The Sweetest Of Dreams
"Love is the sweetest of dreams, and the worst of nightmares." A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare Prongs' James/Sirius challenge--Your story MUST meet the following requirements:
**This is James/Sirius SLASH. It must take place after Sirius has been in Azkaban. YOU must explain how James Potter comes to life again. You may NOT use my coma curse. You need to find another way to bring him back!
**When and how Sirius escapes is up to you. It may differ from the actual "Harry Potter" books. You need to tell the readers how he escaped, though. Did James help? Did Harry assist in any way? Or, is it the same as in the actual books?
**You must explain how James and Sirius get together. Were they lovers before Sirius went to Azkaban? How does Lily fit into this?
**Harry must be in the story on and off. He MUST be gay and MUST be in love with one of the following: Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy or Remus Lupin. He may already be in love with this person OR he may fall in love during your story. How do James and Sirius feel about Harry loving one of these three men?
**James and Sirius MUST take a trip in your story. They have to go to a major world city outside of the United Kingdom. It is up to you to tell the readers why they are taking this trip. What happens on the trip?
Chapter One – Seek And Ye Shall FindDumbledore made sure that the door was closed, and that Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had died away, before he spoke again.
"And now," he said, "it is time for two of our number to recognise each other for what they are. Sirius … if you could resume your usual form."
The great black dog looked up at Dumbledore, then, in an instant, turned back into a man.
Mrs Weasley screamed and leapt back from the bed.
"Sirius Black!" She shrieked, pointing at him.
"Mum, shut up!" Ron yelled. "It's OK!"
Snape had not yelled or jumped backwards, but the look on his face was one of mingled fury and horror.
"Him!" he snarled, staring at Sirius, whose face showed equal dislike. "What is he doing here?"
"He is here at my invitation," said Dumbledore, looking between them. "As are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences, and trust each other."
Harry thought Dumbledore was asking for a near miracle. Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with the utmost loathing.
"I will settle, in the short term," said Dumbledore, with a bite of impatience in his voice, "for lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us."
Very slowly – but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill – Sirius and Snape moved towards each other, and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly.
"That will do to be going on with," said Dumbledore, stepping between them once more. "Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude, though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher – the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while, I will contact you there."
"But –" said Harry.
He wanted Sirius to stay. He did not want to say goodbye again so quickly.
"You'll see me very soon, Harry," said Sirius, turning to him. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah … of course I do."
Sirius grasped his hand briefly, nodded to Dumbledore, transformed again into the black dog, and ran the length of the room to the door, whose handle he turned with a paw. Then he was gone.
Rowling, J.K. (2000) Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. London: Bloomsbury. P. 617-619.
*
Sirius pressed himself back against a brick wall. He held his breath and attempted to slide as far as he could between the wall and a large stack of wooden crates. He tried desperately to breathe as quietly as he could so he wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. It was fortunate that the streetlight closest to the small alley was broken and, with his dark, dirty clothing, Sirius was able to blend into the shadows. He bowed his head, allowing his long black hair to hide his pale features, and listened to the sounds of the two men who were chasing him. Footsteps came terrifyingly close and stopped mere feet away from him.
"Did you see him?"
"Nah, he must have apparated."
"Don't the Ministry snap wands when they throw garbage like him in Azkaban?"
"He could have stolen one. We'd better have a look around, I guess. You go down there and check out the alley. I'll keep going down the street. Maybe he's hiding in a doorway or something."
One set of footsteps walked away from where Sirius was standing, while the other set crept cautiously into the darkened alleyway. If only I'd had a chance to transform, Sirius thought angrily. Bloody Ministry of Magic, I'll be glad when they're off my back. A loud crash echoed through the alley as a rubbish bin fell over, startling Sirius so much that he nearly cried out. Muttered cursing could be heard and Sirius could hear the man hopping on one leg. Footsteps pounded on the pavement as the other man came running back.
"What's going on?"
"Almost tripped over a bloody bin."
"Oh, for Merlin's sake. Watch where you're going."
"It's too dark."
"Well, that bloody racket you made with the bin would have allowed him to escape anyway, so light your bloody wand. Clumsy git."
"Lumos."
Sirius shrank into the shadows caused by the wand light hitting the crates. He held his breath again and as silently as possible inched his way further behind the wooden crates, all the while praying that the Aurors wouldn't notice him.
"There's no one here. He got away."
"I can see that. Well, you can explain to the Minister that this is all your fault when we get back."
"I didn't mean to-"
"Shut up. Just…Shut. Up. How bloody easy was this assignment going to be? Some nosy woman with too much time on her hands informed us that he was hiding out around here but oh no, you had to mess it up. Who on earth did I piss off to get landed with you as a partner? Come on. Let's get out of here."
As the wand light disappeared, Sirius stayed perfectly still, his breathing even and regulated. He peaked out from behind the crates to see that the alley was empty once more. The Aurors had disapparated. Sirius eased his thin body out from between the wall and the crates and breathed deeply. That was close. Far too close for his liking. He'd have to inform Mundungus that one of his neighbours was a bit too inquisitive for their own good.
*
A month later, a weary Padfoot bounded up to Remus Lupin's front door and barked loudly. A few moments later, the door opened.
"Oh hello," Remus said pleasantly. "I wondered when I'd be seeing you again."
He held the door open and Padfoot bounded inside the cottage. When the door was closed, he transformed back into his human form.
"Hello Moony," Sirius said warmly as he hugged his best friend.
"Hello Padfoot," Remus replied, grinning broadly.
He ushered Sirius into the kitchen and made him sit down at the table. Sirius watched his friend putter about the kitchen making a meal for Sirius, who hadn't eaten in days. Well, not since he saw Arabella Figg, who forced some of her deplorable cake on him. He knew it was loaded with rejuvenating potions, and knowing he needed the health benefits, he ate it all the while grimacing at the stale taste.
He had enjoyed visiting Arabella. They had been in the same year at Hogwarts and she had been good friends with Lily, which was why she had volunteered to watch out for Harry while he stayed with the Dursley's. She used a hideous glamour charm to make herself look like an old woman.
It startled Sirius each time he looked at her. He remembered how she had looked in school with blue eyes and long blonde hair, but she had plain features that allowed her to blend in with any crowd, which had been helpful in her career as an Unspeakable. Arabella had always loved danger – she was a real tomboy. She and Lily had rivalled the Marauders in their escapades at Hogwarts. It had been Lily and Arabella who had actually managed to catch James and himself unawares and play a prank on the two pranksters.
It had been early in their seventh year and James had suggested that the two of them raid the private stores of the Potions Master, Professor Jigger. If they were going to wreak havoc on the school in their final year, they would need to replenish their own potion supplies. Somehow, Lily and Arabella became aware of their plan. Sirius was still inclined to believe that Arabella had been spying on them.
So while James and Sirius were filling their pockets with all manner of ingredients, the girls had crept into the dungeon and stupefied them. Lily snatched up James' invisibility cloak that he'd thrown casually onto a nearby desk, and the girls had covered themselves with the cloak before levitating the boys' stunned bodies to follow them out of the room.
In a corridor adjoining the Great Hall, Lily and Arabella had unlocked a broom closet and directed the boys' bodies inside. Before removing the stunning spell, they forced a Dreamless Sleep Potion down James and Sirius' throats. When they were confident that the boys were asleep, the girls removed the stunning spell. With their bodies more pliable and James and Sirius unaware of their predicament, Lily and Arabella had rearranged their bodies so that Sirius was lying in James' arms, their bodies pressed closely together. Laughing softly, the girls left the door partly open, with a foot nudging outside the door, and they ran back up to Gryffindor Tower.
The next morning, Sirius had woken to a mixture of girlish giggling, frantic whispers and raucous laughter. He had opened his eyes and glanced blearily around. He saw a gaggle of students staring down at him. Since when had Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws or…Slytherins (What the hell?!?) been allowed in the Gryffindor dorm? It was then that Sirius noticed that he was not alone. He was lying on top of someone and it felt surprisingly good. Sirius glanced down and saw his best friend staring up at him with a bemused expression on his face.
Both of them had sprung apart as if they'd been burnt…and promptly crashed into the walls of the small broom closet. Sirius remembered how disoriented he'd felt at that moment. Until then he'd still rather foolishly thought that he'd been in his (or James') bed in Gryffindor Tower only to suddenly find that he was in a public place, being ridiculed by most, if not all, of the school. As if that wasn't enough, Lily then appeared on the scene and started screaming at her boyfriend for cheating on her with Sirius. She had put on a grand performance, adequately backed up by her indignant best friend Arabella.
Naturally, James had spent days afterwards grovelling and trying to convince his girlfriend that he hadn't cheated on her. Of course, it hadn't helped that neither James nor Sirius were entirely certain that he hadn't cheated on her. Sirius hadn't been able to look James in the eye for days after the alleged event and they had never discussed it. Still, he couldn't help remembering how warm James had felt and how supple his body had been. It was then that his rather vague appreciation of James as a good-looking guy expanded into a full-blown crush. Of course, he'd never acted on it. After all, his best friend was straight and in love with Lily and Sirius wasn't about to break them up just so he could see if maybe something might happen between himself and James. So he had pushed the feelings aside and concentrated on being the best friend he could to both James and Lily.
Due to their shocked outrage at finding the boys sleeping together in the closet, no one had ever suspected that Lily and Arabella had been behind the prank. It wasn't until they'd confessed, at their Graduation Ball, that anyone knew what had really happened. Sirius had been keen to retaliate, but by then, it had been far too late. School was over and the real world awaited them.
Remus interrupted his reminiscing. "What news do you have, Padfoot?"
"Albus asked me to contact the old crowd," Sirius said, shaking his head slightly to try to shake the memories. "I've already been to Arabella's and Mundungus'. They're on their way to Hogwarts now. There's a meeting of the Order scheduled at the end of the week. Albus owled me about it while I was at Arabella's."
"Why is he reviving the Order?" Remus asked, glancing sharply at Sirius, who sighed heavily.
"Voldemort has returned."
Remus dropped the plate he was holding. Sirius jumped as it smashed on the floor but Remus didn't appear to have registered anything other than what Sirius had said.
"What?"
"Voldemort has returned," repeated Sirius. "At the end of the Triwizard Tournament. He used that rat Wormtail's hand, a bone of his father's and Harry's blood to create a new body."
"Oh Merlin," Remus whispered, his face white.
Sirius stood up and helped his friend into a seat at the table before making them both some tea, thoughtfully adding extra sugar into Remus' cup. He'd had a month to process the news. He had somehow managed to forget (or perhaps repress) just how serious and downright terrifying this news was.
"How's Harry?" Remus asked finally.
"He's okay. Shaken but he should be alright," Sirius replied, scowling as he thought of his godson's recent experiences. "Fudge refuses to believe that Voldemort is back, of course. So Albus is working with Arthur to build up a support base in the Ministry. The last I heard, we have about a third of the current minister's on our side. Obviously, we have to assume that at least another third are Death Eaters, some of whom we know as Harry saw them at Voldemort's side. Malfoy, MacNair, Nott. And those are just the ones we know of. But at least there is another third who are questionable and could be persuaded to join our side."
"I take it the Command Centre at Hogwarts will be active again," Remus said, his colour returning slowly.
"Yes," Sirius said, placing two cups of tea in front of them. He sat down opposite Remus and stirred his tea thoughtfully. "I have to go see Mad-Eye Moody next."
"What?" Remus said, spraying tea all over the table.
"I know. I just hope Albus knows what he's doing," Sirius said. He quickly filled Remus in on what Crouch Junior had done to Moody. "He's had about six weeks at his house to recuperate from his ordeal but he was held captive for almost an entire school year. That guy was paranoid enough before he was trapped in his trunk. Merlin only knows what he's like now. But then, we need at least one Auror on our side, even if he is retired. We've lost not only Lily and James, but also the Longbottom's."
They were both silent as they contemplated the awful fate of Frank and Martha Longbottom. They had both been active members of the Order who had worked tirelessly against Voldemort. They were older than Sirius but there had been an easy camaraderie among the members of the Order and Sirius had always had a deep respect for the couple. Sirius' thoughts turned to the current threat Voldemort posed and the fact that he was running around the country unarmed.
"Remmy, there's something that's been bothering me for a while now and I was wondering if you could help me with it," Sirius said, glancing up from his tea.
"Sure. Anything, Sirius. You know that," Remus replied with a small smile.
Sirius smiled back. "As you probably know, my wand was snapped when I was thrown in Azkaban. So I'm currently unarmed and with Voldemort back in the world…"
Sirius trailed off, hoping Remus would have some sort of solution for him.
"I suppose you can't just walk into Ollivander's and get a new one," Remus said with a wry smile. "Hmm, let me think."
The only option Sirius had been able to come up with was stealing one but he didn't really want to do that. The world might see him as a criminal but he certainly had no intention of living up (or down, as the case may be) to that unfortunate reputation.
Suddenly Remus stood up and left the room.
"O-kay, then…" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. He hoped Remus was on to something. He certainly had that triumphant gleam in his eye like he'd always had when he'd solved a particularly difficult Arithmancy problem.
"Try this," Remus said as he entered the room, holding out a wand.
Sirius stared down at the mahogany wand in shock. He didn't reach out for it. He couldn't.
"That's…that's James' wand, isn't it?" Sirius asked hoarsely.
"Yes," Remus said quietly. "I found it in the rubble of the house the morning after. Take it."
"I can't," Sirius said, turning away from both the wand and his friend. He stared out the window into Remus' backyard. It was incredible how much pain a mere wand was causing him. His life was usually spent in a desperate bid for survival and he'd been able to push everything else aside in order to concentrate on not being caught by either the Ministry or Voldemort's Death Eaters. Now, a simple wand had brought back all the pain and anguish of his best friend's death. Sometimes it was hard to believe that James had been dead for almost fourteen years. It was times like these that made Sirius regret not acting on his feelings for James. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with what ifs.
"Did you take it out of his hand?" Sirius asked, unable to stop the morbid question.
Remus looked startled. "No. Like I said, I found it in the rubble. It was lucky it wasn't snapped."
Still Sirius stared out the window. Remus had planted tulips, he noted absently, watching the colourful bulbs wave gently in the summer breeze. It looked like a nice day outside. It was too bad he couldn't go out and enjoy it. Who knew if Remus had nosy neighbours too?
"He can't use it anymore," Remus said softly, forcing Sirius to deal with the issue rather than ignore it. "He'd want you to have it."
Sirius turned around. He stared down at the wand in Remus' hand for a moment before reaching out to take it. James' wand, he thought reverently. It felt like sacrilege even just holding it.
"Test it," Remus suggested.
Sirius pointed the wand at his teacup and said, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The cup rose up off the table as directed by Sirius and then gently returned to the table in the exact same spot it had been before.
"Wow," Remus said.
"What?" Sirius asked. It wasn't like the werewolf to get excited by a simple spell taught to first years at Hogwarts.
"Well, usually wands don't react that well with someone other than their original owner," Remus explained. "Here, let me show you."
He took the wand from Sirius and cast the exact same spell on the exact same teacup. The cup rose jerkily off the table, spilling tea over the polished surface, and crashed back down onto the table, falling over to rest on its side.
Sirius was intrigued. "So why is it that I can use Prongs' wand but you can't?"
"I don't know. Perhaps it's because you two were so close," suggested Remus as he used his own wand to repair the plate he'd dropped earlier and finished making Sirius' meal while the animagus cleaned up the spilt tea.
Sirius sat down at the now clean table and ate the meal Remus placed in front of him.
"I miss him too," Remus said quietly.
Sirius glanced up sharply and then sighed. "I know. I still can't believe I convinced them to use that rat instead of me as Secret Keeper. I should have done it. I would never have told anyone where they were."
"But then they might be alive, but you'd most likely be dead," Remus said sadly.
"So?" Sirius asked, pushing his empty plate away from him.
"So then I'd be sitting here having this exact conversation with James instead of you," Remus said, sounding exasperated. "I'd really rather you were both here arguing with me."
"Me too," agreed Sirius despondently.
*
The next day before transforming into Padfoot, Sirius patted his robe to make sure James' wand was still there. It was a comforting weight in his pocket. He bounded out of Remus' house and headed towards the small village Mad-Eye Moody lived in. Remus was travelling to Hogwarts that day to assist Albus with the restoration of the Command Centre.
A few hours later he was standing in front of Moody's house. He was a little apprehensive about approaching the former Auror but Albus had assured him that Moody knew him to be innocent and was sympathetic to his plight. Sirius appreciated the sentiment but was still sceptical.
Oh well, only one way to find out. Padfoot pushed the wooden gate open and trotted down the path to the front door of the cottage. Before he could bark or scratch at the door, it opened.
"Get in here, you mangy mutt," Moody growled, his magical eye scanning the garden beyond them as his normal eye watched Padfoot walk inside his house. He shut the door and Sirius transformed.
"I've already spoken to Albus. I know about the meeting," Moody said, walking awkwardly on his wooden leg into the living room.
"Then why the hell did he tell me to come here?" Sirius asked, starting to get annoyed that he'd travelled all that way for nothing.
"I asked Albus to tell you to come here," Moody said, sitting heavily on an overstuffed armchair. He waved at the sofa. "Sit down, boy. Don't tower over me."
Sirius sat down reluctantly. He'd rather head back to Hogwarts than have a conversation with this man.
"I asked for you to come here because I've heard some rather disturbing rumours and I thought you deserved to know," Moody said mysteriously. "I'm in contact with some of the Aurors at the Ministry and they've heard disturbing talk from some of the Death Eaters they've had under surveillance."
"So?" Sirius said curtly, he had no idea why Moody felt that this information would be relevant to him.
"So," Moody said, glaring at him pointedly. "Apparently the Death Eaters have reason to believe that James Potter is not dead."
Suddenly Moody had Sirius' complete attention. "What?"
Moody's scarred face twisted as he grinned at Sirius. "That got your attention, eh."
"Why do these Death Eaters think James is still alive?" Sirius asked impatiently.
"They're low level Death Eaters," Moody replied. "They're unlikely to be privy to any classified information but they've heard talk that Voldemort did not cast Avada Kedavra on James. They don't know which curse was used, apparently they were drinking in a bar while speculating on what Voldemort may have cast. All they really knew was that whatever he used, it would not end in death."
Sirius stared at Moody blankly. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it really possible?
"How can this be?" he wondered aloud.
"You might not have heard much about the crime scene at Godric's Hollow, since you were arrested before it was really examined," Moody continued. "Lily's body was found in young Harry's room. She was dead, obviously from the killing curse, but James' body was never found. At the time, we assumed that it had been destroyed by the rubble as the house was virtually destroyed."
Sirius held his head in his hands as he turned this information over in his mind. "And they don't know which spell was cast?"
"No. They had only heard an upper level Death Eater mention in passing that James was not killed," Moody said, surprisingly gently.
"Is there anything else I should know?" Sirius asked.
"No. If I hear anymore, I'll let you know," Moody said.
"I have to go," Sirius said, standing up abruptly. "Thank you for telling me this."
"Your welcome, young man. Just don't do anything foolish," Moody stared at him pointedly but didn't elaborate.
Sirius nodded vaguely, not really listening. All he could think of was getting to Hogwarts and the one person he knew could help him. He transformed into his animagus form and Moody let him out of the house.
*
As soon as Sirius reached his destination, he transformed back into his human form and closed the door behind him. Why did this greasy git have to be the spy in Voldemort's ranks? He was forced to put aside his extreme dislike of the Slytherin and work with him if he wanted to get anywhere on this quest he'd assigned himself.
"Black," Severus Snape said icily, glancing up from his cauldron. "I thought I'd see you – everything else has gone wrong today. What the hell do you want?"
Sirius swallowed. His gaze flitted around the dingy dungeon. He didn't think he'd ever have to say these horrible words. This is for James, he reminded himself firmly.
"I need your help," Sirius said quickly. Why did he feel so dirty?
Snape arched an eyebrow at him. "You need my help? Has hell frozen over and I didn't get the owl?"
"Shut up, Snape," Sirius snapped, irritated no end by Snape's sarcasm. "You know I wouldn't be here unless I were desperate. What do you know about James?"
"I know he was an annoying git," Snape said absently, his concentration clearly on stirring the cauldron carefully.
Sirius growled and stepped up to the desk. He braced his hands on the wooden surface and leaned forward, staring menacingly at Snape.
"Careful!" Snape said, his voice laced with a cool anger. "This is Wolfsbane potion for that werewolf friend of yours."
"Don't fuck with me, you greasy git. What do you know about James not being killed?" Sirius asked angrily.
"What? Of course he was killed," Snape said, looking genuinely startled.
"Shit. He didn't tell you, did he?" Sirius asked, raking a hand through his hair as he turned away from Snape. What the fuck was he going to do now? If Snape didn't know, who would?
"Who didn't tell me what?" Snape asked, sounding confused.
"Voldemort. Apparently he didn't use the killing curse on James. I need to know what spell he used so I can find out what happened to James," Sirius said wearily. He'd been travelling non-stop for days and now it appeared to have been for nothing.
"Voldemort hasn't completely trusted me for a long time," Snape admitted, his voice a low rumble.
"Who would he have told about this?" Sirius asked. If I could just get to that person, he thought, I could make them tell me what happened.
"Probably Lucius Malfoy," Snape said bitterly. "That bastard has always been able to worm his way into Voldemort's good books."
"Malfoy Manor is unplottable isn't it?" Sirius asked thoughtfully, his mind a whirl of possible plans and ideas, most of which were unworkable and some of which were quite foolish.
Snape eyes narrowed. "Yes. Why?"
"I need to know what happened to James," Sirius said resolutely, his stance radiating stubborn determination.
"Well, you can't just waltz up to Malfoy and ask him!" Snape bit out. He shook his head. "Typical impulsive Gryffindor."
"Maybe I can't, but you can," Sirius said, glancing slyly at Snape.
"If you think I'm doing your dirty work, you can think again," Snape said coldly as he started bottling the potion.
"I hate to admit it, but you're right. I can't talk to Malfoy, but you can," Sirius said, mentally preparing himself to beg Snape. "Think of Harry. He needs his father. Even if you don't like James or Harry, don't let that boy go another year without his father."
Snape was silent, his expression impassive.
"You honestly think James is still alive?" Snape said in a low tone.
Sirius was confused. "If the killing curse wasn't used-"
"The killing curse isn't the only curse that ends in death, Black," Snape said condescendingly.
"I know that. But Moody said the curse Voldemort used wouldn't end in death," Sirius said. It was becoming harder and harder to control his temper around this git.
Snape fell silent again. Sirius didn't know what else to say to convince him.
"Alright, I'll do it," Snape finally said. "But you owe me!"
"Fine," Sirius said, inwardly wincing at the thought of owing Snape anything.
"At the next Death Eater meeting I'll get Lucius alone and ask him what he knows," Snape said coldly. "I don't know if he'll tell me anything, but I'll try."
"Thank you," Sirius said grudgingly.
"I'm not doing this for you," Snape said, sneering at him.
Sirius left the dungeon wondering what he'd said that made Snape have a change of heart. He'd been totally against the idea of helping Sirius but had suddenly had a complete change of heart. Don't question it, he told himself, just be grateful he's helping.
*
"Oh sweet Merlin," Remus said after listening to Sirius' explanation of everything that had happened over the past few days.
"And now, we just have to wait for Voldemort to call a Death Eater meeting and Snape will go and question Malfoy," Sirius said, leaning back on the couch he was sitting on.
Sirius and Remus were sitting in the common room of the Order of the Phoenix. The Order had it's own tower at Hogwarts. It had been empty for fourteen years but now it had been cleaned up and restored to its former glory.
In the middle of the tower was the common room, which was similar to the Gryffindor common room but was decorated in the colours of all four Hogwarts houses. On one wall, large versions of the four House crests flanked the Hogwarts crest. The entrance to the common room was a portrait of Dumbledore and his pet phoenix, Fawkes, and the password was often sock related.
On the floor above the common room there was a dining room, which was serviced by house elves at all hours of the day and night. There was a bell that could be rung to summon a house elf, although the three meals the students were served in the Great Hall were served there too.
On the floor below the common room was the Command Centre. It was a huge round room with a large conference table in the centre, which was used mainly for Order meetings. Around the walls were desks, which were used by members when they were working on various tasks such as analysing information that had come in from spies and other sources. Adjoining the Command Centre was the Order Library which housed important documents such as field reports, minutes of meetings, intelligence briefs and reference books, including many that, if they were included as part of the Hogwarts library, would be shelved in the Restricted Section.
Above the dining room, the Order members each had their own room in the tower, each with it's own bathroom so they didn't have to share, like the students did. Of course, they would all rather that it wasn't necessary for the Order to exist, but at least they could live in comfort while fighting evil and Sirius never had to worry about being captured, since all the members of the Order knew he was innocent.
"How long until there is another Death Eater meeting?" Remus asked Sirius.
"It depends on when Voldemort feels the need to call one, but according to Snape, there has been one at least once every fortnight since he returned," Sirius said.
Remus suddenly jumped. "Oh, a letter came for you while you were down in the dungeon. Here it is."
Remus pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Sirius, who instantly recognised Harry's handwriting. He unfolded the parchment and began reading aloud.
Dear Sirius,
Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Actually, I'm taking your advice and talking to someone. Well, actually I've been writing to someone and you're right, I do feel better. He's really helped me to accept what happened and get past it. It's strange. I never thought we'd have anything in common and I really thought we'd be enemies forever, but he's not that bad when you get to know him.
At least Hermione is having a good summer. She's visiting Victor Krum in Bulgaria for a couple of weeks before going to the Burrow for the last two weeks of the holidays. I'll be there then too.
I'm glad to hear that you are okay and that you've managed to steer clear of any Aurors while doing what Professor Dumbledore asked you to do. Actually I've been wondering, Professor Dumbledore asked you to go see Arabella Figg. Is that the Mrs Figg who lives near me? It's probably a common name, but apparently she's moved out and some old man has moved in.
Say hi to Professor Lupin for me. Will you be at Hogwarts when I get back to school? I'd like to see you again.
Harry.
"He sounds alright," Remus said as Sirius reached the end of the letter.
"Yeah, but you know Harry. He doesn't like to worry people," Sirius said. He actually worried about his godson more when Harry was obviously trying to keep Sirius from worrying about him.
"At least he's talking to someone," Remus said sympathetically.
"I wonder who," Sirius said, scanning the letter again.
"Oh, by the way, Dumbledore asked me to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts again this year," Remus said, smiling proudly.
"That's great, Moony," Sirius said, pleased for his friend. He knew that Remus had been devastated to be forced out of the job just over a year ago.
*
A few weeks later, Sirius was woken very early one morning by the alarm sounding in his room. That meant that everyone had to assemble in the Command Centre. Sirius groaned as he fell out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans. He hoped it wasn't too serious, whatever had happened.
It suddenly occurred to him that it might be something about Harry and he grabbed his shirt and ran down to the Command Centre. He was thrusting his arms into the sleeves as he entered the room. He sat down beside a sleepy Remus and glanced up at Albus who was standing at the head of the table. As well as Remus, Arabella, Mundungus, Moody and Bill Weasley were seated around the table. While Arthur and Percy sorted out the Ministry, Bill had volunteered to be the Weasley representative at the Order of the Phoenix.
"Severus was called to a Death Eater meeting earlier this evening," Albus said without preamble. "I called you all here so we can hear what happened. Severus."
Albus sat down beside Snape, who looked a little roughed up but otherwise all right. He did not stand to address them, leaving Sirius to wonder whether he actually could stand.
"Voldemort is gathering support from as many people as possible," Snape said flatly. "Many of the children of current Death Eaters are being inducted into the group. Crabbe, Goyle, Bulstrode, Parkinson. The only one whose child has not yet been forced to join is Lucius Malfoy. Apparently Draco is refusing to join and Lucius has been told that Draco will receive the Dark Mark at the next meeting or he will die."
"We must get him out of there," Arabella said instantly, her clear blue eyes flashing angrily.
"Will you be able to organise a team to get Draco out of there?" Albus asked her.
"Of course," she replied, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder indignantly. "I may have posed as an old woman for years, but I'm perfectly capable of getting in and out of Malfoy Manor without being caught. I was an Unspeakable, after all."
"I'm terribly sorry Arabella. I didn't mean to malign your skills," Albus said, his eyes twinkling. "Please continue, Severus."
"Hmm, yes," Snape said, glaring at Arabella for interrupting him. "As I was saying, he's increasing his ranks. He already outnumbers us and is growing everyday. But then, they are untrained and an uncooperative group at best. He's planning for some sort of attack at Halloween, the anniversary of, well, you know."
There were varying degrees of shock from the members of the Order seated around the table. They all knew what it would be the anniversary of and no one wanted to see a repeat performance fourteen years after the last one. Sirius just prayed that this attack would not involve Harry.
"Anything else?" Albus asked. Snape shook his head.
"That is all I wanted you to know," Albus said. "Arabella, if you could get Draco here as soon as possible. The rest of you can continue with your tasks in the morning. I apologise for dragging you down here so early. Thank you for coming."
Mundungus and Moody left first, discussing the newly acquired information as they ambled back to their respective rooms. Albus glanced curiously at Sirius, who was making no effort to leave, before hurrying out of the room. Arabella asked Remus and Bill to be part of the team to rescue Draco and the three of them huddled around Arabella's desk discussing the best options to get the boy out of Malfoy Manor. Sirius stood up and walked over to Snape. He sat down next to him and stared at the wall opposite them.
"Were you able to talk to Lucius?" Sirius asked bluntly.
"Yes," Snape replied, wincing slightly as he shifted in his seat.
"Well?" Sirius said impatiently.
"He said it was a banishment curse that was used but he doesn't know anything more than that," Snape said. "You owe me big for that. He was not inclined to just reveal that information. I now owe Lucius. Do you have any idea what sort of position that puts me in? Do you?"
Sirius glared at Snape. "Fine. I owe you big."
Sirius stood up and left the room, muttering under his breath about how annoying Snape was.
He undressed and climbed back into bed. He lay staring up at the ceiling contemplating this new information. A banishment curse. What the fuck was that? Merlin, I'm really no closer, he thought despairingly.
*
School had started. Remus was busy teaching, marking, preparing lessons and working with Mundungus on tracking the movements of various Death Eaters. Draco Malfoy had been rescued three weeks earlier and had joined the Order eagerly. He had been working with Arabella, telling her everything he knew about his father and his involvement with the Death Eaters. They were building up a file that would eventually be used to indict the elder Malfoy but they had all agreed that, at the moment, it was better to allow Lucius and Voldemort to believe they were untouchable.
Sirius had tried to find out what a banishment curse would do when cast on a person but so far he had only found out that banishment curses had been illegal for centuries and therefore little was known about them. It didn't help that Albus kept sending him out on various missions all the time either. He supposed he could have told Albus why he wanted to stay at Hogwarts but he knew that the information he collected was vital to the resistance effort against Voldemort so he went. He pushed aside his impatience, telling himself that if James had survived for fourteen years, he could survive a few more weeks.
Albus was always on the go, running the school and the Order and Remus was obviously busy teaching and working in the Order, so Sirius had decided to enlist Harry, Ron and Hermione to help him. He had debated for days whether he should tell Harry about this before he had any concrete information about his father, but without the help of the trio, he would never acquire any hard information. After all, it was true that two heads were better than one. He'd been thinking about this so much that the thoughts were circling around in his head without any real direction.
Sirius had sent the three of them an owl that morning and they were meeting him in the Order common room after classes. Harry, Ron and Hermione had been inducted into the Order before school had started. The Weasley's had brought them to Hogwarts a week early so they could join and learn about the Order before school started.
Their first meeting with Draco had been tense. Sirius remembered Ron's bewilderment when he'd realised that the blonde boy was already a member of the coveted Order of the Phoenix. Harry had been the first one to accept him. Ever since he'd seen Cedric die before his very eyes, Harry had been evaluating his life and had confided in Sirius later that the enmity between himself and Draco had seemed utterly ridiculous compared to Voldemort and Harry's acceptance of Draco had led to Ron and Hermione grudgingly giving him a chance.
Harry had taken one look at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes and stepped forward to shake Draco's hand. Ron had sputtered for a moment and then Hermione had joined Harry in welcoming Draco into their group. Ron, never one to be left out of things, had quickly shaken Draco's hand and turned to sit down at the conference table. It had been a rocky beginning, but Draco's already established easygoing friendship with several of the older members of the Order (Arabella, Remus and Sirius himself) had helped smooth over any rough patches. Sirius had noticed that all through the meeting, Ron insisted on watching Draco suspiciously, as if he expected the Slytherin to suddenly jump up and declare his loyalties to Voldemort. He had seemed almost disappointed when all that happened was Draco suggesting a few minor alterations to plans that were being drawn up to infiltrate another spy into Voldemort's ranks.
Now, almost two weeks later, the four of them were becoming quite good friends. Harry had spent a lot of time talking with Draco down in the dungeons. Sirius suspected that Draco was the person Harry had spent all summer writing to, which would explain why he had been so willing to forget the past and welcome Draco's friendship. It was most likely, Sirius mused, that Draco was the only one Harry felt could understand what he'd been through. With Lucius Malfoy as his father, it was highly likely that the blonde boy had witnessed some rather gruesome events. Ron and Hermione, although sympathetic, would never be able to relate to Harry's darker experiences. They were just too innocent, untouched by the darker side of life, no matter how much they had experienced with Harry in their earlier years at Hogwarts. Watching a friend die before you was not something that you could easily explain to someone who hasn't observed something similar.
Sirius was sitting by the fire and eventually the portrait opened and admitted four teenagers. He watched with a grin as Draco and Ron argued fiercely over who backed the better Quidditch team.
"It's really very simple, Ron," Draco was saying. "Puddlemere United have more sponsors than the Chudley Cannons. More sponsors equals more money. More money equals better players."
"Yeah, but they're just making it harder for the rest of the teams that don't have as much money," Ron complained. "The League should institute a salary cap."
Draco gasped, looking horrified. "A salary cap? A salary cap?"
"Alright, that's enough from both of you!" Hermione said quickly before Draco could launch into a lecture about why a salary cap was such an appalling idea.
"We'll finish this later," Draco muttered to Ron, all the while smiling sweetly at Hermione.
Harry rolled his eyes at Sirius. "Even when they're trying to get along, they still argue."
"Hey, at least we're only arguing about Quidditch. You know that's one subject we're never going to agree on," Draco said, grinning at Harry.
Sirius had to admit; it still surprised him to see the three Gryffindors being friendly with the blonde Slytherin. Now that they were on the same side, Draco had let his guard down around the members of the Order. Of course he still had his moments of scathing sarcasm, but he was trying to get along with everyone.
"Let's go upstairs to my room," Sirius suggested, leading the way.
Once in Sirius' room, Harry immediately flopped onto the bed and Draco sat beside him. Ron claimed the armchair while Hermione sat on the window seat. Sirius started pacing at the end of the bed.
"Okay, well I asked you all here, well I asked three of you here, but it's okay that you're here too Draco," Sirius said, smiling at the blonde boy. "I wanted to tell you something and I need your help."
"Anything you want," Harry said sincerely.
"Thanks Harry, but you haven't heard what it is yet," Sirius said cautiously. "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it. Voldemort did not use the killing curse on your father, Harry. He used a banishment curse."
Harry sat bolt upright and went as white as a sheet.
"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know and that's why I need your help," Sirius said, watching Harry carefully. "The curse was banned centuries ago and I need your help to research it so we can find out what happened to him."
"So, is it possible that he's still alive?" Ron asked, glancing between Harry and Sirius.
"Yes," Sirius said cautiously.
"What?" Harry finally choked out. He looked panicked and extremely upset. Sirius felt his worry for his godson increase exponentially.
"Harry-" Sirius started to say.
"My father could still be alive?" Harry said incredulously. He stood up and glared accusingly around the room. "How? What? I…He…I just can't deal with this right now."
Sirius watched helplessly as Harry ran out of the room. Harry had taken this harder than he'd expected. He should have waited until either he knew for a fact that James was dead or James was actually here at Hogwarts before Harry was informed. Sirius had hardly seen Harry since he'd started school. The young Gryffindor always seemed to be busy which meant that Sirius hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him and find out how he was dealing with the tragic events of the previous school year.
Ron stood up. "I should go after him."
"No," Draco said, reaching out to place a restraining hand on Ron's arm. "Let him be. He'll get more comfort where he's going than you can give him."
"Where is he going?" Hermione asked, staring curiously at Draco.
"I…promised him I wouldn't tell," Draco said, glancing apologetically at them all. Ron looked down at Draco's hand, still on his arm, and raised an eyebrow at the blonde boy. Sirius was amused to see Draco blush as he removed his hand.
"Just tell me this, is he going to see the person he's been writing to all summer?" Hermione asked.
Draco nodded. "Yes, but that's all I can tell you."
Sirius was shocked. He'd been so sure that Harry was confiding in Draco. So much for that theory, he thought ruefully.
"So, who's going to join me at the library?" Hermione said perkily.
"What?" Ron asked, aghast. "Why are you going to the library?"
"School just started," Draco chimed in with a grin.
"Sirius needs help researching the banishment curse," Hermione said as if this should have been obvious.
"Oh, well, uh," Ron started stuttering.
"Ron, I know you're busy training for the Quidditch try-outs," Sirius said understandingly. "You don't have to help."
"And, uh, you know I'm training him," Draco said quickly.
Hermione rolled her eyes at both of them. "Fine, I'll do it alone."
"I'll be there," Sirius told her. "Of course, I'll have to be Padfoot. But I'll keep you company."
"Thanks, Sirius," Hermione replied. "We might as well start now, do you think? There are a few hours until dinner."
"Sure," Sirius agreed, thinking that the sooner they started, the better. "What are you guys going to do?"
Ron and Draco glanced at each other.
"Wanna go flying?" Ron asked Draco.
"Sure," Draco said, smiling nonchalantly as he hopped off the bed.
*
Hermione was sitting at a round table in a deserted corner of the library. The table was covered with huge old texts. She'd had a brainwave on the way to the library and the pair had gone to visit Hagrid first and get a permission note so Hermione could search the Restricted Section.
The reason her corner of the library was deserted was because Hermione was unloading all her worries to a large black dog that was lying by her feet as she scanned the books for relevant information. Even Madam Pince would occasionally look over as if worried for her sanity.
Now, three hours and a dozen books later, Hermione's eyes were starting to protest being forced to read the small fancy script that most of the older texts favoured.
"I realise that Harry went through an ordeal at the end of last year but really, his behaviour so far this year has been quite strange," Hermione was saying. "He's out of bed at all hours. He always has the Marauders Map on him, and that reminds me, he still hasn't told us how he got it back after Moody took it. Or at least, that fake Professor Moody, Crouch Junior."
Hermione gasped as she found banishment curses in the index of a book from the Restricted Section. She flicked through the pages to find the right one and continued to talk softly.
"He's hiding something and that isn't like Harry. He usually tells Ron everything, even if he feels that it's a boy thing so he can't tell me. And now to find out that Draco knows who he's been writing to all summer. Obviously someone from school since he went tearing out of your room to go see him," Hermione said before exclaiming happily when she found the correct page. "Hmmm, let's see, banishment curses…here we are."
Banishment Curses
Ablegatio - Latin. [sending away , banishment].
Banishment curses are extremely complex and must only be attempted if the castor is confident in his ability to relocate matter. Essentially, these curses cause a person's body to dematerialise and relocate in another place and sometimes, even another time.
Hermione paused as she processed this information.
"This is quite strange," she commented to Sirius. "It seems like it's kind of like forcing someone else to apparate. I'll keep reading."
Unfortunately, unless the castor is proficient in the casting of these curses, the results can be unpleasant and unpredictable. The banished person can end up anywhere in the world, most often not in the time or place intended.
"How on earth are we going to find him if he could be anywhere in the world?" Hermione wondered.
Padfoot whined unhappily.
When a person's body is dematerialised, their soul and their magical essence is sent up into the cosmos and is returned back to earth in another body, frequently in the form of a newborn child. Usually this curse is reversible with the simple incantation of 'Finite Incantatum'. However, it is important to note that banishment jinx's require particular incantations specific to the person involved [see page 504].
"Well, at least that part is easy," Hermione said lightly. "Once we actually find him that is."
Unfortunately, there is currently no spell or charm to locate a banished person. Research suggests that the very nature of this curse - to banish an unwanted person - negates the possibility of a location spell.
Hermione looked disappointed. "Well maybe they found one later on. There is an updated version of this book in the Restricted Section. I'll go get that, perhaps someone found a location spell after the publication of this version."
*
Padfoot watched Hermione disappear into the Restricted Section. He rested his head on his paws and sighed. They were so close. They knew what the charm did and how to reverse it. Now they just needed to know where James was. It had helped that Hermione knew the library like the back of her hand. Sirius hadn't had to research anything since his seventh year at school, about eighteen years ago.
Sirius couldn't help worrying about Harry. He'd known that Harry was having a tough time after Cedric's death and the rebirth of Voldemort, but Hermione had shown him that there was something more going on with his godson. The secrecy was driving Sirius insane. Why couldn't Harry tell him about this mystery person? I'm an open-minded person, Sirius thought. I can accept anything Harry could possibly tell me. Next time I see him, I'll have to tell him that.
Hermione reappeared and sat down. She flicked to the appropriate section and shouted triumphantly.
"Miss Granger!" Madam Pince said as she hurried over to chastise Hermione. "It's bad enough that you've brought an animal here but now to be yelling! One more disturbance out of you and I'll throw you out."
"I'm sorry, Madam Pince, it won't happen again," Hermione said quickly. She waited until the librarian had walked out of hearing range before she read what had gotten her so excited.
Mere weeks before the publication of this volume, a location spell was discovered which will cause the castor to apparate directly to the side of the banished person. The incantation is 'Adduco' (Latin meaning to bring or lead to) which is immediately followed by the name of the banished person.
Hermione was practically bouncing up and down on her seat. Padfoot jumped to his feet and barked happily.
"That's it, Miss Granger!" Madam Pince said angrily. "Take your dog and get out!"
Hermione grabbed her belongings and followed Padfoot out of the library, leaving behind a mess of books on the table.
*
Back in his room, Sirius could hardly contain his excitement. Hermione hid a grin. He looked like a child the night before Christmas.
"I'll go get him now," Sirius said. It was obvious that he couldn't wipe the grin from his face. "Merlin, I hope he's still alive. It would be utterly incredible if James could come back here."
"You can't go now," Hermione said, panicking slightly. "At least tell Professor Dumbledore about this first."
"No, he's been gone fourteen years. I can't wait any longer," Sirius said, reaching for James' wand. "You tell Albus while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Alright, fine. But just be careful," Hermione said before hugging him. She knew that no matter what she said he'd already made up his mind and nothing could stop him from doing this.
"I will," he promised. "Adduco James Potter."
Hermione stared at the empty space where Sirius had stood mere seconds ago.
"Oh dear God, what have we done?" she said to herself. Panicking completely now, she ran out of the room to find Dumbledore.
To Be Continued