Chapter 5: Rise and Fall

The journey to Flamel's house passed more quickly than Sirius had expected. The group's flight-path had been a straight one and the air was still and warm despite a screen of black fog.

When the group touched down, they landed in the centre of an orchard within the Flamel estate. Moody did not waste time in ushering the group through the bare trees, after making sure that all broomsticks had been well hidden.

'We need to be as quick as possible,' he told the Order members as the ambled on behind him.

Sirius smiled half-heartedly at James as he listened the crunching of the twigs and leaves below his feet. The sky was barely visible from beneath the shelter of the skeletal tree frames, but as light was scarce Sirius guessed that the time could be no later than three am. Still this did not give the Order long, with only three hours until sunrise they had to move rapidly as they would be much easier to detect in daylight.

'Now, we'll need to divide into groups,' Moody said quietly to his followers. 'There's no need for us all to go into the house. Two small groups will do, and a third to keep guard outside.'

Mad Eye stopped suddenly in his tracks and faced the others, who stood obediently before him.

Sirius stifled a yawn. Hours had passed since the meeting at Aberforth's house and still little had been achieved. After anticipating the day he would finally work against Voldemort for so long, he felt slightly guilty for wishing he was back at home in bed.

'Fenwick, I want you to come straight up to the fourth floor with me; mind that you keep behind me, you'll easily get lost and I haven't the time to come looking for you. Alice and Frank… I want you to keep an eye on the other floors. Watch out for Dolohov, or anything else suspicious looking….spy devices and the like.'

Moody rested suspicious eyes upon Aberforth's bearded face. 'You'd better take him with you' he instructed Frank and Alice before turning to Sirius and James.

'Potter, Black, you two patrol the gardens. It's not a large area considering, but you'd best keep your eyes peeled, especially for anyone who might be sneaking in through the woods.'

Sirius sighed, his heart sinking.

Great, he'd come all of this way, in the middle of the night to wander around a garden.

Moody saw the lack of enthusiasm in the two Marauders faces and scowled. 'I have it on Dumbledore's word that you two are a rare talent with a wand in your hands. With your skills you'd be better off out here. There's little chance of any intruders getting in past Flamel's security system. 'Best thing to do is to try and head them off before they get too far in.'

'What do we do if we find anything?' Alice asked.

'Fawkes warning.' Moody said simply. 'Magnificent bird, just summon him…with your mind not your wand. He'll know when you need him and he'll alert the others by sending them a single phoenix feather. Keep a look out for that.'

Moody began to move again, weaving in and out of the blackened tree trunks, which gave off a heavy scent of damp wood.

Sirius walked rapidly across the crisp carpet of roots and foliage. He, like the others, did not mutter a word until the edge of the orchard was in sight.

Finally the inky black sky above came into view, lit dimly by a silver sliver of moonlight.

Flamel's mansion was plainly visible now that the group were out in the open. It was a large, imposing structure of bright, white marble, blanketed in twisting weaves of ivy.

'Merlin!' Benjy Fenwick gasped as he surveyed the monstrous structure.

Moody chuckled humourlessly. 'Don't worry. We're sticking to the north-westerly wing so that minimises the work considerably.'

'It's nearly half past three,' Frank Lonbottom announced, checking his watch in the pitiful light.

'Best get going then,' Moody muttered. 'We'll leave you here,' he said to Sirius and James before leading the rest of the group towards the house.

'I don't believe it!' James muttered angrily. 'He goes swanning off into the warmth whilst we are stood out here, freezing our arses off like the prized prats that we are!'

Sirius clapped a hand onto his best friends shoulder before slumping down onto the damp grass.

'Fine by me,' he affirmed, 'I've been dying for a sit down for ages.

James smiled and sat down too.

The land around the Flamel house was minimal, the patch of lawn that they currently occupied was no wider than a Quidditch pitch and only followed along the front of the house. A few wooden chairs were dotted around the grassy floor, surrounded by flower beds that had been rendered obsolete in the winter months. A wide wooden pathway lay just feet away from where James sat. Sirius guessed that this was Flamel's outdoor ten pin bowling alley; the one Dumbledore often enthused about. Long blades of emerald grass had begun to creep over the surface of the alley, which had obviously not been used very often in the colder climate.

'How long do you think we'll be out here for?' James asked.

'Not long,' Sirius replied optimistically, 'Moody told the others they had to move quickly.'

James looked as tired as Sirius felt. It seemed strange to them that, after months of nagging Dumbledore to allow them to fight Voldemort, they should feel so utterly unimpressed when finally put into action. Sirius had imagined this moment to be filled with the thrilling, flashing lights of wand battle, not being sat with James on a soggy, old lawn.

'Do you think Moody'd mind if I had a quick nap?' James muttered, crestfallen.

'I think he'd rip your head off and feed it to a Hippogriff,' Sirius replied truthfully.

James nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose. Sirius gazed hopefully across the perimeter of the orchard, half hoping that Voldemort himself would appear, if only to provide a boost to the evening's entertainment.

'Reckon we should stand up?' James asked wearily, 'Or get our wands out, or something?'

'Nah,' Sirius yawned, too lazy to contemplate any form of movement.

James fell against him, resting his head upon Padfoot's shoulders. 'I want my bed,' he wailed melodramatically.

Sirius chuckled, 'I think Lily will be asleep now mate.'

'That's not what I meant.' Prongs scowled. 'I hope she's ok. She'll probably be worried because I'm not home yet.'

'Maybe she'll have called those Please-men' again Sirius laughed heartily, earning himself a punch in the arm from James.

'They aren't 'Please-men' they are 'Police men', and, as Lily found last time, it is actually against muggle law to tell them your fiancé has been murdered, when he has merely stayed over at the Three Broomsticks… after drinking a shed-load of Butterbeer the night before.'

Sirius sniggered, earning himself another punch in the arm.

'I wonder how Moody's getting on,' James pondered as he glanced over towards the house. He's been gone about half an…Hey what's that?'

'What'

'I just saw something hop over that wall,' James said pointing to a small, stone structure which stood to the far side of the orchard.'

Sirius yawned, 'Probably a stray dog or something. Nothing to worry about. I reckon if Dolohov and his cronies are going to strike they'll do so once the Stone's out in the open, not inside that fortress Flamel calls a home.'

James nodded half-heartedly. 'Look, I can see Moody though that window. Stand up.'

Sirius jumped to his feet, followed by James. The pair withdrew their wands and attempted to look as though they had been 'constantly vigilant' throughout Moody's absence.

The tall, shaggy haired figure which James had seen moving within Flamel's house crossed the wide lawn, slowly approaching the two friends.

Sirius watched the man for several seconds. Something in the shape of his silhouette did not fit Moody's frame. This figure was much thinner, he held himself upright and walked with a grace that Moody's clumsy swagger could never have achieved.

Padfoot laughed, 'It's just Aberforth.'

'Oh' James breathed as he slumped back to the ground, not bothering to keep up the pretence.

Sirius, however, remained standing. 'What are you doing out here?' he asked urgently Aberforth. 'Has something happened?'

'Golly, no,' Aberforth replied. The strange man hitched up the tails of his cloak before sitting elegantly upon the grass next to James.

'Then why are you out here?' Sirius continued, staring at Aberforth.

'I got terribly bored,' Aberforth replied in his airy, high-pitched voice. 'Quite a frightful place really, all of those big empty rooms and not a single easel to be seen. I couldn't live without my paintings.'

'Did you paint that portrait that Dumbledore made you move?' James asked.

'Oh yes, that was my first real portrait. I painted it from memory you know. Tom never would sit still long enough for me to paint him.'

A faint line appeared between Aberforth's eyebrows and he continued with bitterness, 'In fact, he never stayed in my presence long enough for me to say 'Hello'. Poor Tom, little did he know of the joy he could bring to a young boys heart.'

Sirius and James stayed silent, unsure of how to react to the stranger's musings. Their silence went unnoticed as Aberforth's sorrow quickly passed and a sudden expression of glee overcame his weary face.

'If Alastor is correct, and the Death Eaters do try to attack us, do you expect that Tom will try and seize the Stone personally?'

Sirius sat down next to his best friend and whispered quietly in his ear, 'Who the heck is Tom?'

'Dunno,' James replied quietly.

'Well,' Aberforth replied enthusiastically, 'will he? Will he come?'

'Yes,' Sirius replied carelessly. 'I'm sure Tom will come.' He had already grown tired of Aberforth Dumbledore and his stupid rambling.

'Yipee!' Aberforth cried, 'I haven't seen Tom for absolutely ages. This is going to be such a hoot!'

'A hoot?' James said dryly. 'A sodding hoot? This guy actually wants us to be attacked!'

'Don't be stupid Prongs, he's Dumbledore's brother for Merlin's sake!'

'Well, he's definitely out of his tree.' James concluded.

The two Marauders sat quietly as Aberforth proceeded to make a daisy chain with flowers he had grown instantly by wand light. Sirius kept his eye on the edge of the orchard whilst James kept a look out for Moody.

'He's coming,' said James after nearly half an hour of boredom. 'Look there's Fenwick behind him.'

Moody and his group sprinted across the lawns to where the Marauders and Dumbledore were sat.

'Right, move!' Mad-Eye bellowed. The trio took heed and followed on into the orchard.

It was now almost daylight and it was much easier to find a path amongst the trees now that darkness had gone. Sirius ran quickly and was almost leading the gang when they finally reached the spot where they had hidden their broomsticks. He could see the Philosopher's Stone bulging in Moody's pocket, wrapped in an old, brown handkerchief.

'Now then,' Moody panted as he swung a leg over his broomstick. 'Frank, take the lead….Black, you bring up the rear. I want you on my right, Potter…Alice on my left,' he paused slightly to catch his breath. 'Fenwick guard me from above…you, stay underneath me,' he finished pointing at Aberforth.

'It will be a pleasure,' Dumbledore giggled foolishly.

The group set off with great haste, Frank Longbottom leading the way to Gringotts.

Sirius found that the further west he flew, the weather conditions began to worsen. It was not long before the world below became invisible under a thick covering of black rain cloud. Fenwick eased the Order members higher up into the sky so that they were right above the clouds and safe from the rain. However, the heavy, winter-wind caused James and Alice to veer of course on several occasions.

'Pull in closer!' Moody bellowed.

His efforts were in vain, as the howling wind drowned out his every word.

Sirius kept his eyes on the Auror in front of him, being extremely careful to keep in perfect line. It was only the sight of a bright green light, which flashed in front of his face, that made him swerve out of position.

Putting the freak occurrence down to lightning, Sirius focused his sights back onto Mad-Eye and Frank ahead of him. Moody suddenly ducked rapidly (a Wronski Feint that any international Quidditch player would have been proud of), and Sirius began to panic. A second flash of green light narrowly missed Alice Longbottom and a third ignited the handle of James' broomstick.

Glancing quickly at the sky above him, Sirius, out of the corner of his eye, saw three figures bearing down upon him; each wearing long, black cloaks and black masks over their faces.

Blind panic set in as Sirius tilted his broom towards the ground and made a speedy descent. The speed of his decline was so rapid that his heart seemed to jump into his throat. Several flashes of green light flew past him, missing his arms and head by inches. He urged his broom forward further still, willing it to go faster until it was almost free-falling.

He could no longer see; even blurred outlines were now invisible; nothing existed but blackness. Sure that he was going to be sick, he tried to slow down….but it was too late.

Sirius' broomstick crashed to the ground, throwing its rider off. He felt his leg collide with the ground and heard the sickening crunch as his body crumpled on top of his damaged limb; and then the world around him melted into nothing.

A/N: Wellllll, I'm really going to have to stop there, otherwise this chapter's going to end up another 2000 words long. We're getting there tho', almost at the first big event. Sorry if this chapter was a bit slow and empty; fitting in Sirius/James interaction time is a bit tricky. They're both a bit careless at the moment, treating the Order a game (like the naughty little Marauders that they are!)but they'll soon learn.  Next chapter will be the big confrontation with the Death Eaters… hopefully we'll return to real time in chapter 7 and mingle past bits in as well.

Anyway, replies:

Oceanjewel: Thanks for coming back again! Glad you're still enjoying, sorry I didn't manage to fit the full battle in  :0(  …..and yes, your question about specific tasks has been answered!

Polkat: Glad you like past Sirius, we don't seem to be going back to present Sirius any time soon. I love your Flamel! My original draft of this chapter involved a very pushy and thrifty Pernelle, who forced her poor, suffering husband to buy such a ridiculously big house and other expensive junk. Perhaps they used to live in the cottage, with the greenhouse, until the idea of endless wealth went to her head. Yeah, Aberforth is a bit 'out of his tree' as James so delicately put it. I prefer to think of him as a lost soul, confused about his sexuality, scorned by the only boy he ever loved and forced into seclusion by his over-protective (yet completely sane) older brother. We'll, get to the root (and repercussions) of his character in the next couple of chapters. I can't see where I refer to Sirius as James, perhaps I actually meant James but structured the line badly, which is highly probable. I'm going to shut up now. Goodbye.