A Note From Serade Black: Well, here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy it. I'm still at least 2 chapters from the end, and I promise Ch. 24 won't be far behind, as it was just the second part of this one, I divided into two.

It's not my strongest chapter, but that's just my opinion. Thanks so much to those that have stuck by this story. I've found sheer pleasure in all the sweet death threats I've gotten!

Enjoy!

This chapter is only rated PG13 and reads the same on the live journal.

Chapter 23

In a separate side of Knockturn Alley, Hermione and Ron reappeared from the thin cool air. Looking about them wildly, Ron shook his head with his mouth agape as he tried to comprehend the reasoning for them to not be in someplace more familiar. He looked above him and saw dilapidated building tops on the verge of collapsing, while corpses of dead rats lay around their feet like forgotten meals.

Ron's breath echoed off the walls, as the damp air chilled him to the very bone. Unsure of what the next move should be, he turned to an unsteady Hermione who weakly clutched onto his arm. She was so focused on what had just happened with her self explosion, that she hadn't even looked up and around her to see what kind of trouble they were in.

She couldn't believe her own mouth had said what she wanted, and she couldn't believe that her truthful declaration might have gotten her into even deeper trouble. But, it was no use, Sirius was so far gone he never even would have remembered it. In an instant, her emotions were pecking away at her insides and trying desperately to get the best of her in her weakened state. She had given herself to someone that was way out of her league, someone that was very wrong for her and proved to her to have made the biggest mistake of her life.

"Hermione, we need to get the hell out of here! That crazy Bellatrix is after us, and it's not safe here! We have no wards!" Ron yelled, hoping that Hermione might come around and help him out. He was at a loss without her quick keen thinking.

She shook her head as she tried to let the fog lift in between empty sobs and felt that cold and alone feeling, again, even with Ron holding her hand. She looked up to the tall buildings towering around them like an unforgiving fortress, watching the shadows around them create an unsettling feeling. She forced her mind free of the emotions that were weighing her heart down and tried to start thinking straight so they could get out of there.

Not too far behind them, Hermione heard the fine quick steps belonging to foes that were after them and managed to duck just in time to evade a hex flying in their direction, taking Ron down with her. Narcissa and Draco were close and Ron spun to take off running, dragging Hermione with him.

Streams of blue and green flew around their feet as they skipped over the flying hexes, dodging left and right, avoiding any hits. One got Ron in the foot, but only the tips of his shoelaces had been singed, leaving the rest of his flesh intact. The two shouted at each other, unsure of which direction to go in, but Hermione made the rash decision to split once they came upon another alleyway, knowing that Narcissa wouldn't break from her son and using it to their advantage.

As if Draco had a personal vendetta, his eyes narrowed as he saw Hermione duck into the other passageway, but continued on after Ron. Narcissa groaned over the split, but followed Draco, just as they predicted. As she was making the mental decision to let her own son go, she heard her sister cackling from another direction and knew that Hermione was not going to be left alone.

With flowing layers of black gauze, pale veined arms reached towards Hermione's direction as if she could touch her, but still greatly out of arms reach. Bellatrix played the hunt like a game, smiling like a fierce predator targeting her prey and finding colorful words in her vocabulary to call Hermione that were much worse than "mudblood". Hermione's only focus was to find her way out of this labyrinth and, hopefully, into a safe haven where Bellatrix would be apprehended. However, defeat soon settled in as the narrow passage way got darker and darker and she had the sinking feeling that she was going in the wrong direction.

With the screeches of a banshee, Bellatrix threw her arm back with a powerful dramatic display and released a hex ahead of her. She managed a hit on Hermione and sent her flying over her own two feet. With an abrupt thud, Hermione fell uncomfortably on her rear; almost sure she'd bruised her tailbone.

Like a cartoon character on ice, Hermione scurried with every limb in fast forward, desperately trying to raise herself from the wet coarse cobblestone. She saw the flaps of the billowing dress her attacker wore, coming closer and closer looking like a dementor, if it wasn't for her pale arms holding out her wand. Bellatrix's raven black hair with the lightning white streaks throughout shone like a beacon in the midnight light, that she set a haunting drift ahead of her that even the corpses stepped out of her way..

"I'll make you pay, mudblood! How dare you taint my bloodline! My cousin was an idiot to marry you, filthy little mudblood whore!" Bellatrix screamed obsessed with anger.

Her heeled boots were hard slaps against the cobblestone, evading puddles or walking on the water. Her hood fell around her shoulders, allowing her long black tendrils to fly wildly around her like an added cape. Her eyes were dilated, her voice cackled menacingly and her intent was to kill or severely hurt the young one that dared consider herself worthy to be a Black.

Upon Hermione's abrupt halt onto the unforgiving ground, she fell on her lifeline. She did what she could to control her body as she nearly flipped backwards, ass over tit, but as she saved herself, she heard her wand snap like a broken twig in her back pocket.

Bellatrix's arm swung back once again, muttering an unforgivable curse, casting it at her cousin's pathetic wife that lay on the ground like a broken rag doll.

"Hermione!"

She looked up as she heard her name, gasping with relief when she saw Sirius running at her from a hidden alleyway. He threw himself in front of the stream of light from Bellatrix's wand, saving her from whatever pain was now to be his.

She heard the illustrious Bellatrix scream, "Crucio!" with severe intensity as she watched Sirius fall into a crumpled heap before her target on the rain soaked ground.

Hermione screamed, frightfully fearful of his life and watched him writhe on the ground in agony like his body was receiving an electric shock.

"Fucking run, Hermione!" He yelled, his voice cracking between cries of mental pressure and pain. "Go now! Run!" He coughed, clutching onto his wand and trying to fight off the invisible power over him.

Hermione's insides were dying with him and despite how cruel he'd been, she couldn't find it in herself to leave him. Not in this alleyway, not on the rain soaked street, not again! The more she yelled in protest wanting to pull him away, the more he yelled at her. She saw Bellatrix nearing them, her wand fixed on her cousin, now. The repulsive cackled filled her ears again, like a sickening reminder of death, but she knew that Sirius would be gravely pissed if she stayed any longer to try and save him. Sirius slurred his words with curses for her to run like hell away from his cousin, while she still had a running chance.

"I swear to God, Hermione-" He howled and cried as his muscles contracted against his control, "I'll fucking kill you myself if she doesn't get to you first! Get the hell out of here!" he screamed, concentrating on forming words to make her leave.

Watching the darkened death of a woman approach them with joyful eyes of loathing, Hermione took another look down at her husband, her love, the man she had learned to need more than anything in her life, dying before her. Fear of Bellatrix and Sirius got the best of her, and the she knew the last thing she could do for him, was to listen to him now, of all times. The look of pain and horror on Sirius's face was more than enough for her to scurry backwards on all four arms and legs like a spider trying to run. She was finally able to get back on her feet, leaving the broken wand behind and took off running, not looking back. She heard Bellatrix's voice bouncing off the crumbling walls of the buildings around her, like she had triumphed.

Her heart was racing, her eyes watered, and as the dam holding back her tears broke apart, her emotions erupted with loss and hatred. She cursed Sirius under her breath for making her leave him; despite how horrible he'd been to her. She just didn't want Bellatrix to take him away from them, for the second time.

As her body pushed forward, trying to take her to a safe place, she felt like the walls were closing in. Her mind was playing tricks on her and it was evident that her body was physically breaking down. She couldn't run any faster, she could barely breathe from gasping for air, and her sense of awareness was weakening more and more as she replayed the events in her mind of seeing Sirius smiling and conversing with Bellatrix and Draco. It just didn't make sense, but then again, it made all the sense in the world where he'd been all those nights. But Snape? He had to know more; he always knew more.

After what felt like miles of running, she glanced back to see to see Bellatrix after her, getting ready to throw a hex at her the way she'd caught her before. Fighting herself to keep a strong will, she did her best dodge them as they ricochet off the brick walls, racking her brain for a plan to hide.

Bellatrix had left Sirius behind, after hitting him with the curse, when he told her he was trying to grab her. She hopped over the writhing body of her cousin, as if in a determined trance to get his wife completely out of this world. Sirius felt the feeling return to his finger tips, then his legs, moving on up through his groin, and finally enjoying the warm soothing feeling return to his chest. He laid there panting, breathing each breath as if he had been submerged under water and then he came to.

He lay there, listening to Bellatrix's cackling and her boots hitting the cobblestone in the distance, when he heard the footsteps getting closer. He gripped his wand and wrapped an arm around his stomach, keeping himself low as he slowly got up to move. His stomach felt like it had been punched and the overpowering feeling in his gut told him that he really needed to slow down.

The hurried footsteps got closer and Sirius hid his wand close to his body, but ready to strike. He caught more black billowing robes emerge from the shadows and he pointed his wand in that direction, against his new attacker.

Snape walked on with fierce speed and slapped his hand down like a child, "Put your arm down, you fool. Which way did they go?"

Sirius's brain had started to return to normal speed as it had been fucked over, twice that night, "They went," he doubled over in pain, "They went that way."

"What did you do, Black? Stop a curse?" Snape asked, reluctantly hoisting Sirius up, throwing an arm over his shoulder and pulling his ally up off the ground.

"Yes!" he coughed, resenting the fact that he needed any help at all. Worst of all, from Snape.

"Her wand is broken, Snape! She's defenseless." Sirius managed to get out when he found his voice again, feeling his body ready to collapse at any moment if he didn't get it out.

Snape curled his lip into a repulsed pout and turned around to prop Sirius up in a dark corner, where he could wallow in his own pain for awhile. He was in no shape to fight right now and was left to make a bold move on his own.

"Give me your wand, Black. Stay here and don't make a sound!" Snape commanded, snatching the wand from his tight fingers. He pushed Sirius more into the shadows and told him to remain quiet and still, until someone came to get him.

"Go save her, Snape, please! I need her." he moaned, feeling his own emotions coming back into view.

As Snape's wand broke, most of the cloudy magic had begun to lift and Sirius was beginning to feel the heavy repercussions of his rash decisions. He leaned against the stone wall and slowly sank down to his feet, feeling the heavy guilt of what he had done. He'd hurt Hermione, he'd lied to her and worst of all, he left her. Probably the best thing to happen to him, next to Harry, and he'd thrown it all away.

His only chance at getting back what he had so easily disposed of was that she remained open-minded and clear headed to understand the reasoning behind his mission. He never, not once, wanted to risk losing Hermione to it. But, it was just another sacrifice he promised to make in order to make right what once when wrong.

Hermione dodged left and right, trying to get out of the direct line of fire, as Bellatrix was quick on her heel, now joined by her sister and nephew. The women's robes billowed behind them, forcing the fabric to whip around them like dark flags announcing their presence. It only drove Hermione further, trying to dodge the flying streams of light, trying to find a way out of this horrific maze and get to someplace where she could act without a wand. If she'd paid attention to some of the wrestling shows that Sirius used to watch on muggle TV, perhaps now she could have surprised them all with a big of tuck and roll as she laid a hard punch against the dark witch.

"The Dark Lord will be so pleased that we have her." Draco hollered out, trying to beat his mother and aunt in the run.

Hermione's breath was caught in her throat, trying to suppress the new tears that were starting to tickle down her cheek out of fear, lack of a wand, and Sirius. She'd just left him. But, he had told her to. He made her leave him behind...and he just took it. He took the Crucio curse that his own cousin had thrown, caring not that it hit him by accident, or on purpose. Instead, she had the horrific visions in her head of him writhing around on the cold damp cobblestone road, as lighting pain flew through his nerves like a channeling snake, hitting each muscle, each brainwave, each emotion until his own mind would drive him insane.

She left him to die.

What she couldn't understand was that Bellatrix was behind her and that told her either someone had taken it over, or she hadn't had it on him long enough to take any serious effects. As she forced her body beyond its limits, she prayed that he wasn't dead, or out of his mind at this point, because counting behind her, there were three individuals who wanted to either hand her over to the dark lord, or just wanted her dead.

"You will die eventually, Mudblood!" Draco shouted, laughing just like his aunt and being followed by his mother.

Hermione had long lost sight of Ron and she had no idea where he had gone. As she had no wand, she had to try and use her wit, but at this stage she was clueless. It wasn't until she saw a flash of light come from someplace next to her that she knew to stop in her tracks and duck so it wouldn't hit her.

"Potter!" Draco yelled, upon hearing a fearsome scream behind him.

Harry had come out of the shadows, following the cackling laughs, the fierce footsteps that sounded like elephants between the tall hollow buildings. He was accompanied by Ron, who had told him that Hermione was being chased by all three of them and no others. Harry quietly positioned himself to see them running at him, Hermione frantic and breathless and without a wand. He shouted a spell under his breath, and aimed it at the caboose of the trio that followed Hermione, hitting Narcissa straight in the chest and forcing her to be lifted and thrown back. Draco stopped in his run and turned on his heal for his mother.

Harry couldn't help but find the vindictiveness in him, that seeing Draco turn into a soft marshmallow for his mother, something he had been cheated from; he knew it'd be a two-for-one shot. Bellatrix, on the other hand, squealed with evil delight that Harry had joined them and used the same spell to hurl Hermione back against a building.

Hermione screamed, feeling her body being lifted and thrown at full force against a building that she hit her head and fell as a crumpled heap on the same cobblestone road. Harry felt the anger beginning to build in him, and he dodged to the left of a green stream coming in his direction, and threw another spell at Bellatrix. Ron came up behind him, winded and furious when he saw Hermione's crumpled body in an awkward position sprayed out on the cobblestone.

Without thinking, a spell he wasn't quite confident with, was thrown in the general direction of Narcissa once again, hitting Draco by accident and on purpose. The blond haired boy tripped over his own robes, thus creating a sound that could only compare to one that had fallen face first onto the hard chipped road. The two heard Draco hiss and curse under his breath, absolutely disgusted that he had been bested by a Weasley. As Draco lifted his wand arm by his mother, it was quickly knocked out of his hand, by accident.

Snape was running up from one of the darkened alleyways, his black robes billowing behind him with the sound of flags in a fierce wind and he pretended to miss his aim at Harry and hit Draco instead. Dumfounded, Draco quickly spun his head right into a "knock out" charm that rendered him unconscious next to his mother.

Bellatrix hadn't seen what was transpiring behind her, as she was focused on doing a twirl and screech that she'd finally gotten a good aim at the mudblood who had tainted her family's blood. Her next motion was to capture the Potter boy and kill his redheaded friend. However, Snape's footsteps were as quiet as the wind that she hadn't heard him behind her and he called out the same "knock-out" spell as he performed on Draco.

With such elegance, Bellatrix fell to her side, her arms outstretched to protect her head and she fell silent as her body gently hit the ground below her. The horrendous screeching that was extracted from her witch lungs had slowly fizzled down to a mute and the remaining two Order members stood with their wands aimed at their ex-potions professor.

"Lower your wands you idiots!" Snape growled, enraged with anger that he'd almost been discovered fighting for the good side. His eyes narrowed in on the two of them and he quickly glanced over at the crumpled heap that was Hermione. "Get out of here, before Narcissa rises. She's the only one I didn't hit."

"Good shot!" Ron chirped, amazed by the speed in which two were taken out in a matter of minutes.

"Shut up, Weasley and get out of here! Go back down this alley and make a sharp left turn. Knock on the wall and it'll take you out of here and back into Diagon Ally. Get her back to headquarters!" Snape rushed, keeping his voice in a stage whisper, quickly becoming more and more agitated the longer the two stood there looking dumbfounded and unsure.

"Where's...oh, my god!" They heard a raspy voice, followed by a few stumbling steps.

Sirius had emerged behind Snape, not quite sure which alleyway, but managed to stagger into clear view. His eyes focused on the fallen body that was Hermione's and immediately his heart was crushed when he saw the mangled position she had been put in. He limped over, clutching his stomach like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and managed to kick Bellatrix in the head as he passed her demonic angel body that lay on the cold ground.

As much as he wanted nothing but to kill his cousin for every horrific thing she'd done in the past since she started following the Dark Lord, his entire focus was on the small frame of the girl that lay fallen by unkind spells.

"Take her and get the hell out of here, Black! Don't grovel; just take her body and leave!" Snape hissed, pushing Sirius closer to her, skipping over a few dramatic staggers.

Sirius held in his emotions, fighting the urge to erupt into the tears that were on the brink of shattering him. The very sight of her warmed his heart and chilled it quickly after as he saw her lying so uncomfortable. Harry rushed to his godfather's side, surveying Hermione as well and went to try and lift her. Sirius stopped Harry and immediately hoisted her up in his arms with such ease; he knew he was always meant to carry her whether it was physically, mentally or emotionally. He knew that it was his fault that she was brought here, it was his fault that she had ended up hurt by his own cousin and it was his responsibility to make sure she got back to Grimmauld Place untouched where more focused wizards could tend to her.