Warning: Character death.
Lies
By Neurotica
Fifteen
A person who never before wandered the corridors of Hogwarts in the late hours of the night would find themselves slightly anxious to find a well lit room. Only a few torches were lit, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Not a sound could be heard this late; everybody was in the comfort of their own beds.
Well, almost everybody.
Though nobody passing by could see them, three fourth year Gryffindors crept cautiously through the corridors. In the lead was the messy-haired boy known as Harry Potter holding a worn piece of parchment handed down to him by his guardians. Harry's eyes scanned the Marauder's Map for any sign of a professor or Filch and his cat that could slow down their progress to Gryffindor Tower.
"Well?" Ron said thickly through a cake he'd gotten from the house-elves in the kitchens.
"Looks like we're—" Harry broke off as he laid eyes on the Headmaster's office. It was strangely full for this time at night with five dots around the room: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Rubeus Hagrid, and Alastor Moody. While Harry watched, the group began to leave Dumbledore's office, heading straight for the spot Harry, Ron, and Hermione, stood. "Move," Harry said quickly, pulling his friends around a corner.
"Harry, what—" Hermione began. Harry put his hand over her mouth and watched the hall.
Dumbledore was in the lead looking as calm as ever. McGonagall looked as if she'd been crying; Hagrid looked rather upset; and Snape and Moody looked as sinister as they ever did.
"Why St. Mungo's?" McGonagall asked quietly as they passed.
"Easy target," Moody growled. "Bones was forced to pull the Aurors out of there. Black tried to fight it, but there was nothing he could do."
The group of professors passed the trio quickly.
"What happened at St. Mungo's?" Ron whispered.
"No idea," Harry said slowly. "But I know how to find out."
No longer concerned with the cloak or map, Harry sprinted down the corridors to Gryffindor Tower with his friends right on his heels. Panting, he woke the Fat Lady and impatiently said the password. He motioned for Ron and Hermione to stay downstairs while he ran to the fourth years' dormitory and dug through his trunk as quickly as possible. He pulled out an old mirror from the bottom of his trunk and went back to the common room.
"What's that?" Ron asked as Harry sat in an armchair and began cleaning the old mirror with his t-shirt.
"Two-way mirror," Harry replied distractedly. "Sirius Black," he said clearly into the mirror. His reflection was the only thing in the glass. He tried again. "Remus Lupin." After a moment, the tired face of Harry's surrogate uncle appeared in the mirror.
"Harry, what are you doing still awake?" Remus asked, looking over his shoulder.
"What's happened?" Harry asked quickly.
Remus raised an eyebrow. "How did you..." He shook his head. "No, you know what? Never mind, I don't even want to know." He sighed. "There's been an attack."
"At St. Mungo's?"
Remus looked as if he wanted to know exactly how Harry found this information out, but decided it would be better not to. "Yes, at St. Mungo's."
Harry exchanged a glance with his friends. Both looked back at him horrified. "Was anybody killed?"
"A few," Remus said evasively. "Look, it's nothing you need to worry about at the moment. Go get some sleep; we'll contact you in the morning."
"All right. Good night," Harry said before Remus disappeared from the mirror.
"An attack at St. Mungo's?" Hermione whispered.
Harry nodded and stared at the empty fireplace. "Come on, let's get to bed. I'm sure it'll all be in the paper tomorrow..."
Remus put the two-way mirror back into his robes and turned around to face the large crowd around the hidden entrance to St. Mungo's. The emerald green Dark Mark was still high in the sky, blinking sinisterly down on them.
He made his way back through the crowd and found Sirius leaned against a wall looking lost and confused. Kingsley was saying something to him quietly, trying to gain a response and failing. He shrugged helplessly at Remus and went to speak with the other Aurors.
"All right, Padfoot?" Remus asked, wincing at the stupid question. He leaned against the wall next to Sirius and waited for a response.
"Fine," Sirius said weakly, watching Ministry officials Apparate away with a dozen bodies.
Remus shook his head sadly as he watched his friend. It was a look he'd known too well in the first war. Sirius had done everything one man could to protect his friends and loved ones, but when something like this happened, he looked like a lost little kid looking for his mother in Diagon Alley.
"Er, Sirius? The Minister needs a report," one of the younger Aurors said hesitantly.
Sirius nodded, wiped his eyes, and followed the Auror to where the Minister stood with Dumbledore.
"What do we have so far, Black?" Bones asked, noting the look on Sirius' face.
Sirius sighed. "Muggle witnesses say just after two in the morning a tall man with red eyes appeared out of thin air in front of a group of people. They say he whispered something and pointed a stick at them. A bright green light surrounded the group for a few seconds. When it disappeared, the group of people flew into the air for a few seconds, fell to the ground, and were dead before help could be called," he said flatly.
"It was only Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked. Bones jumped slightly at the sound of the name.
Sirius nodded, not looking into Dumbledore's eyes. "That's what they said."
"Who were the victims?"
Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "The night shift of Healers and three hospital patients."
"Do you have a list of names?" Bones asked quietly.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly as Sirius listed the names of the victims. He had known a few of them during their time at Hogwarts. One he'd known well after Hogwarts as well.
"I'll need to make an announcement," Bones said. "Black, I think you've done all you can do right now. Why don't you go home and get some rest. If I need you, I'll let you know."
Sirius nodded and walked away. He could feel Dumbledore's eyes upon him as he approached Remus. Without a word, the two remaining Marauders Apparated to Order Headquarters.
Sirius stared at the tabletop in the basement kitchen as Dumbledore began the Order meeting the next night. He could feel them all looking at him out of the corners of their eyes, and wished they would just stop. He hadn't said a word to anybody but Remus that day, and he knew he was beginning to worry them. Sirius, however, couldn't have cared less at that moment. He tuned back into what Dumbledore was saying at the exact wrong moment.
"...the first loss of one of our own. Hestia Jones, along with her colleagues, was murdered by Lord Voldemort for simply going to work. She was a strong member of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as a magnificent Healer and a wonderful friend. She will be sorely missed." Dumbledore paused, and Sirius knew he was staring at the top of his black hair.
"Our guard was let down," Dumbledore continued. "This is what Voldemort wanted. He waited for the world to start believing the Ministry has lied to them before he attacked. Unfortunately, his plan was successful, and we are now in a full blown war. I encourage all of you to remain vigilant to your surroundings. Those employed by the Ministry of Magic are asked to keep their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I am also asking for volunteers to stand guard outside the Department of Mysteries. Our next meeting will explain the reasoning behind this.
"War is not easy, my friends," their leader said somberly. "There will be losses of friends and family. These are dark times, and the only thing we can do is remain strong and united. I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to a close by asking you all to remember those lost, not only last night, but in the first war, as well. Good night."
Sirius remained in his chair as the rest of the Order stood and started to quietly leave. Remus was speaking with Dumbledore and Molly at the bottom of the kitchen stairs. Molly kept looking worriedly over Remus' shoulder at Sirius. Finally, they all left, leaving the two friends alone in the kitchen.
"Sirius," Remus began.
Sirius raised his head and looked at his friend. He seemed to be at a loss for what to say. He sighed. "I'm fine, Remus. Honestly," he added at Remus' look. "It's not like we were getting married or anything. She was a good shag, that's it. Nothing more. I'll see you in the morning."
Remus watched silently as Sirius moved quickly up the stairs and out of the kitchen. He had known things between Sirius and Hestia hadn't been serious, but he also knew Sirius better than anyone in the world. There had been a crack of emotion in Sirius' voice as he spoke, and Remus knew he was trying to lessen the importance of the relationship. He'd done the exact same thing during the first war.
Sirius cared deeply for Hestia, and her death was affecting him more than he would ever admit. Unfortunately for all of them, this was only the beginning. The war had begun, Voldemort was one up on the Order, and only a miracle could end it.
A memorial was held in the days after the first attack at St. Mungo's for those lost. The Minister of Magic spoke at lengths about the importance of standing together during dark times. She said that the only way to defeat Lord Voldemort—she actually spoke his name; a first ever for a Minister of Magic—was to believe they could make it through the tough days, and to stand together.
After the memorial, Sirius returned to the Ministry to resume his work. He sat behind his desk with a new determination to end the war before it went too far. For hours, he went through old Death Eater reports, attack reports from the first war, and Azkaban prisoner records.
At the bottom of the stack were two files Sirius had never noticed. How they had never crossed his desk was a mystery to the Auror. Hesitantly, he opened the first folder and smiled at the picture on top. It was a photo of the Potter family smiling and waving at him. Harry couldn't have been more than six months old at the time as he sat in Lily's arms. The report showed facts about the family—birth and death dates for Lily and James, the date of their marriage, details on their deaths—things Sirius already knew.
He closed the Potter file and opened the folder beneath it. His own face glared back at him from a black and white Azkaban photo. His release papers were just under it along with records of the crimes he had been accused of.
Without Remus, Sirius would probably still be in Azkaban, rotting away in his small dingy cell. He owed everything to Remus—his freedom, gaining custody of Harry, his happiness, everything he'd built over the last eight years. Sirius wouldn't allow the things that happened in the first war to happen again. He and Remus would not be separated by mistrust.
Sirius had treated Remus like... well, like shit, during the last few months before their world fell apart. Sirius learned the hard way that a little misinformation could do terrible things.
Sirius laid his head on his desk and closed his eyes, letting his thoughts carry him back thirteen years.
Sirius followed Lily, James, and Harry through the Hogwarts halls to the Room of Requirement. The Order would be meeting there this week due to the lack of anywhere else to go. Their location had been leaked to Voldemort three times, making it difficult for them to find anywhere else to meet.
James held the door open for Lily and Harry, but grabbed Sirius' arm to stop him before he entered. "What?" Sirius muttered to his friend.
"You're sure about this?" James said quietly, looking over his shoulder into the room.
Sirius followed his line of sight and saw Lily greeting Remus with a hug. He sighed. "Look, I don't want to believe it either, Prongs, but the facts remain: somebody is after you, besides Voldemort, I mean. And I'm telling you I know what I heard. The werewolves are on his side, whether they want to be or not—Remus is no exception. Just because he's supposedly our best friend doesn't mean a damn thing in war."
"Yeah, but... Come on, Sirius... it's Remus," James said. "The same Remus who punched Regulus in sixth year for calling you a Mudblood lover."
"People change, James," Sirius said moving past his friend into the room.
He heard James sarcastically mutter something along the lines of "no shit, Padfoot" before he followed.
As he sat down, he looked to the other side of the large table and locked eyes with Remus. There was something in the werewolf's eyes he believed, at the time, was guilt. Years later, he would realize Remus had held the same amount of mistrust for him that Sirius had for Remus.
James sat beside Sirius as the meeting began, leaving Lily with a confused look on her face. James, Sirius, and Remus never sat apart during Order meetings.
Dumbledore began by filling them in on new information he'd gained from his mysterious source. When he finished, Remus stood and began a report he'd prepared on the giants that had been contacted by Voldemort. Sirius tuned his friend out and began a game of Hangman with James on a scrap piece of parchment. At the end of Remus' report, Sirius sat the parchment aside and looked across the table at Lily. The redhead was looking angrily back at him.
At the end of the meeting, Sirius and James stood and waited for Lily to bring Harry around the table. "What the hell is your problem?" she whispered harshly to the two wizards.
"What? We were playing a game. Since when is that a crime?" Sirius smirked.
"You need to grow up, Sirius. I don't know what's gotten into you, and I don't give a damn what you think you heard, but Remus Lupin is not a Death Eater," Lily practically growled.
Sirius looked over to where Remus was talking with Dumbledore. This hadn't been the first meeting where Sirius paid no attention to what Remus had to say. In fact, it had been going on for months, and Lily was obviously fed up with it. Sirius, however, was stubborn; he knew what he heard, and he wasn't backing down.
"Hello, everyone," Remus said, approaching the three of them. "Sirius, could I speak to you in private?"
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Lily and James," Sirius said slightly childishly.
"Actually, no, I can't. What I have to say shouldn't be heard by Harry. Please," Remus said.
Sirius exchanged a look with James. "Fine, but make it fast; I've got a date tonight. Prongs, I'll see you at work tomorrow. Good night, Lily."
Remus led his friend out of the Room of Requirement and down the Hogwarts corridors the Marauders had learned so well. They stopped in front of a large window overlooking the school grounds. The moon was nearly full, reminding Sirius of the Marauders' late night excursions from their school days.
Those days are over, Sirius thought firmly. He looked away from the window and back at Remus. The werewolf was also looking outside with an unreadable expression on his face.
"What happened, Sirius?" Remus asked quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sirius sighed, examining his fingernails.
Remus laughed humorlessly. "You don't know what I'm talking about," he repeated flatly. "Let me give you a little reminder, shall I? Over the past two months, you've avoided me every chance you could. I've heard you and James talking. And don't you dare interrupt me," he added as Sirius began to speak. "I've heard what you seem to think, Sirius. I don't know where you heard it, and to tell you the truth, I don't give a damn. But I've heard things too, Padfoot, and I swear on everything I hold dear, if you hurt Lily, James, or Harry, I will kill you. I may be perceived as the 'calm one', or whatever the hell you three think I am, but you know better than anybody that I can, and will, defend my friends, even if it means my death. Just keep that in mind, and we can all live happily ever after."
Remus turned and walked away, causing Sirius to grow angry. Nobody walked away from him without hearing what he had to say.
"There you go, Remus, run back to your master before the full moon tomorrow," Sirius said.
Remus stopped dead in his tracks and turned back around slowly. "What did you say?" he growled. Even in the moonlight, Sirius could see his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"You heard me," Sirius said calmly, reaching into his robes for his wand.
"You think you know everything, don't you, Sirius?" The question had been whispered, but Sirius heard it loud and clear. "Think what you want, Sirius, but don't do something you're going to regret."
"Go howl at the moon, werewolf," Sirius growled.
Remus pulled his wand out and advanced on Sirius within a second. Sirius had his own wand pointed at his friend's throat. Before a curse could be uttered, however, a familiar voice came from down the hall. "What the hell are you two doing?" Lily cried, running and stepping between the two wands.
"Get out of it, Lily," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "This doesn't concern you." He glared at Remus with a hatred he had, in the past, reserved for his blood family.
"Lower your wands! NOW!" James yelled, crossing the hall, holding a crying Harry. Sirius looked at his godson, and slowly, lowered his wand. Remus did the same.
"What has gotten into you two?" James asked, looking at his best friends in horror and disbelief.
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't.
"Sirius..."
He looked at his friends. Remus was angrier than any of them had ever seen him; Lily was disgusted; James didn't seem to know what to do. Harry reached over and began poking Sirius' shoulder.
"Sirius!"
Sirius jumped and finally realized that he was still in his office at the Ministry. He looked at his watch: ten-thirty at night it said. He turned his head and spotted Remus looking back at him with raised eyebrows.
"Hey," Sirius said drowsily, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Hey. You okay?" Remus asked. "Kingsley said you've been sleeping all day."
"I'm fine," Sirius replied. "Just... had a dream."
"What kind of dream?" Remus asked concernedly.
Sirius regarded his friend thoughtfully for a moment. They'd come a long way since that night at Hogwarts, and Sirius would die before he ruined the only friendship he had left. "Not important," he said with a small smile. "I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
"Okay..." Remus said slowly, following Sirius from the office. They walked side by side through the darkened Ministry to the Atrium. Before entering the fireplace, Sirius began to chuckle. Remus turned his head and looked at his friend, confused. "What?" he asked.
"You punched Regulus." Sirius laughed.
"What?" Remus asked again with a raised eyebrow.
"Sixth year. You punched him. I'd forgotten all about it until just now." Sirius continued to laugh.
Remus snorted a laugh. "Oh yeah." He smirked.
"Thanks, Moony," Sirius said, sincerely, not merely talking about the Regulus situation.
Remus was slightly confused, but smiled anyway. "Anytime, Padfoot."
