A/N) Here we go, the next chapter. I am currently working hard on chapter 58, so updates will continue to be twice weekly, as long as I stay this far ahead of myself. I think, those who attempted to guess where the sentences were from in the last chapter, no one got them all right, however you did get some of the guesses right. So, congratulations to those who succeeded in guessing what was right!

Without further ado, I present chapter 52.

Chapter Fifty-Two: Broken

Monday 5th October 1995

HOGSMEADE ATTACKED!

That was the headline of the morning's Daily Prophet. Full details had been released by the Ministry of Magic concerning the attack and the capture of both Sirius and Hermione. Evidently, they had to mention that Harry had been in the thick of things and that he had been trying to save his godfather and friend from being taken; what they didn't realise was that Harry had not known that Sirius had been in any trouble when he had rushed back to save Hermione.

He could not help but feel exposed as he ate his breakfast in the Great Hall; eyes focused on him and Ron, and he shivered subconsciously as he heard someone claim that he had not tried to prevent their kidnap at all, especially since he had not shown his face since the attack. Anger boiled away inside him but he couldn't afford for comments to hurt him like that; he had to remain calm and hope that that Order was working to the best of their ability to save both Sirius and Hermione.

"Hey, Potter!"

Harry sighed. Malfoy again, full of arrogance that he had lost when Sirius had captured his father. He refused to look over his shoulder; refused to give Malfoy the satisfaction that he was after. Ignore him, he is just trying to bait you into rising and losing your temper... Hermione's words echoed in his head. She had said that before on many other occasions when Malfoy had taunted him or Ron. He grabbed his bag from underneath his seat, swung his legs over the bench, muttered a quick sorry to Ron for leaving him, and began to move up the Great Hall, aware of the many eyes that were upon him as he hastily made his way towards the exit.

Laughter echoed behind him; blood pounded in his ears. And then –

"I bet your blood-traitor of a godfather is dead by now, Potter! I'm surprised you didn't run off to save him! I thought you loved him! I guess you feel Black isn't worth your bother! Not a very good substitute for a parent was he, especially since he missed the first twelve years of your life? And what about that filthy little Mudblood too -"

Harry whirled, his right hand already fumbling for his wand, but he was too late as a flash of red light impacted against Malfoy's chest and he went flying back from his own seat and impacting against an unfortunate student that had been passing behind him as Ron had sent the jinx.

"MR WEASLEY!"

Glancing towards the staff entrance, Harry saw Professor McGonagall striding through it; her face red with anger and her eyes flashing. Her hat was lopsided on her head, and she strode towards Ron, a look of utter disbelief on her face. Quickly tucking his wand away, Harry began to move slowly away, backing further up the hall. He didn't need something else to be angry about.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING ATTACKING MR MALFOY LIKE THAT?" yelled Professor McGonagall, standing in front of Ron, arms folded across her chest.

Harry bit his lip and slipped through the door.

"I SEE YOU, MR POTTER!"

Harry gulped and slipped back inside the hall. "I didn't do anything, Professor. I would have done if I hadn't been slow." There was no point in holding back his feelings on the matter; he'd be in line for a detention anyway. Everyone in the hall was staring at him and Ron, wondering what Professor McGonagall would do next.

Across the hall, beside the Slytherin table, Malfoy was clambering to his feet, his cheeks flamed in embarrassment. The look he was giving Harry was mutinous.

"Weasley, you will receive a detention for your attack on Mr Malfoy; Mr Malfoy, you will also receive a detention for deliberately baiting Mr Potter and Mr Weasley to even think about attacking you." Her eyes sought Harry's and he swallowed, suddenly feeling nervous, wondering what his Head of House was going to give to him as punishment. "Potter, you will receive ten house points to Gryffindor for demonstrating the ability to walk away, although you did admit you would have attacked Malfoy if Mr Weasley had not got there first, however I appreciate your honesty in this circumstance."

To say he was not astounded was an understatement; Harry was quite simply shocked. Shaking his head in amusement, Harry turned away and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving Ron to collect his detention details from McGonagall before their first class.

They had been separated sometime in the night; Hermione taken from his cell and placed somewhere he did not know. He was sure if Bellatrix was having his way with her, they would have made sure he could hear it. He remembered when his insane cousin had entered their little domain, how she had laughed gleefully at what the future held for the 'Mudblood'...

It had been shortly after that, maybe a few hours at least (it was difficult to predict how much time was passing since they had been captured) that Wormtail had unlocked their cell and ordered Hermione to move, threatening to hurt her if she did not do as he instructed. Hermione had obeyed, urged on by Sirius who had not wanted her to suffer anymore than necessary. Since then it had been deathly quiet.

Please, please let her be alright.

It was his duty as an Auror to protect her, yet he was stuck here, chained to the brick wall, unable to protect or save her. He growled in frustration, tucking at the binds that held them, willing them to break, but to no avail; they did not.

And that was when the screaming began.

The school day had not gone smoothly. Harry had, had to bear the constant stares of the students. It got so much that he pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and used it to get to lessons unnoticed. Due to the mishap that had happened earlier in the day, Harry sat in his four-poster bed that evening, eating a plate of food that Neville had kindly bought to him.

Sitting there alone and with his thoughts to himself, it was only then that an idea crossed his mind as he sat staring across the room at the mirror beside Dean's bed. It twinkled, only slightly when he blinked and then he remembered. Ignoring the food beside him, Harry dived for his bag and extracted the small mirror Sirius had given him. Could this be the key? Could this help them locate Sirius and Hermione, if Sirius was able to answer?

His heart thudding quickly in his chest, Harry spoke his godfather's name aloud and waited, not daring to hope for a miracle, but wondering if they might have a chance...

He felt the slight vibration beside his thigh and Sirius' eyes widened in surprise as he recognised it for what it was. He had no way of reaching it! Damn hands! They had charmed the mirrors to respond to names only... maybe it would work without him needing to be looking directly at it?

"James Potter!" he said, waiting to see if the risk he had taken, worked.

A muffled voice came from below. "Sirius?"

"Harry, is that you?" he said as loud as he dared.

"Yeah," replied Harry, his voice somewhat distant, but understandable nonetheless, despite the obstacle between them.

Of all the places to put the thing, why did I put it in my back pocket?

"Erm, why is it all dark?" asked Harry.

Sirius sighed. "Because the mirror is in my back pocket and I can't reach it. I'm a little tied-up at the moment. I didn't know whether the mirror would respond if I said the name aloud or not. I took the risk. I don't think we have long... I'm sure the cell I'm in is guarded day and night..." He had not been able to confirm that theory since his capture, but he was certain that Voldemort probably had a way of monitoring him. He wouldn't just leave Sirius alone: the Dark Lord understood what Black's could do when left to do what they wanted; Bellatrix was a perfect example of that and Hermione was paying the price.

The screams had since stopped in the minutes leading up to Harry's call, and he had no idea how much time had passed since they had started.

"Sirius?" Harry's voice pulled him from the thoughts that he was being dragged down to.

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to lower his head as far as he was able so that he was closer to the mirror in his pocket.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Malfoy Manor," he stated immediately, "in the cells. I believe this may be Voldemort's official headquarters for now, unless he decides to move elsewhere."

"Is Hermione with you?"

Sirius bit his lip. How truthful should he be? Could he tell his godson the truth about what was really happening to her? A shrill shriek echoed above him, and he heard cackling, mad laughter and he winced. That should be him not Hermione suffering that.

"What was that?" Evidently Harry had heard the sound. "Sirius, was that Hermione? What are they doing to her?" A sense of urgency had entered his godson's voice. "You have to tell me!"

Aggravated by the situation he was in, Sirius tugged once more at the chains around his wrists. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not pull free. Sighing, he leant back against the wall. "Harry, I would never lie to you, and I know you are a smart lad. You know what type of Wizards my family were and what they thought of Muggle-borns. Some of them would take their hatred to the extreme." How could he not tell Harry? After all, if there was a chance of a rescue, what was happening to Hermione now was not something one could easily recover from, especially if his cousin went as far as she had done with Frank and Alice Longbottom and had attempted to do so on Augusta Longbottom only the month before.

"They're hurting her." It wasn't a question, more a statement, but one that Sirius felt deserved confirmation of.

"Yes," he whispered, "they are."

Silence reigned for a long while and Sirius began to suspect that Harry had ended the conversation without telling him, but he was proven wrong when his godson's voice came over the connection once more.

"I have to go, Sirius. Professor Dumbledore needs to know where you are. Maybe the Order can get you and Hermione out before any permanent damage is done."

"Maybe." He didn't like how his godson calmly described what had happened to the Longbottom's, but considering the situation, he could not fault him for keeping a cool head. "I'll see you soon, Harry."

Harry did not reply, so Sirius waited in the darkness on his own, hoping that Bellatrix would not go too far with Hermione before she could be rescued.

Tuesday 6th October 1995

Hogwarts Castle was not usually bustling with activity in the early hours of the morning, but the Order of the Phoenix was assembling for an urgent meeting in the Great Hall. The House entrances had all been sealed to prevent any students from wandering about after hours and hearing sensitive information that could find its way into the wrong hands.

The house tables had all been moved together to form one big one. Every member, including the Auror division, which had been inducted into the Order in the last few hours since Harry Potter had informed Albus Dumbledore of the whereabouts and location of Sirius Black and Hermione Granger, were seated around the table. No one had been forgotten. This operation was simply too important to not have everyone helping in any way they could. Despite the knowledge that there was a traitor within the Order, Dumbledore felt that summoning everyone together was the best bet, even if it meant that Voldemort was informed in advance of any action they took: at least they were doing something.

With everyone seated, Albus Dumbledore raised his arms for silence and the chatter that had been building between members fell and every eye in the hall turned towards the wizened Wizard that headed the Order.

"I have called all of you here today at short notice to discuss a plan that will allow us to rescue both Hermione Granger and Sirius Black from Voldemort's hands. I was told, from a reliable source, that they are being held at Malfoy Manor and not at the Riddle House as we originally suspected. We cannot leave them to die; it is imperative we rescue them." The eyes of Albus Dumbledore studied the face of every witch and wizard that sat in the hall. "Doing nothing is not an option. Tonight, we need to decide on a plan of action, if we are to recover them. A rescue attempt must be made within three days at the latest otherwise I fear that Miss Granger will no longer be with us." He disliked having to talk about a student like that but it was necessary to get his point across.

"We can have a plan of action and authorisation from the Minister by midday today," said Alastor Moody, his eye swivelling in its socket, as he looked around at the assembled Aurors before firmly focusing on Kingsley. "Shacklebolt, it is doable?"

As they would be assaulting a Wizarding household that – despite Lucius Malfoy's incarceration on Azkaban – was still considered respectable, they simply could not attack without authorisation.

"If we do not dawdle in making an acceptable plan, then yes," answered the black wizard. He was already pulling out a piece of parchment when the hall erupted in chatter as varying members of the Order of the Phoenix threw suggestions at him and what exactly could be done.

It would be a long night while they planned for what would be an impossible task to achieve, unless it was planned out to precision.

For Ron's sake, Harry had quietly decided to not tell him that he knew where Sirius and Hermione were or what was happening to their friend. He had only risked speaking to Sirius once more since their initial conversation in which he had informed him that the Order was working on a plan of action but he didn't know exactly what, as Dumbledore was keeping Harry away from it all. Much as he wanted to help, Harry understood that he simply could not. He knew that if he faced Voldemort again, before he was ready, he would be killed. He wanted to help Hermione and Sirius: the only thing stopping him was his heart. His head was telling him to go and do something rash; attempt to storm Malfoy Manor without knowing where it was, or listen to his heart that informed him the Order would get them back. He had to learn and acquire the knowledge that Dumbledore was giving him in their private lessons before fighting Voldemort. Before that task was complete, facing him would not be worth the effort as Harry had a feeling that Voldemort could not simply be killed in the logical sense.

As Tuesday dawned, three days had passed since Sirius and Hermione had been taken. Three days of worry had gone by. He couldn't help but wonder if today would be the day a rescue attempt was made?

Ever since his capture, Sirius had been left alone; he hadn't even seen or heard of Voldemort being in the place. It had always been Hermione who had been the victim, taken from their small cell every few hours, and tortured. She was holding up, despite what his insane cousin was putting her through. Unusually for Bellatrix she was taking her time over destroying Hermione's life, making her suffer more than one would usually, but then she had all the time in the world and no one to stop her.

He knew he had been the target of the Hogsmeade attack so why wasn't he being hurt? What other motive did they have other than to force him to hear Hermione screech in pain? He hadn't been fed either nor had he been given the luxury of a drink of water; he was severely dehydrated and that wasn't good.

What is the point of taking the trouble to acquire me if you're not going to do anything with me? He yelled internally at himself, his frustration nearly reaching boiling point.

As if in answer to his question, his door opened and light pooled in. Standing in the door frame was Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, and in a heap on the floor beside him, was Hermione. Her body was shaking erratically and whimpers came from her.

Sirius met Voldemort's fiery gaze and glared back at his captor.

"You are here for one reason only," began Voldemort, quite calmly, his wand not even in his hand, as he stepped further into the cell. "Do you know why that is?"

Sirius didn't even bother to answer; just kept his gaze unwavering upon the Dark Lord.

A simple nod was all it took and Hermione was screaming again, but this time Sirius could see it. As the poor girl flipped over, he saw tears falling down her cheeks... she wasn't insane yet. He understood now why they had left him alone. He had always tried to protect the innocent and he was failing in that promise by letting this happen. "Stop it!"

"Only if you say please, cousin!" giggled Bellatrix, not lifting her wand away from Hermione.

He knew he would hate himself for what he had to do, but he couldn't bear to watch Hermione being hurt. She didn't deserve it. Bitter and angry with himself, Sirius locked his eyes onto his cousin's and said the three words that forced Bellatrix to lift her wand away from Hermione's convulsing form."Stop it, please!"

"Will you answer my question?" asked Voldemort quietly.

"You want to know the Prophecy," replied Sirius, miserably, dropping his head. How had he not guessed that this was what they would do to ensure he complied with their demands? They had been hurting Hermione for a few days, practically non-stop since their capture; how could he let that continue?

Voldemort began to smile. He knew. He always knew.

"Do you want the Mudblood to suffer more?"

"Don't call her that!" he yelled in anger, but clamped his mouth shut as Rodolphus Lestrange cast the Crucio curse upon Hermione once more.

He almost yelled in frustration at the horrible predicament he was in. What could he do? Voldemort couldn't find out the rest of the Prophecy... But Hermione... his eyes strayed to where she was lying on the floor, her cries getting weaker by the minute; the torture curse still upon her. They would keep her under it until he complied; he knew enough to know they wouldn't hesitate to kill her but he had the power in his hands to save her life... In telling Voldemort the Prophecy, Sirius would be betraying the very Order he had sworn to fight for and betray the person he loved most: Harry.

But he was an Auror... and he did have some training, but not as much as Snape and Harry had... Just maybe his half-formed, crazy idea could possibly work?

"Well, Black? She might not have long left... She's still sane for now... but how much are you willing to let her suffer? Will you protect your godson or will you protect a filthy Mudblood?"

Sirius swallowed, already hating himself for what he was about to do, but he had a chance to save Hermione and protect Harry, if he played his cards right. He started to speak: "The Prophecy..." His words stuck in his throat, but to his relief, the torture curse was lifted from Hermione. "The Prophecy says..."

And as Sirius recited word-for-word what the Prophecy said, Voldemort's red eyes gleamed in triumph.

Wednesday 7th October 1995

"Headmaster, I have just returned from a meeting with the Dark Lord."

Albus Dumbledore lifted his head from the paperwork he had been reading through. A plan of action had been drafted up by the Aurors and approved by Rufus Scrimgeour; due to the importance of the mission they had not decided on a day or time to carry it out. That decision would be made within a few hours of the intended time. Only Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody knew when the assault was tentatively planned for. "What is it Severus?"

"The Dark Lord wishes me to tell you this – I would have informed you anyway – but this makes things easier since I was ordered too," began Snape, declining Albus' offer of the chair in front of his desk, "but he knows of the Prophecy. All of it. Black broke."

If Albus' face could have gone a shade whiter than it had already been, it would have. "Are you sure?"

Snape nodded. "That's what I was told. The Dark Lord is very happy; I do not think he would be if Black had not broken."

"And that's why they took Miss Granger," muttered Albus, "to convince him to tell them. I know Sirius far too well. If Miss Granger has been tortured -" Severus gave a stiff nod. "– then I can see why he would, especially if he was given an ultimatum. I cannot blame him for giving in to Voldemort's demands. It is still imperative that they are both rescued."

"There may be a window of opportunity to do just that," replied Snape carefully.

Albus Dumbledore met his spy's dark and calculating eyes. "When?"

"Tonight."

"Why...did...you...do...it?"

Sirius looked up from where he was leaning against the wall, his hands wrapped around his knees. They had finally deemed to release him once he had done what they wanted; they had even been fed! But Sirius had let Hermione eat his portion of the small meal Voldemort had allowed them to eat. Hermione was shaking, lying on the floor, her face stark white. "Why did I tell Voldemort what he wanted?"

A small nod from Hermione prompted him to continue.

"Because I should be protecting you; if I hadn't answered they'd have continued until you'd died and possibly would have kept you alive until I did tell. I couldn't let that happen... You'd already suffered just because you are a Muggle-born. No one deserves to be tortured for their birth..." he replied. "Besides, I do know how to employ Occlumency... "

She lifted her head only slightly from the cold floor. "What... do... you... mean?" There was an odd, but inquisitive expression on her face.

"I think you know..." he whispered, a slight smile on his face.

"You... lied?" choked Hermione.

"Maybe..."

"But... but... how?" she stammered.

He shrugged. "By being able to employ Occlumency against Voldemort, I could stop him from reading my mind and discovering whether I was lying or not. He wouldn't know whether I was telling the truth or not, and he was using it when I told him the Prophecy... There is something that Voldemort might not know about the Black family. The heirs were always taught from a young age how to secure their thoughts from penetration... The only way Voldemort will know I'm lying is if I slip up or he's somehow monitoring what I say in here or one of the few Order members that know the full contents betray us..."

"If he finds out you've lied...?" asked Hermione, her voice shaking a little.

Sirius sagged. "I hope he doesn't because I don't think I'll be able to protect you if he does," he said quietly, not meeting Hermione's gaze.

"Oh."

They were ready.

Remus, fully healed from the head wound he had sustained during the Hogsmeade attack, stood at the front of the group of Aurors and the few Order members that were going on the rescue mission, in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. The wards had temporarily been taken down, allowing them to Apparate in and out of the house.

The Ministry of Magic had authorised the use of the Unforgiveable Curses on any Death Eater that afternoon: the war had gotten to the point where they simply couldn't just capture the enemy – they would have to do unforgiveable things if they were to even have a chance of winning this war.

They were leaving in three groups: the first group would Apparate to the front gates of Malfoy Manor; the second to the back door of the Manor; the third (which Remus was a part of) would not leave until they got the signal that both groups were inside the house, in which they would then Apparate to the front gates and then rush to where group one would be and attempt, from there, to reach the cells. Everything depended on this mission: it was essential they did not fail.

Swallowing, Remus looked around at the people that had volunteered for this mission. Tonks stood within group one, her hair brown, rather than the usual bubble-gum pink she usually wore. Her face was set for battle. Despite her clumsiness, she was a competent Auror, and would, with further experience, rise to the top of her field. Remus couldn't help but admire her for her determination to fight back against the darkness, especially since the majority of her relatives fought for the side of the Dark Lord.

It was only when Kingsley Shacklebolt was about to take the stand to go over the debriefing one more time that a flash of light appeared in the room and a piece of paper fell onto the waiting table in front of the wizard.

Reaching toward it, Remus watched as Kingsley read the slip of parchment; saw his eyes widen in shock and horror. Hurrying over to him, Remus peered down at the parchment. Dumbledore's handwriting was clear, but what he saw gave him a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach.

They have been moved to The Riddle House. They know you are coming.

Someone, who had known that this mission was going ahead tonight, had betrayed them. The mission had been compromised. What could they do now?

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

First, I hummed and arred over whether Sirius should know Occlumency or not... and I figured that it might be something he would know, so I decided to give him that skill. As its a rare form of magic I thought it might be something that the old Wizarding Families would know, and considering Sirius is a part of one, I don't think its unreasonable to assume he might be able to employ Occlumency. Secondly, the issue with the prophecy, and Sirius giving in so easily. If he knew of a way that could possibly save her and still prevent Voldemort from finding the truth, I think he would do it - I don't think he would let Hermione continue to suffer if he thought he could save her.

The issue regarding Harry sitting still and doing nothing: firstly he is employing Occlumency, so Voldemort is not able to send him visions otherwise he would know where they were. Even though, in this chapter, he finds out where they are, he doesn't know exactly where Malfoy Manor is, so again, he can't do anything. I also think my Harry trusts the Order a lot more as he has not been kept in the dark, unlike in the original time-line; he also understands that if he does run off, he will be killed. But Harry's time will come so please bear with me.

Did people like the small snippets I gave of this chapter at the end of the last one? I didn't know whether people liked that or not and would like me to continue doing that if I am able to? I've looked over Chapter 53, and at the moment, I cannot find anything that I could include as a single snippet, so I've left them out for this chapter.

Next chapter: Rescue? - in which Remus has a brilliant idea and Sirius has an encounter with his rather insane cousin... Will be posted on Monday.

Until then,

the-writer1988