Disclaimer: I own nothing; it all belongs to J.K.Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

in accordance with

GRINGOTTS of LONDON

on the 24th of May at 8:00 PM will be holding a PRIVATE auction of three distinct and separate lots.

Attendance by Invitation Only

LOT 1 - Ravenclaw's Cube: A personal project of the intelligent founder of Hogwarts, Rowena Ravenclaw's cube paved the way for the creation of the modern pensieve. This cube is believed to be the first man-made device capable of holding memories.

LOT 2 - Slytherin's Locket: The personal talisman Salazar Slytherin wore around his neck in the years after banishment from Hogwarts. Rumored to possess secret powers, the efficacy of the magic of the locket is not guaranteed by Gringotts.

LOT 3 - Hufflepuff's Cup: This ancient chalice was used by the kind-hearted founder to administer potions in the very first incarnation of the Hogwarts' hospital wing. It is unknown how long the cup has been in the Hufflepuff family, but it predates Helga Hufflepuff herself by at least six centuries.

Gringotts of London affirms and certifies the authenticity of all lots as announced.
If you believe you have received an invitation in error or did not receive an invitation you should have, please direct your questions and concerns to Gringotts. Ask for Bloodthrust.

"Bloodthrust?" Lawson questioned from behind his Death Eater mask. "A goblin is running this?"

"Yeah," Cavanagh said pointing at the formal announcement in the legal notices section of the Daily Prophet. "Check it out. They even included a picture of the goblin. I'm not sure, but I think it might be smiling."

Lawson flinched at the gruesome winking visage. "Have you informed our Lord?"

"Are you kidding?" Cavanagh scoffed. "I've been around too long to fall for that one."

Lawson frowned. "Does he not know yet? He's going to want his ancestor's locket."

A sudden and violent shout pierced the air right before both men felt the tattoos on their arms burn.

Cavanagh winced. "I think it's safe to say he knows."

Cavanagh and Lawson hurried in behind Simmons to their Master's chambers and found Jugson and the Dark Lord awaiting them. They could all feel the anger rolling off the Dark Lord and as he crumpled a scorched copy of the Daily Prophet in his left hand.

"Spread the word," Voldemort instructed as the three newcomers bowed and waited attentively. "It's open season on all Blacks."

Cavanagh looked his Master in the eye and was quickly reminded of his place as the Dark Lord shredded his meager mental shields and implanted a series of visual locations. Cavanagh forced his eyes closed as he tore his gaze away.

Voldemort's breathing quieted as he ordered. "You are to check those sites, but touch nothing. Understood?"

Cavanagh mutely nodded. He took careful measured steps as he left the room, still dazed from the rough mental intrusion.

"Lawson," Voldemort whispered dangerously. "You are to follow Cavanagh but do not interfere. He may pick up other tails, so make sure you are undetected. If he is killed or captured, you are to report immediately to me. Do not assist him. Understood?"

Lawson nodded firmly.

"Do not fail me." The Dark Lord turned to Simmons, indicating Lawson was dismissed. "Simmons. You are to find out everything you can about the auction in three days. I expect a full report by this evening."

Simmons nodded and briskly left the room, leaving Jugson alone with the Dark Lord.

"Your arm," Voldemort demanded as he twirled the wand in his hand.

Jugson pushed his sleeve up again, revealing the Dark Mark. He grimaced but made no other movement as his arm burned and the Dark Lord's magic was channeled through the Mark.

Voldemort smiled at Jugson's obedience. "Lucius is on his way. Open a line of communication with our contact at Hogwarts. I have a special plan that will require a few of our allies."

Jugson perked up at the mention of allies and a wide smile grew across his face. "I look forward to it, my Lord."

Voldemort scowled, angry at himself more than anything. He had managed to underestimate the Lord Blacks again. He wondered briefly if he had been too hasty in assuming they had nothing to do with the biggest thorn in his side.

"That fucker!"

"Don't you mean-"

"Those fuckers!"

Alan Weston winced. He knew he was going to be the bearer of bad news as soon as he saw the auction announcement.

"I cannot believe they would do this," the wizard ranted as he reread the legal notices section at the start of the Daily Prophet classifieds. "Auctioning off the Dark Lord's soul? That's madness."

"It is a bit nutty," Alan agreed.

The mysterious wizard was pacing across the room. "They have to know the only people who matter will see it's nothing but a trap."

"Oh right," Alan agreed.

"There's got to be more to this," the wizard concluded as he settled into an immaculate armchair. He looked over the paper again seeking out clues.

Alan recognized the other wizard's expression when everything slid into place. "What is it?"

"This isn't about Voldemort, this is about me," the wizard in black explained ruefully. "I did not see this coming. It's every bit as stupid as it is cunning."

"I take it we have them to thank for Malfoy's weeklong barbecue?"

"They got my note." The man nodded with certainty. He considered his options. "They're forcing me to attack a certain trap, look like a scared liar, or show up and play nice on their turf by their rules."

Alan frowned. "I'm guessing option one is out and two isn't really your style."

"No," the wizard said. "We're definitely going and playing nice. We have to."

"We?"

The man nodded as he poured himself some brandy. "This is too immense an opportunity to pass up even if they are forcing our hand."

"It is?"

"Did you not notice? There are three objects in the auction." He took a sip and saw Alan's look of confusion. "Unless I've misjudged the Blacks further, those three will complete the collection. And while they've announced it with the subtlety of a nesting dragon, it still is two weeks until the full moon, which is the soonest Voldemort could even attempt making another."

Alan blinked in shock.

The wizard smirked. "Even if he could, I doubt he'd succeed on his first try. His soul is too fractured."

Alan was watching the other man desperately. "Are you saying…?"

"Yes," the man in black slowly agreed. He took another sip. "Those fuckers have started the clock."

"My clock's stopped."

Albus picked up the magical device on the corner of his desk. He looked in a gap at the top curiously. "Is that…?" Albus took a careful sniff and jerked the clock away. "It smells like the owlery. Fawkes, do you know if the pooping owl is back again?"

Fawkes let out a chirp of annoyance before he realized he had shifted in his sleep and was about to fall from his perch.

"I've apologized numerous times," Albus assured the phoenix. "I never should have accused you of defecating on my desk."

Fawkes let out a stream of soft chirping as he waddled his way back to the center of the perch.

"Something in today's paper, you say?" Albus asked in surprise. He picked up the lifestyle and sports sections he had discarded earlier.

Fawkes was about to settle back into the middle of his perch when he realized the balance felt off.

Albus' eyes lost their twinkle as he read through the auction announcement several times. "I don't understand it, Fawkes. Why would Harry do this? What could they possibly gain from this auction?"

The bird gave up on figuring out what was wrong with the balance and sat back down, facing Albus. He chirped a little wondering why his tail feathers itched.

"No," Albus disagreed. "It's not about the money. I'm almost certain. This is… this is… kicking a hornets' nest to see if there are any hornets? Or to see if they will attack?"

Fawkes tilted his head, stretching out the kinks in his neck.

"You're right, of course," Albus said with a nod. "This is why the Lupins both took the next few days off from work. Harry and Sirius have clearly put some thought into this, even if we cannot divine their motivation."

Fawkes wiggled his bottom half as he slid back into a flatter position on his perch.

"Do you really think so?"

Fawkes let out a small chirp as the cold metal of the perch startled him on his sensitive under feathers.

"I know, my friend," Albus smiled at the phoenix. "I should have some faith in them. They are no doubt under an immense amount of charms and wards. And they are protecting the other Blacks, so they have a plan."

Fawkes let out several more chirps as his own body heat was countering the chilly metal he rested upon.

"My goodness, you're right," Albus gasped. "They don't… Harry never… Oh dear. Harry has no idea that Voldemort has made the Potter connection and is aware Harry and Sirius are not native to this world. This is no good."

Fawkes warbled quietly, wishing Albus wasn't so chatty today. He lifted his right wing before folding it back under in a more comfortable position.

Albus turned to the wall Fawkes pointed at. "The chocolate frog cards! You're a genius, Fawkes."

Fawkes closed his eyes and decided it was nap time.

Albus began digging into his pockets until he located his chocolate frog card. "Remus Lupin!" he clearly stated towards the small magical portrait of himself.

The surface of the card blurred and darkened, ending with only an inky color. "Albus?"

"Yes, Remus," Albus answered feeling perturbed. "I cannot see you. Can you see me?"

"No," Remus replied. "I know Harry's warded this place to high heaven. Let me ask him."

"What?" Harry's muffled voice could be barely heard. "You can hear him?"

Albus patiently listened as Remus and Harry were talking on the other side of the connection.

"What about now?" Harry distantly yelled.

"No change," Remus' voice replied. "Shouldn't you be taking some of the wards down, not putting more up?"

"What about now?"

"No," Remus shouted back. He leaned closer and clearly said, "I'm sorry about this, Albus."

"Quite alright," Albus replied. "These things happen."

"This should do it," Harry's far off cry was the last thing Albus heard before the black surface disappeared and the chocolate frog card returned to its inert state.

The holographic portrait of himself smiled and waved up at him.

Albus frowned. "You're mocking me, aren't you?"

The small picture responded by grabbing the bottom of his beard and feeding it into his own ear. After two fistfuls had been pushed in, the tip of the beard emerged out of his ear on the other side. The chocolate frog card proceeded to tug his beard left and right through his own supposedly empty head.

Albus picked the card up and spoke clearly into it again. "Remus Lupin!" After a few seconds of nothing happening, he intoned, "Tonks Lupin!"

Again there was no response, so Albus tried, "Nymphadora Lupin? Nymphadora Tonks Lupin? Auror Lupin? Auror Tonks Lupin?" Albus sighed as he was forced to accept the fact that Harry had not been adjusting his wards so they could communicate better. "That bloody annoying bastard."

The surface of the chocolate frog card darkened to blackness. The illusion of creamy off-white smoke billowed out revealing the worried face of Severus Snape. "What is it, Headmaster?"

Albus blinked. "My apologies, Severus. I did not mean to call you."

Severus was a little worried at the rare surprised look on Albus' face. "I shall return to my class."

Albus just nodded, deactivating the chocolate frog card. "I'll need to watch what I say around you."

The holographic picture just nodded as Albus stuffed the card back into one of his pockets.

Albus looked over and saw Fawkes staring at him. "They are most likely under a Fidelius charm and beyond a post owl's reach. I could ask to borrow Mr. Potter's mirror but I suspect that would upset Harry."

Fawkes doubted Albus would ever let him get any sleep and flew over to his desk, intending to express his displeasure in a way that would ruin the mystery of the pooping owl.

Albus watched the large avian lift its leg and exclaimed. "Of course! You can reach him still!"

Fawkes was startled and couldn't stop himself fast enough. He saw his pet human was engrossed in penning a short note. Fawkes took the opportunity to drag Albus' hat in small unnoticed steps, until he'd fully covered up the small accident.

Albus read through the note a second time and nodded. He folded it up and sealed the envelope with a tap of his wand. "Can you get this to Harry?"

Fawkes figured if he was going to get any sleep, he should just take the note and not put up a fight. He grabbed it in his beak and disappeared in a flash of fire.

Albus relaxed when he saw Fawkes return and settle right back into his favorite position on the perch. He decided he should warn the Minister and DMLE to be especially alert for the next few days. He stood up and turned to the large portrait of a fourteenth century Headmaster. "I believe we should prepare Hogwarts defenses."

"Wise move, Headmaster," the portrait agreed as it swung open revealing a darkened room. "Do you think they know what they are doing?"

"Let us hope so."

"Stop! Stop! You have no idea what you're doing."

Harry pulled his wand back from the portrait's surface. "I don't see you giving me any ideas."

The irate portrait of Lord Eugene Simmons growled at Harry. "I don't know the first thing about manipulating portraits and I certainly wouldn't tell you if I did."

"Please?" Harry asked hopefully.

The portrait just stared at Harry in disgust.

"Hence," Harry grinned pushing his wand onto the nameplate at the bottom of the frame. "Trial and error."

"Be honest, Harry." Sirius chided from the other side of the room.

"Okay," Harry agreed. "Error and error." He sent a burst of barely-formed magic into the portrait's frame.

The magic soaked into the carved wood, visibly flowing up the top and then cascading back down.

Harry thought he may have stumbled across something when the magic reached the nameplate at the base again and spewed fire at him, catching his sleeve. "Ahh!" he shouted as he tried to rub the small flames out. He was rubbing furiously, making little headway, when his flailing arms caught a wingback chair on fire.

Harry's wits finally came back to him and he was about to squelch the fire when he was blasted into the wall by massive stream of water from Sirius' fire hose charm.

Sirius was swinging his arm back and forth between Harry and the chair. Both were completely drenched and the fire was out, but Harry made girlish yelps every time the stream pinned him against the wall.

The fire hose charm failed when Sirius was flipped in the air and dangling by his ankle. "Harry," he whined before falling the short distance back to the ground.

"Uhh," Harry wheezed after having the wind knocked out of him by the overzealous fire-fighting.

"Oww," Sirius groaned after landing on his tailbone.

The mocking laughter of Lord Simmons reminded them they were not alone.

"What are you laughing at?" Harry grumbled as he took off his soggy robe.

Lord Simmons looked down from his frame. "I'm laughing at a pair of morons."

"Laugh it up," Sirius said standing as he rubbed his sore bum. "Then remember your families have been exposed as Death Eater scum and we took all your good shit."

A cacophony of angry ranting started cascading in from all directions.

"Nice, Padfoot."

"Sorry, Harry," Sirius said as they left the room filled with angry shouting portraits. "Our master plan of a giant portrait spy network isn't quite ready for the world."

Harry shrugged. "I figured since we were in lockdown, I might as well work on something."

He wrung his dripping robe out, before remembering Fawkes had interrupted him earlier. He dug into his robe pocket and pulled out a scorched and blurry ink-stained envelope. He tried to open the letter and just tore the soggy parchment. "Great. You ruined it."

"Don't blame me," Sirius defended. "That thing is more burnt than wet. What'd it say anyway?"

"Albus was calling us foolish and trying to talk us out of the auction, no doubt."

"No doubt?"

"I hadn't read it yet, but I think we can both guess most of it."

Sirius scratched his chin. "You think maybe he was trying to bid?"

Harry just looked at his godfather.

"Yeah, didn't think so," Sirius agreed. "So I got the portkey working on the display case."

"Oh yeah?"

Sirius nodded. "Magic detection is still finicky. But I got bored and figured we should entertain our prisoners."

"Guests, Sirius," Harry corrected. "They're called guests."

"What are you doing?" Remus questioned when he saw Tonks using the tip of her wand to dig into the surface of the kitchen table.

Tonks didn't even look up. "I'm counting the days we're imprisoned here since time has lost all meaning."

"It's not that bad," Remus reminded his adopted daughter.

Tonks kept scraping and pouted, "Have you even been listening to what they're talking about?"

Remus gave his daughter a gentle pat on the back as he turned to hear the ghost of Ginny Weasley shriek as powerfully as her mother.

"How can you joke about domestic abuse? Battered women are-"

"I'm not talking about women," Sirius interrupted the ghost. "I'm talking about men."

"Well the men probably deserved it," Bellatrix argued, belatedly noticing Remus and Tonks were also paying attention. She was dipping a large pickle into a jar of peanut butter and snapping off progressively louder bites. "I know most women do."

Tonks glanced at her father before asking Bellatrix, "You really don't know how normal people live, do you?"

Bellatrix dunked another pickle and looked to Harry and Sirius for help. "Most people don't deserve to be abused? Really?"

The two Lupins, two Lord Blacks, and ghost all looked at the woman pitifully.

"Huh," Bellatrix considered while stirring up her peanut butter. "That doesn't sound right at all."

"Anyway," Ginny said trying to get back on topic. "What were we talking about?"

"How clueless Harry is when it comes to women," Bellatrix reminded.

"I'm not clueless," Harry argued. "I know the important stuff."

Sirius nodded. "I taught him the twenty-seven primary and secondary erogenous zones."

"Is it still twenty-seven?" Remus sought a definitive answer.

"I don't think the female body has evolved recently," Harry said doubtfully.

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, well, my astronomy professor told me Pluto was a planet and I didn't think that would change either."

Tonks turned to her dad and explained, "I know how unlikely it is that stupid has suddenly become contagious, but I'm just not sure it's worth risking."

"Be nice," he scolded with a smile.

Harry jumped up and was patting down the various pockets of his cloak, before locating the warm buzzing Lookie Talkie. The image on the handheld mirror faded away revealing Jimmy's frantic face. "Harry! Thank Merlin you're there!"

"Jimmy? What's happened?"

"Hogwarts is in lockdown because there was some sort of attack, but I can't reach Dad who never takes his auror bracelet off and I heard them talking to Mum about Potters and Sarah was in Hogsmeade and then the Headmaster-"

"Whoa! Whoa," Harry said. "Take a breath. Are you under attack right now?"

Jimmy shook his head and calmly summarized. "I'm in my room. The floo system is down. Hogwarts is surrounded by a giant dome that even blocks the secret passages."

"When did you last hear from your Dad?"

"This morning. He had to go to Malfoy Manor."

"Shit." Harry succinctly replied. "We're coming."

"Get Sarah. She was in Hogsmeade when the dome went up," Jimmy urged before deactivating his mirror. "I think this attack may be targeted at us."

Harry clicked off his Lookie Talkie and saw everyone looking at him. "Shit."

All traces of annoyance gone, Tonks was focused and ready. "Ministry?"

"Go ahead," Harry said. "But be careful and plan to come back here."

Tonks apparating away snapped Remus out of his thoughtful daze. "This is your fault."

"Yeah, it is," Harry agreed. "And now we need to fix it. Sirius?"

"Just bloody perfect," Sirius exclaimed knowing what he had to do. "I'm going solo. I don't trust apparating more than him with me."

"I'll hit Hogsmeade and see if I can find a trail," Harry agreed. "Be careful."

Sirius popped up to his room to get his gear.

"Bellatrix," Harry said. "You are not to leave these wards unless in imminent danger."

Bellatrix nodded figuring as much.

Harry winced at the look Remus was giving him. "Your chocolate frog will probably be ringing off the hook as soon as you leave these wards. But you mind doing me a favor first?"

Remus nodded but had questions of his own. "Where'd Sirius go?"

"He's gearing up before going to Malfoy Manor."

"What?"

Harry glanced at Bellatrix. "Earmuffs?"

She obediently put the peanut butter covered pickle into her mouth and covered both of her ears with her hands.

Harry turned to Remus and explained, "Sirius is still keyed into the wards at Malfoy Manor. Odds are James is trapped in a hidden dungeon, and Sirius is going to break him out."

Remus didn't want to blame Harry and Sirius for this but was failing to find reasons not to. "What makes you so sure he's still alive?"

Harry took a deep breath and saw Bellatrix was still keeping her ears covered. "Because Voldemort's planning on bidding with the lives of Potters." Harry closed his eyes as he let his magical arms out, flailing them around to taste and sense the air.

"What favor did you need?" Remus asked as he felt Harry's magic emanating around him and knew he was about to leave.

"Floo, owl, visit, or somehow check on Lord Peter Potter," Harry said calmly with his eyes shut. "Maybe get him and any other Potters to Hogwarts, if they want. Something."

"I'll check on him," Remus assured Harry.

"Thank you." Harry's eyes snapped opened. "Be careful."

With a soft pop, Harry reappeared at the primary apparition point in Hogsmeade. He waited a second ensuring Ginny's ghostly form hadn't stayed visible. Witches were herding young children out of the streets and people were taking cover, peering out storefront doors and windows.

Harry spotted smoke in the distance and attempted to apparate down the lane. He flickered right back into place and felt the echoing thump of anti-apparition wards in his head. He quickly broke into a run towards the fire.

Ducking under a spell, Harry slid to a stop and turned towards the caster. Another spell crashed right into a magical shield as he raised it. He located a lone Death Eater hiding in the shadows and began a brisk walk up to the man. "Not under orders to leave me alone?"

"Avada Kedavra!" the masked man shouted.

Harry whipped a small rock right up into the path of the killing curse as two other magical arms grabbed the Death Eater and bodily yanked him into the street.

He was fighting against the forces suspending him in air and nearly had his wand aimed at Harry. "Sapi-"

"Stop that." Harry calmly twisted the man's wrist and effortlessly ripped the wand from his hand. The wand floated into one of Harry's pockets as he held the man up. "Where is she?"

The man was struggling in Harry's arms, and whipping his head side to side to avoid Harry's gaze.

Both of the Death Eater's arms snapped, broken at the elbow, and he screamed in pain. Harry again asked, "Where is she?"

The man stopped shrieking but was still fighting Harry's grip. "You're too late. By now she-"

A massive explosion blew out the front door of Madam Puddifoot's and several shouts of distress could be heard.

Harry stunned the Death Eater before he could say anything else. From what the Death Eater was saying and the sound of fighting, Harry deduced Sarah was still in Hogsmeade, which meant keeping her here became priority. He knew altering the current portkey and apparition wards would take too long, so he quickly cast some of his own and tied them into an anchor stone he'd driven into the ground. He stunned the Death Eater once more and hid the anchor under his unconscious body.

Two more Death Eaters came out of Madam Puddifoot's and Harry charged straight for them. Neither got a shield up in time, but the one on the left managed to yell, "It's Black!" before his head hit the wall knocking him out cold.

"Go get him!" was shouted from the back of the tea shop just before a stream of better than a dozen Death Eaters came flowing to the front. Shields were up and the curses began to rain down.

Harry let an unconscious Death Eater serve as his human shield, taking the brunt of the curses headed his direction. He was about charge headfirst into the fray when his ears caught the sounds of fighting coming from the back.

"Help!"

Harry decided a change in tactics was needed once he knew she was okay and roughly her location. He launched the mangled corpse towards the largest pack of Death Eaters and ran out the front door.

Four more Death Eaters were waiting in the street and began firing uncoordinatedly. Harry returned their curses with several of his own, putting them on the defensive and knocking out one.

An invisible arm yanked the wrist of a Death Eater sending his curse directly into the face of his comrade. Another invisible arm grabbed the unconscious Death Eater by the ankle and dragged him behind Harry, as he circled around to the back of the building.

The rear door was charmed to not open, but four simultaneous well-placed punches proved the same could not be said for the door's frame.

Harry again let an unconscious floating Death Eater lead his way. Spells tore apart the robed shield, giving away the attackers' locations. Harry deftly knocked out the two Death Eaters in the back room and pocketed their wands too.

"Help!" Sarah shrieked from the next room.

Harry dropped the smoldering body and barreled his way through the side door. Two stunners took out the Death Eaters furthest from him, while a massive man had a handful of Sarah Potter's hair. She was unsuccessfully struggling to free herself.

The near giant whipped his head around faster than should be possible for a man his size. "You!"

Harry's eyes quickly determined there were no other immediate threats and he answered, "Me." A sharp crack erupted as the Death Eater's head spun around to face the other way. His body went limp and he fell forward with a loud thump.

Sarah scrambled away from the ogre's body to retrieve her wand. She looked warily at his eyes, frozen open behind the Death Eater mask. "You killed him?"

Harry was feeling slightly exhausted already and saw an opportunity. "Don't move," Harry instructed as he positioned himself right next to her. Four anchor stones floated in the air chest high, making a perfect square.

Harry held his wand perpendicular to the floor in the exact center of the square just as Death Eaters appeared at both doors. "Fidelio!"

Magic erupted into a flat plane rushing into the stones and sending magical walls growing until they met the floor and the ceiling.

All the Death Eaters that had been watching what was happening cried out in pain and clenched their eyes shut.

Sarah saw Harry relax and hunch forward, resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. She saw more and more Death Eaters come into the room, none of which seemed capable of locating them. She saw the magic slowly flowing up and down from the four stones, flickering intermittently between solid and a hazy opaque veil. "What is this?"

"Don't touch it, please," Harry warned when he saw Sarah was mesmerized by the look of the magic on this side. He stood up and pulled out a pair of pepper-up potions. He swallowed one dose and held out the other to her. "Pepper-up?"

Sarah accepted the potion gratefully, realizing she could take a moment to heal her ankle and numb some of her bruises.

Harry smiled as steam trickled out his ears. "This is a spell I made. Well, a friend of mine helped me but mostly I made it. I call it a Fidelius cage."

"How's it work?" Sarah asked as she trailed her wand over a cut on Harry's cheek.

Harry appreciated the quick heal and smiled at her intellectual curiosity. "It's sort of an unfinished Fidelius charm, without a secret let alone a keeper."

Sarah was impressed. "From what little I know that shouldn't be possible."

"Technically, this Fidelius only covers the thin layer of magic and not the space in between. That's why I was able to eliminate the secret keeping aspects. The spell inevitably fails because there's no capping the anchors. But as long as I keep feeding it a little magic, it keeps trying to complete the charm, protecting us in a place that can only be accessed from below and above."

She was watching the magic flowing out of view into the floor and ceiling. "How long can you keep it up?" Sarah blushed when Harry bit back a snort. "The spell, you pervert."

Harry saw the majority of the Death Eaters were still in the room, trying to locate them. "Not indefinitely, so how about we put off the rest of this discussion until later and get ready to bust our way out of here?"

"Right," Sarah agreed, before paling at the sheer number of Death Eaters currently in the room. "I don't suppose you can move the cage with us?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry. A mobile Fidelius is still beyond me. But I have ideas on how to anchor one to the moon instead of the Earth."

"Could that help us here?"

"No."

"Then let's table that discussion too," Sarah urged, noticing more men coming back into the room. "You think we're going to get out of here?"

Harry saw there had to be two dozen men crammed in the small room and immediately beyond the doors. Harry grinned dangerously. "There's no doubt in my mind we're getting out of here. I'm just not sure how many of them will." Harry noticed Sarah frowning. "You know what they were going to do to you, right?"

Sarah swallowed to hide the lump in her throat. "I have a fair idea."

"Good. Because I'm feeling violent."

Sarah knew that feeling well, experiencing it at least once a month. "I just want to get out of here."

Harry nodded towards the door he'd burst through. "That way's shorter, but they've probably got a welcoming party waiting around the corner. I say we go through the front and if we happen to destroy a fair amount of this god forsaken place, then so be it."

Sarah thought Harry looked a little too eager. "It's a tea shop."

"It's a tool of dark witches," Harry argued.

"Discussion? Later?" Sarah reminded pointing towards the Death Eaters who appeared to be attempting group scrying in a more coordinated manner.

"Right," Harry agreed. "Okay, you? Stay behind me and stay out of my way."

"I can help," Sarah argued.

"You want to help?" Harry said taking a deep breath and getting back into the right mindset. "Stun anyone moaning in pain. The whiners really grate on my nerves. Ready?"

Sarah nodded and Harry turned his back to her. He prepared two magical arms while four others gently gripped the cage's anchor stones. "Stay close. And don't fight me when I push and pull you around."

Sirius apparated into the ward room at Malfoy Manor. He chose there because it was the place he knew best that was not currently a raging inferno. He called for Kreacher and stunned the elf immediately.

He tightened his outer chameleon cloak and disillusioned himself. He'd taken barely three steps, when he heard voices approaching. Sirius just held his breath and didn't move from the wall. He kept a shield on the tip of his tongue as two masked Death Eaters scurried by wondering, "Why the hell would they need reinforcements to grab the girl?"

Sirius silently thanked his godson and crept down the hall. He was fortunate that he and Harry had dissected the entire manor layout, so he knew where the secret passage to the dungeon was.

He snuck a glance into the drawing room spewing fire out the roof and couldn't stop grinning. The room was luckily empty as Sirius scampered across the hall into a living room with a six meter high mirror. Sirius shook his head at how fitting that was and hurried over to the grandfather clock.

Sirius pulled out his omnioculars and swore at the volume of wards covering the secret entrance behind the clock. There was no way he could get through that door without drawing a ton of notice even if he did have the Dark Mark. He twisted a couple of knobs on the omnioculars and grinned in delight at the obvious oversight.

After double-checking there was no one in the hallway headed this way, Sirius ran over to the wall just to the side of the door and pushed an illusory pin into the ground. He cast the spell storing the current appearance as the illusion he wanted before deactivating the pin. Silencing spells were rotated with blasting curses until Sirius had made his own secret tunnel.

Sirius crawled into his new hole and reactivated the illusory pin behind him. He carefully finished his tunnel ending on the fifth step from the top. After ensuring the coast was clear, Sirius vanished the debris. He pushed a second illusory pin into the ground ten steps further down. After storing the image, Sirius deactivated the pin and moved to right in front of his new wand-crafted hole. Reactivating the pin, the hole disappeared and the wall looked similar but not flawless.

Sirius knew it'd have to do, as he cleaned the dust from his disillusioned form and took the long curving flight of stairs two at a time. He slowed down as he heard a voice in the distance.

A scream of pain alerted Sirius to the fact that this wasn't a friendly chat.

"You liked that, didn't you?" Lucius Malfoy grinned in sadistic glee. "They say that one feels like rusty knives cutting across your body. Is it true? Is that what it felt like?"

Sirius didn't notice any other Death Eaters, but kept his wand ready in his wrist holster. He quietly grabbed a shovel as he snuck up to Lucius and swung it with all his might.

Lucius turned just in time to catch the shovel with his face. The blonde's nose was smashed flat and he was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"They say that one feels like a shovel to the face," Sirius said tossing the shovel onto the ground.

"Nngh!" was the extent of the warning James Potter could shout in his condition.

Sirius was ready and dove out of the way of a purple hex and sent back two of his own. The Death Eater that had been in the room, rushed forward and took cover right next to the door frame.

Sirius didn't even hesitate as he sent a blasting curse into the wall by the door. The stone exploded the Death Eater into the open and covered him in rubble as Sirius nailed him in the face with a vicious stunner.

"Anybody else?" Sirius asked, eyeing the blind corner warily.

"Nnh," James replied.

Sirius canceled the disillusionment on his cloak as he took in the full sight of the Assistant Director of the DMLE. James Potter was hurt pretty bad, hanging by his wrists, exposing his bruised and bloodied abdomen. He had a cut by his neck, and one eye swollen shut. Sirius sent a cutting curse at the chains and James fell to the floor.

"Oww," he groaned at the sudden jolt on his injuries.

"Sorry," Sirius said, not really sounding like it. He helped James remove the shackles and steadied the man as he struggled to his feet. James took a few tentative steps on his own while Sirius stunned the Death Eater again. "Damn. Broke his wand."

"I'll use Malfoy's," James said as made his way over to the unconscious man. He accidentally kicked Lucius in the balls eight times as he stood up with the man's wand. He numbed most of his bruises and applied a little basic field healing. He attempted to stun Malfoy only to get the spell reflected back. "Shit," James swore as he ducked.

"Try the shovel," Sirius cheerfully suggested.

James looked at the wand uncertainly. "You think he jinxed his wand?"

"Maybe," Sirius admitted, "But you did heal yourself. And I do know that Lord Malfoy, in Malfoy Manor, wearing the Malfoy ring, has some protection from direct magic."

James looked over at Sirius and stared for a moment. "It really is you, isn't it?"

"A thank you wouldn't be out of place," Sirius grumbled.

James took a couple of slow steps forward and offered his hand.

Sirius thought it was kind of a goofy feminine gesture but shook hands. "Sirius Black."

"Thank you, Sirius Black," James said earnestly. "Now, how long until backup arrives? Are we waiting on a signal or something?"

Sirius forced a weak smile. "No signal, no backup. Just me. And we need to hurry before they notice us."

"Just… you?" James clarified.

Sirius frowned. "I'm not really feeling the love here."

James was confused. "Why are you doing this?"

Sirius huffed. "Lily promised herself to me. Now can we go?"

"This is not the time for your jokes."

"This is the perfect time for my jokes!"

Lucius groaned in discomfort as he slowly regained consciousness. "What… what happened?"

Sirius had already picked up the shovel and swung it like a cricket bat, whomping Malfoy back into unconsciousness. "Did you see that?"

James nodded, noticing a lump forming on the top of Malfoy's head.

"Excellent time for a joke, wouldn't you say?" Sirius scratched his chin. "Something like 'Heads up!' or 'Mal-Fore!' if you're uninspired. I, myself, lean towards the 'You forgot to duck, bitch' camp."

"Mosquito," James deadpanned.

"Good one," Sirius encouraged. "I knew you had it in you. Now we really should get out of here."

James frowned looking down on Lucius. "Can we take him with us? He's just going to disappear off the grid until he can buy his freedom again."

Sirius shook his head. "I can only side-along one. That's why you get a rescue team of one."

"And I doubt I can transfigure him because of that damned ring."

"That's right," Sirius remembered. "I forgot how good you are at transfiguration. I need a Norton's Brew and a willing subject to pull off human to inanimate. I suppose you could kill him."

James seemed to be heavily considering the option.

"Hang on," Sirius said. "We just need to get that ring off."

"It'll probably poison us if we try to remove it," James argued.

"I'm just saying you could kill him," Sirius reminded James of option one with a hopeful grin. "Or we could remove his finger."

James shook his head. "Any cutting curse will bounce right off."

Sirius jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Have you not seen how effective that shovel is?"

James looked over at the shovel and then Malfoy and then the shovel again. He figured they could delve into the ethics of apprehension by amputation once the blonde Death Eater was locked in a high-security cell. "A skilled healer could easily reattach the finger…"

"Unless we were to lose it," Sirius suggested. "It'd be a shame to get splinched because we had to carry an extra finger."

James twitched in amusement. "Okay, let's do this."

Sirius used a gloved hand to roll up all of Malfoy's non-ring fingers, while James got the shovel and positioned it right at the knuckle. Sirius took a step back but couldn't tear his eyes from the sight.

James took a deep breath and jammed the shovel down forcefully. There was an audible click sound and the singular severed digit popped about a meter up into the air before clattering on the floor.

Lucius woke up suddenly screaming in pain.

Sirius immediately cast a silencing charm on the hurting Lord Malfoy and cheered at the success of the spell.

James saw Lucius was going to try and crawl away. He took two steps towards him and swatted him viciously on the ear with the shovel.

Lucius buckled back to the ground unconscious again.

"Uh, James?" Sirius pointed out. "You could've just stunned him now."

"I know," James agreed. "But I didn't want to let you have all the fun."

Sirius guffawed at the unexpected response. "You severed his finger. I doubt I got all the fun."

James was looking away, hiding his smile. He wrapped the unattached ring finger in a piece of cloth and stuffed it into Malfoy's pocket. With a grunt of forcing the magic through an unfamiliar wand, James transfigured the unconscious Death Eater into a plain red coin. He slid the coin into his pocket and nodded at Sirius.

Sirius had taken off his chameleon cloak and was offering it to James.

"Thanks," James said accepting the cloak, unused to this kinder, gentler Lord Black.

"We need to stay hidden if we can," Sirius explained as he tapped his head and the disillusionment charm trickled down him and his dragon-hide robes. "You stink a lot more than me, so you need the cloak."

James activated the disillusionment charm on the cloak and took the lead.

"Hang on," Sirius whispered harshly. "You don't know where we're going, so you follow me."

"There's only one direction," James pointed out, not yet ready to defer to Sirius' judgment.

"And if you even touched that door up there, you'd get blasted into the wall."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm the auror here, right?" James argued as the pair had been walking up the steps side by side.

"You're the damaged victim who's been tortured for the past few hours," Sirius scolded trying to stay in the lead. "Don't overexert yourself."

"Shh!" James snapped as he stopped suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

Sirius paused and listened closer. "Someone's coming! There's a room just ahead. Quick!"

James tried to run as softly as he could, cursing the sounds of his feet, and wishing he had charmed silent boots like Sirius.

Sirius yanked James off the side, and pulled them both into a musty old cupboard. They cast silencing charms at the same time and shushed each other. They heard the footsteps getting louder when a voice spoke up.

"He was already screaming when I saw him this morning, my Lord. He's probably broken by now."

"Do not underestimate the Potters," a powerful voice hissed.

James and Sirius stared at each other in shock suddenly realizing the Dark Lord Voldemort could catch them hiding in a broom closet.

James' eyes hardened and he pulled his wand arm up. "It's him."

Sirius grabbed onto James' hand and held him back. "Yes, it's him."

"We can kill him now," James snarled looking to Sirius for help.

"Are you fucking insane?" Sirius whispered angrily. "We cannot kill him now. Trust me. All we could do is piss him off. And you need medical attention already."

"He killed my son!" James snapped loudly, pushing the two silencing charms to their limits. He deflated into a broken man as he softly added, "And he killed my best friend."

Sirius felt more twisted inside than he had since Azkaban. Hearing a James Potter echoing the same pain he'd gone through was just confusing. "There's nothing we can do. Not right now."

"You fought him," James argued petulantly. "What are you so worried about?"

"I didn't fight him," Sirius corrected. "Harry fought him. I don't care if you're Albus fucking Dumbledore, I'm not going head to head with Voldemort unless Harry's got my back."

"You're the one always acting so superior-"

"That's the point," Sirius interrupted. "Acting. Pureblood politics bollocks is mainly about who can cheat the most in a dick-measuring contest."

James had a flash of his Hogwarts days and another Sirius Black making an eerily similar statement. "Are you scared of him?"

"I'm not scared," Sirius retorted as he slowly opened the creaky cupboard door. "I just have a healthy amount of respect for his ability to squash people like me."

James couldn't help it. He snorted and started to laugh.

Sirius whipped around and shushed him. "We don't have time for this."

James wondered aloud, "When did you start acting responsibly?"

Sirius scowled and retorted softly, "Probably about the time your sense of humor came back from sabbatical."

James smiled at the barb and urged Sirius forward. "Come on."

An ear-piercing shriek echoed from down the bottom of the steps.

"Run!" Sirius instructed and he began to sprint up the steps as fast as he could. A Death Eater was blasted in the face before he even realized he was under attack.

James cast a pair of exploding curses on the stairs behind them, making it more difficult to follow.

"Don't use the door!" Sirius shouted as he saw they were nearly at the top. "Follow me."

Sirius fell to his knees and finally located the illusory pin, deactivating it with a touch of his wand. Sirius stuffed the pin in his pocket, canceled his disillusionment charm, and crawled through his homemade tunnel. He stopped and made sure James was right behind him. "As soon as we get out from under these Dark Mark targeted wards, I can apparate us."

James nodded, knowing this was a time to follow, not lead.

Sirius deactivated the last pin and crawled out of the hole. He shoved it in his pocket as he stood up and discovered he was in a room with more than two dozen masked Death Eaters staring his way. Thinking quickly, Sirius said, "What do you guys think of my disguise?"

When it appeared they weren't going to curse him immediately, he added, "Aren't I just the spitting image of the good looking Lord Black?"

"Naw, you look like the tall one," a Death Eater pointed out. "The good looking one has those hypnotic eyes."

A few other Death Eaters turned towards the vocal member curiously. "Smith? Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Right then, a clearly bruised and dust covered disillusioned James Potter stood up behind Sirius, unable to see past him.

"Get him!" three men shouted as they all started cursing.

Sirius had already grabbed James by the arm and apparated them away before the first spell arrived.

Sarah considered herself a fair witch. Both of her parents were above average in power, and while it's true her little brother started beating her regularly in duels last year, she knew she was far from a helpless-with-a-wand, trophy witch. When the first two Death Eaters approached she managed to stun them both and run away. She'd cursed several others, leading them on a frantic chase before a table got blasted into her ankle and she was boxed in.

She admitted to feeling hopeless as they activated their portkeys only to have her prayers answered as the portkeys remained inert. She sprung into action in their confusion and took great pleasure kneeing one of them in the crotch. She'd made her way further into the back, shouting for help again after losing her wand for the second time. These were the actions of a fairly competent witch, she assured herself.

Even still, getting yanked around like a rag doll by Harry could give anyone inadequacy issues.

She had flinched when the two nearest Death Eaters slammed into the wall with a loud crunch. She barely noticed the beauty of the Fidelius cage crumbling, as the sound of two more necks breaking echoed around the room. She felt the tension in the room thicken as dozens of curses flew straight towards them.

She knew she'd be too late in getting a shield up, but she needn't have bothered as the body of a Death Eater was thrust into the path of the spells. A sudden mist of blood coated the right side of her face and she felt things were getting too close for comfort. A glance at Harry showed him completely unaffected and what she would've sworn was a smile flitted across his face.

She began to think Harry might be crazy, but was forced to admit he was commanding magic on a level she'd never match.

"I beat your Master in open air," Harry snarled, playing up their fear of him. "You really expect to take me in close quarters?"

Sarah was about to suggest less taunting when she felt something like an invisible snake wrapping around her midsection. She barely realized what was happening when she was thrust up to the ceiling. Her arms were mashed against Harry's back as they zipped from one corner of the room to the next, essentially ignoring gravity's protestations.

Bones were breaking, curses were flying, chunks of the wall and floor exploded sending dust and shrapnel everywhere. Sarah's eyes could barely keep up with carnage raining down when she and Harry landed on their feet at the door.

Harry began to stalk down the hallway, enjoying every step as the Death Eaters kept backing up, frightened of getting too close.

Sarah saw the destruction left in their wake. Blood was everywhere. The other door was hidden behind a pile of bodies and wreckage. There weren't even any patches of wall that had made it through unscathed. She remembered Harry's suggestion when she recognized how many were groaning in pain, and shrieking about misplaced body parts. She fumbled with her wand to stun them when she was again jerked to the side and a searing orange spell whizzed past her collapsing the back wall.

Sarah began to worry as she had lost her wand, and Harry appeared fully focused on the Death Eaters in front of them. Her wand came floating out from under a piece of the collapsed ceiling and it just hovered there waiting for her to grab it. That small gesture proved to her just how in control of the situation Harry was. She quickly drew on his presence and nearness as a source of comfort.

Sarah proceeded to stun all the still breathing Death Eaters, while keeping her other hand on Harry's back.

She saw Harry down another pepper-up potion while the Death Eaters just watched them fearfully from the other end of the hallway.

"You okay?" Harry asked softly out the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah," she said as she moved closer to him, pressing her body up to his back. "Let's get out of here, please."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said, wrapping an invisible arm around Sarah and magically tethering her to his back.

She caught on to what Harry wanted and wrapped her arms around his stomach. She felt Harry rock back on to his heels before launching the pair of them like a torpedo down the hall.

Drywall, plaster, chunks of stone and wood were exploding from the floor and walls. A shield in front of them deflected the only spells that came their way. Death Eaters were crushed and crumpled as Harry and Sarah span through the air with the force of a locomotive.

The half dozen or so remaining Death Eaters who could still manage it were sprinting through Madam Puddifoot's dining area and out the front door.

"Go on! Run away you pussies!" Harry shouted happily as he and Sarah flipped up and back to their feet. Harry grinned as he saw Death Eaters hustling down the street. "I think seeing them run away may be even better than beating them up."

Sarah started to relax as she picked pieces of debris from her hair. She saw the flicker of a disillusionment charm a second too late. "Harry!"

"Avada Kedavra!" Two separate voices shouted from opposite sides of the dining room.

A pair of magical arms yanked Sarah down and out of the path of a killing curse just as Harry turned in time to see the other sickly green spell line up with his heart.

Sarah gasped when she saw the two spells had sandwiched Harry in and he was unable to dodge. She could only gape in disbelief as the moment they were about to connect, Harry's body faded out of view into a ghostly incorporeal form. The curses zipped harmlessly through his body leaving only faint trails of smoke as they passed.

The two Death Eaters' faces froze permanently in shock as the errant spells slammed into each others' unprotected and disillusioned bodies.

Harry had never been more thankful for his animagus form than at that moment, and he gave the room a belated but thorough evaluation. Satisfied with his search, Harry closed his eyes and forcefully willed his body back into solid form. A gentle pop told him he'd succeeded for the first time and he opened his eyes.

He offered a hand to help a wide-eyed Sarah up. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that last part to anyone."

She looked over at the two lifeless bodies and then Harry incredulously. "Okay."

Harry walked with Sarah out the front door just as the roof caved in destroying the last of the dining area. "Oops," Harry said with a little too much glee. "You okay?"

Sarah just nodded mutely, staying close to Harry. The two of them were leaning on each other for support.

Harry chuckled as they walked by a pair of aurors fighting to put out a magical fire. He could feel the adrenaline leaving his body as the danger had passed. "They were disillusioned and fired killing curses directly across from each other. Not the brightest bulbs in the bunch."

"That was pretty stupid," Sarah agreed as she let Harry lead them over to the next building.

He retrieved his anchor stone and canceled the portkey and apparition wards. He spotted Tonks running towards them and apparently his body decided that was its signal to shut down.

"Sarah!" Tonks shouted hugging the young woman she used to babysit. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine," Sarah said trying to ignore the unknown wet purple pieces of Death Eater in her hair. "Harry came and…" She trailed off when she noticed Harry was laying face first on the ground. "Harry!"

She hurriedly checked him over and concluded he was healthy enough just severely exhausted, a common reaction to multiple doses of pepper-up.

"The headmaster is about to bring down the wards," Tonks informed. "Think you get Sleeping Booty to the hospital wing?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, but you might want to secure the Death Eaters back there."

"How many'd you two get?" Tonks asked with a grin.

Sarah shrugged. "Not really sure. Maybe thirty?"

"That's a lot of paperwork," Tonks gulped before spotting a junior auror. "Hey Perkins! Go secure the Death Eaters in Madam Puddifoot's! I'm escorting these two to Hogwarts."

Sarah chuckled at Tonks' look of innocence. "Escorting us, eh?"

Tonks waved her wand and began to levitate the snoring Lord Black. "You know sleepyhead back there was trying to convince me he understood women? Please. If it weren't for you, I doubt he'd ever have gotten out of there alive."

"Tell me about it," Sarah agreed walking in step with Tonks. "I must have stunned at least a dozen of them."

It only took one sniff for Harry to determine where he was. The cushioned bed, the starched sheets, the oppressive sense of being smothered, and the smell all told him one thing: he was in the Hogwarts hospital wing.

A pounding headache reminded him that he'd exhausted himself, so he asked, "Hello?"

"I'm here, Harry," Sirius' voice soothed as he watched Harry crack open his eyes.

"I've got a potion for you, Lord Black," Madame Pomfrey's less than warm voice stated.

Harry accepted the sludge and realized this woman didn't know him at all. He quickly knocked it back, grimacing at the texture more than the taste. He accepted the glass of water and tried to wash the taste from his mouth. "What happened when I was out? Why did I need to come here?"

"You exhausted nearly all of your magical reserves," Poppy Pomfrey chided.

"So?" Harry asked blinking in the brightness of the room. "I do that all the time. And do you have anything for my headache?"

Poppy harrumphed. "Pepper-up potions are not candy, Lord Black. There's a reason you are supposed to wait six hours before even considering taking a second one."

"Can't you do something for my headache before you lecture me?" Harry pleaded. "If you want any of your words to get through, it'll have to be after this throbbing goes away."

"You earned that headache and you're going to keep it or you'll never learn," Poppy scolded as she retreated back towards her office.

"Thanks for pissing off my boss, Harry," Sarah humorlessly cheered from the other side.

Harry slowly began to look around the room and became aware everyone was staring at him. Jimmy was smiling, sitting on the edge of a bed next to Sirius. Tonks was grinning at him, as was Lord Peter Potter and Albus Dumbledore. On Harry's other side Sarah stood, while James Potter lay in the bed behind. Lily Potter was clutching her husband's hand tightly, but looked like a coil waiting to spring a hug on Harry.

She lunged forward and squeezed him, profusely thanking and praising him for saving her little girl.

Harry was still feeling more than a little out of it as he hugged her back.

"Lily, let the poor man breath," James chided as he sat up. "Thank you, Lord Black. If ever you need anything-"

Peter took the opportunity to interrupt. "Yes, Lord Black and Lord Black? The House of Potter is indebted to both of you individually and to the House of Black-"

"Stop, stop," Harry jumped in. "Really. It was nothing. All I want is a little quiet and for this damn headache to go away."

"POTTER!" the deafening shout came from down the hall.

Harry clenched his eyes shut and was rubbing his temples at the sound of Severus Snape bursting into the hospital wing.

"I know it was you, Potter!" Severus shrieked over the sudden loss of his hair. "You're even more arrogant than your father! Repeating the same immature, childish pranks—Are you even listening? I'm talking to you, Potter!"

Jimmy just paled, trying not to laugh at the shine on the top of his Potions Professor's head.

"Yes, I'm fucking listening, Snivellus," Harry spat out. "That snot-filled wheezing you call breathing is like acid to my ears." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as the throbbing seemed to increase. He slowly caught on to the oppressive silence hanging in the air and looked up.

"Uh, Harry?" Jimmy warily interjected. "I think he was talking to me."

Harry saw varying degrees of confusion and shock staring back at him, aside from Albus and Sirius who were both twittering in barely restrained amusement. "Oh… bugger."