A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter took so long…not only have I been extremely busy (I haven't spoken to my mother or slept in a few days) but it took me a while to get this chapter to where I wanted it. It's still not quite right, but I can't take any more time. I'm too picky anyways! Well, thanks for being patient!
~Katameran
Sirius heard the word, but couldn't move in time. The spell hit him and he flattened against the wall as the pain seared through him. The curse was almost immediately lifted and he gasped for air.
"That wasn't any fun, was it?" Voldemort asked silkily. "This is what I do to people who don't wish to see my side of things. Crucio!"
The spell seemed to hit with more force the second time and Sirius felt his very skin catch on fire, sparked by the red heat in his bones. He heard himself scream, surely he would pass out soon – he was not to be granted that luxury. Voldemort lifted the curse and Sirius slumped to the floor, gasping, tears of pain welling in his eyes.
"Well Black, have you reconsidered?" Voldemort asked mockingly.
Sirius whispered something between his clenched teeth, his arms wrapped around himself, knees pulled up to his chest.
"What was that?" Voldemort asked again.
"Bastard." Sirius hissed louder.
"Now where do you think that attitude will get you?" Voldemort taunted, lifting his wand again.
The third blast of pain slammed into Sirius with a magnitude that made the previous two curses incredibly desirable. His skin was being torn from the bones, the muscles were disintegrating, the hairs on his head were being ripped out one by one – he plunged into darkness, the agony falling behind, but suddenly it was lifted and a sharp kick in the side brought him back to full consciousness with a painful jolt.
"Maybe that changed your mind. You certainly screamed as though you never wanted to feel that sort of thing again. Do you have an answer now?"
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but found that only a wheezing noise could be produced for the moment. The tears streamed down his face and he fought for air. Slowly, the excruciating aftermath faded, leaving a strangely painful numbness behind. Sirius uncurled himself and opened his mouth to speak, then faltered on the words.
"Don't make me do that again. I have other methods of inducing pain. This was merely a warm-up." Voldemort said cruelly.
Sirius tried to speak again, but choked on the words, fresh tears escaping his eyes. The dark lord's foot connected harshly with his side.
"Do not keep me waiting for your answer."
Sirius gulped air, trying to get under control.
"I will not join you!"
"Oh? And why is that?" Voldemort asked, hitting Sirius with the unforgivable before he could answer.
The pain was indescribable. Sirius screamed until he could scream no longer, felt himself spiraling into blessed oblivion, and then was cruelly jerked back into the word of conscious pain once more.
"Well? Why won't you help me, Sirius? You're not still hanging onto the idea that you can help those worthless creatures that you call friends, do you?"
"I won't have you controlling me!" Sirius whispered.
Voldemort's terrifying face broke into a smug leer.
"Sirius, there is so much that you do not understand…you see, I have controlled you. When Lucius visited the prison, he was there for two reasons. One was to plan the attack. The other was to speak with you and decide whether or not you were sane. He reported back to me that you were indeed coherent, but your attitude was questionable. I then instructed him to release you into the world on the night that we broke Azkaban open, knowing that you would go to Hogwarts to gain allies. It was only a matter of sending my insiders in the ministry to reclaim you, and instructing them to leave your guard alive. By doing that, your guard was able to tell Professor Dumbledore that death eaters came to get you. Now your trust with them is broken. Don't you see?" Voldemort lowered his voice to a whisper.
"I do control you."
"No, you don't." Sirius whispered back, concentrating on deep breaths. The growing anger and desperation that he felt ended his tears.
"I don't have to control your fate, but I can help you decide it. Either you agree to help me, or I torture you to the brink of death time and time again until you are driven out of your mind, and therefore useless as a servant to me. Think about it…if you agree to follow me, you can get revenge on the wizarding world that has betrayed you. It is not turning your back on your friends, but merely accepting that they have turned their back on you."
"I…" Sirius felt the tears pressing at the back of his eyes again, induced by the choice he was about to make.
Voldemort raised his wand again.
"I'll join you." Sirius spat harshly, not raising his head.
"Excellent." Voldemort's cruel voice said silkily, just before uttering the awful curse once more.
Sirius felt the pain burn through him again and it wasn't long before he mercifully blacked out.
Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts…
Remus accompanied Harry, Ron, and Hermione as far as his office. There he bid them goodnight and watched them walk down the hallway toward the Gryffindor tower. He then sat down at his desk, head in hands, wondering what to do now. There were still pieces of the puzzle unanswered, his good friend was definitely a traitor, and he had to wake up in a few hours and teach students while acting as though the world were a logical place.
So why had the two stories checked out? Maybe…maybe Sirius had gone to blow up Peter, had thought that he had succeeded in destroying him, but Peter had just been badly injured. Voldemort had sought him out, knowing that he would make a good spy…no, Voldemort was dead by then, and his death eaters were running too fast to stop and recruit. Maybe it wasn't the same Wormtail. Maybe this was entirely unrelated. Who knew?
Sirius Black's mother had been a dark witch. Remus had known of problems at home, but his knowledge had been very vague – the way Sirius wanted it. Remus wondered if James had known.
He wondered what Sirius was doing at this very moment. What had his orders been in the first place? He certainly hadn't accomplished much…Remus hoped that his plan had been to murder Harry and having failed miserably, was being punished. His heart sank. He was tired, and his thoughts were becoming stranger and stranger. He really didn't give a damn as to what Sirius was doing. Remus got up and stumbled towards his bed.
In the darkness of the cell…
Sirius lay awake, still curled up, trying to sleep. He would need it, and it would help calm him down. Unfortunately, the darkness was too black and the silence was too quiet. His ears were straining for a noise – any noise. How long had it been? He had been passed out for an unknown amount of time, but when he awoke the torches had gone out. Sirius dreaded hearing the Dark Lord's plan, but at the same time he found that he was curious…curious to see what Voldemort had come up with, and curious to see if there was a way around it. He had agreed to join the ranks of evil in what he considered a moment of weakness, but he saw now that it might do more good then bad. If he could figure out a way to mess up the plan, he could get out alive and earn back the trust of those on the other side…and then he could help to protect Harry.
Voldemort had spoken of Pettigrew, had said something about resurfacing in the world with Pettigrew so that he could claim his innocence. It was all complicated. Pettigrew would be here…he nearby. The very thought made Sirius sit up, anger renewed. Voldemort had been correct in saying that Sirius wanted revenge…but he had been wrong when guessing. Sure, he was bitter about his lack of trial, but all evidence had been pointed in his direction. Peter was the one who had pointed it that way. And he was going to get what was coming to him.
A quiet shuffling of feet sounded loud in the stillness – someone was coming. Sirius sat up in the darkness and waited. A masked being rounded the corner, a lighted wand held before it.
"Voldemort wishes to speak with you now."
The cell was unlocked, and Sirius stepped out, realizing that his cell was the only place he had seen of this hideaway. There were no windows; he realized that the only light in the ghastly lair came from torches. The walls weren't smooth stone, as he had earlier thought, but hard packed dirt and rock. They were definitely underground. Ahead of them, there was a narrow flight of steps spiraling downwards. The death eater stepped back, motioning Sirius ahead. Sirius moved down seemingly endless steps, until suddenly he was in a large chamber. Voldemort stood at the far end, facing him. There were about fifteen death eaters behind him in a half circle.
"Good evening, Sirius. I trust that your previous decision remains, even though you are no longer in great pain?"
"Yes." Sirius said resolutely.
"And why have you joined me, Sirius?"
"Because…because the people that I was hanging on to have turned their backs on me. I can have real family here." Sirius repeated what he had heard earlier rather numbly, but hoped that it sounded sincere.
"Yes, you can. They will all be your family." Voldemort motioned gracefully to the half circle.
"When will I be initiated?" Sirius asked, still not quite sure that he believed what was going on.
"So impatient!" Voldemort smiled a pleased smile. "Not yet. Before any death eater is initiated, they pass a test proving their worth. The success and impact of what they do determines where on the ranking ladder they will join. If you complete the task, you will be admitted with highest honors."
"And what will this task be?" Sirius asked, dreading, but needing to know.
"You will bring me Harry Potter."
"What?" Sirius squawked, not sure of what he had just heard. "How am I supposed to do that?"
"Relax. You are actually going to have an easier job of this task then other death eaters. You see, the end result is very important to me, so I have created a plan for you."
"Why are you so sure that I can do this?"
"Sirius, don't you know why I sent Lucius Malfoy to check on your condition when you were still in Azkaban?"
"Yes…"
"You have an amazing amount of advantages. With my plan, you can break back into the wizarding world easily, and then be on top, close to Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore once again. If all goes well, they will not even know that you were the one responsible for the death of their precious boy hero."
"If all goes well…if all goes well?" Sirius screeched, nearly losing all control. "How will this ever work?"
"Sirius, it hurts that you show no faith in me. All will end well. Now here is my plan."
And here ends chapter 7. I hope that it was up to standard. My pre-reader isn't around, and I REALLY need to post this, so here goes…as soon as I write my thanks, of course. Not as many reviews on this chapter, but there were some, and so I'm grateful :o)
~Katameran
Isabelle – glad you like it! Yeah, no one likes him very much right now, but we always will!
Nicky - once again, sorry this chapter took so long…oops, too late, he joined Voldemort…sorry…hey, maybe it will work out, right?
Shadow – here's more! Glad you liked that chapter; it's been one of my favorites so far.
Anna-mathe – heehee, it made my day too :o) Thanks for reviewing.
Wellduh – another person who says 'don't make Sirius give in!' well, too late for that. But, like I told Nicky, maybe things will be all right in the end! This one wasn't so much of a cliffie either, but I'm planning one that will really piss you off…
Tarawen – God damnit, you give me so many ideas, and then I'm like 'no! I can't! I know what I want to do! She needs surprises anyway!' but you are really perceptive, and I love your reviews…even if they make me question my whole storyline…thanks a million. And I'm glad I made you cry, hehe. That was a booster for my confidence where this story is concerned…
Well, that's it. Thanks again to everyone, hope to see new reviews!
~Katameran