Sirius' Choice

Chapter Ten: On Guard

Whimsical Firefly

Author's Note: I've never had such an overwhelming response to a chapter before, thanks to all that reviewed… I should do evil cliffies like that more often.

And a thanks to James for being such a patient editor, as well as for plugging Sirius' Choice shamelessly… So while I'm at it, go and read Harry Potter and the Mind Mage already.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all recognizable characters are property of J.K. Rowling.

The man inside turned towards her. Voldemort. The most feared wizard in the entire universe. "Edana," he said with a cold smile. "What a … pleasant … surprise."

Edana looked up, her wand still pointing directly at him. "I'm afraid this will not be a cordial visit, Master."

Lily strained to keep with the pace that Sirius had been setting. Had any of them been feeling more logical, she would have mentioned that perhaps they bring broomsticks, so they could travel more quickly, and possibly that James' invisibility cloak would have come in handy.

However, they hadn't, so that left her running along behind everyone else. Her one consolation was that she was beating Peter. Not that that was much of a consolation.

She slowed as she saw Sirius stop to speak to a tall, dark-haired man standing outside the Three Broomsticks. Something about him was vaguely familiar, but she was too busy catching her breath to ponder on it.

Sirius' voice was harsh as he talked to the older man, and the other man's responses were given in a soft velvet voice.

"I'm afraid I can't be more help than that," he was saying, shaking his head. "She Disapparated as soon as she was clear of the anti-apparition borders."

James and Sirius both started swearing, and Lily realized that the man's gray eyes were watching them with an almost wistful expression.

Sirius' expression was stormy. "Now what?" he demanded. No one answered, everyone instead surveyed the ground. "Now fucking what?"

"Well, I would suggest following her, myself," came the quiet voice of Albus Dumbledore. His expression bordered on dangerous, but there was still an irreverent twinkle in his eye

Sirius turned slowly to look him in the eye. "You know where she went?"

"Only a suspicion, but it is a good one. I shall give you the co-ordinates in your mind. What you choose to do after that is your own choices, as everything else is as well."

An image of a sign reading Viper Street, surrounded by people, noise and smog appeared in everyone's minds before fading.

"See you there," said Dumbledore with a quick smile before Disapparating with a pop.

All six teens exchanged glances. "I'm… I'm staying guys," said Peter in a barely audible voice. Lily saw James and Sirius shoot Peter almost identical looks of pure loathing.

Lily stepped in front of him with her wand out. "Everyone else?" she asked, her voice surprisingly steady. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

All of a sudden Peter was left standing alone outside the Three Broomsticks, with a stranger by his side. The older man clapped him on the shoulder once, and then turned away completely.

Edana's blue eyes never wavered as she stepped closer. The only thing that betrayed her emotions was her voice.

"You lying, cheating bastard!!!!!" she said in a quietly shaking voice.

Voldemort simply laughed. "Those adjectives mean nothing to me, Edana my dear. If anything, I could even consider them a compliment."

Edana didn't answer, but continued speaking. "You said that once I joined, my family would be safe. You gave your word. It was the only reason I joined you and your God-forsaken bunch in the first place."

Voldemort maintained eye contact and smirked. With a flick of his wand her wand attempted to leave her hand, but she resisted, gripping the slender rod as tightly as she could. "Damn you to hell, you son-of-a-bitch!"

If any onlookers had been asked later on, it would have been hard to tell who cast the first curse. Voldemort and Edana both had their wands drawn and seemed to utter them simultaneously.

Neither curse reached its mark. Voldemort cast a shield, and Edana rolled under a chair and ducked it.

Spells were flying thick and fast. Edana's brain fumbled as it thought about how to go about attacking and defending. She relied more on the quick reflexes that made her an admirable Quidditch player, ducking rolling and weaving. A spell came to her and she cast it quickly.

"Caesus!" she screamed from under whichever piece of furniture she was currently hiding under - she had moved around so much, she was no longer exactly sure.

Voldemort let out a yell, and clapped a hand to his eyes. Exhaling quickly, she turned and ran to the door, tripping as she did so. Something snapped as she landed, and with a sickened feeling, she looked down to see her wand below her snapped in half.

Just make it to the door, and then you can leave. He can't see you; it'll be an easy escape. She kept repeating it over and over to herself as a mantra. Picking herself back up she stumbled towards the door, hand outstretched.

She heard Voldemort yell from behind her "Colloportus". With a sinking heart she reached out and attempted to open the door, just in case his spell had missed.

It hadn't. She was trapped inside.

Panicking, she turned back around. Voldemort was still incapable of seeing her, but the spell would wear off soon. She was wandless, and she was trapped. Bearing that in mind she did the only thing her panicked rain could think of.

She hid.

She heard footsteps, and then Voldemort's chilling voice. "Edana, dear. You will pay for that."

Willing her heart to beat quieter, she didn't answer or respond.

"We have tried this before, you remember. It wasn't a success then, either," Voldemort's voice sounded amused, and Edana's eyes closed themselves tightly. She felt like a rabbit in a trap, waiting for the hunter to kill it, wanting to get away but unable to, and utterly helpless. Very much like the first time she had met him.

- - -

Pressing herself into the darkness, she heard the cry of "Kill them. Kill them all!" from the hooded and cloaked figure. At once, dozens of people, similarly dressed came forward and swarmed through the corridors.

Screams echoed off the high ceilings, and people ran in every direction. Flashes of green light mirrored and clashed and blended until it seemed the entire area was glowing green.

"This area is clear, my Lord." came a chilling voice that seemed familiar to the girl.

"Excellent. But there are more, are there not? Keep killing the Mudbloods…those who are pure, offer them a chance to join us. If they refuse, you may have some fun with them." The hooded figure laughed. "I do not think that there will be many who will refuse."

"Yes, my Lord." The others bowed and left. Screams mingled with yells of "Crucio!" and "Avada Kedavra!", and travelled through the empty hallways.

The lone figure that had been called 'Lord' stood for a while, surveying the bodies strewn around him. Lifting up his hands he removed his hood to reveal a face that could have once been handsome, but his cold eyes and the cruel twist to his mouth betray him now.

She prayed to whomever might be listening that he would not see her, but it appeared that the fates had a cruel sense of humour. He turned directly to where she was curled up in the shadows, his cold eyes piercing her only protection. Against her will she stepped out of the cover of darkness and into his line of vision.

"Hiding, were we?" he asked with a humourless smile.

She shook a blonde head.

"Are you pureblood?"

She nodded, not entirely trusting herself to speak.

"Then join me."

The desire to say yes nearly overwhelmed her, but she looks down to see her friend's body. Her resolve hardened and she managed to say no.

The figure walked closer, until he was standing just before her. "Join. Otherwise your parents and your sister will die… Edana Tierne."

She had been carefully surveying the bloodied wooden floors until he had said her name. How did he know? How could he know?

"I came specially here for you, you know?" the man's voice was only slightly louder than a whisper, caressing and loving. "Just for you. You are special"

She looked into the man's icy eyes and tried to see beyond what was there. She couldn't.

A scream echoed off the walls vibrantly, and she turned to see a girl being killed, painfully. Shuddering she turned back and saw a wand level with her neck.

"Join me, or your family will die, and then you. I might even make you kill them yourself under the Imperious Curse. How does that sound?"

Seeing no other option, the girl finally nodded acquiescence.

- - -

Just like before, her mind whispered. She hadn't had her wand with her that time either. She looked up through the crack of where she was hiding just in time to see a red light blaze towards her.

With a scream, she pushed herself out of the way, and tumbled out into the clear view of Voldemort.

James Milton opened his eyes groggily, and wondered vaguely where he was. A strand of hair ran over his eyes and with annoyance he reached up to brush it away. For some strange reason he wasn't able to do so.

Peering down, he saw the reason was that his hands had been tied up rather securely with ropes. Somewhat medieval, he grinned to himself, but doable. Gathering his magic, he attempted to unravel them, with no success. With a sigh he realised that they were probably magically binding ropes. Whilst he'd be able to wear them down eventually, he was stuck for now.

Which still left him with the problem of that damn hair!

His groggy mind finally caught up with him and he realised that even though he couldn't untie himself with magic, he could at least brush the hair out of his eyes with magic. A small whirlwind appeared out of nowhere and brushed the offending hairs away.

Much better, he thought. Now, where the bloody hell am I?

With a flash it came back to him. That blonde wench had knocked him out, and after that it was anyone's guess. Snarling, he turned slightly against his bonds, and realized he could just see his assailant from the corner of his eyes.

Slight, blonde, pale smattering of freckles over an elegant nose, delicately curved lips that hinted towards vulnerability, and a stubborn chin. She seemed vaguely familiar to him, although he wasn't sure why. A slight smile flitted over his mouth without his awareness as he watched the chit sleep.

He continued to watch her, although his thoughts drifted. He wondered what Tommy would have to say given that he hadn't cast the Dark Mark over the Tierne's house. He hadn't really had a chance to, he thought with a rueful snort.

He'd been supposed to meet with Dumbledore sometime this week. Technically speaking James worked for both sides, and was loyal to none. He respected Dumbledore's power, but thought he was something of a fool. On the other hand, he despised Voldemort, yet could not deny that the war was currently was leveled in his favour.

With a sigh, James wriggled in an attempt to find a more comfortable position, and in doing so the young woman sitting in the chair opened vivid gray-blue eyes.

"So you're awake, murderer," she said coolly.

After a moment's thought James decided it was best to at least pretend to be civil. Craning his neck so he could look at her properly, he smirked. "Apparently. Care to tell me where we are?"

A slim eyebrow raised and then lowered. "I should have thought that obvious, murderer. Or perhaps you murder because you have little aptitude and intelligence for anything else. We're in hiding."

"Really?"

"Mmm."

"Why are you in hiding?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

She shot him a dark look but didn't answer, instead choosing to observe the wall opposite.

"How about untying me?" he asked, positive that he would not get his request.

"How about telling me how you killed my aunt and uncle?" she countered. "And while you're at it, why."

James gave her an incredulous look. "I killed them because they were on Voldemort's hit list." He received no reaction to Voldemort's name. His mind ticked quickly. So either she had no fear of Voldemort, or…

"Who on Earth is Volde..whoever?"

Or she had no idea in hell of who he was. Of course. "Do you know of anything in the magic world?"

"If you're going to talk nonsense, I won't keep you."

"Your uncle at least was magic," persisted James. "Your aunt… well, she was so weak she might as well have been a Muggle," he said callously. "But she was magic as well."

It got a reaction from her in any case. A gun was drawn and pressed into his throat. "Don't you dare talk about her like that. Don't you dare befoul their names, you… you…"

Evidently she was unable to find an adjective that was evil enough to describe him, because she finished there, and simply held the gun to his throat.

With a careless flick of two fingers that were tied up, the gun went flying. James sat up gingerly, with much effort and looked up at the female's stunned face. Her face then resumed a slight look of pointlessness.

"If you really want to be free, then you might as well kill me. You're magic, you can," she said wearily, sinking to the floor.

She had a point. Gathering up his magic, he began to cast a spell that would no doubt be fatal and very painful. The thing was…

The thing was he couldn't put any of his will into it. He saw no need to kill her, and some strange part of him didn't want to. Rather than admit this to her however, he instead asked why she would want to be killed.

"Because the police think I killed my aunt and uncle. I was the only one there, they don't know about you. It's all over the tabloids," she said with a disgusted tone of voice.

James nodded, considering all his options. On the one hand, he could break free, and be on his way, although Voldemort's henchmen would soon be after him for not doing the job completely. Not that that would cause him problems. On the other hand, he could break free and go to Voldemort himself. On another hand entirely, he could simply ask to be set free. On a different hand again, he could stay with her and help her out. He had to restrain himself from snorting derisively at the very thought. Then again…

Feeling his anger stirring, he looked at her. It would be so easy to kill her. But he couldn't do it – or at least, his mind whispered, he couldn't do it yet.

"I'd take you straight to the police," she grumbled. "But I have no…proof of what you did, except my word. And that's very believable just at this moment."

James nodded, still considering. "What if I were to help you?" he heard himself asking distantly.

The look she gave him was pure venom. "You? As though I'd trust you not to kill me?"

"I haven't yet."

With a sardonic smile she nodded. "I'm sure. Don't worry, you're staying. And you are staying tied up."

With that she stalked out of the room. And with nothing resolved, James sank back onto the seat, and set his mind to the task of breaking the magical bonds in the rope.

Looking around wildly, Edana took shelter behind an old oak desk as another spell came flying in her direction.

"So there you are, 'Dana. You really must choose cleverer hiding spaces," chided Voldemort.

Another curse flew her way and she took refuge behind a chair. Her brain kept up a steady mantra along the lines of I am so dead, I am so dead, I'm trapped, I am so dead, I need a wand, I am so dead, oh crap, missed, I am so dead…

Finally it got to the stage where there was nothing left to hide behind, as curses had shattered them. She closed her eyes and waited for the killing curse to come. There was no use in fighting.

But the killing curse didn't come. Instead, Voldemort's voice sounded silkily in her ears. "Now really Edana. Does it have to be like this?"

A slight whimper escaped her lips, but she said nothing.

"You could stay. There is still your sister to think about… the lovely Meara. Your cousin. All your friends."

Edana's mind flashed to Mrs. and Mr. Potter lying dead in their homes, Tess' face when she said how her entire family had been wiped out.

Opening her eyes once more, she choked out, "They don't seem to be faring that well even with me joined to you."

Voldemort threw back his head and laughed. "Always honest, aren't you Edana?" he asked mockingly. "Never mind," he said as he advanced with his wand outstretched. "I'll send someone to take care of Meara later tonight."

Edana's blue eyes opened wildly in shock. "What?"

Time seemed to freeze as she screamed and charged towards Voldemort with her bare hands. Windows cracked and broke, anything fragile that had so far remained whole shattered, and fragments of furniture rose from the ground and flew towards Voldemort, the harmless broken furniture now dangerous missiles.

Voldemort threw her across the room and landed with a thud. "You see?" he asked delightedly. "This, Edana, is what you are capable of. You could do anything with that raw power."

Edana remained silent bar the occasional quiet sob.

"Stay with me. Together, we could be… so strong. No one could stand up to us. They would perish and fall."

Edana looked at him and instead of seeing the Master that she had served and spied for mostly willingly, she saw only a monster.

And the only thing on her mind was killing him.

Launching herself at him once more, she tried to raise the furniture to impale him. He might well be invincible, but no-one could live after a foot-long wooden pole was plunged through their body.

Voldemort threw her down again. "I'll take that as a no. It's a pity, but I cannot allow one such as yourself to live if you do not stay on my side. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

And the killing curse she had come for finally hit her.

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and Tess Apparated into Muggle London and James looked around with interest.

"Ah…has it occurred to anyone else that we might look a trifle strange in wizarding robes?" said Remus cautiously.

"Who cares about the robes?" snapped Sirius. "We're here to get Edana and bring her back. Now where's Dumbledore?"

"Right here," came a voice behind Sirius, and James snorted as for the second time that day his friend was startled by the Headmaster.

He turned as he heard Lily's voice enquire as to what next, and despite the fear that roiled around in his stomach he couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend.

"Now we go to where Voldemort is," said Dumbledore simply. "If Edana is alive we will rescue her and if…"

"What do you mean 'if'?" cried Sirius, and James had to admit that he was somewhat on his friend's side.

Tess' lilting voice spoke up behind him, and James turned. "Why don't we just follow you, Headmaster? If you have any further instructions, we'll listen, but time's wasting."

Dumbledore nodded gracefully. "As you say, Miss Loydell. I ask only that you are all exceedingly careful. Should you wish, it is not too late to go back to Hogsmeade. All those who wish to, follow me." His piercing blue eyes looked at each teenager in turn and then strode down Viper street.

They all followed. It wasn't discussed, they didn't need to. Watching as Dumbledore walked ahead, James couldn't help but snort as Remus' earlier comment. He wondered how much Dumbledore stood out with his dark violet robes, embroidered with twinkling stars, and a tall pointed wizarding hat of the same fabric, and then snorted.

Only his mind would think of something as harebrained as that when they were about to meet with Voldemort. Ignoring Lily's enquiring look, he carried on behind the Headmaster until they stopped in front of a run down motel.

Dumbledore looked behind him and with a nod they entered. The desk tender lay unconscious a few feet away. Dumbledore nodded slightly and then continued up the hall.

James continued to follow behind until they stopped at one door. Voices could be heard behind it

"…would perish and fall," came a chilling voice that was surely Voldemort. If one listened carefully, sobbing could be heard in the background.

"Alohomora" whispered Dumbledore. The door stayed tightly closed, and James saw Sirius's eyes take on a wild edge.

"There has to be someway of opening the door!" hissed Sirius, but James and the others only heard Voldemort say something else quietly, and then scream the killing curse.

James had his eyes closed so he didn't see Sirius's face drain of colour. He did, however, hear Sirius scream the blasting curse, and he opened his eyes just in time to see the door fold in on itself.

Sirius heard Voldemort utter the killing curse and knew what it meant. Edana was dead. The only thing left on his mind now was to make that bastard pay dearly, and with that in mind he grabbed his wand and screamed the only spell that came to mind.

He watched with satisfaction as the door collapsed and went to step forward. A hand on his own stopped him.

"Are you crazy?" demanded James. "He's still in there, it isn't safe."

Sirius glared into his friends hazel eyes, but couldn't deny the truth of that statement. Instead he watched as Dumbledore stepped into the room.

Sirius felt himself give a sharp intake of breath as he saw the change in the power around them. The air seemed to positively glow with raw power, and with a quick glance around at his friends, they all fell into step behind Dumbledore.

Voldemort was ready and waiting for them. "Do you now send children to do your work for you, Dumbledore?"

"They chose to come of their own accord," answered Dumbledore evenly.

Sirius' eyes searched the room, until they landed on Edana's body. Her hair was mattered, and there were bruises on her face, as well as a few cuts and lacerations.

"You killed her," stated Sirius in a would-be calm voice that fooled none of his friends, least of all James.

Voldemort's chilling gaze fell on Sirius as he played with his wand. "Ah, the boyfriend. She was mine to do with as I pleased. When she no longer pleased me, I…disposed of her."

Sirius paled as he understood the meaning behind those words all too clearly. "You lie," he growled.

Voldemort gave him an amused glance. "I never lie, young Black."

"Oh really?" rang out Lily's voice. "I have heard you declare yourself to be the greatest wizard of all time, and that's a falsehood if I ever heard one."

Later, Lily would wonder at her bravado, but there and then, those were the exact words needed to break the stalemate. Voldemort's face darkened, and he pointed his wand directly at Lily.

Sirius felt, rather than saw James move from his side and lunge towards Lily, just like he felt, rather than saw Tess and Remus beginning to fire curses and hexes at Voldemort.

Spotting an opening, Sirius ran towards Edana and knelt beside her. Brushing the strands of blonde hair back from her face, he picked her up in her arms gently. She might be dead, but he would bring her back with him.

He wasn't aware that Voldemort had seen him until he heard his voice. "I did tell the truth Black. All the while she was sleeping with you, she also did her duties for me."

There was a deliberate pause, before he whispered. "Willingly."

Sirius shook his head in denial, and turned to Dumbledore. But instead of seeing denial on the wise old headmasters face, he instead saw sadness.

"How else do you think she knew where to find me?" queried Voldemort with a laugh, before throwing another round of curses at his friends.

Sirius closed his eyes as he realized the truth. Looking at Edana's face, his heart hardened, and he put her back down again. Before he could do anything however, a spell was cast that seemed to freeze time itself.

He looked to see Tess and Remus looking pale and drawn, clasping their wands together in a double clasp.

"An exemplary spell, I hold myself most impressed," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes. Tess and Remus both looked vaguely pleased, although still exhausted. "How long will it last?"

Tess and Remus exchanged glances, but in the end Remus spoke. "We aren't sure. We weren't even sure if it would work to start with, it was two spells we'd been teaching ourselves for NEWTS combined."

Dumbledore nodded. "If that is the case, then all haste must be assured. Sirius if you would take Edana?"

Sirius shook his head, his gray eyes hard. "No. She should be left here to rot," and with that he stormed from the room.

He heard someone say "Mobilicorpus", and thought it was probably James. In the end it made no difference, as he had meant what he had said.

A stray tear made it's way down his face. How could he have been so stupid not to see all the signs? The midnight meetings, the secrecy. All the times that she'd cried upon hearing of a Death Eater attack, she was probably just jealous she'd missed out on the action.

Swearing, he kicked a stone across the road, and heard a polite cough behind him, and turned to see Remus. "We're going," he said softly.

Nodding, he turned and followed. It had probably been less than half-an-hour since they had left school, but it felt like it had been several days at least.

Sirius Black waited anxiously at The Three Broomsticks, shooting frequent looks out the window.

He had been nervous when he had spoken to his younger self and friends earlier, but they didn't seem to suspect anything. Or possibly they had been too worried about Edana to think clearly.

His eyes closed as he thought of Edana. She had been breathtaking that morning, despite her tears. She still made his heart beat faster, and he berated himself for being a dirty old man. He was so much older than her now. Sometimes he wondered if he had dreamed being that young.

He cast another anxious glance out the window, and was rewarded by seeing a crowd materialize out of thin air. Everyone seemed fine, although Remus and Tess looked drawn and pale. He gasped when Dumbledore Apparated with James and Edana.

Edana was lowered to the ground carefully, and James swayed alarmingly. Dumbledore put a bracing hand on his shoulder and James straightened again.

Pausing, Sirius looked around and then took his apron off and left the bar. He crossed the distance between him and the weary little group quickly.

"Do you need any help?" he asked softly, and looked down at Edana's still face.

Dumbledore looked piercingly at him. "Assistance would be greatly appreciated, Mr. … Evans."

Sirius looked down at her face. "What happened to the girl, sir?" he asked in a would-be calm voice.

Dumbledore paused, then said "She fell on the wrong side of her Master."

Sirius looked at him astonishment, then kneeled before the still girl. Rolling up the sleeve of her left arm, he looked at the pale skin.

Sure enough, the Dark Mark was burned just below her elbow. Sirius kept his face emotionless as he looked into her face.

Had she been following Voldemort the first time around? It was a possibility, she never took her shirt off around him, and had often gone away in secret. Still emotionless, Sirius closed his eyes. In the end actions spoke louder than words; she had sacrificed herself for him, so even though she may have served him it may not have been willingly.

Whispering a blessing, he forgave whatever it was she had done, and scooped her up in his arms.

And although Sirius Black was not aware of it, somewhere in the universe a knot of darkness unraveled.

Authors Note: IMPORTANT! My end of semester exams (end of year, actually. Go Australia!) start next week, so things are going to be slightly hectic, don't expect another update until around the 26th November. Sorry guys, you've all been such legends about this story that I feel bad about doing that, but I've made it so it answered most questions, and it's hopefully it's not an evil cliffie like last chapter.

Midnite Marauder: Very cool name, b.t.w. A good question, but the attack with approximately two hundred being killed happened in both timelines. The way I have it is so that most things go the same until something happened that had required Edana to be there, in which case it changed. James Milton IS a borrowed OC, and details of his past (as well as the-girl-who-knocked-him-out-but-for-now-shall-remain-nameless-and-mysterious) will be forthcoming in further chapters. One of those wait and see kinda things, I guess.

Lady of the Dragons2: Sorry about that… I'm glad that you liked Edana, but that's the way it goes. I suppose it isn't much consolation if I tell you that that's been planned from the beginning?

SilkieDarkKestral: The whole thing hasn't been explained fully yet, but don't worry, it will be. I don't like putting who's P.O.V. it is before a segment because it sort of disturbs the flow of the story. Usually though, I figure it becomes clear who the segment is mainly on within a few paragraphs, so I usually don't worry about it.

Soleil Luna: …Mate? Stop reading my mind already.

Sweet 16 Movie Buff: Anytime. I'm glad you didn't see it coming, because it was definitely meant to be a surprise (although there were hints placed throughout the story as early as chapter three). Hope this was soon enough for you!

Remember to review and let me know how the story is going so far. Thanks guys!