All the members of the Order of the Phoenix had gathered at Grimmauld Place
to bid farewell to Sirius and his comrades. It was a dark night-perfect for
a secret departure from the area. Everyone was sitting in the large living
room. Tonks was kneeling on the settee, watching Andrew Thompson (who was
on guard duty) with some amusement.
'He's talking to a piece of plastic, beside his ear', she exclaimed chuckling. Andrew was disguised as a Muggle businessman, striding up and down the small, dingy housing estate, pretending to be on a mobile phone, for the benefit of any Muggle observers.
Sirius was chewing his fingernails frantically, dreading the mission ahead. He refused Arthur's offer of a bottle of Butterbeer, and had to run to the bathroom when Fred stuck a bag of Every Flavour Beans under his nose.
Eva had arrived earlier that evening, and was sitting with Remus, talking about their schooldays. Sirius wondered how they could be so lighthearted.
'Dinner's ready!' Molly Weasley announced, 'come along now, down to the kitchen all of you!'
'I'll be there in a minute Molly, I just want to check I packed everything one last time', Tonks called.
The rest of the Order trooped down to the kitchen and took their seats around the table, with Albus Dumbledore at its head. Sirius ate nothing- even the smell of the beautiful stew made him feel queasy. Oliver Wood was in a similar state. Various people made attempts to draw Sirius into conversation, but he felt anxious and restless. Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it...
The relaxed, cheerful atmosphere was shattered by a wild, terrified scream from the living room.
'What was that?' Charlie Weasley asked, alarmed.
Sirius wasted no time. Together with Arthur, Molly, Remus, Moody, Fred and George, he sprinted up the stairs, where he collided with Tonks.
'Sirius!' She screamed, 'they're here, they found us, they killed Andrew!'
'What?' Sirius shouted.
'Voldemort', Tonks shrieked at him, 'Voldemort is outside, Sirius! He's come for us!'
Sirius grabbed Tonks by the shoulders and forced her to calm down. 'Did Thompson tell them this address?'
'I don't think so', Tonks gasped, her hair and eyes changing colour rapidly in her distress, 'I saw a Death Eater hold a wand to his throat, he shook his head, they used the Killing Curse. Then...then...Voldemort appeared.'
Sirius swore loudly. 'Get down stairs, all of you', he roared, 'someone get Dumbledore!'
'I am here, Sirius', Dumbledore had followed them unnoticed, and was watching Sirius calmly.
'Sir, you heard-'
'Yes, I am aware that Tom is outside. Remus, Alastor and Arthur, put every Sealing spell, and every curse and hex you can think of on this house-'
Before he could finish, there was a noise like a bomb going off outside the house, and the building shook to its very foundations. Molly and Tonks screamed, while Fred and George cringed.
'Voldemort has used Legilimency on Andrew, this house is no longer safe. They are going to try and blast us out', Dumbledore commented, sounding worried now. 'Sirius, gather all the neccessities for the journey, and leave at once. Tell everybody else to get out too, we are not ready for combat yet. Go!'
Sirius raced back down to the kitchen, where Moody was trying to keep everyone calm, to no avail. 'Snape, Oliver, Eva, Bill, get a move on, grab all our stuff, we have to ru-'
The building shook again. Sirius heard a strange noise, and looking up, saw a large crack forming along the ceiling. 'The house won't take much more of this', he shouted, 'they must've destroyed the houses on either side by now, with those curses. Get out as fast you can, all of you!'
It was only a matter of minutes, Sirius knew, before the house would collapse. He could hear Remus bellowing curses at the walls, and his mother's portrait screaming. Pandemonium reigned, and Sirius was thriving on it. He hadn't had a decent bit of action since his duel with Bellatrix! He gathered all his belongings, as well as Remus', and was back in the kitchen within half a minute. Snape unsealed the small door out of the kitchen, and everybody began pushing and shoving, desperate to get out.
The ceiling was creaking ominously. Sirius stood alone in the kitchen, waiting for Remus to come. 'Get out, Black!' Snape bellowed, 'get out while you still can, or I'll have to seal the door again. The house won't last a minute now the seal is broken!'
'Remus!' Sirius ignored Snape, and ran back to the stairs, colliding with his friend on the way. A huge chunk of plaster fell, only a foot away from Sirius's head. There was no time for idle chit-chat.
Sirius and Remus dived for the door. Snape slammed it shut after them, and sealed it immediately.
It was then that Sirius realised it was a trap.
Dozens of hooded, masked Death Eaters blocked their path. The entire back yard was full of them.
'Looks like we're going to have to fight, whether we're ready or not', Remus murmured.
And the duelling began.
Sirius stood against the wall, feeling completely helpless, as all around him, Order members engaged in deadly duels. He saw one Deat Eater raise his wand and aim a curse at him, but he dodged, and then charged at the culprit, knocking him off his feet. He took the man's wand, and snapped it in two on his knee, getting grim satisfaction from taking away the man's ability to use magic, even if it was only temporary.
He spotted Remus battling three enemies at once-and he was losing. Then Sirius remembered the knife, and he got his fighting spirit back.
He pulled the knife from his robes and aimed with deadly precision, at one of Remus' assailants. His aim was true, and the Death Eater fell, blood flowing around the knife in his back.
The fighting continued for some time. Sirius' mind was racing-what was going on back in the house? Why hadn't it collapsed? Where was Voldemort? The Order was definitely winning-many Death Eaters lay prostrate on the ground, and only one or two Order members had been injured.
Sirius began to look for an escape route. His eyes settled on the high wall at the back of the yard. Beyond that lay another row of houses, and then, the main road. They could easily lose any pursuers on the way.
He hurried over to where Remus and Tonks were battling a big, burly Death Eater. Sirius threw his knife at the man, and wounded him. Remus nodded his thanks, too breathless to speak.
'We need to escape', Sirius muttered to the duo, 'just the seven of us-if the whole Order escape together, we'll be followed, and we can't risk the mission being discovered. Make your way to the wall. Try and come up with a way for us to get over it, unseen.'
The three of them split up and passed the message on to the other four. Sirius searched everywhere for Oliver Wood, and eventually found him, unconscious, and bleeding quite heavily from a wound in his arm. Sirius had to half-drag, half-carry him to the wall. Several Death Eaters blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged, and headbutted the last one, to reach the wall safely.
Snape cast the Disillusion charm on all of them, and Bill and Tonks tried to work out a way to get over the thirty foot high wall.
'I've got it', Tonks hissed, watching fearfully as a Death Eater backed Mad- Eye Moody into a corner, 'GRADUS!'
Tonks pointed her wand at the wall, and every fifth brick in the line in front of Tonks moved forwards, so that they jutted out like steps. Nimbly, Tonks leapt onto the first one, and began to climb like a monkey.
'Oliver!' Sirius called, slapping the boy on the cheek quite hard, to make him regain consciousness. Oliver's eyelids fluttered, and he groaned.
'We haven't got time for examining injuries now', Sirius said urgently, 'I need you to climb, as fast as you can.' By this stage, Snape was half way up the wall, and Remus was starting to climb. The others were already at the top, and climbing down the other side.
Oliver began to climb slowly, breathing heavily, gritting his teeth against the pain. Sirius waited on the ground, to catch him if he fell, but thankfully, the young man's determination carried him over the top of the wall. Sirius then climbed as quickly as possible to the top. He glanced back at his childhood home, and knew that by the time he returned home, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place would be long gone.
But there was no time to reminisce. Sirius climbed down quickly, and jumped the last ten feet or so. 'It's the beginning of the end', Tonks whispered in awe, as green flashes of light and terrible screams filled the air. Sirius badly wanted to go back, as did everyone else, but sacrificing themselves for their friends would do no good.
*************
As dawn approached, a strange procession could be seen trekking through the suburbs of London: Five men in long, dark robes, with rucksacks on their backs, and two women, also robed, holding magic wands in front of them, to light the path ahead. There was something both mystical and ominous about the sight of such a group, their faces determined, their backs straight, not speaking a single word. And each of them knew that every step they took brought them closer to their doom.
*******
Phew! Well, that's my first story ever completed! You might not think it's completed, but I've left it like that so if any of you would like to read more about Sirius' mission, just ask, and I'll be happy to write a sequel! (heck, I could just make it one big story, but this seems like as good a point as any to stop-maintains tension-I hope !)
C ya! Thanks for reading! Luv *~Zana~*
'He's talking to a piece of plastic, beside his ear', she exclaimed chuckling. Andrew was disguised as a Muggle businessman, striding up and down the small, dingy housing estate, pretending to be on a mobile phone, for the benefit of any Muggle observers.
Sirius was chewing his fingernails frantically, dreading the mission ahead. He refused Arthur's offer of a bottle of Butterbeer, and had to run to the bathroom when Fred stuck a bag of Every Flavour Beans under his nose.
Eva had arrived earlier that evening, and was sitting with Remus, talking about their schooldays. Sirius wondered how they could be so lighthearted.
'Dinner's ready!' Molly Weasley announced, 'come along now, down to the kitchen all of you!'
'I'll be there in a minute Molly, I just want to check I packed everything one last time', Tonks called.
The rest of the Order trooped down to the kitchen and took their seats around the table, with Albus Dumbledore at its head. Sirius ate nothing- even the smell of the beautiful stew made him feel queasy. Oliver Wood was in a similar state. Various people made attempts to draw Sirius into conversation, but he felt anxious and restless. Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it...
The relaxed, cheerful atmosphere was shattered by a wild, terrified scream from the living room.
'What was that?' Charlie Weasley asked, alarmed.
Sirius wasted no time. Together with Arthur, Molly, Remus, Moody, Fred and George, he sprinted up the stairs, where he collided with Tonks.
'Sirius!' She screamed, 'they're here, they found us, they killed Andrew!'
'What?' Sirius shouted.
'Voldemort', Tonks shrieked at him, 'Voldemort is outside, Sirius! He's come for us!'
Sirius grabbed Tonks by the shoulders and forced her to calm down. 'Did Thompson tell them this address?'
'I don't think so', Tonks gasped, her hair and eyes changing colour rapidly in her distress, 'I saw a Death Eater hold a wand to his throat, he shook his head, they used the Killing Curse. Then...then...Voldemort appeared.'
Sirius swore loudly. 'Get down stairs, all of you', he roared, 'someone get Dumbledore!'
'I am here, Sirius', Dumbledore had followed them unnoticed, and was watching Sirius calmly.
'Sir, you heard-'
'Yes, I am aware that Tom is outside. Remus, Alastor and Arthur, put every Sealing spell, and every curse and hex you can think of on this house-'
Before he could finish, there was a noise like a bomb going off outside the house, and the building shook to its very foundations. Molly and Tonks screamed, while Fred and George cringed.
'Voldemort has used Legilimency on Andrew, this house is no longer safe. They are going to try and blast us out', Dumbledore commented, sounding worried now. 'Sirius, gather all the neccessities for the journey, and leave at once. Tell everybody else to get out too, we are not ready for combat yet. Go!'
Sirius raced back down to the kitchen, where Moody was trying to keep everyone calm, to no avail. 'Snape, Oliver, Eva, Bill, get a move on, grab all our stuff, we have to ru-'
The building shook again. Sirius heard a strange noise, and looking up, saw a large crack forming along the ceiling. 'The house won't take much more of this', he shouted, 'they must've destroyed the houses on either side by now, with those curses. Get out as fast you can, all of you!'
It was only a matter of minutes, Sirius knew, before the house would collapse. He could hear Remus bellowing curses at the walls, and his mother's portrait screaming. Pandemonium reigned, and Sirius was thriving on it. He hadn't had a decent bit of action since his duel with Bellatrix! He gathered all his belongings, as well as Remus', and was back in the kitchen within half a minute. Snape unsealed the small door out of the kitchen, and everybody began pushing and shoving, desperate to get out.
The ceiling was creaking ominously. Sirius stood alone in the kitchen, waiting for Remus to come. 'Get out, Black!' Snape bellowed, 'get out while you still can, or I'll have to seal the door again. The house won't last a minute now the seal is broken!'
'Remus!' Sirius ignored Snape, and ran back to the stairs, colliding with his friend on the way. A huge chunk of plaster fell, only a foot away from Sirius's head. There was no time for idle chit-chat.
Sirius and Remus dived for the door. Snape slammed it shut after them, and sealed it immediately.
It was then that Sirius realised it was a trap.
Dozens of hooded, masked Death Eaters blocked their path. The entire back yard was full of them.
'Looks like we're going to have to fight, whether we're ready or not', Remus murmured.
And the duelling began.
Sirius stood against the wall, feeling completely helpless, as all around him, Order members engaged in deadly duels. He saw one Deat Eater raise his wand and aim a curse at him, but he dodged, and then charged at the culprit, knocking him off his feet. He took the man's wand, and snapped it in two on his knee, getting grim satisfaction from taking away the man's ability to use magic, even if it was only temporary.
He spotted Remus battling three enemies at once-and he was losing. Then Sirius remembered the knife, and he got his fighting spirit back.
He pulled the knife from his robes and aimed with deadly precision, at one of Remus' assailants. His aim was true, and the Death Eater fell, blood flowing around the knife in his back.
The fighting continued for some time. Sirius' mind was racing-what was going on back in the house? Why hadn't it collapsed? Where was Voldemort? The Order was definitely winning-many Death Eaters lay prostrate on the ground, and only one or two Order members had been injured.
Sirius began to look for an escape route. His eyes settled on the high wall at the back of the yard. Beyond that lay another row of houses, and then, the main road. They could easily lose any pursuers on the way.
He hurried over to where Remus and Tonks were battling a big, burly Death Eater. Sirius threw his knife at the man, and wounded him. Remus nodded his thanks, too breathless to speak.
'We need to escape', Sirius muttered to the duo, 'just the seven of us-if the whole Order escape together, we'll be followed, and we can't risk the mission being discovered. Make your way to the wall. Try and come up with a way for us to get over it, unseen.'
The three of them split up and passed the message on to the other four. Sirius searched everywhere for Oliver Wood, and eventually found him, unconscious, and bleeding quite heavily from a wound in his arm. Sirius had to half-drag, half-carry him to the wall. Several Death Eaters blocked his path, but he ducked and dodged, and headbutted the last one, to reach the wall safely.
Snape cast the Disillusion charm on all of them, and Bill and Tonks tried to work out a way to get over the thirty foot high wall.
'I've got it', Tonks hissed, watching fearfully as a Death Eater backed Mad- Eye Moody into a corner, 'GRADUS!'
Tonks pointed her wand at the wall, and every fifth brick in the line in front of Tonks moved forwards, so that they jutted out like steps. Nimbly, Tonks leapt onto the first one, and began to climb like a monkey.
'Oliver!' Sirius called, slapping the boy on the cheek quite hard, to make him regain consciousness. Oliver's eyelids fluttered, and he groaned.
'We haven't got time for examining injuries now', Sirius said urgently, 'I need you to climb, as fast as you can.' By this stage, Snape was half way up the wall, and Remus was starting to climb. The others were already at the top, and climbing down the other side.
Oliver began to climb slowly, breathing heavily, gritting his teeth against the pain. Sirius waited on the ground, to catch him if he fell, but thankfully, the young man's determination carried him over the top of the wall. Sirius then climbed as quickly as possible to the top. He glanced back at his childhood home, and knew that by the time he returned home, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place would be long gone.
But there was no time to reminisce. Sirius climbed down quickly, and jumped the last ten feet or so. 'It's the beginning of the end', Tonks whispered in awe, as green flashes of light and terrible screams filled the air. Sirius badly wanted to go back, as did everyone else, but sacrificing themselves for their friends would do no good.
*************
As dawn approached, a strange procession could be seen trekking through the suburbs of London: Five men in long, dark robes, with rucksacks on their backs, and two women, also robed, holding magic wands in front of them, to light the path ahead. There was something both mystical and ominous about the sight of such a group, their faces determined, their backs straight, not speaking a single word. And each of them knew that every step they took brought them closer to their doom.
*******
Phew! Well, that's my first story ever completed! You might not think it's completed, but I've left it like that so if any of you would like to read more about Sirius' mission, just ask, and I'll be happy to write a sequel! (heck, I could just make it one big story, but this seems like as good a point as any to stop-maintains tension-I hope !)
C ya! Thanks for reading! Luv *~Zana~*