A/N: Yes, I have been gone for quite some time. I apologize sincerely for the pause on the story, but Europe was so cool…anyway, I think I have some of my inspiration back now and I should be able to write the end of the story fairly quickly…thanks to everyone for putting up with me. Enjoy!

~Katameran

Hermione paced across the floor of the common room, Harry and Ron watching her. Finally she turned towards them.

"It doesn't make any sense."

"What doesn't?" Ron asked tiredly.

"This evening! Sirius Black didn't just show up to get taken away again, did he?"

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked irritably.

"If he's working for Voldemort, then what was his plan? And why did your stories check out? It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe he was just supposed to be watching the castle when we found him." Harry suggested.

"Well then why did those people come and get him? He had no way to send up a distress signal!" Hermione argued.

"Well, maybe…oh, I don't know! I can't think! Can we please go to sleep?" Harry asked snappishly, rubbing at his eyes.

"Fine, it's probably a good idea. I can't think either."

"Thank you!" Ron jumped to his feet and ran towards the common room.

"Good night." Harry told Hermione.

"It just doesn't make sense…" she muttered, staring fixedly at the fire.

***

Remus groaned and rubbed his face. He had dozed off in the chair and had woken up with a sore neck and a bad taste in his mouth. The sky was just starting to turn gray on the horizon. Morning wasn't far away. He would be glad of the end this horrible night. He happily realized that there was a completed lesson plan on his desk – he had had a spare hour the previous day. Now he didn't have to plan anything and could go back to sleep for another hour.

***

Sirius squinted as the daylight hit his eyes. The sun had risen less then an hour before, and the new day was bright and cheerful – not anything like his mood. He was flanked by a man who appeared to be around his own age and who had not spoken, and another death eater whose face Sirius had yet to see. The worst member of the group was directly in front of him, moving nervously though the area was deserted. Pettigrew. Instincts had pointed their harsh fingers towards murder when Peter had first stepped out from behind his master, but Sirius had managed to refrain from any sort of violence.

Lord Voldemort's instructions had been, for the most part, clear. The masked death eater served as a sort of guard, someone to watch over the two initiates. Sirius knew his task. He was to bring Harry Potter to the dark lord as soon as he had regained enough trust to be left alone with the boy. The other newcomer had a different assignment, though the end result was much the same: He was to kill Remus Lupin. Sirius suspected that the other man's duty had been assigned mostly as another test for Sirius. A test of old loyalty. Sirius hadn't been feeling a great deal of loyalty as of late, so it had been surprisingly easy to keep a steady expression when this was announced. He would not allow either Remus or Harry to die, he was sure of that.

The group marched silently across the hard packed earth.

***

Harry and Ron managed to keep up a steady stream of chatter with the others at the Gryffindor table as they scrambled to eat their fill of breakfast before class. Hermione was studying her Herbology text and became extremely snappish whenever anyone tried to get her attention.

"She's not still on about the 'missing piece', is she?" Ron asked Harry in a tone low enough to be covered by the noises of the meal.

"I don't know. It really is sort of odd when you think about it…"

"Harry! He's gone, there's nothing we can do until he comes back for you with his death eater friends."

"Thanks loads, Ron. Really."

"Sorry."

There was a pause.

"It's ok. I know what you mean."

"No, I really am sorry."

"Drop it."

"But-"

"I'm not bloody kidding Ron, forget it!" Harry's voice sounded slightly strained and there was a note of something not quite panic mixed in.

***

Looking around the head table, Remus noted that Severus was gone. Where he had managed to escape to so quickly from last night, he didn't know.

Wait. Of course he knew.

Remus nearly pitied Severus for the job he had to do – teaching in the confusing time was bad enough, but having to leave for Voldemort's side in the middle of the night…Severus had made a wrong choice years before. He did his job now because he was responsible. As it should be.

The headmaster sat at his place, conversing pleasantly with professor Sprout as though none of the previous night's events had occurred. Remus wondered how he did it.

Minerva was not to be seen, still in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had been taken into their confidences and told the entire story. The woman really didn't hear the truth enough as it was.

***

Draco Malfoy listened idly as the headmaster rose and asked for quiet, then made an announcement regarding the transfiguration classes. Apparently Professor McGonagall had been taken ill and Professor Dumbledore would take over her class for a day or two.

Then the headmaster turned his attention to the Potions class. All morning classes were canceled, as Professor Snape had had to leave for an outside emergency in the middle of the night. He would hopefully return by afternoon.

The professor seemed to have many such emergencies or reasons to leave – well, not many, but certainly more this year than ever before. Draco wondered if he was a death eater and if the headmaster knew. Dumbledore didn't seem the type to be fooled, but you never knew…Draco's father swore up and down that the man was a crackpot and not fit to be running a school.

Malfoy's bored eyes scanned the Great Hall, searching for something to dwell on. The Gryffindor table was as chatty as ever; with Granger reading her stupid Herbology book. Draco frowned as he noted the same illustration that he had seen several minutes before – was she still on that page?

***

Sirius Black's mind wandered as they continued to stride through what were basically wastelands. He wondered where they were. He wondered who the masked death eater was. He wondered who the other initiate was. He wondered what had brought the other man here. He wondered how he was going to work his way out of this. He wondered if Peter felt any remorse for the crimes that he had committed.

"So Black, you finally accept your destiny?" The voice behind the mask hinted of mockery, but it was also familiar.

"Who are you?"

"Answer the question. The last time we met, you and that Potter friend of yours were full of humanity and a sense of 'righteousness'."

"What does that have to do with my destiny?" Sirius asked, jaw clenching.

"Your mother, of course. She tried to steer you on the path to greatness, but you wouldn't accept it. I assume that you realize the error of your ways now?"

"Yes, I do. I was young and foolish, caught up in the dreams of James Potter, and I wasn't willing to listen to my mother. Would've saved me a bunch of trouble if I just had. So who are you?" Sirius tried to keep his tone light, as though these thoughts were nothing new. Well. They weren't new, but he had never thought them from this side or in this light before. And he had never tried to sound as though he meant it.

"Hello, Sirius." Severus Snape pulled the hood from his head in a practiced motion.

***

As usual, many thanks to my reviewers. Without you, my story would be nothing.

Nicky – hey, what's up? Hope you're still around…I agree that joining Voldemort is not the best way to prove Sirius' innocence. But hey, anything's possible, right?

Heath – muchos gracias.

Wellduh – your reaction warms me. No, seriously, I was amused at your review.

Tarawyn – May I tell you again how cool you are? No? Too bad, you're awesome. Yes, Sirius is in deep shit, to sum up your review and agree with you. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say on my new chapter…oh, and thanks for spending 4 hours trying to get to chapter 7. Much appreciated.

Urania – muahaha, but who knows what the ending shall be? I'm trying to prove, through the thoughts of Sirius along with my fic 'Evil' that we all have darkness in us. But maybe the ending will be good. Maybe. *Blushes* Glad to have another fan, they are always nice to have around.

Fire spirit – Ah, but don't we always wonder what the Malfoy family is up to? I personally feel that if they actually existed, they are the type of people that you never ever ever turn your back on because then it just sucks for you…hehehe, you'd better believe it.