What Killed the Cat

Sixth Part

They arrived in a small group of only three. After all, it was just a child they were after. Robes of black and cloaks of an identical shade billowed about them, masks of ivory depicting twisted and demented faces. Two slits for eyes and some nose holes were incorporated into the design but no space for talking; Death Eaters didn't speak much to their victims. The "Make your last wish" of Hollywood was a glamorous alternative to the easily administered deaths they produced, of course the fact that they passed judgement with no hint of scruples didn't mean it was in any way quick. True, Avada Kedavra was used often by the clad-in-black followers, but it was the Cruciatus Curse which gave them the highest amount of their sadistic pleasure and often they gave a dose of it before using a simple - almost disrespectful - flick of their wand to send their victim into the next life.

Neither of these things were used on the three teenagers who had been sitting on the vibrant green grass outside the Burrow.

The Weasleys had not been careless. Death Eaters didn't drop in for tea-time visits, so why restrict the children to sitting inside on such a beautiful day? Of course, when Molly realised that young Hermione Granger had been kidnapped in her lovely garden while her youngest son and a boy, who she considered family in everything but birthright, were petrified under their very noses, it was all she could do to go outside to hang up the washing anymore.

Hermione had just started to scream when they used expert spells to silence her and her friends. Harry and Ron were then hastily rendered useless while strong arms encircled Hermione in a vice like grip. If she could just reach her wand…

Before they disapparated, they waved with mocking vivacity to the shocked boys lying rigid on the ground. Soon after that the burrow was made Unplottable.

She had known of course, expected it even, but not quite so soon. She closed her eyes against the blindfold, exchanging black for black. Then, slowly, light seemed to seep through her eyelids. From black to dark grey to concrete and then to white; a dazzling brilliance of white that made her eyes ache. Next, just as slowly, her senses seemed to numb as she no longer registered the tight ropes binding her to a chair and cutting off her circulation, the gag which restricted her from speaking out of turn and the rotten stench that filled her nostrils. Now she was in a soft bed, the smell of detergent stifling and yet a welcome change. She felt like she could breathe again, and yet she couldn't move. Nothing in the vision was tangible despite the definite sensation of it being real. She felt like she was in two places at once, two different beings trapped in the same casing. In a way, she was right.

-=-

"No."

"You haven't even heard what I have to say yet!" replied Sirius indignantly, the slightest hint of a whine in his voice as he plonked down next to Remus on the four poster bed.

"I don't care, when you've got that look about you the only thing that's important is keeping alive," said Remus, eyes not leaving his Arithmancy textbook. He was using the extra time that was usually occupied with History of Magic to get ahead in his homework. 'Typical,' thought Sirius.

"I don't know what 'look' you're talking about, unless you're referring to my roguish charm - in which case I didn't know you cared," Remus looked up from his book and was met with a grin that was both smug and hopeful. When he said nothing Sirius took it as permission to plough on. His expression changed to one of concern; Remus was intrigued.

"I'm worried about Lily," Sirius said in a conspiratorially low tone, as if expecting the red-head to pop up at any minute from behind a bed in the middle of the boys dorms. Although, considering James slept in the very same room it wasn't entirely improbable.

"Er…and why is that exactly?" Remus asked, Arithmancy abandoned. Sirius grimaced as if in great pain, could it be secret feelings harboured for the girl? But Remus quickly dismissed the thought, Sirius enjoyed his position as resident heart-throb too much to be bothered with something as trivial as love. Remus leaned in closer to try and get Sirius to resume the tale.

"Well, that is to say, um…" And now the boisterous boy was at a loss for words! Would wonders never cease? Perhaps the idea of Sirius and Lily wasn't so preposterous…

"Go on…" said Remus.

"Peter and I exorcised Professor Binns!" Sirius blurted, so quickly that it took a few seconds for Remus to process what he had said.

"What? That's the kind of thing that could get you expelled!" A moments pause in which Sirius sat looking only slightly guilty. And then, "Did it work?" questioned Remus in an excited whisper; it was a side of Remus that only his closest friends were privy to, while the rest of the world remained mystified by the Slytherin-esque stoicism.

In truth he had a bit of every house in him - the hardworking Hufflepuff drove him to catch up after those day-long absences; the Ravenclaw hunt for knowledge that was sometimes hard to contain and finally the brave Gryffindor. You had to dig a little deeper to uncover it, but when you found it then you realised how valuable that core of strength was. To face a group of strangers who could easily find out what he was and alienate him before they knew who he was had been a terrifying prospect to the 11-year-old him, Hogwarts letter in hand, perhaps the fact he went through with it was what made the Sorting hat put him in Gryffindor.

"Well, at first we thought it did - we didn't see the old bugger for days, but something happened while we were doing the spell." Sirius looked up, "Lily walked in."

"And…" Probed Remus, much like a small child at story-time.

"She didn't know what we were doing so we didn't lose house points or anything, it's just I think she might have had an unexpected effect on the spell…I think she might be possessed by Professor Binns." Sirius said it with such utter conviction that Remus in no way doubted his belief not to mention that neither Sirius nor Peter were the world's most efficient spell casters.

"Why didn't you get me or James to help?"

Sirius snorted. "James? He'd tell us we were mad, he's perfectly happy with the pranks most of the time, but to even think about harming a teacher is, to him, complete sacrilege! And you were, you know, away that day."

Of course, it would come down to that. "Are you sure?" Remus asked. Sirius nodded evasively, muttering something about Lily reeling off dates randomly. "Then I think you should go to Dumbledore." Sirius nodded again.

And Dumbledore's eye's had crinkled with mirth when he'd heard the tale, immediately ridding Lily of the presence of a ghost inside of her before telling them sternly that if they ever tried something so dangerous again they'd be straight out of the school with no return-ticket, just as he had said the time before, and the time before that…

Everything had been alright in the end. He wished he could say the same for this time. He'd taken it all in without comment when he arrived home; death-eaters, Hermione, the Burrow. There was no way of knowing for certain, he was still putting two and two together, but never had he been so certain the answer was four. Why couldn't Sirius have just had a trial?

-=-

Something inside of him wanted to save her, some irrational part of him that could be neither silenced by his master's Cruciatus Curse nor bought with the silver hand. She was the same and different at once, as if two faces flickered before him - one new and one old. He knew what he had to do, remembered the spell from a trip to Dumbledore's office after an attempted exorcism.

An attempted exorcism with Sirius.

With his friend.

Of course, if he did let the girl go, it could easily be labelled a blunder. 'Accidents' happened regularly, part of him thought his Lord gave him extra duties to watch and enjoy seeing him fail, because with failure came punishment. He shivered involuntarily. The small voice - perhaps the only shred of morality left in his body - seemed momentarily silenced before it resumed its steady buzz. Slowly, meticulously, he cut through the rope. It was only when he'd finished freeing her from the restraints that he decided what he was going to do.

-=-

A/N: Thanks to the lovely reviewers (aww, how fabby are you!) So, managed to get some humour in it, we are nearing the end - promise! Anyway, if you've read it then please review!