Lies

By Neurotica

Eighteen

The full moon was high over head in the month of March, shining brightly on everything below it. Muggle children were told bedtime stories about beasts that howled at the moon and preyed on the flesh of little children who wandered too far from home on nights like this. Folklore, they called it, fantasy, myth. Nobody really believed in that sort of thing. They were merely fun stories to tell around a campfire, deep in the woods.

The Muggles had no idea, really. They were clueless about the world that was hidden around them. The truth would send them all running if they found it out, especially the Muggles living on Grimmauld Place. None of them paid much attention to the happenings at Number Twelve. They may have vaguely noticed the people entering the house at strange hours of the day and night, but they forgot about it moments later and found something around their own homes that needed to be taken care of. If they listened hard enough, they could hear dogs (were they dogs?) barking and howling on certain nights. They had no idea that their peaceful neighborhood was home to one of the most guarded secrets of the other world—the wizarding world.

Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London was home to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance led by Albus Dumbledore against the feared Lord Voldemort. The Order's job was to keep the world (wizard and Muggle, alike) safe from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It was a job chosen by the Order's members, those who didn't want to see their world destroyed by the Dark Lord.

On any other night of the month, the majority of the Order members would meet at Number Twelve to discuss their efforts, and what they would do next. Any other night, they would remain late into the night to socialize and enjoy Molly Weasley's famous cooking. But that was any other night of the month.

Tonight, as you may recall, was the full moon, and all of the Order members knew it was best to keep away from headquarters on that night. Tonight was the night that one of the most respected figures in the Order transformed into something the world (wizard and Muggle alike) feared. Tonight was the night Remus J. Lupin—former Hogwarts professor and Prefect—became a werewolf.

There was only one man in the world (wizard or Muggle) that could keep the werewolf called Moony in check. He was a high ranking Auror for the Ministry of Magic. A man with little patience for many things, and a large heart for others. A man who was to be kept on one's good side if they knew what was best for them. A man who had once been a prisoner of the wizard prison, Azkaban. Sirius Black (Padfoot to his friends) could handle Moony; he'd been doing so since the young age of fifteen. On the full moon, Sirius also transformed. But unlike his best friend, Sirius' transformation was voluntary. He hadn't missed a full moon with Remus in years, and not even a war could make him miss one now.

Moony was in a playful mood tonight, something his human counterpart hadn't experienced much since Voldemort's return. The brown (but slightly grey) werewolf sat on his haunches, his long tongue hanging out. The large black dog—Padfoot—sat in front of him with a grin only an Animagus could pull off.

Moony barked playfully and ran through the halls of Number Twelve with Padfoot right on his heels. They ended up in the drawing room where Padfoot launched himself upon Moony. The two canines wrestled around the room, not caring if they destroyed the furniture. Neither cared much for Number Twelve, after all.

Padfoot backed away and set his eyes on the Black family tapestry that had been teasing him for months; it still refused to be taken down. He growled slightly at it as Moony came up behind him. The black dog was nudged in the shoulder by the werewolf. He turned and saw the mischievous glint that belonged not to the werewolf but to Remus. Padfoot grinned, nodded his head, and attacked the tapestry. Magic hadn't worked on it, but a dog's jaw seemed to finally do the trick. The tapestry began to unravel and tear in the dog's mouth with the sound of what could only be Moony laughing behind him. Padfoot ripped the final piece of the tapestry from the wall and turned to grin at Moony.

The two friends ran down to the basement kitchen to find something they could eat. Padfoot entered the kitchen and saw something he hadn't seen since his sixth year at Hogwarts: Moony was running around the tables and chairs trying to catch an owl that had flown in. The owl had been smart enough to stay close to the ceiling, but Moony wouldn't give up. Finally, the owl made it to the fireplace and flew up the chimney. Moony began to bark at the empty fireplace while Padfoot transformed back into his human form.

"Moony! Give it up, man! It's gone!" Sirius laughed at his friend's antics.

Most would think Sirius insane for being in a room with a werewolf, but Remus had taken his Wolfsbane Potion in the days leading up to the full moon, and he was now harmless.

Sirius walked to the counter where the owl had dropped its letter and began to read. Moony began to whine in question as Sirius' face lost its former humor. "There's been an attack," Sirius said quietly, moving his eyes from the letter to Moony. "Muggle family in the country."

Moony growled in anger.

"I know. Look, I've got to go out there. Are you going to be all right until morning?"

Moony nodded and curled up on the floor beside Sirius' feet. Sirius chuckled and reached down to scratch the werewolf behind his ears. "Good dog," he said patronizingly. "See you in a few hours. Remember, if you need to use the restroom, the newspapers are upstairs," he teased.

Moony reached out a paw stealthily and tripped Sirius as he made his way out of the kitchen. "Git!" Sirius said as he stood and left the house.


"Can't someone get rid of that?" Sirius called as he laid eyes on the Dark Mark above a small country cottage.

"We tried," Kingsley said, approaching his boss. "How's Remus?" he added under his breath.

"Fine," Sirius replied. "What do we got?"

Kingsley sighed. "Whole family, husband, wife, three kids—two boys and a girl, we think. They were tortured and... well, you'll have to see..."

Sirius followed Kingsley into the house and had to turn his head away at the sight before him. The husband and wife had been decapitated. Their bodies were lying on the floor, while their heads—eyes wide open—floated near the ceiling.

"It gets worse," Kingsley muttered.

The two Aurors entered what might have been the little girl's room. The walls and carpet were covered in blood and flesh, and a small toe lay beside the bed.

"Reductor curse," Sirius said in disgust.

"Yeah, all three of them are like that," Kingsley said.

"Bastards. Has the house been search—" A scream cut Sirius off.

Sirius turned and sprinted outside, with Kingsley just behind him, and stopped dead in his tracks, causing Kingsley to run into his back. A dozen or so hooded Death Eaters had come out of the trees, firing curses at the eight Ministry officials on the scene.

"STUPEFY!" Kingsley shouted at the group. The spell flew through the group of Death Eaters, not hitting one of them.

Sirius sent curse after curse into the Death Eater ranks. He hit two Death Eaters, but the others deflected his wand's spells. Sirius cried out painfully as something that felt like a knife hit him in the back. He spun around ignoring the pain of the cutting curse and began dueling with the Death Eater who had hit him.

They were evenly matched against one another—neither wizard could get a spell past the other.

"What? No Killing curse?" Sirius taunted.

"My master wishes to keep you alive, Black. Why, I will never know," said the cold voice from under the hood.

Sirius would know that voice anywhere. "So old Voldy let you out of the house, Malfoy? What a surprise."

Now that he knew who he was dealing with, Sirius was able to duel properly. He'd been matched against Malfoy several times in the past, and Sirius had an excellent memory for fighting styles.

Around them, the other duels had ended. The Death Eaters had Disapparated away with their injured, leaving the Aurors to watch Sirius and Malfoy. Finally, Sirius was convinced he'd captured the Death Eater who had been involved in Harry's kidnapping all those years ago.

That was until a terrible pain hit him in the same place the cutting curse had. It felt like dozens of hot knives were piercing him in every inch of his body. He fell to the ground, trying to hold back his screams; he wouldn't give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. When the Cruciatus Curse had been lifted, Sirius looked up into the snake-like face of Lord Voldemort.

"Hello, Black," Voldemort said softly. "We finally meet again. I trust you received my letter?"

"Go to hell," Sirius gasped.

"You first, Black. Avada—"

"TOM!"

Voldemort looked away from the Auror who had prepared himself for certain death and across the field as Dumbledore appeared. Even through the stars that had erupted in his eyes, Sirius could see and feel the power Dumbledore radiated around him. The only wizard he ever feared...

"Dumbledore," Voldemort spat.

"Step away from him, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Shouldn't you be protecting your precious savior, Dumbledore?" Voldemort said. "Or do you believe him safe in that treasured school of yours?"

A duel began between Voldemort and Dumbledore as Kingsley crawled forward and Apparated away with Sirius. They arrived in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Blood was flowing freely from Sirius, and he could feel himself growing weaker by the moment. Before unconsciousness overcame him, he whispered, "Moony..."


Remus awoke shivering on the kitchen floor after the sun had risen. He looked around the room and found it to be empty. Normally, Sirius would take him up to one of the bedrooms and would make sure he was all right before leaving for work. His absence worried Remus more than a little.

The kitchen door opened, but instead of Sirius, Kingsley stepped down the stairs with a pile of clean clothes for Remus.

"Where's Sirius?" he whispered hoarsely.

"St. Mungo's," Kingsley said, handing the clothes to Remus. "There was an ambush at the attack scene. You-Know-Who showed up. Sirius is fine," he added quickly at Remus' startled expression. "He's just really tired. And he asked me to check on you."

"Voldemort was there?" Remus asked.

"Yes. Sirius was three syllables from death. Dumbledore showed up just in time."


Harry sat between Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall trying to enjoy his breakfast. Since the Yule Ball, Harry's best friends had been at each other's throats constantly. Ron was upset that Hermione had gone with Viktor Krum—alleged Hogwarts enemy; Hermione didn't think it was any of Ron's business. The two had reached a silent agreement not to discuss Krum, period. Harry had grown tired of their bickering, anyway. Regardless, there was still a slight tension in the air.

The mail arrived on time, and Hermione reached for the Daily Prophet that had been delivered to her.

"Hey, Potter!" Draco Malfoy called from across the hall. The Gryffindor trio turned to look at the Slytherin table. They all had smug, knowing looks on their faces. "How's Black doing?" Malfoy asked with a smirk.

"What's he on about?" Harry muttered, turning back to his friends.

"Who cares?" Hermione huffed. She unrolled the newspaper and began to read. She gasped loudly, causing Ron—and a few others around them—to choke on his pumpkin juice.

"What?" Harry asked, reaching for the newspaper. As he read the article, all of the color in his face drained. 'Black is rumored to be dead along with four other Aurors... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named arrived on the scene and slaughtered the Ministry officials...'

Harry hadn't even realized he'd dropped the paper as he began to shake uncontrollably. He didn't notice Ron and Hermione's worried looks. And he didn't notice McGonagall tap him on the shoulder and lead him out of the Great Hall towards Dumbledore's office.

He's dead... Harry thought over and over. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible. He'd always seen Sirius as invincible. He couldn't be...

McGonagall said the password and helped Harry step on the spiraling staircase. They entered Dumbledore's office to find Remus and the headmaster waiting for them

"Hey, Harry," Remus said quietly, approaching his surrogate nephew. "Let's sit, eh?"

"Sirius..." Harry said, looking pleadingly at Remus to tell him it wasn't true.

"Have you read the paper today, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded numbly, staring at a spot on Dumbledore's desk in disbelief.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Sirius is fine, Harry. He's sitting in St. Mungo's doing a crossword puzzle right now," he said, placing a comforting arm around Harry's shoulders.

Harry turned his head so quickly his neck cracked. "He's...? But the paper," he said breathlessly.

"Did you happen to see who wrote that article?" McGonagall asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No..."

"Rita Skeeter, Harry," Remus said.

Harry choked out a laugh. "So Sirius is okay, then?"

Remus smiled and nodded. "He's fine."

"What happened?"

Remus exchanged a look with Dumbledore and began to explain to Harry what happened the night before. Dumbledore continued his duel with Voldemort to allow the Aurors time to escape. Again, Lucius Malfoy escaped.

"But nobody died?" Harry checked.

"Nobody from the Ministry, no. But a Muggle family was killed before Sirius even arrived. It was planned, Harry," Remus said.

Harry nodded. "Can I see Sirius?"

"You have classes today," Remus reminded him.

"I believe Harry can miss his morning classes so long as he returns in time for Potions this afternoon," Dumbledore said.

"Do I have to?" Harry asked. Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

Remus chuckled. "All right, well, let's go then. And we are not Flooing, so don't even ask. I don't have the energy for that today."

Dumbledore charmed a golden paperweight into a portkey, and thirty seconds later, Remus and Harry arrived on the hard linoleum floor of St. Mungo's. The two of them made their way to the Spell Damage floor and found Sirius' room. They entered to find Sirius arguing with an old grey-haired witch.

"I told you, I'm fine," Sirius told the Healer.

"Mr. Black, you've been hit with an Unforgivable curse. Please stay still," the Healer said exasperatedly.

Sirius turned his head while the Healer performed tests on him with her wand. He raised his arms in greeting when he spotted Remus and Harry standing in the doorway. "Harry! Don't you have classes?" he said.

The Healer, who had come close to being hit with Sirius' arm, was growing frustrated. "Mr. Black! Stay still!"

"You've done these tests a hundred times," Sirius complained. "Let me spend some time with my family."

"Fine," the Healer said. "Fine. But when you need a painkilling potion, don't whine to me about it." The elderly witch gathered her tools and walked out of the room muttering about Sirius being the most difficult patient she had ever encountered.

Remus and Harry exchanged a grin as they approached Sirius' bed. Remus collapsed in a chair beside the window and laid his head back.

"I think you're the one who needs to be in this bed, Moony, not me," Sirius said, handing Harry a chocolate frog.

"Shut up, Padfoot," Remus muttered, closing his eyes.

While Remus slept, Sirius and Harry discussed the Triwizard Tournament. Sirius was quite pleased to hear Cedric Diggory was in the lead, with Viktor Krum right behind him.

"You know, I think you would have done okay in that, Harry," Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Maybe," Harry said, shrugging. "But I prefer being a spectator. I never would have gotten past a dragon."

Sirius laughed. "You could have. You could have, I don't know, summoned your Firebolt or something."

"From the dorm? No way!" Harry said.

Sirius rolled his eyes and listened to his godson telling him about Ron and Hermione. For the first time since his admittance to St. Mungo's, Sirius realized how close he was to death the night before. If Dumbledore hadn't turned up at exactly the right moment... well, he didn't want to think about it.

And where would his death leave Remus and Harry? The Ministry's stand against werewolves hadn't changed much in thirty years. Amelia Bones had been working on changing a few of the laws, but the majority of the world feared dark creatures, and she was not even close to completing her work with the laws.

If Sirius had died last night, Harry probably would have been sent to some foster family or something. Dumbledore would fight for Harry to live with Remus, but by the time that happened, Harry would probably be out of Hogwarts.

Remus... If Sirius had died last night, his best friend would be alone again. Remus loved Harry as much as Sirius did—and that's saying something. Sirius didn't know if Remus would be able to function normally if Harry had been taken away from him.

The relationship the three of them shared with one another was something no force in the world could break apart. They were all highly defensive of one another, and if one was in trouble, the other two would stop at nothing to save him.

They were a family of the highest standards. Nothing, not even Lord Voldemort, could tear them apart.


Sirius was discharged from St. Mungo's the next day. He claimed it was because he was completely healed; the Healers said they were sick of dealing with him, and had he spent any more time in their presence he would have been worse off than anything Voldemort could ever do to him.

He and Remus arrived back at Number Twelve just in time for the Order meeting that was taking place. Even though Dumbledore had told them all, repeatedly, that Sirius in fact alive and well in St. Mungo's, it was clear that they'd all read Rita Skeeter's article the day before.

Molly spent fifteen minutes making sure Sirius was fed and comfortable during the Order meeting. She'd put his feet up on a pillow she'd placed on a chair and handed him an overly full plate of food.

"Now that we are all comfortable," Dumbledore said with a wink to Sirius, "I have a request I must ask of you. You are aware of what lies in the Department of Mysteries. And you are aware that it could mean terrible things not only for Harry Potter, but for all of us. I am asking for anybody with experience with Occlumency to remain behind once the meeting concludes. It is of the utmost importance that Harry learns this skill, and we are having, er, disagreements as to who should teach him."

The meeting concluded two hours later and all but five Order members were asked to leave or remain in the drawing room until Dumbledore spoke with them.

Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, and—to everybody's surprise—Mundungus Fletcher remained in the basement kitchen with Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus. Dumbledore asked the three with experience to demonstrate their skills, and in the end, he picked the most skilled and explained what their duties would entail.

Harry would begin Occlumency lessons during the summer with Emmeline. Harry's guardians and Dumbledore were quite pleased with the choice; Emmeline was a highly respected member at the Ministry.

"Anybody would have been better than Snape," Sirius said later that night. "Dung would have been better than Snape."

"Did you know he knew Occlumency?" Remus asked, sipping his coffee.

"Nope, I was just as surprised as the rest of you. He wasn't too bad, either," Sirius said, drinking his own coffee.

"Emmeline was a good choice," Remus mused. "Not bad to look at either," he added thoughtfully.

"Moony!" Sirius laughed, spitting out his coffee.

"What?" Remus asked innocently. "It's true."

"You never cease to amaze me, Moony."

"Thank you, Padfoot."