A/N: Hey you, sat at a computer. This is the part when I come out with all these rather pathetic excuses on why the fuck haven't you updated its been months I don't care if you got a shit load of work plus your mate ::coughelectracough:: was telling you to get a move on, so why the hell didn't you?-

The list could go on...

So, besides all that, as I posted chapter four of Protectors, and waited for my minion's responses, I figured I better shift my lazy ass and update, or Electra would bathe in my blood (scary bitch) so er, yeah...

A while back I tried writing this chapter all moody and pathetically whiney (like Electric-hair) and in the end, got really mad, deleted it all, and then spent several weeks fuming about my lack of a brain regarding this particular story, and avoided this 'Oath' file like the plague...

Now I've summed up the courage, and deposited my pride somewhere along the way, here is the re-vamped version of chapter 17, how it should be...

Jacqui12B: Hey, cheers, I personally could go drown this little bunny in the local pond, but then Electra'd call the RSPCA, then I'd get my kit taken off me...

Inandout: Hey beautiful! My faithful reviewer, please don't kill me. I treasure your verdict so tell me honestly what you think to this new update, ok?

Golden metal Dragon: yo sup kiddo? Thank you for the review. Gah, may Dave be burnt in the hells of desire, while being immortalised in the golden halls of beauty...

Disclaimer: I don't even have a right to be writing this anyway, let alone claim it for my own ingenious ideas...

"What the-"As another huge shudder enveloped the house, plaster dust fell from the ceiling, smothering any part of Remus Lupin not covered by his blanket. As he threw the covers back, and clambered out, he shook the grey dust from his hair and pyjamas, with a shudder. Rubbing his eyes, and fumbling for the door in the early morning light, he finally yanked it open as another tremor shook Grimmauld Place. Shuffling down the stairs, he stopped mid-step; and stared.

There was Sirius, covered in dust, armed with a dusty wand, blowing the hallway to pieces. Half the staircase had gone. Harry was stood at the other end of the hall, mug in hand, also covered in dust, viewing Sirius destroying the interior of Grimmauld Place wearing a mild expression of amusement.

"Padfoot, I know you're angry but-"Sirius turned and looked up to face Remus, grinning slightly. Levitating an extremely disgruntled Remus down the missing stairs, he placed him beside Harry.

"Relax Moony, would you believe I'm actually looking for something."

"And blowing Grimmauld Place to pieces looking for something is a good motive for destroying this place?" Sirius and Harry both laughed at this.

"No, It's ok Remus, lets just leave him to it. He won't tell me what he's looking for, and as long as he's armed, I reckon we go make you some tea..."

"FOUND IT!" Both Harry and Remus slammed down their mugs, and skidded into the hall – where Sirius was sat in front of the cupboard-under-the-stairs, his head and upper body half in the wall. "BLOODY WELL FOUND IT! THAT OLD TWAT COULDN'T KEEP IT FROM ME-"

"SIRIUS! What the hell are you playing at!?!"

"Will you please enlighten me as to why the hell you have completely destroyed the interior of Grimmauld Place?"

"Harry, Moony, chill. Lemme just reach-nearly-that's-GOT IT!" came the muffled reply as Sirius stratched and shuffled objects about.

Both Harry and Remus simply stared, as he emerged from inside the wall, dragging out a small wooden chest, rusty and aged with a splintered cover. It looked like it had been in a collision with a bus, and had come out of it better off.

It was about knee height on Sirius, was evidently extremely heavy, and looked like it had survived the last ice age. The Black family crest had been emblazoned into the front of the lid, and the intricate carvings had faded in places. Sirius was grinning like a maniac.

"This is it?"

"'This is it?' you mock me, young Harry. This is the key to everything. You shall see..."

"Where 'is' the key?" Remus pointed to the key hole, but Sirius simply shrugged reaching up to his neck, he fumbled around for his necklace, when he simply tugged it off. Tossing the chain to one side, he slipped on the Black Crest signet ring, wincing slightly.

"You kept that Padfoot?" Remus reached out to scrutinize the markings.

"No. I blew mine to pieces after they gave it to me when I was twelve. This is Regulus's. It was sent to my parents along with the remains of my brother after they killed him. That was one of the best days of my life when I found out what'd happened. I was told his pulp went everywhere. I like to keep it on me at all times. Sums up the Black family don't you think?" Remus' hand quickly withdrew.

"Er..."

"Relax Moony, you know what my family was like..." he rested the ring against the blackened key hole in the chest, and it simply popped open. The three guys edged closer, two anxious to see what been so important...

Inside the chest, lying at the bottom was a tiny rusted key. And that was it. An anticlimax for Remus, he was just about to ask if this was a worthy cause for blowing up half of Grimmauld place, and why the chest was so damned heavy if all it had in it was a tiny key, when Sirius seized the key, and rushed from the hallway, skidded into the kitchen, banged the old larder door open, down through the larder, down the cold stone steps, into the sombre cellar, and halted in front of the far cellar wall, followed closely by Harry and Remus, both half amused, half worried.

"Why are we-"

"Hush, Harry. You'll see..." he stood their staring at the mossy wall for a moment, before yanking out his wand, and blasting the moss away. Both Remus and Harry had been thrown back off their feet, but Sirius was oblivious. There, in the wall, was a small key hole, partially invisible, and looking ancient. He slid the key into the lock, and turned it slightly left, and then right and then back round all the way left again. Sirius simply took a step back, and waited for a moment. No one spoke.

Without warning, part of the wall slid back and left slightly with a low rumble, revealing a darkened space, and a cloud of dusty dirt

"Lumos." A desk was lit up. Shelves lined the room, the objects covered in a thick layer of dust. Old pictures of ancestors blinked at the new light, and mumbled to themselves.

"Now we're talking..."

The back wall was free of shelves or pictures. Or anything that looked legal. For several hundred small black hooks were holding up some of the deadliest weapons known to mankind. A third of the wall was taken up by swords alone.

From the longest double hand broad sword, to the tiniest stealth blade, all had intricate sheaths, and glistened in the wand-light. Gaelic daggers and throwing knives came next, sleek and powerful, the tiniest weapons, yet most effective.

Further along the wall, came several different crossbows, longbows, and standard bow/arrow combinations, all made out of a dark mahogany coloured wood, almost black; the tips of the thousands of arrows hung up were most probably poisoned. Three shields hung from the corner, one long, another slightly smaller, and a final one slimmer, smaller, and slightly more deadly looking. A small collection of battle axes hung on the other side, each streamlined and intricately carved.

"Sirius? W-what the hell is all this?"

"This, Harry, is my father's infamous war wroughting collection. You take a sword off a hook, it'll reappear on the same hook, while that first one's still in your hand. A never ending source of fire-power... it's perfect... just what we need..."

Remus stood silent, studying the collection in detail, thinking hard.

"Are you sure it'd work Padfoot?"

"It has to Moony. What other choice do we have?" The two old friends stared at each other, and then the wall.

"Dumbledore has forbidden it Sirius. You're sure this is what we should do?"

"Remus, Dumbledore doesn't know about this place... he thinks we'd probably end up getting ourselves killed or something... but look. Three shields. We can do this. It's our duty, and I wont sit here a day longer contemplating our situation."

"Hang on a minute guys... you aren't... you're gonna- why weapons?"

"He'll have put up any ward imaginable to stop us. One thing I doubt he will have tried is the old wards for muggle weapons... it's a slim chance, and I'd much prefer using a wand, but so be it."