CHAPTER 34: NUMBER 12
"Sorry, Buffy," Willow said, watching her friend throw down the map in frustration.
"It's just... I'm... I know he's alive," Buffy said, fumbling with how to describe her feelings. "I know he's out there, somewhere; I just can't seem to find him!"
"If he is alive," Anya began, "he's obviously using magic to hide himself."
"We've been through this," Buffy said tiredly. "That's why we found this spell that should see through all magic."
"If the whole world is looking for him, don't you think someone would have tried that spell by now?" Anya explained. "He's using something more powerful; something that wouldn't fall apart under simple location spells."
"Of course!" Willow said. "If he's an escaped mass murderer, he's not going to let people find him. There might be all kinds of spells on him that protect him from other spells."
"But that much magic would have to leave a trace or a mark, right?" Buffy said. "Can you find any extreme amount of magic residue, Will?"
"I can," Willow said. "It might take me awhile, but I'll get it eventually."
"Why don't you go back to Hogwarts?" Giles asked. "It's getting late and you have class in the morning. You've been at this all night."
"Yeah, that's probably best," Buffy said. "Why don't you guys floo me if you have any news?"
"Floo? Oh, you mean the fireplace thing," Xander said with a shudder.
"But I thought you said we couldn't use that," Willow said, confused.
"You couldn't before because Umbridge was checking all the connections. Now that she's gone it'll be a lot more convenient. Safe, too," Buffy said.
"Somehow I can never get past the whole 'stepping into fire' part," Xander said. "That never screams safe to me."
"Safe as in you won't get caught," Buffy explained. "If no one's checking then no one cares."
"Great. I'll get started and you go get some rest, you look terrible," Willow said, shooing Buffy.
"Thanks, mom," Buffy said sarcastically.
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"You should probably ask for your map back tomorrow, Harry," Hermione said as they dropped their bags in front of the couches in the Gryffindor common room. "It's past curfew and you never know what she'll do."
"But I have to see if it's real. Maybe it was just a fluke, maybe she's not really here," Harry argued.
"I don't know why you just didn't tell Lupin you saw her on the map," Ron said, plopping unceremoniously on the couch.
"I couldn't," Harry sighed. "They all thought she was dead and if it turns out it was a fluke, I would've gotten their hopes up for nothing. Or, maybe it wasn't a fluke and maybe she really is alive."
"I don't see a problem there," Ron said.
"If she is alive, it's a Peter Pettigrew problem all over again," Hermione said, catching onto Harry's train of thought.
"Huh?" Ron asked through a yawn.
"If it's real, and they have a body buried for her, then someone obviously planted the body and raised her in the ways of the Death Eaters. She might be a traitor and we couldn't tell them that," Harry said. "Sirius loved her and so did Lupin. It'd kill them to know she's a follower of Voldemort. They think she's perfect."
"Right," Ron said. "That would be bad."
"And if she is alive, then you shouldn't be going to find her," Hermione said sternly. "She's probably here to bring you to Voldemort just like Crouch did last year."
"If I had the map, I'd know how to find her and stay away from her," Harry said, getting back on their original topic of discussion.
"Harry Potter, don't start with me!" Hermione lectured. "We've been best friends for five years now and we both know that if you have that map you'd go after her."
Harry sighed but didn't bother to argue.
"At least wait until morning, that way we can go with you," Hermione said sitting next to him.
That was unexpected.
Harry looked over at her with surprise written on his features.
"What?" she asked innocently. "I know you're going after her despite anything anyone says, so we might as well go with you. Besides, if she is evil, I'm not letting you fight her alone."
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said with a smile.
"Of course. That's what friends do," she said, a blush creeping up her neck. "Besides, it would look awfully suspicious if you went now and asked for a blank piece of parchment."
"I know, I just want some answers," Harry said. "Everything's always a mystery."
"But that's the fun of it," Ron said with a cheeky grin.
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Buffy was walking towards her room, intending to sleep for a very long while, at least until classes started in the morning. She turned the corner and saw the familiar portrait guarding her room.
Before she could reach it, a hand snuck out and grabbed her elbow, spinning her around and causing her to become slightly off balance by the surprise attack. She twirled around and smacked into a man's chest, hard but somewhat soft and warm. Buffy tilted her head up from the black robes and her lips turned up in a smile as she looked into a pair of dark eyes. "Sirius," she breathed.
"Buffy," he said with relief, his arms wrapping around her. "I knew it was you. Where have you been?"
"I've been looking for you," Buffy said, relaxing into his embrace.
"You haven't been looking hard enough," he said. "You should have found me by now."
"I have been," Buffy said, hurt coming over her features. "I've been looking everywhere! I've even got my friends to help me."
"They don't know me, how could they help?" Sirius asked. "You should know where to look."
"But I," Buffy said, only to be interrupted by Sirius.
"It's going to happen soon, you know. Are you ready?"
"Sirius, stop being so..."
"Serious?" Sirius joked.
"No," Buffy smirked. "Earnest. It doesn't suit you. Besides, you're scaring me," she said, nuzzling into his shirt.
"I thought it was essential to be earnest," Sirius said.
"It's important, yes, but not essential," Buffy said. "You're much more fun when you loosen up."
"How loose should I be?" Sirius asked with a smile.
"I'll let you know," Buffy said as his lips came down upon her own. The kiss the two shared quickly escalated and they found themselves wanting more from each other. Hands began to roam and clothes started to come undone.
"My room... is right... here," Buffy said as Sirius began kissing along her neck. The only response she got was a short grunt. "James," Buffy breathed, causing Sirius to stop what he was doing and look at her incredulously.
"I know you two were close but that was just disturbing," Sirius said.
"No," Buffy said with a smile. "It's my password." Buffy pointed to the picture of the lake that seemed to be in the middle of a storm. Waves crashed on the shore and the pier buckled under the force of the rain and waves. In a small little hut, a frowning boy and girl could be seen looking longingly out the window.
"Oh, good," Sirius said. "That's never happened to me before and I really didn't want to start with you."
"There's nothing else on my mind," Buffy said, reaching up for another kiss.
"How come I'm not your password?" Sirius asked, pulling back indignantly.
"I was in shock and he was the first thing on my mind!" Buffy said, rolling her eyes.
"Why weren't you thinking about me?" Sirius asked.
"Because I had just seen Harry, who happens to look exactly like James," Buffy said. "I can't even believe we're having this conversation!" she said suddenly, realizing what they were talking about.
"Well, I just want to know you're still my girl," Sirius said.
"As always," Buffy smiled. "Besides, you know James couldn't ever take me from you."
"Not that he hasn't tried," Sirius remembered unhappily.
"He's my brother, he's just looking out for me," Buffy defended. "The only thing you ever have to be is scared of him. You're dating his baby sister. Besides it being illegal, there is the whole ick factor," Buffy said, switching topics quickly, "and I think I will be sick the next time you even try to insinuate that again. I can't even say it myself."
"Can you blame me?" Sirius asked.
"He's my brother, you're my... "
"Lover?" Sirius suggested.
"Not yet," Buffy said with a sly smirk. "But we can fix that."
"You'll have to find me, first," he said while Buffy pulled him close for another kiss and they both backed up awkwardly into Buffy's chambers. However, when Buffy opened her eyes, Sirius was gone.
"Sirius?" she asked. Buffy turned around and noticed that she wasn't in her bedroom like she had thought. Instead, she was in a dark hall that looked vaguely familiar. It wasn't someplace she had been often, but maybe someplace she had seen once or twice in her life.
Knowing better than to call out in a dark, unfamiliar place, Buffy carefully and quietly walked down the hall, noticing a series of heads lined up on the walls. "House-elves," she breathed quietly. Voices from a room up ahead caused her to quicken her pace a little.
"He shouldn't have gone back to Hogwarts," a deep voice growled. "Not until we've eliminated this threat."
"I know, Alastor," another, more familiar voice answered wearily. "But there's nothing to be done."
"It's like asking for trouble. You know the boy's going to do something stupid."
'Moody?' Buffy thought. 'As in Alastor Moody, the auror?' He was here, wherever here was.
"Harry has good intentions," the tired voice answered. "He just isn't always the most observant of traps and people's intentions."
"That's what I've been trying to teach them all. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! They have to be prepared for anything."
"They seem to handle surprises fairly well. Much better than Sirius and I."
'Sirius?' Buffy thought wildly. 'It's Remus! That's where I've heard the voice before!'
"Where is he, anyway?" Moody asked. "I haven't seen him all weekend."
"He's been locked up in his room with Buckbeak," Remus said. "I think he's still sleeping."
'Buckbeak?' Buffy mouthed in confusion. Buffy was torn with what to do next. She could stay here and possibly see Remus and Moody or she could go and see Sirius. Buffy carefully backed away, not hearing the rest of their conversation. Wandering around a bit, she found the stairs and started up them. With every step she took, she became a tiny bit more familiar with the house. She knew where this was; she'd seen it before, but where?
Almost as if on autopilot, Buffy wandered down the halls and up the stairs, instinctually knowing she was going to Sirius' room. The door at the end of the hallway; it was there. He was in that room. Buffy's pace sped up slightly in anticipation. The thought of knocking flitted around briefly before she decided to forgo that and just barge right in. She grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath in and turned.
As the door swung open, Buffy bolted upright in her bed at Hogwarts, breathing deeply, letting the sun from the window wash over her.
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At the same time, Sirius sat up in bed, once again dreaming about Buffy. Both times, she was at Hogwarts, making him wonder how Harry found out about her in the first place.
Sirius rushed down the stairs and barged into the kitchen, interrupting Remus telling Moody that Harry had found out that James had a younger sister.
"What's wrong?" Remus asked, sensing his old friend's distress.
"I had another dream," he said hurriedly. "I have to go to Hogwarts!"
"Wait, slow down," Remus said. "Why do you have to go to Hogwarts?"
"I think she's alive!" Sirius said. "I had another dream about her. Both times she's been at Hogwarts."
"Sirius," Remus said sadly. "She's gone, okay? She's not coming back. She's not at Hogwarts."
"But she is! I know it!"
"Have you ever had prophetic dreams?" Moody asked.
"No," Sirius said after a pause.
"Then how do you know she's at Hogwarts? Did you think you'd start now? Any seers in your family?"
"No," Sirius said again. "But I know she's there."
"I know you miss her and it's harder for you since you've been in Azkaban and things are finally coming back to you, but all those thoughts and feelings are just old feelings that have been repressed by the Dementors," Remus said. "It's happened to other people who've spent only a couple of months or a few years in there. You've spent twelve years in there so it's only natural that it takes a couple of years for the memories to flood back. And now with Harry finding out and all . . ."
"No, she's back," Sirius said again, only this time he was much less convincing.
"You can't go to Hogwarts anyway," Remus said. "The ministry officials are there, not to mention other students that wouldn't have a problem turning you in. You're still a wanted murderer and you can't go anywhere. I'm sorry."
"He's right. I was there that night, remember?" Moody said. "I saw them kill her and I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do is bring her body back to her family. Not that that was an easy task."
"That's right!" Sirius said suddenly. "You were there! You were the auror that brought Buffy back. Is there any way she could have escaped?"
"'Fraid not," Moody sighed. "They were taking her somewhere and they saw me coming. I guess they didn't think they'd be able to escape, the way she was kicking and screaming, so they killed her. I was too far away to do anything about it and then they disapperated, leaving the body behind."
"See?" Remus said to his old friend. He didn't like to see Sirius like this and he didn't want to cause his friend any more pain. Chasing after old memories wasn't going to help him any. It would only make the pain worse because he had gotten his hopes up.
"It was probably just a dream," Sirius consented sadly, walking out the door with his head bowed.
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Harry, Hermione and Ron arrived to DADA class early, hoping to ask Professor Fox about the map. Unfortunately, she didn't rush in until two minutes after class had already started.
"Stand up and move towards the side wall," was the only thing she said after she performed the ritual spells. The class did what they were told, staring at their disheveled and obviously bothered professor. With a flick of her wrist, all the desks disappeared and a nice blue mat covered the once hard floor.
"Pair up with people of approximately the same size and or skill level. You shall be dueling today using everything we've learned so far, both physical and magical defense. Get started and I'll be back later." With that said, Buffy walked out of class, leaving the students rather confused.
"Okay, what do we do now?" Ron asked Harry.
"I guess we'll have to wait until after class."
"We should probably pair up now," Hermione said, taking charge of the class now that the professor was gone. "We've done this before so maybe we should do something different. If we keep alternating partners, soon everyone will have dueled everyone, what do you think?"
There were several glances around the room and eventually plenty of nods in agreement.
"Let's get started," she said and the class began their dueling. It was actually a pretty fun class, one of the best they had, and members of the D.A. went around helping others if they needed it.
The minutes ticked away and yet Professor Fox still didn't show up to class. The double period class.
"I wonder what's happened to her," Neville said to Hermione.
"I don't know," she frowned. "She didn't look very well when she came in. Maybe she's ill."
"Maybe," Neville said, glancing once again at the door.
Everyone had gotten a really good session out of class and managed to have a fun time, so no one was too disappointed that Professor Fox didn't show up when the class ended. No one except Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Where is she?" Harry wondered.
"Maybe she is sick. We'll stop by her office later but right now we have to get to Potions," Hermione said, dragging Harry and Ron behind her.
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Buffy was not feeling well. She had just spent the last hour sitting in the bathroom splashing water on her face, trying to figure out what her dream meant. She woke up feeling disoriented, and late for class, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really off. She had flooed Giles and told him the gist of her dream and the strange feeling she'd been having all morning. He told her he'd look into it and see if the day or the way the stars were aligned had any significant meaning.
She also asked whether Willow had any luck, but he sadly replied that her search for an intense magical area hadn't yelded positive results, causing Buffy to be even more frustrated.
No matter what Buffy tried to focus on, her mind still went back to Sirius. She could still feel his lips on hers... his hand running through her hair... .
"Stop that!" Buffy muttered quietly. "Focus. Possible apocalyptic feelings, strange dream. Where was Sirius? He was in his bedroom. With the bed... and the sheets... argh!" Buffy yelled, splashing more water on her face. "THINK! Where have I seen that house before? House-elves... kitchen... stairs..." Buffy started pacing, urging her mind to concentrate on the problem at hand; she closed her eyes to imagine herself in the dream again. "Stairs... went up... bedroom... Sirius was in his bedroom... his bedroom... Of Course!" Buffy said suddenly. "He was in his bedroom. His house! Brilliant! He's been hiding in front of everyone this whole time!"
Buffy ran out of the bathroom and rushed to her study, anxious to floo Willow. She had only been to Sirius' house once before and didn't remember where he actually lived. Her parents were out of town for the day and Sirius had invited James over to play (if he couldn't be at James' house, he wasn't going to be alone at his) and Buffy, by default, had gone with. She remembered hating that house, and the creepy house-elf heads, not to mention the live one.
It wasn't long before she was in her office talking to Willow, forgetting, in all the excitement, to shut her office door properly.
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"Come on," Harry said, rushing out of the hated Potions dungeon. "Maybe we can reach her before lunch."
"Assuming she's even in her office," Hermione said, racing after Harry.
The three students quickly made it to Professor Fox's office, but came up short by the sound of voices carrying through the slightly opened door.
"She has company," Hermione whispered. "Maybe we should come back later."
"Or we could stay and listen," Ron said as Harry crept closer to the door.
" ... can't remember his address but I know he has to be there," Professor Fox was saying.
"So you want me to find out where he lives?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"Or used to, yeah. There's bound to be a couple of spells on the house, something that wouldn't be too obvious that someone was hiding there, but something strong enough to hide him. He's an escaped murderer after all. Hundreds of people are looking for him," Professor Fox said.
"You don't think she's talking about..." Hermione asked with a look at Harry.
"So find the Black house and remove all the spells. Sounds simple enough," the new voice was saying.
"She is," Harry said, anger overwhelming him.
"But she can't get past the spell, can she?" Ron asked.
"No, only the secret keeper can give away the information," Hermione said. "He should be pretty safe."
"I'm coming with," Professor Fox was saying. "When we find him, I want to be there."
"I don't know if you should. I don't want to get your hopes up again. We've been looking for months now."
"I know, but this time I'm sure we're going to find him. Besides, you're going to need my help with whatever spell he has protecting him."
"Okay," the unfamiliar voice said slowly. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I'll be fine. I've survived worse than this," Professor Fox said. "Let's go."
"I can't believe her!" Harry yelled, after hearing her floo out. "She's spent months trying to make me trust her and the whole time she's been trying to get Sirius, she probably wanted me to tell her where Sirius was! She can't find him! We can't let her find him!" Harry ran off suddenly, Hermione and Ron following.
There was no need to ask where they were heading. It was obvious to all of them that their only hope in this situation was to go to Dumbledore. He'd know what to do.
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"The Black family used to live at Number 12 Grimmauld Place before they all died or went to prison," Willow said, reading from the files she had magically hacked into. "Does that sound right?"
"Yeah, I think so. It was a really long time ago, but that rings a bell," Buffy said. "Are you ready?"
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"Master," Wormtail said, cowering at the feet of Voldemort, "it is finished. They have finished construction and initial examination. They only wait for you to test it."
"Excellent," Voldemort said, standing up. "It seems we might be busy tonight."
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"Come in," Dumbledore said upon hearing the incessant knocking on his door. He wasn't very surprised to see Harry, Ron and Hermione barge in, but it was their urgent manner that alerted him that something was not right.
"Professor!" Harry gasped. It seemed that they had run all the way up to his office, from wherever they had come from, and were completely out of breath.
"Take a deep breath, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly. "What's wrong?"
"Sirius... she's after Sirius... you can't let her... get him," he said, his breath slowly coming back.
"Who is after Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, although he had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly who it was.
"Professor Fox, sir," Harry said, confirming Dumbledore's suspicions. "We overheard her talking to someone... in her office. They said they knew where he was and that... there were some protection spells around him."
"She shouldn't be able to get to the house," Dumbledore said with a small frown. "That's the whole point of the spell."
"They acted like it might not be a problem," Hermione added helpfully.
"Please, Professor," Harry said. "You have to warn them. Tell them to leave the house. At least for a while. She can't get him."
"Very well," Dumbledore said after a moment of studying Harry. It was next to impossible for her to get to the house without his information, but stranger things had happened. Besides, Harry was still a little shaky around him and if anything happened to Sirius, Dumbledore didn't think Harry would ever forgive him. Dumbledore gave a nod towards one of the old Headmaster's paintings and the old man disappeared from the frame.
"Thank you," Harry said.
"I believe I can find a room to temporarily house Sirius and Remus," Dumbledore said. He waved his wand and a whole bookcase moved to reveal a small door. "They shall not be allowed to leave this room," Dumbledore said looking at Harry gravely. "And you may not visit them all the time. It wouldn't do to have Miss Fox find an empty house only to discover that they are sitting in Hogwarts itself."
"I understand," Harry said, nodding gratefully.
"I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with them, however, and you may do so at your leisure. Just use your judgment and don't be seen," Dumbledore said, a bit of his old twinkle returning to his eyes.
"Thank you, sir," Harry said again.
"Always a pleasure, Harry," Dumbledore said, just when Sirius and Remus appeared holding on to an old cup.
"Harry!" Sirius said happily. "Good to see you again!"
"You too, Sirius," Harry said with a smile. They hadn't been apart for more than a day and they were greeting each other like they hadn't seen each other in months.
"I guess I made it to Hogwarts, after all," Sirius said with a glance at Remus. One that Dumbledore didn't miss and didn't quite understand.
"As I have just finished telling them, you aren't allowed to leave your room," Dumbledore said, explaining that their mysterious Ministry employee had been searching for Sirius for several months.
"But they can't find the house unless you told them, right?" Remus asked.
"They shouldn't be, no, but Harry thought it was necessary to evacuate you, so I complied with his request," Dumbledore said. "You'll be staying here. Now, I think I shall leave you alone while I go eat some lunch." Before Ron could open his mouth to protest, Dumbledore swished his wand and caused a full plate of sandwiches and several goblets of pumpkin juice to appear on his desk. "I think these will fill you up," he said with a wink, leaving his office.