It was midnight at the Ministry of Magic, and almost any one would tell you that the building was empty, save for one Remus Lupin, who was busy in the public library that the Ministry contained. Though people who knew any better would tell you something was about to happen. And those that knew Remus Lupin and Harry Potter would tell you that Sirius Black would not be in his cell tomorrow.
"Hermione, do you have the acid?" Harry whispered as they approached Sirius' cell on the fourth floor.
"Of course I have the acid! You did bring the stuffed dog, right?" She asked Ron, who nodded.
"Why didn't Remus come with us?" Ginny asked the group, as they inched slowly down the hall.
"Because," Harry told her, "He wouldn't fit under the cloak, it's hard enough with just the four of us."
"Yeah, well if Ron wasn't so tall…OUCH!" Harry quickly put his hand over Hermione's mouth to stop her scream, then sent a glare at Ron for elbowing her in the side. He stopped in front of Sirius' cell and pulled the cloak off the other three, then went back to the corner and checked to see if any one was coming before pulling the cloak off him self as well.
When he returned, Ginny had managed to wake Sirius up, and was talking to him. He turned and grinned at Harry, "You guys got the dog?"
"Of course we have it," Ron said holding up the small black dog.
"Get to work Hermione, guards could show up at any minute." Harry was nervous and didn't want to be caught. Hermione set down the large brown bag she had been holding and pulled out two vials.
"This one is acid," She held up a vial with clear liquid in it, "The other, is a base. Two drops in the lock will eat enough of the metal to get it open. An equal amount of the base will stop the reaction and neutralize the acid." She handed the base to Ginny, "As soon as the lock opens, put two drops in the key hole, and for god's sake be careful, these will eat the skin off your bones." Ginny nodded and carefully loosened the lid.
Grabbing the lock with one hand, Hermione carefully applied the acid. She counted under her breath, and then gave the lock a tug. It clicked open, and Ginny put the base on it. The two then stepped out of the way, and Harry pulled the lock off and flung the door open, cringing as the hinges made a loud screeching noise.
"Some one might have heard that." Sirius said stepping out of the small room, and hugging Harry. "Give me the toy."
Sirius used Harry's wand to transform the toy into a life-size version of himself, then put it in his bed, and pulled the covers to it's chin. He repaired the lock and put it back on the cell.
"One question, why didn't you just use magic to open the lock in the first place?" Sirius asked them.
"We didn't want to have to use too much magic, in case they try to trace the spells." Ginny explained, grabbing the invisibility cloak and throwing it over her and Harry.
"That was smart." Sirius agreed and ducked under the cloak, Ron and Hermione did the same. "Where do we go now?"
"Back to the library, you're going to stay there with Remus." Ron told him.
"Then we are going up to the fifth floor to get your wand back." Harry finished for him.
"Sounds good." They made their' way carefully back to the library.
''
The graveyard in Little Hangleton was deadly quiet, and knee high weeds obscured all but the tallest tombstones. The dim moonlight made the whole place look frightening, and though there was no wind, you could hear the grass rustling in the distance. As the rustling got closer to the tombstone Lord Voldemort was sitting on, he could see the movement to match the sound, and smiled as Nagini stuck her head up out of the grass and hissed to him.
"I smell blood." She told him, "I am hungry, Master. I have not eaten in days."
"You will eat soon, Nagini, be patient." Voldemort told her sharply, then got up and walked leisurely to a spot where the dead grass had been removed to reveal soft earth. "They are late! What the hell is taking them so long!" He ground his foot into the earth next to the huge snake's head.
"Perhaps they are making sure they did their job right." Nagini offered for him.
"They know not to keep me waiting!" Voldemort growled, "They will pay for this."
"Master, if I may, why are we returning her? Don't you think the ministry will be watching this place?"
"You overestimate the intelligence of the whole lot of fools, Nagini." He told her laughing. She had managed to calm him, even if it was just a little. Two pops sounded in the distance, and Voldemort turned to see two of his most loyal death eaters running toward him, both breathing hard.
When they reached the place where he was standing, they dropped to their knees in front of Voldemort. "I'm sorry My Lord, we have failed!" Said a man whom Voldemort immediately recognized as Patroclus Nott.
"We were the only to have escaped!" Said Crabbe beside him. Voldemort looked from one to the other.
"Who has been taken?"
''
"Are you sure you'll be ok out here, I mean, we could find you a place in the castle."
"Harry, this is better than some of the places I've been. And besides, now you can come see me occasionally, and if I need to I can go to the village in dog form and hide as some one's pet."
"You plan on fixing this place up, don't you?" Ginny asked, coming up to stand next to Harry.
"Maybe they'll catch Peter, and you can live like a regular person again." Hermione said, as she appeared in the doorway.
"Christmas will come in July before they catch Peter." Sirius said with certainty.
"Well, we'd better get back. Even now, we'll only get a few hours of sleep." Ron Said from his place on the bed. After they all said their' goodbyes the four students headed down the stairs, through the tunnel, and back across the grounds to the castle.
(So you finally get to know the plan! And Sirius isn't in jail anymore! Oh, and I know the death eaters are already supposed to be Azkaban, but I said it didn't go along with the books. Please R&R!)