Happy new year everyone!

I always say this, but I'll say it again. Thank you Ambush99 for betaing this fic! You are amazing!

So, I've planned quite a lot of this fic, and written future bits and pieces. Ah, well there will be at least three more very significant characters deaths, and two more hang in the balance.

Also, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed so far.

Chapter 19

Sirius stood outside of the Ministry for a moment, temporarily at a loss of what to do. The recent revelations had shaken him to the core. His blood had been used to resurrect Voldemort, coupled with the revelation of Horcruxes, and then there was his wand. Olivander had always creeped him out but he was one of, if not the, most talented wand makers in the world. Had he, Sirius Black, always been destined to connect with Voldemort? He had always fought and disagreed with the dark side, but to be Voldemort's key adversary? He did not know. He wondered how far Fudge's influence went, how many people thought he was a crazy, attention seeking fool? How badly had he undone Moody's hard work to form close alliances?

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his hair. It was now or never, he couldn't continue to stand outside the Ministry any longer or he risked drawing attention to himself. He wondered if anyone else, aside from himself, Moody and Fudge, knew about Voldemort's return, and did they believe him? The last time he'd felt this nervous returning to the Ministry was over five months ago, when he had returned for the first time in thirteen years or, as many had coined it, when he had returned from the dead. He had little recollection of his brief appearance a few days ago, the days seeming to blur into a mix of jumbled conversations and colours. He still felt slightly stiff from his injuries and mildly out of breath on occasions but, considering what could have happened, he knew he was lucky. He knew he was living on borrowed time. He knew he had never been meant to escape that graveyard, like he was never meant to escape the prison they had held him in, nor should he have escaped when Voldemort tried to force him into his service when he was barely sixteen.

He shook his head. He could not continue to think of the 'what ifs', they were never going to help him defeat Voldemort. He needed to go back to work and continue his job. Fudge may have dismissed his account out of hand, but that would not prevent him from fighting Voldemort and his followers. It would not stop him from protecting any of Voldemort's targets. He hoped it was not going to be like last time, but he knew it would be. Last time they had had the Ministry's support, and this time they had an incompetent leader who refused to listen. Without another thought, he stepped into the nearest Floo point and almost instantaneously stepped out into the Ministry. Striding through the atrium, he tried to ignore the stares and whispers, but were they even looking at him, or was it his paranoia? Was he as crazy as Fudge said he was? Considering what he had been through, he certainly should have been, but somehow he wasn't. He looked around; no one had even acknowledged his presence. He smiled softly, of course Fudge hadn't released the news of Voldemort's return. He was too scared, too weak to acknowledge it. Not particularly wanting to talk to anyone, he made his way quickly to the lifts, ignoring any possible eye contact. In the recent months it had been constant, people always asking him to support their campaigns or run for Ministry of Magic. Normally he didn't mind, but today wasn't one of those days. Today he needed to reform the Order and start the fight against Voldemort.

"Hi Kingsley," he said as he walked into the office. "Moody in?"

"Sirius!" Kingsley exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here."

"I know that, but shouldn't you be in St. Mungo's or something?"

"I'm fine mate," Sirius replied with a tight smile.

"Moody's in the library," Kingsley replied, answering Sirius' earlier question. "This has something to do with you-know-who's return, doesn't it?"

Sirius nodded as he sank down at his desk. "Yeah," he said slowly. "Did he say anything?"

"Moody?" Kingsley asked. He watched Sirius nod nervously. "No, he hasn't said a lot since Thursday. He told me to recall everyone on that Wednesday and said no one should go out until he'd briefed everyone. He let everyone know about, well, you-know-who returning, on Thursday morning."

"And?"

"And we believe you! Unlike Fudge, we don't have our heads so shoved up our own arses that we don't see the truth in front of us."

"You believe me?" Sirius questioned.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"I don't know, I've produced no evidence!"

"We don't need evidence. Sirius, we believe you because we know you. Out of everyone, you are the last person to joke about you-know-who returning!"

Sirius sighed. "Mate, I, well what did he say?"

"Not a lot," Kingsley said, leaning against Sirius' desk. "Just said he had returned and we needed to be prepared. We surmised the fact you were somehow involved, due to your lack of presence. Moody begrudgingly mentioned you were in St. Mungo's to me, but no one else."

"Right," Sirius said as he ran a tired hand through his hair. "Where did everyone else think I was?"

Kingsley shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but probably something to do with you-know-who's return."

Kingsley paused for a moment as he looked his colleague up and down. He still looked terrible. He knew Moody had all but appointed Sirius as his successor and, despite his career ambitions, he knew it was the right thing. He couldn't think of anyone he would rather lead the department in times of war than Sirius. The man seemed to take everything the world threw at him and brush it off, then carry on walking into danger as though it was nothing. 'But at what cost?' he thought.

"What else?"

Sirius' voice was so soft he almost missed it. "What?"

"You didn't just come over here to chew the fat, what else is it?" Sirius questioned.

"Well, I know it is probably the last thing you want to think about, but the WP meeting is today in an hour," Kingsley said nervously.

Sirius sighed and leant back on his chair so he had it tilting on the back two legs. "Mate, the world has got to continue spinning. Have you got the agenda?"

"Sure," Kingsley said, handing the parchment over.

"Great," Sirius said, letting his head fall into his hand. "Werewolves, a topic I'm so not 'passionate' about," he said sarcastically.

"If you don't want to go, I can go in your place," Kingsley offered.

"No, I need to. He's going to use it as a test."

"What?"

"Fudge is going to watch me and try to use anything to discredit me. He doesn't want to acknowledge Voldemort's return," Sirius stated, ignoring Kingsley's flinch at the mention of Voldemort's name. "If I stop attending WP meetings he'll say I'm not committed or I'm ill or something. No, I have to play my game to counter his. He may not acknowledge Voldemort's return, but I need to appear as a credible witness."

Kingsley nodded. "Sure, but not if you turn up to the meetings looking half dead. You'll just play right into his hand."

"Do I look that bad?"

"You've looked better."

"Thanks," Sirius said sarcastically. "I'll get a couple of coffees down me and I'll be fine. I've had worse and done more."

That's what I'm worried about, Kingsley thought. "Sure, but don't have the coffee on the left. Tonks made it and unless you want to be bouncing off the walls, well…"

"Thanks for the heads up," Sirius replied as he wandered towards the coffee at the far end of the room.

He leant against the lift walls as he tried to compose himself. He absolutely could not argue with Fudge, he needed to remain calm and collected. No debating with Fudge. No pushing his agenda. Just smiling and nodding, that was his new agenda. Agree with Fudge, anything else could seriously derail the Order's plans.

"Minister," Sirius said pleasantly, as he stepped into the plush corridor.

"Ah Mr. Black, so good of you to turn up. Especially after your little 'turn' a few days ago," Fudge said with a smile which didn't reach the eyes.

"Thank you," Sirius said returning the pleasantries, as he followed the others into the cabinet room. He sank down in his chair, trying to avoid eye contact with the others. He smiled and nodded, vaguely aware of Fudge's droning voice. He just had to survive this meeting, then he could hide away in the office. He could not let his temper derail the process.

"So, we come to our final item of the agenda, werewolves," Fudge said, as he started to wrap up the meeting. "As we are all aware, they are highly dangerous creatures and need to be stopped. My proposal is to round them up and place them in a secure unit."

Sirius closed his eyes and bit back his reaction, but all he could think about was his friend. How ill and terrified he looked during the days before his transformations. He thought about their time at Hogwarts, his easy laugh and how kind he was to the younger students. How patient and understanding Remus had been when he had returned from whatever dank hellhole the death eaters had held him in. He shook his head. He couldn't. He couldn't let this one go. He wasn't going to let one of his best friends be shipped away like some form of criminal. "You are no better than Hitler," Sirius hissed.

"I'm sorry Mr. Black but who is this 'Hitler' you talk of?" Fudge said in a mocking tone.

"Fine, I'll use a torturing bastard you are familiar with, Voldemort!" Sirius bit back.

Fudge paled slightly. "Come now Mr. Black, do we really need to go through this?"

"Go through what?" Sirius challenged, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…" Fudge trailed off nervously.

Sirius found a smile, despite the situation. So, he thought, he's too scared to even acknowledge the event. "Well, I was merely referring to your, well how do I say it politely, barbaric segregational movement."

"Err," Fudge stuttered nervously, as he ran a finger between his seemingly tight collar. "I just want to keep people safe."

"I know," Sirius said kindly. "And so do I. I just think there's a better way to deal with it."

"Werewolves are barbaric, dangerous creatures who live in the underworld!"

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. "One night a month, I'm not denying they are dangerous but there have been so many advances, such as wolfsbane. Barbaric, sure a few of them are, but that's like judging all wizards by the individuals who have become death eaters," he said, tactically not mentioning Voldemort's name. "As to the underworld, how much is that our doing? We don't allow them to hold down a position, and if they do manage to get a job, they can barely scrape a living. If they were bitten as a child, most didn't receive an education because we were too scared. So you have to ask yourself, why do they live underground? Why do they hate the wizarding community? Why? Because we made them hate us."

"Mr. Black, they are just werewolves, they aren't worthy of our time," Fudge said lightly.

It took every part of him not to either storm out, or smack Fudge square in the jaw. No, that would just add fuel to Fudge's fire that he was a crazy, attention seeker. He needed to remain calmer, far calmer than he already had. "Minister, you probably already know one of my best friends is a werewolf. And he is one of the kindness, most gentle and intelligent person I've ever had the privilege to meet. Yes, one night a month he turns into a beast, I'm not going to deny that, but he takes every precaution. Because of the Ministry's crappy policies he cannot get a job, therefore he cannot buy wolfsbane out of his own pocket, so James and I do. I don't care, neither does James. If money is slightly tighter at the end of the month then so be it. If that's the cost of keeping our best mate safe, then so be it. Remus would do anything to prevent the wolf from hurting anyone, fuck he would probably allow himself to be rounded up. That's because he's so, I don't know, he's a better person than any of us in this room. And yes, he was lucky. He had two parents who loved him, and would have done anything for him. He was fortunate enough to be able to receive an education. And yes, he has friends willing to fight for him. So, rather than segregating them, why not extend an olive branch? I fully admit I am biased when it comes to this topic, but can we not try?"

"What about the werewolves who attack?" a voice to his left asked.

"Then they should be treated like any other suspect - tried and, if found guilty, sent to Azkaban like any other criminal," Sirius replied.

"Perhaps we should postpone this vote until you have fully recovered from your little 'turn' last week," Fudge said in a sickly voice. "You are obviously still affected by it and cannot think clearly."

Of course I'm fucking affected by it, Sirius thought, but not to the point that I cannot think clearly, you dangerous, misguided buffoon. Instead, Sirius smiled politely. "I'm quite capable of making a decision, but whatever you think is best. After all, I'm sure you have the Ministry's best interests at heart."

"I do, and I think it's best we postpone this vote until you feel up to it, or you appoint a replacement, temporary of course," Fudge replied, in a sickly sweet voice, as though he was talking to a child. "Maybe things will seem different in a few days."

"Thank you," Sirius replied in a forced politeness.

"Good. We'll hold the meeting at the same time and place next week."

Sirius nodded his farewell. Standing up quickly, he left the room, avoiding eye contact with anyone there. He hadn't accounted for how raw he would feel when confronted with the fact people didn't believe him. He thought he had prepared himself, but evidently he hadn't. Why had Fudge's words cut so deep? He had always thought the man would try to deny all knowledge of Voldemort's return. He knew the man would try to target him, single him out and make him feel alone and vulnerable. He thought he was ready for it, but in the cold light of day, it was evident he wasn't. Was he really cut out to front Moody's campaign? Was he really cut out to lead the Order?

He was just about to step out of the lift when a hand grabbed him, forcing him back in. "Moody!"

"Let's get out of here," Moody growled, hiding the newspaper under his arm.

"What's that?" Sirius said, making a grab for the paper.

"Nothing," Moody replied, side stepping Sirius' hand.

"Bullshit!" Sirius exclaimed. "Look the bastard has already started to try and discredit me, so if he's put something in the Daily Prophet I need to know. I need to know how to react."

Hesitantly, Moody slowly handed the copy of the paper to Sirius. "Don't believe a word of it laddie."

Is Sirius Black mad?

Sirius Black, Alastor Moody's right hand man, regularly suffers from nightmares, the Daily Prophet can reveal. A source close to Black reveals

"I told you don't bloody read that crap," Moody snapped, as he yanked the paper from Sirius' hands and threw it into a nearby fire. "It's bloody Rita Seeker, she's off on you today, tomorrow it will probably be me and the following day some poor sod from International Magical Corporation or something similar."

"I know and I know I'm being stupid," Sirius said as he stepped out into the busy London street. "But-"

"But I'm guessing you are still feeling knackered and in pain, whilst trying to figure out what the hell happened. One of your best friends from school ressurected Voldemort using your own blood, then was murdered in front of you. You yourself barely escaped with your life. Oh, then you find your wand's brother is Voldemort's wand and Olivander thinks you were always destined to be connected to Voldemort. I'm I missing anything? Oh wait, you find out the bastard is immortal and still targeting your godson, therefore he's still targeting your family. So, laddie I think that is a hell of a lot for anyone to take in under a week," Moody summarised. "Have I left anything out?"

"I guess not," Sirius breathed.

"Right, let's get a coffee and get away from the idle gossip in the bloody Ministry," Moody said as he started up the street. "Know anywhere around here?"

"But you only drink from your hip flask!"

"True, nor do I have any muggle money. So I guess you are paying and I'll pretend to have a coffee," Moody said as he led Sirius into a nearby coffee shop. "Oh and you're eating as well. I can't have you passing out in the Ministry, it'll only help to confirm Fudge's strategy."

"Moody, I don't know if I'm the right person for this," Sirius said quietly after they had ordered their coffees.

"Sirius, I know right now you don't think you are. I know you have doubted yourself for a long time, but I also know there is no one more suited for this role than you. You are far more capable than you think. You are far more capable than I am, than Kingsley is, than Potter is, than hell, anyone in the wizarding community. I hate the fact the role has put a target on your back-"

"I've had a target on my back since I was sixteen," Sirius cut in.

"I know, and no kid should ever had to of gone through what you did," Moody said sadly. "But what would have broken most people, only made you stronger. Fuck," Moody suddenly exclaimed, and ran a hand through his thinning hair. "There's me giving a speech saying basically the whole wizarding community is dependant on you, when you are saying you're not sure. If you want to go Sirius, Merlin, no one would blame you. You know I would support you."

Sirius shook his head. "I know I need to do it, I'm just a little, I don't know."

"Rattled?" Moody offered, as they thanked the waitress for their coffees and Sirius' cake. "Oh course you bloody are, it's a hell of an ask of anyone. But I truly believe you can do it. It's going to get worse before it gets better with Fudge, you know that. But stay close to your friends, they'll support you, they'll be your rock. You might need to keep your mother away from Fudge though, she laid into Crouch pretty hard last time."

"I'll do my best," Sirius replied with a slight smile as he began to tuck into his cake.

"But then again a couple of bats as ears wouldn't really harm that much, and it'll give the rest of us a laugh," Moody replied grinning as he pushed the espresso cup around the table.

"I guess not. So, have you got anywhere on destroying the Horcruxes yet?" Sirius asked earnestly.

"No," Moody said shaking his head. "Have you figured out what they are yet?"

"Other than a locket and items related to Hogwarts, no," Sirius replied, taking a careful sip of his coffee. He looked up and idly watched the muggles go about their business without a care in the world. "Remus is researching Riddle's history, maybe we'll find something there. James is looking into Hogwarts' artefacts."

"Good," Moody said, resting his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Use your friends, they are smart and they'll spread the load. They just want to help you."

"I know, I just don't want to get them hurt."

"I know you don't, but they'll get involved whether you like it or not. They are not going to stand by and watch you destroy yourself."

"That's what James said," Sirius said quietly.

"I'm glad he still has a few brain cells left in his head," Moody said with a broad grin, watching Sirius drain the remaining coffee. "Shall we get out of here?" He watched the younger man nod and slip some money onto the table before heading to the door. "And remember laddie, don't listen to a word that buffoon says, okay! If you do, I'll bloody have to give you lines or something."

"Yes, sir," Sirius mocked as they headed towards the Ministry.