Lies
By Neurotica
Twenty-Nine
Before sunrise the next morning, Remus woke abruptly with an odd feeling of being watched, and looked groggily around his room. He looked to his left and jumped so far backwards that he nearly fell off his bed. Kreacher was standing right next to his bed, staring, with a toothy grin on his face.
"Would Master like Kreacher to bring breakfast before Master's journey?" the house-elf asked brightly.
Remus raised an eyebrow. Kreacher never called him master, and the question hadn't even been followed by a muttered insult about Remus being a dirty werewolf. "Er, no, Kreacher, that won't be necessary, I can get my own breakfast," the wizard said suspiciously. "Thanks."
Kreacher bowed low to the ground. "Kreacher wishes Master luck on his journey and hopes Master is careful. There is many bad wizards about, Kreacher knows," the elf said before disappearing with a loud crack.
Remus stared disbelievingly at the spot where Kreacher had just been. Had the lunatic house-elf finally completely lost his mind? He'd never acted like that before, and it made Remus slightly uneasy to think Kreacher just happened to change his behavior right before Remus was to leave on his mission.
Remus reached for the wand on his bedside table and muttered, "Lumos." He looked around the room for anything that could possibly cause him any harm, but found the room seemingly safe. Cautiously, he stepped onto the cold, wooden floor and took tentative steps towards his door. He wouldn't put anything past Kreacher after the behavior he'd witnessed moments ago.
He crept out into the hallway, finding it deserted, and made to go down the stairs. He stopped on a creaking floorboard and winced. Remus didn't know what he was being so cautious about—did he expect somebody to jump out at him?
Knowing Kreacher, he might have let someone in while we were all asleep... Remus thought darkly. Of course, the Fidelius Charm over the house would not allow any foes in, but charms—even ones cast by Dumbledore—could be broken with enough magical power.
Remus' heart began to beat violently in his chest as he spotted a shadow around a corner by the staircase. He raised his wand, ready to strike, and moved forward.
"STUPEFY!" Remus shouted, sticking his wand around the corner.
"PROTEGO!" a voice shouted at a split second later. "Moony?"
Remus, prepared to call out another curse, raised eyebrow. "Sirius?"
"What's going on?" Arthur yelled, throwing open his and Molly's bedroom door, his wand also at the ready.
"It's all right, Arthur," Remus said. "Sirius, take that charm off, please."
A wand raised itself in the air, tapped the top of Sirius' Disillusioned head, and the Auror appeared before them. Seconds later, the hallway was filled with tired Weasleys and Harry in their pajamas. Questions flooded the hallway until Sirius whistled loudly. "Remus," Sirius said calmly once silence had fallen in the hall, "why did you try to stun me?"
"I didn't know it was you," Remus said. "Why did you have a Disillusionment Charm on?"
"Kreacher popped into my room and told me someone was in the house," Sirius explained, looking around as if Voldemort was going to jump out of the linen closet.
"Kreacher was in my room asking if I wanted breakfast," Remus said. "Then he wished me a safe journey and left."
"Well, since we're all awake, we may as well have breakfast," Molly said cheerfully, ignoring the tension in the hall and tying her dressing gown around her body. "Come on, you lot, downstairs." Fred and George exchanged a look and went back to their rooms for more sleep. Ron and Ginny immediately followed their examples.
Sirius, Remus, and Harry remained in the hallway. The two older wizards stared at one another for long minutes, communicating silently. Kreacher was up to something, that much was certain. What he was doing, unfortunately, was a mystery.
"Maybe you shouldn't go," Sirius said quietly to Remus.
"I have to," Remus said.
Sirius sighed. He glanced at Harry and turned on his heel to walk down to the kitchen. Harry watched his godfather's retreating back pensively. He knew Remus would be leaving on some sort of mission that day for the Order. Neither Remus nor Sirius felt he needed to know anymore than that, but Sirius was obviously worried. Harry wasn't feeling much better about it himself.
"I'll be fine, Harry," Remus whispered as if reading Harry's mind.
Harry nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah, I know. Come on, food."
Remus chuckled as Harry dragged him by his shirt sleeve down the stairs.
Sirius stirred his porridge moodily while Remus and Arthur discussed the Daily Prophet.
"There's nothing going on in the Ministry that we are not aware of," Remus said, biting into his bacon. "You and Sirius are both heads of your departments. Bones is in constant contact with Dumbledore. Half of the Order is employed with the Ministry..."
"Yes, but there's still the chance of spies," Arthur argued. The Prophet that morning was reporting a conspiracy within the Ministry of Magic. Former Minister Cornelius Fudge had been quoted throughout the article, claiming Minister Bones had taken over his job unlawfully, even though the Wizengamot had voted her in. Fudge had asked for an inquiry into Bones' motives for the war.
Sirius let his friends' voices fade. If he could talk Remus into aborting his mission with Emmeline, he would. Hagrid could take care of himself—he didn't need Remus to lead the Death Eaters away from the giant camps. Sirius was being selfish, he knew, but he preferred to call it being protective.
Remus was a highly competent wizard, but if he was caught off guard at the wrong moment, he could find himself in danger. Many deaths in the first war were not in a hail of wandfire, but a second's hesitation or a moment of carelessness. Remus and Emmeline were two of the most intelligent in the Order, and would no doubt keep their guard high. But it only took a moment.
"Sirius..." Remus was saying.
"Huh?" Sirius muttered dumbly. "Sorry, drifted off for a second. What's up?"
"Don't you have to be at the Ministry soon?" Remus asked.
Sirius raised an eyebrow and looked at his watch. It was almost eight-thirty. "Dammit," he said, abandoning his cold breakfast. He left the kitchen quickly and met Harry halfway up the stairs. His godson was already dressed and ready to go to the Ministry. "Let me get dressed. I'll meet you in the kitchen," he said hastily, taking the stairs two at a time.
Harry rolled his eyes and continued down the stairs.
An hour later, Sirius sat comfortably behind his desk, legs propped up as he dictated to his quill, which was writing a report for him. Harry was out on a self-guided tour of the Ministry in search of lunch. The boy had been to the Ministry numerous times since Sirius' appointment to Head Auror. He knew many of the Ministry's employees by first name, and spent the majority of his visits in the Department of Magical Games and Sports.
"Er, Sirius?" Kingsley said, amusement evident in his voice as he entered Sirius' office.
"Yeah?" Sirius said, letting his quill drop on the desk, happy for the interruption.
Kingsley chuckled slightly as he looked from a file in his hand to his boss. "Johnson just turned in a report about suspicious activity from a former Death Eater."
Sirius dropped his legs from the desk and sat up straight. "Who?" he asked swiftly and eagerly.
Kingsley closed the door and handed Sirius the file. Sirius opened the folder and groaned loudly. Severus Snape's greasy face was glaring at him from a black and white photo. "Please, tell me you're joking," he pleaded.
"Nope," Kingsley said. "Johnson's put in a request to investigate Snape."
"What'd you tell Johnson?" Sirius asked, flipping through the file.
"Told him Snape has been cleared of all Death Eater charges. He hasn't been on the watch list since before the first war ended. And that I'd take it up with you."
Sirius nodded. "Okay, tell Johnson I want him to relieve Tonks and Dawlish from Azkaban. Evans is going with him. They're to be there at four o'clock."
Kingsley smirked. "No problem, boss. What time you leaving today?"
"Couple hours. Harry and Ron want me to take them to Diagon Alley tonight," Sirius said.
"When's Remus leaving?"
"'Bout an hour. Dumbledore and Emmeline should be there soon."
Kingsley nodded, then grinned. "Speaking of Emmeline..."
Sirius laughed. "I don't know what's going on with them, so don't ask. Remus obviously fancies her more than a little. And I've caught both of them flirting a few times."
"You know, in all the time I've known Lupin, I've never seen him take interest in women," Kingsley said thoughtfully.
Sirius laughed loudly. "You're kidding, right? Trust me, Kingsley, Remus is interested. The man was corrupted at a young age by James Potter and yours truly. No need to worry about his interest."
Kingsley headed back to work a few minutes later, leaving Sirius with his work.
Remus said goodbye to Molly and her children before heading down to the kitchen to wait for Dumbledore and Emmeline. The Weasleys were trying to clean out the attic, a job that took high levels of concentration—there was no telling what was up there.
He went to his bedroom and gathered his knapsack, double-checking that Sirius' two-way mirror was safely inside. He rolled his eyes but smiled when he saw the pack of dungbombs with a note tied to the package:
Every Marauder needs a good prank to hold him over on long journeys. Get Emmeline good for us!
—Sirius and Harry
"Gits," Remus muttered affectionately, placing the dungbombs carefully back in his bag.
Kreacher hadn't been seen since earlier that morning. Arthur and Remus had checked the house-elf's normal hiding spots—Mrs. Black's former bedroom, the linen closets, bathrooms, the attic—but had no luck. There was no proof showing that Kreacher had ever left Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, but Remus was still growing suspicious. He would ask Dumbledore to keep a closer eye on Kreacher during his absence—Sirius never took Kreacher seriously.
Remus smiled as he entered the kitchen. Dumbledore and Emmeline were quietly conversing at the table. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour," Remus said to them, setting his bag on the kitchen counter.
"I just wanted to be sure that the two of you are prepared for the mission," Dumbledore said. "I've taken the liberty, Remus, of bringing your potion. You should be back long before you will need it, but better safe than sorry, hmm?"
"Er, right, thank you, sir," Remus muttered, taking the flasks of Wolfsbane from the headmaster and carefully avoiding Emmeline's eye.
Dumbledore retrieved a rolled up map from his robes and painted out the best routes for Remus and Emmeline to take on their mission. They would portkey from Headquarters to the border of France, where they would hike into the mountains, cross paths with Hagrid and Maxime, and camp out ten miles from the first giant camp. And that would only be night one...
As scheduled, Dumbledore preformed tracking charms on Emmeline and Remus at noon. Wishing them the best of luck, Dumbledore handed them an old butterbeer bottle as a portkey.
"See you soon, Albus." Remus smiled before the portkey took him and Emmeline away.
Sirius led Harry and Ron through Diagon Alley later that night. Dumbledore had been at Headquarters when Sirius and Harry had returned from the Ministry, and he'd informed them that Remus and Emmeline had arrived safely in France. While Sirius was pleased that his friends hadn't been ambushed the moment their feet touched ground, his worries for their safety were far from alleviated. He was so caught up in thoughts of what could happen to Remus and Emmeline that he nearly knocked over a woman and her son in the crowd.
"So sorry," Sirius said sincerely, grabbing for the woman before she fell. He was about to apologize again until he saw who he was helping up. "Narcissa," he said coldly.
"Sirius," she replied disgustedly, dusting off her robes as if Sirius had somehow dirtied them.
"And this must be Draco." Sirius eyed the boy who glared maliciously at Harry and Ron. Draco's lip curled in distaste as he looked Sirius over. "Happy shopping," Sirius said tensely to his cousins. "Come on, boys," he added as Harry and Ron continued to glare at the Malfoys.
"Can't you just arrest them?" Harry asked once they were out of earshot of the Malfoys.
"I could, but I'd probably lose my job. And as much as I despise Narcissa, she's not worth it," Sirius muttered.
"Still, it'd be funny." Ron smirked. "Could you imagine Malfoy behind bars?" he added, staring off wistfully.
"There's another Malfoy I want first, before I get the rest of his family," Sirius said darkly, exchanging a significant glance with Harry. "Why don't you two head into Quality Quidditch Supplies. I'm going to check in with Kingsley; he's on guard duty tonight."
The two younger wizards nodded—Sirius handed Harry ten galleons for spending money—and disappeared into the crowd.
Sirius passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Shop and spotted Kingsley standing atop the stairs of Gringotts, two goblins by his side. "How's it going?" Sirius called to his friend as he ascended the stairs.
"Boring," Kingsley said. "Business around here usually slows down before sunset—nobody wants to be out past dark. So they're all rushing to get their shopping done now."
"You just better hope things don't get more interesting," Sirius said. "Listen, I just—literally—ran into Narcissa Malfoy and her kid. They could just be shopping or they could be here for another reason, I don't know. But keep a lookout for anything that doesn't seem right," he said. "Harry and Ron are in the Quidditch shop, so I've got to run. Contact me on my wand if you need anything."
"Got it, boss. See you later."
Sirius waved to Kingsley and made his way back to the Quidditch Supply shop. Harry and Ron were, unsurprisingly, looking at the new shipment of broomsticks, looks of longing on both of their faces. "You've got a Firebolt, Harry," Sirius whispered to his godson. "You don't need a new one."
"Ron's looking for a new broom," Harry muttered distractedly. "Have you seen the new robes the Cannons have got for this season?"
Sirius rolled his eyes but allowed Harry to drag him over to the robes. An hour later, Sirius was finally able to get the two boys out of the Quidditch shop and into the joke shop across the alleyway.
Sirius and Ron were examining a cigarette lighter that shot dye into the victim's face—Sirius was contemplating giving one to Dung. Harry was on the other side of the store looking at a book that confused its reader—the pages kept moving out of order; the words appeared jumbled and reformed to insult the reader.
Finally, his arms laden down with new pranking supplies, Sirius called for Ron and Harry to leave the shop. Just as he was preparing to pay for his items, screams began to cut through the air. The shop, formally full of laughing customers, fell into a tense, fearful silence.
"Stay here," Sirius muttered to Harry and Ron, dropping his items on the counter. "Do not, under any circumstances, leave this shop, do you understand me?" he added as Harry began to argue.
Rolling his eyes, Harry nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Good, I'll be back. You," he said, pointing to the shop owner. "Lock the door behind me and Floo Auror Headquarters in the Ministry." The shop owner nodded and followed Sirius to the door.
With one last look at Harry and Ron, Sirius exited the shop to find a hundred witches and wizards running for safety. A group of more than twenty Death Eaters—There have to be more... Sirius thought—were marching forward, cursing and jinxing the innocent victims as they passed.
Sirius pulled out his wand and immediately called, "STUPEFY!" into the group. His spell missed and he had to take cover behind a large trash bin to avoid a Hurling Hex that was sent his way.
"KINGSLEY!" Sirius shouted into the tip of his wand. "Where are you?"
A moment of silence was followed by, "Madame Malkin's! I've already stunned three of them. Backup is on its way!"
"DIFFINDO!" Sirius shouted at an approaching Death Eater, causing a large gash to appear in the other's shoulder. "EXPELLIARMUS!" The Death Eater's wand flew into Sirius' hand—he snapped it in half over his knee and tossed it over his shoulder.
The remaining Death Eaters had become aware of Sirius' presence and seemed to amuse themselves by seeing how many curses the Auror could deflect at one time.
Where is my damn backup? Sirius wondered, sending curses back into the enemy ranks. And why do I feel like I'm having déjà vu?
Not two minutes later, Aurors were Apparating into Diagon Alley, stunning and binding as many Death Eaters they could.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Sirius shouted, beginning a duel with one of the masked foes trying to hex Tonks.
"SIRIUS!" the Auror heard someone shout behind him. Instinctively, Sirius ducked down as he felt the whoosh of the Killing Curse pass over his head. Cursing, Sirius spun around to the offending Death Eater. "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" The Death Eater's legs snapped together and the wizard fell to the ground, stiff as a board.
"Well, well, well," said a too-familiar voice from behind Sirius. "If it isn't Ickle Sirikins."
"Bella," Sirius growled, spinning around to face his cousin.
"Long time no see, Sirius," the witch said.
"Not long enough, actually," Sirius replied. "You miss Azkaban yet?" Without waiting for a reply, he sent a stunning spell in Bellatrix's direction. She cast a shielding charm at the same moment, sending the spell into a building.
The duel that followed was one that Sirius would never forget. It was one that would go down in his all-time best performance list. Sirius' and Bellatrix's wands were a blur of colors as they sent curse after curse at one another. Sirius was forced to duck down again as Bellatrix sent a Killing Curse towards him.
He stood and grinned evilly at his cousin. "Come on, Bella! No need to play dirty! EXPELLIARMUS!"
"PROTEGO!"
The battle went on. Everything around the two cousins stopped as far as they were concerned. Over thirty years of hatred was spilling from them as they fought.
Sirius made a half glance to his left as he thought he saw bright red hair pass by him.
"STUPEFY!" Bellatrix shouted.
Sirius tried to duck out of the way, to cast a shielding charm, but the red jet of light hit him square in the chest. As he fell to the ground, he could hear Bellatrix's cry of triumph and Harry's muffled screams from the joke shop.
