Chapter VI - Determination

Sirius made his way out of the dining room and up the staircase, his pace quickening slightly as he neared the second floor. This was all too much to handle- first, the return of the man responsible for his wife's disappearance, then the report from Snape that she was alive and under Voldemort's control, Dumbledore refusing to let him do anything about it, Mrs. Weasley finding the ring he had hidden years ago, Moody showing Harry the picture of the original Order and Harry asking him who she was-

A quiet, snide voice broke through his thoughts.

"Sent to your room again, Black?"

Sirius turned to see Snape on the edge of the shadows that settled in the corridor. The slightest hint of a smirk sat on his face, amusement glinting in his eyes.

"Shut it, Snivellus, or so help me..." Sirius turned back toward the stairs again, taking a few steps up. He didn't have time for this.

"I can't image you'd have anything to do that would need helping."

Sirius turned back toward him quickly, advancing down the steps again. "Oh, and you're doing such a good job. Poor Snape, it must be so hard to grovel at Voldemort's feet, and I can't imagine what it's like to have to play both sides-"

Snape's voice hardened. "You can't comprehend the power the Dark Lord has. You wouldn't last one-"

"The Dark Lord, is it," Sirius asked a little louder. "And you claim it's a cover? I don't care what Dumbledore thinks, I don't trust you."

"Clearly Dumbledore has more sense-"

"I don't trust you in my house and I certainly don't trust you with her!"

Suddenly, ghastly howling filled the house. The men looked down the stairs as a woman's voice tore through the air. "TRAITORS AND THEIVES, VERMIN SPREADING THEIR FILTH-"

Sirius' anger turned to the portrait that screamed at the top of her lungs. "SHUT UP, WOMAN!" From somewhere downstairs Mrs. Weasley hurried to silence the portrait, glancing briefly upwards to see Sirius and Snape.

"Either way, I'm the only connection you have to your dear wife," Snape said coolly. "If you can think of another way to get her back, by all means tell Dumbledore. I would love to see you take on the Dark Lord."

Before Sirius could say anything, Harry came into view on the staircase; Snape took the opportunity to slip away into the darkness as Harry's eyes met Sirius'. Sirius managed a smile, glancing at the picture the boy still clutched in his hand. Harry, who had heard the voices rising as he left the dining room but couldn't make out the words, looked a little puzzled.

"Professor Snape-"

"Snape oversteps bounds," the man interrupted as though that would explain it. His voice softened. "You wanted to know about the woman in the picture?"

Harry nodded. Sirius led him to a rather large door, which the man then opened before bowing. Harry glanced in past him to see a familiar face staring back at them. He bowed too and the hippogriff inside bowed in return before stepping up onto the bed inside. The two entered the room.

The size of the interior matched the door, a spacious closet taking up nearly an entire wall and a great four-poster, on which Buckbeak now sat, nearly blocking another wall from view. Harry closed the door behind them as Sirius made his way to the wardrobe. He picked up a picture slowly, looking at it a moment.

"Her name was Lauren," Sirius started, his gaze still on the picture. "We were at school together, the five of us. Six, later, when Peter came into the picture." He held it out slightly for Harry to see. In it were several people and a sofa; he noted them as he watched. Remus, Rosemary, Peter, Lauren, and Sirius crammed together on the seats, obviously still moving and trying to fit while James lounged on the back, looking amused. Suddenly, Lauren moved to Sirius' lap, and they nearly fell off the couch together.

Sirius laughed once. "We kept in touch after Hogwarts. It was much like it is now; you stayed close to those you trusted, especially with Voldemort on the rise. The seven of us, your mother included, helped form the Order of the Phoenix. Your parents, and Lauren and I, married shortly after. It was a double wedding, but that sort of thing was common, marrying so quickly after one another. Nobody was taking a chance of waiting."

"I moved out of your parents' house and into this house." There was a hint of distaste in his voice as he said the last two words, but it disappeared quickly. "Lauren made it bearable."

He sighed. "Then you were born. James and Lily made us your godparents."

"Godparents? Nobody ever mentioned a godmother."

Sirius nodded, looking up at him. "I'm getting to that. James insisted we be your godparents. Said that if anyone was to take care of his son besides them, it would be us."

"But you didn't."

He nodded again. "It wasn't long after you were born that she was taken." There was a pause. "Everything was terror back then, nobody trusted anyone and even among friends there was a level of distrust. Even with all of us. We were sure she was-"

Harry waited, but Sirius didn't continue. "Professor Lupin told me."

Sirius looked at him a moment. "Nearly a year after that, you became the Boy Who Lived, and I discovered Peter's betrayal. I knew- it had been him all along. He was the reason she was gone- or worse- and the reason your parents had been killed. I was intent on killing him myself, but... Well, you know the rest."

"Sirius... when Professor Lupin told me that she was your wife, he corrected himself."

Sirius' interest grew slightly. "What do you mean?"

"He said... she is your wife, and then said she was. Is there a possibility that she's still... alive?"

Sirius took a moment to answer, but lowered his voice when he did so. "She is. Voldemort has her under his control."

"Like the Imperius curse?"

"Not exactly," Sirius said. "Somehow he's got her under his control, but we're not sure how yet. But don't worry about that. I'm going to do everything I can to get her back."