatheaters engaged in various tasks. A scattering of torches dimly lighted the room. Sirius' attention was drawn to what looked like an altar at one end of the room and the man busying himself at it.

It was Peter Petigrew.

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Outside the warehouse the ministry team had finished their sweep of the area.

"What have you found Lieutenant?" Asked the team leader.

"Sir." Said the Lieutenant. "We found three disabled men that we are assuming to be sentries. Two were knocked unconscious and the other was stupified."

"That means someone else is here." The team leader deduced. "Did you find anything else?"

"Yes, sir." Replied the Lieutenant. "In a clearing on the other side of the building there is evidence of activity."

"Deatheater activity?" Inquired the leader.

"We don't think so, sir." The Lieutenant went on. "We found a winged horse and a hippogriff standing guard over the camp. They won't let us near it, sir."

The team leader frowned.

"Do you have any idea who it might be, sir?" Said the Lieutenant.

"When I was briefed, I was told we might encounter Sirius Black and possibly some associates." The team leader mused.

"Sirius Black? The escaped murderer?" The Lieutenant gasped. "Should I give the order to be on the lookout for him, sir?"

"No, Lieutenant." The team leader ordered. "We are under specific orders to engage the Dark Lord and the Deatheaters. No mention was made of the erstwhile Mr. Black. Your orders are, if you encounter Sirius Black or any of his comrades you are not, repeat not, to engage them unless they give you cause to do so. Even then you are to use restraint. Is that clear?"

Perfectly clear, sir." The Lieutenant acknowledged.

"Very good. Let's move out!" The team leader commanded.

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Sirius, Snape and Lupin continued to watch the Deatheater activity.

"How many do you think there are?" Sirius hissed to Lupin.

"I'd say about twenty." Lupin guessed. "Give or take about five."

"Wonderful." Snape griped, "Seven or eight to one? Puts the odds slightly in our favor, wouldn't you say?"

"Hey!" Said a voice to their right. "Who are you three and why are you sneaking around instead of preparing for the Dark Lord's arrival." His comments were heard by other Deatheaters. It looked like they had been caught.

Lupin wheeled around. In one motion he produced his wand and fired at the same time saying "Stupefy!" The Deatheater froze on the spot, but the light produced from the shot attracted the attention of the others. The room erupted in a hail of magical fire. Snape immediately flung the glass globe, shattering it on the floor. The room began to fill with white vapor.

"Ethereal mist!" He called to Sirius and Lupin. "With those glasses I gave you, we can see in it. They can't."

Sirius quickly became the dog form and franticly searched the room. Where was Petigrew? He had vanished in the commotion. Sirius ran up to the altar where he had last seen Peter and began searching again. There he was, hiding in his rat form behind another stack of boxes. Petigrew saw the black dog and yelped, scrambling to get away. He stumbled and could not run with any speed with only three good legs. Sirius caught him in seconds. He took the struggling rat in his jaws and headed for the exit. Petigrew clawed with his good paw and bit as hard as he could. Sirius' jaws stayed clamped shut around the rat. "After getting hit with a Cruciatus curse you think your puny biting is going to make me drop you?" Sirius thought. "Dream on, Petigrew."

Sirius exited the building just as the ministry team was about to move in. He dropped the rat and at the same time put a large paw on it to prevent his escape. He then assumed human form with the besieged rat still in his hand. He went up to the first wizard he saw.

"Who's in charge here?" Sirius barked. The wizard pointed to another wizard approaching them.

"I'm Major Norton. Leader of this team." He said, "Am I correct in assuming you are Sirius Black?"

"You are indeed, Major." Sirius replied. "I don't have time to explain. Can you confine this rat so that he cannot escape?"

Norton took the rat. "Don't worry Mr. Black." Norton told him. "If this is who I think it is, he's going nowhere but Azkaban. What are you going to do now?"

"Major." Said Sirius. "I suspect things are going to get pretty hot very shortly, but I want you to hold your team for two minutes. I'm going back in to get Lupin and Snape."

There was a loud bang from inside the warehouse. "Sounds like something or someone just apparated in there." Norton shouted. "Very well, Mr. Black. You have your two minutes, starting now. I hope you know what you are doing."

"So do I, Major." Said Sirius as he assumed the dog form again and ran to the door.

Inside the warehouse Sirius found Snape picking off Deatheaters.

"How are we doing?" Sirius shouted over the din.

"I've stupified four." Snape shouted back. "Remus got at least three more. In this mist, if we keep moving, they won't know where the next bolt is coming from."

Lupin was desperately fighting off two Deatheaters. He ducked one bolt and Stupified one Deatheater. Then he picked up a box and threw it at the other, bouncing it off his head.

"My mistake." Said Snape, "Make his count five."

Two more Deatheaters charged Sirius and Snape from out of the mist. Snape pulled what looked like a glass plate about six inches square from his bag and flung it at them. As it flew the plate got larger and enveloped both men, picking them up and driving them into the wall. The plate shattered and both Deatheaters lay dazed.

"Guess that wrapped them up." Smirked Snape.

"Severus, that was really bad." Sirius groaned. "Don't quit your day job."

Suddenly there was quiet as a ghostly form began to materialize on the altar. At the same time the mist in the room began to clear. Voldemort was apparently making his arrival.

"What was the bang?" Sirius called to Snape.

"You know our favorite Dark Lord." Snape called back "He loves to make an entrance. Just some fireworks to announce his arrival."

Voldemort was now fully formed. "So, Sirius Black." He roared. "You would challenge me? Then you will feel the wrath of Lord Voldemort."

"You want wrath? I'll give you wrath." Sirius exclaimed pointing his wand at the ceiling. "Reducto!" he cried. A blinding bolt from his wand blasted a large hole in the ceiling of the warehouse. The clouds thinned and then dissipated leaving the full moon hanging in the sky, pouring its light through the great hole.

"You weak fool." Roared Voldemort again. "I have no idea what you wish to accomplish with such a pathetic attempt."

Snape raised his wand. "Expelliarmus." Cried Voldemort. Snape was picked up and thrown against the wall where he lay stunned. Another beam shot from Sirius' wand.

"You cannot win." Voldemort thundered. "I permit your wretched attempts only to show how powerless you are. You and your feeble compatriots."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Sirius retorted. "Look!"

Lupin was in the middle of the moonlight on his knees. He seemed to be shaking. The hair on his hands, feet and face was getting longer and shaggier. His fingernails and toenails lengthened into claws. His face became longer and his mouth filled with long sharp teeth. His body became bigger and more powerful. He was becoming a werewolf.

The transformation was now complete. The werewolf stood up and took in the scene around him. With a mighty roar he advanced on Voldemort.

"Stop him." Voldemort ordered.

At once three bolts flashed from Deatheater wands all with the same incantation. "Crucio!"

The werewolf stopped in midstep and gave an incensed snarl. It grabbed the closest Deatheater by the throat and threw him crashing into the wall. It then picked up the other two at once tossing one through a window and slamming the other at Voldemort's feet on the altar. Still the werewolf advanced.

"So, werewolf." Intoned Voldemort, "You wish to match power with me? Then prepare to die. AVADA KEDAVRA!!"

"The killing curse." Thought Sirius, "For Mooney's sake, I sure hope I'm right about this."

A green bolt flashed from the end of Voldemort's wand striking the chest of the enraged werewolf. It bathed it in a green glow for a moment and then dissipated. The werewolf staggered under the impact and then continued its advance.

Voldemort couldn't believe his eyes. "This is impossible." He screamed. Then again he incantated "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Once more the werewolf seemed to absorb the blast, staggering for only a moment. Voldemort tried once again "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The werewolf was now almost within reach of Voldemort. Its eyes were glowing red with fury and its paws were stretched out to grab the Dark Lord.

"I don't know how you did this, Sirius Black." Voldemort roared again. "But you have not seen the last of Lord Voldemort. I'LL BE BACK!!!"

With that, Voldemort disapparated in a terrific explosion.