A/N: Since I forgot the first two chapters...Nothing traceable to the original books/movies is mine. Characters, setting...nada. All belong to the best witch of our age, J.K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing them.

On the day of the Death Eaters' next meeting, the four slipped out of the common room just as curfew struck. The Fat Lady huffed at them, but she had never given them away yet, so they ignored her mutterings and crept downstairs to the main entrance of the school.

"I still think this is a bad idea," whispered Peter.

Sirius shushed him. They tucked themselves in a corner of the hall and held James's invisibility cloak up as a curtain to hide them; small as each of them were, there was no chance of all four hiding beneath it.

They weren't waiting long before several cloaked figures appeared. The tallest of them glanced around the hall and then gently, quietly, opened one of the massive doors. He stuck his head outside for a moment, and then spoke to his companions.

"All clear. Let's go."

"That's Antonin Dolohov," breathed Sirius. He'd recognize the Slytherin's voice anywhere after Dolohov "accidentally" spilled his flesh-eating potion on Sirius a few months ago. Growing great patches of his skin back was not an experience he wanted to repeat. "That's probably Wilkes and Avery with him."

The boys waited a minute or so before slipping out of the castle themselves. They followed the dark figures to the forest, and when the Slytherins stepped off of the dirt path and into the trees, the boys followed.

It was harder, now, to avoid detection. The trees were tightly spaced and underbrush caught at their feet as they stumbled after the students. They had to tread the fine line between staying far enough away that they weren't noticed, and close enough that they wouldn't lose Dolohov and his gang. More than once, Sirius stopped in his tracks and the other three nearly ran into him. But they couldn't get caught, he told himself. Much as he'd like to hex Dolohov himself, they had to find where the Death Eaters were meeting.

After some time, he spied a gap in the trees. The three Slytherins strode into the clearing, where many more hooded figures were gathered. Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter moved closer, so that they were just on the edge of the tree line, and hid themselves.

A figure in the middle of the group raised his hands to lower his hood. Lucius Malfoy. Taking his lead, everyone else did the same. Sirius hissed quietly. Slytherins, the lot of them. He knew several by face, some even because they had traded insults at one time or another. And yes—there was Snape, looking especially puny next to the tall sixth- and seventh-years.

"We will be practicing hexes of darkness tonight," announced Malfoy. "But first, let us set the wards." He pulled his wand from his pocket and stepped towards the trees. Sirius pressed himself a little lower to the ground.

The other Death Eaters copied him, moving to create a rough circle. Snape stood between Malfoy and Avery, his expression nervous but set.

"All together now," called Malfoy. "Ready, and…"

"Cave Inimicum!" they cried together

There was a moment, after the spell was cast, of complete silence. No Death Eater moved or spoke; the forest itself was still. Then Sirius felt a searing heat, and he was flung back into the forest. He heard cries from around him, heard thumps as he and his friends each hit the ground. There was a shout from the clearing, and thundering feet—they weren't bothering with stealth now—and a great meaty hand grabbed him by the scruff of the robes.

"Found one!" his captor called, and Sirius found himself staring into the leering face of Dolohov. He dragged Sirius back to the clearing and dumped him next to his friends.

"Who are these kids?" said Malfoy coldly. "Severus, do you know them?"

Snape looked at them from behind a curtain of greasy hair. His mouth twisted. "Gryffindors. Potter and Black are purebloods, not like it's doing them any good."

"Black…" Malfoy looked at Sirius with interest. "You're from a line of powerful dark wizards, aren't you?"

Sirius pulled himself up to a sitting position. Casual, he thought as he put his hands behind him and leaned back. "I'm from a line of idiot purists," he said coolly. "As a matter of fact, I think you might get along with them. They're arrogant toerags, too."

Malfoy cried out in fury and leveled his wand to Sirius's face. "You're a blood traitor. Disrespecting the magical blood that runs through your veins…how did you find us? Who told you?" He glanced between the four boys. "Did that Mudblood Gryffindor tell you about us? We should have wiped her memory while we had the chance."

"Wasn't Evans." James glared at him. "You lot just don't know how to sneak around, is all. I'm surprised half the school doesn't know about your little meetings."

A dark-haired girl stepped out from among the Death Eaters with a snarl. "How dare you!" She whipped her wand and suddenly James was doubled over, wheezing. Peter reached for him, but the girl flicked her wrist and Peter was coughing as well.

"They can't breathe!" cried Remus. "Stop it, they can't breathe!"

Malfoy looked at the two boys with detached interest, but made no move to stop the girl. Sirius jumped to his feet with a roar and shot a hex at her. He had barely uttered the words before she flicked her wand and dispelled it, but that was enough. James and Peter heaved great breaths of air.

"We can't kill them, Annabelle," said Lucius, though he had done nothing to stop her. "Not if we don't want Dumbledore breathing down our necks. But—" Sirius caught a cold glint in his eyes. "We can certainly have fun with them, don't you think?"

"Fun" was using the boys as practice dummies. Dolohov put a full-body bind on each of them, and the Death Eaters took turns testing out curses. Malfoy strode among them, correcting form here and there and, more often than Sirius thought necessary, showing them himself how the spell was properly done. Malfoy was by far the best wizard in the group, and Sirius's bones ached after he flung yet another curse his way.

Eventually the Death Eaters grew weary. Their spells grew weaker or more dangerous, depending on who was casting, and their jeers at the boys died away. Finally, Malfoy called a halt.

"This is your warning," he told his victims. "If any of the professors learn about us, we'll know who told, and tonight will feel like a vacation compared to what we'll do to you."

With that, he dissolved hex keeping them immobilized and led the march out of the clearing.

"This is war." The Death Eaters had been gone for a good while, and Sirius was the first one to speak. His voice was hoarse from screaming. "No way we can leave them alone now. We'll get those stupid Slytherins back."

Remus rolled onto his back. "We can't. We're not strong enough, we don't have enough magic. They'll wipe the floor with us. Again."

"So we don't duel them." Sirius rolled his stiff neck. "Aren't we the pranksters of the school? We heckle them until they're out of their minds. Drive them crazy."

"And if they gang up on us again?" asked James.

"They won't," he said confidently. "We won't let them."