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PATH to DARKNESS by Tyde
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Chapter Twenty Five – Desperation
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'James and Lily! How could you Sirius?!' Pettigrew's words of deception rang out clearly in the village street. Dozens of Muggles stopped their Saturday morning shopping to look at the two man squared off in the road like a wild west stand off. They even have their hands at their sides as if to reach for a gun in a holster one hapless passer-by observed. Black's look of thunder scared many children into the comfort of their mother's arms or into the nearby sweet shop; little faces peeking through the glass panes.
They drew their wands at the exact same time. Wormtail cast a smoke charm and an incineration spell just as Padfoot yelled 'Stupefy!' Quick as lightening Peter severed his own finger, dropping it to the ground and diving through the crack that had opened in the footpath leading into the sewers. A dozen Muggles lay dead on the ground, parts of their bodies smouldering and looks of absolute horror plastered on their faces. Pettigrews wand lay on the ground next to his finger. Sirius looked around him anxiously, so many Muggles dead. Where the devil has he gotten to? Where did that snivelling little rat bastard scuttle off to now? As he stepped forward to investigate thin cords wrapped themselves around him effectively stopping any movement. He heard the cry of a MOM minister off to the left. 'Hold it right there Black!' Cornelius Fudge strode into the street with his wand pointed firmly in the direction of Padfoot. 'Look what you did!' Loud pops issued from around them as wizards and witches from the Magical Enforcement Squad Apparated in to take Sirius away. Fudge immediately set about stupefying the entire street so no Muggle could escape before he had the chance to modify their memories and get an accurate account of exactly what had happened. Barty Crouch beckoned Fudge to come to him. Cornelius hurried over to tell the minister about the events.
'What happened Cornelius? Looks like he took out half the street'
'Exactly Barty. Poor Peter Pettigrew' he held up the finger as he said this 'was on the end of Black's wrath. Black was the Potter's secret keeper you know, betrayed them as soon as he could to Voldemort!' Fudge's look of sorrow over the deaths of Lily and James barely hazed the victory of himself being the one to catch the traitor. Crouch surveyed him carefully.
'Sirius Black is a Death Eater? He killed all of these innocent Muggles and Peter Pettigrew?' There was no disbelief in his voice, it was just as if he were putting the words out there, tasting them for what they were.
'Yes Barty, I saw it with my own eyes' He lied desperate to grab some glory. 'Peter's last words were for Lily and James, at least he died a hero'
Crouch turned towards his band of hit wizards and Aurors 'Take Black straight to Azkaban'. An Auror by the name of Longbottom stepped forward with his mouth open but his question wasn't allowed to be asked. 'No Frank. Fudge saw him with his own eyes. I can smell the guilt coming off him. Take him away now, a trial would only serve to prove what we know as fact, Sirius Black is a murdering traitor. Get him out of my sight before I do something I'm going to regret'.
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COLD DEAD EYES OF A KILLER
Sirius Black, a trusted friend of the Potter family, was working for He Who Must Not Be Named. The Daily Prophet's sources can exclusively reveal that the ex-Hogwarts student betrayed a confidence to the Dark Lord and that led to the deaths of both Ms Lily Potter and Mr James Potter and the attempt on the life of infant Harry Potter. The Junior Minister for the Department of Magical Catastrophes, Mr Cornelius Fudge, witnessed a disturbing scene just yesterday in a Muggle village near Ribbesdale, Yorkshire. Following is his testimony of events.
'After receiving word that the Potters had used the Fidelius Charm [ancient magicks that involved a trusted friend being a secret keeper and thus hiding their location from view] and that Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper my colleagues and I were instantly on the trail of Mr Black. I tracked him down in Giggleswick and he was preparing to murder Peter Pettigrew in plain sight. Apparently the destruction of his master the evening before had made him unstable. I was unfortunately not quick enough to stop the blast...ah wizard in question, and he slew poor Peter and a dozen Muggles. The team and I had a hard time trying to cover that up with the Muggles of course. Barty Crouch and his Hitwizards and Aurors Apparated in not long after and took him straight to Azkaban. They have assured me he with stay there until he rots. Of course the most disturbing thing is that you don't know who was in with that man that dared to call himself Lord. It could be your neighbour. Alastor Moody has assured me he'll get every last one of them and throw them into Azkaban where they belong'.
In the opinion of this reporter, one cannot go any lower. Of course Peter Pettigrew will be awarded an Order of Merlin, class one posthumously and will be remembered in our prayers. It is believed that all they could return to his mother was a finger. Sirius Black simply blew him apart.
The article was accompanied with a particularly menacing photo of Sirius, bound in chains and beset by Dementors. He looked like a rabid dog, tiny flecks of spit had gathered at the corners of his mouth and it gave the appearance of foam. Severus threw the newsparchment into a drawer of his desk and removed a bottle of something.
He'd lost count of the drinks he'd poured now. It had taken at least half the bottle before his seething anger had squashed itself down into his gut. Now it was bubbling, simmering away but the grief was slowly starting to descend upon him.
His first thought had been to go to Azkaban, track down Sirius Black and curse him to death, but that somehow didn't seem enough. Severus wanted to tear the man apart with his bare hands, he wanted to stomp on his grinning face, crush his bones under his dragon hide boots but then it still wouldn't be enough.
It wouldn't do to stoop to his level.
'He fed Lily to Voldemort on a bloody platter! All those smiles and laughter with her, he was just scheming away!'
Killing him won't solve anything – it can't bring her back, nobody can do that. Face it like a man, Severus.
The voices of reason and hatred played an argument out in his head as he gulped another mouthful. The burning sensation of straight Firewhiskey was no longer something he felt. Tears splashed into his empty glass as he drew a sobbing breath.
It's all my fault.
He emptied the bottle into his glass, watching the amber drops slowly dripping from the spout. He quickly downed this glassful and nearly chocked on a pocket of air he'd gulped as well in his haste. Snape reached into the cupboard, his fingers searching feverishly for another bottle, desperate to get at it before the voice continued.
It is rather, isn't it? All Black did was provide the means to kill Lily, someone you never even had a claim over. One little betrayal was all he did. You betrayed everyone over and over again. How many people did you kill with your own hands? Your thoughts using the wand as a vessel to inflict death upon those you didn't like, those you didn't even know. You made that potion – he controls half the world with it now. How many others have you killed by association and you damn Black for just the one? It was two, remember? Don't forget James. It was two lives Black took but that can't hope to make a dint in your portfolio can it Severarse?' His throat ached at the old familiar taunt. 'Thank Merlin little Harry stopped him. No one knows exactly what happened that night but a mere baby had the guts to do what you couldn't. Rid the world of Voldemort.
'But he was invincible...I couldn't...' the words tumbled out of his mouth weakly.
NONSENSE! Harry got him, didn't he? He banished the Dark Lord. You thought your spying was helping? Bollocks. It only served to get you back in Dumbledore's good books' The cold voice continued on and on and Severus felt ready to rip his hair out, but he didn't. With his wand pointed at his own face he muttered the incantation and promptly fell into a heap on the floor. Severus Snape had stunned himself.
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Now that the Dark Lord had been destroyed the difference in the wizarding community was noticeably huge. Children played outside again, parties raged all night and Aurors were ruthless. Alastor Moody was the most ruthless and he bagged more death eaters than the rest of the Aurors put together. He was brutal and many thought a bit mad. That was what earned him the tag of Mad Moody and this was later amended to Mad Eye Moody when a Death Eater put up a fight and cursed the eye right out of his head. Moody's magical eye replacement served to make him that bit more paranoid. Barty Crouch proved to be merciless and the many trials drained him, especially when his own son was called up. Dumbledore had personally vouched for Severus and although the Potions master was relieved he still considered it a burden to owe his freedom to someone he had once despised. If his students had considered him mean and nasty before they were to be in for a nasty surprise as he added exceedingly bitter to the list of his emotions. Lucius and Narcissa had taken the 'under the thrall of Voldemort' defence and due to the Malfoy name and monetary influence they escaped persecution. Though many escaped a term in Azkaban there were some who didn't and would spend their lives rotting away in a cell guarded by the Dementors that had once fought alongside of them.
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Author's note: Is it silly to feel excitement (both good and bad) about a story finally coming to an end and you're the one writing it? Does it say that I'm really narcissistic if I enjoy reading my own stories? I think it's just because it involves the Harry Potter universe and who doesn't get excited about that stuff??!! One more chapter to go. Tick tick tick.
Colleen – yay to you too!
Arien – Now it's only one more chapter. Hope your lip doesn't go into convulsions :o) I never wanted it to end either, but it must.