A/N) Good news! I've done a lot of writing and got ahead of myself again! Currently writing chapter 72 which I aim to finish today. I estimate that in total there will be 80 chapters (I've planned up to chapter 75) and would like to finish this before the New Year. Providing I stay a few chapters ahead of myself I will now be resuming twice-weekly updates so expect chapter 70 on Thursday! Thank you for being patient with me.
Onto the chapter...
Disclaimer: Thank you to Robin4 for giving me permission to use the spells she invented for her own fics!
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Murder
Wednesday 27th May 1996
"For someone who is supposed to be in hiding, you are spending a lot of time away from Grimmauld Place," commented Remus Lupin as he sat down at the kitchen table, holding a sandwich in his right hand.
Sirius glanced up at his friend, raising one eyebrow. "I've been busy."
"And you can't tell me what?" prompted Remus gently.
Sirius shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. The less people that know the better for those involved."
Remus frowned. He hated being kept out of the loop. But he could understand why. Back in the old days the Marauders had never hidden anything from one another, now distrustfulness was the norm. No one really knew who was on what side or what, but he also realised that Sirius had been visiting Dumbledore a lot. He figured his friend simply couldn't say because he had been instructed not to, but it was hard to accept that because they had shared everything for so long. James was gone and Peter – well, Peter was a traitor – other than Sirius, Remus had no one to talk to. "I know you've been going to Hogwarts on a regular basis though."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "It's about the only place I can go. Voldemort has me cornered. At least when I could be on active duty I didn't have to be here all the time." He sighed, rubbing a weary hand over his face. "I just wish I didn't have to stay in hiding."
"If it saves your life..." said Remus.
"I know, I know!" Black snapped back. "Sorry. I'm getting frustrated – not with being here, though I am – but with what I'm supposed to be doing."
Remus leaned forward, biting into his sandwich. "You don't have to tell me what you are up to but perhaps I can help as an outsider?"
Sirius was silent, his mind running over all the possibilities that enlisting his friend could give him. Finally, he grinned. "Okay then. I've been tasked to find something that could possibly be located in Hogwarts. The trouble is I don't know exactly where. I've been combing the castle since middle of April, trying to find this object but have been unsuccessful. I'm probably looking in the wrong places but I've searched everywhere that I can think of: old passageways, every classroom, checked for anything hidden in the grounds, everywhere and I've found nothing."
Remus was smiling as if he already knew the answer. "Have you tried the Room of Requirement?"
"No..."
"You know full well what the room does, Padfoot. It becomes what you want it to. If you wanted to hide something in there, chances are you'd use that place. James used to use it all the time whenever he needed to hide a banned object. You did to," pointed out Remus.
Sirius slapped himself on the forehead. "How could I forget that?"
Remus folded his arms and grinned evilly at his friend. "You're getting old."
"Shut up. Just shut up."
Remus laughed, jumping out of his chair and ducking under a table as Sirius retrieved his wand and fired off a curse at him.
After a small skirmish in the kitchen between Remus and Sirius (in which Monsieur Padfoot proved his mettle as a Marauder, thereby earning Molly Weasley's ire for ruining the kitchen), Sirius Apparated to Hogwarts gates where he fully intended on checking out the Room of Requirement. He figured that since it was early morning, students would be in bed and no one in their right mind would be up and about, however that hadn't stopped the Marauders during their days as care-free students from being up at all hours.
Dumbledore had set the wards to admit him so that he wouldn't have to rely on a Professor coming out the Castle to physically lower the shielding and allow him entrance. Considering he was a regular visitor to Hogwarts the arrangement came in handy.
He made his way up the Grand Staircase, heading towards the seventh floor. He knew exactly what to ask the room to do for him. It was fairly obvious now that Remus had mentioned it. Coming to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Sirius stood opposite the wall, closed his eyes and began to pace in front of it thinking: I need a place to hide my book. I need a place to hide my book. I need a place to hide my book. Just in case, he had brought a book with him, just in case the Room suspected he had an ulterior motive; thankfully when he opened his eyes, the door to the Room was there.
Grinning broadly, he reached out and pushed the door open, slipping inside, coming face to face with over a thousand objects all littered around the room. "This is a lot." He strolled forward, his eyes sweeping over every object that was there. How on earth was he supposed to find a Horcrux (if there was one here) in this lot? He'd be here hours searching through the room for it. The cup or the diadem could possibly be in this room. It was a massive labyrinth and he began to walk between the aisles of stuff that was piled high.
He paused, his Auror instincts yelling at him. He wasn't alone and he had stupidly failed to put up any safe-guards to prevent anyone else from entering the room. Quickly, he pulled his wand from his robes and held it clutched tightly in his right hand, taking quiet steps forward. He could hear a muttering around the corner, and it was a voice he recognised.
Draco Malfoy.
He stiffened. They knew the Slytherin student had been using the room but hadn't found out why. Moving forward he pressed his back against an old wooden cupboard and peered around the corner, focusing on the boy's back, watching what he was up to. Malfoy stood in front of a cabinet, his hands shaking erratically, and then to Sirius' horror, the doors to the cabinet opened. Ten Death Eaters strolled out of it.
It's a Vanishing Cabinet! Sirius thought, his mind screamed at him. He recalled there was a cabinet exactly like that in Borgin and Burkes! But the Cabinet didn't used to be in this room, it was elsewhere in the Castle. How did Malfoy learn of it? But if there are two – and considering there are now Death Eaters here – they must link together and form a passage! And why am I not confronting them? He almost slapped himself for forgetting that tiny little detail.
His eyes narrowed when he saw his cousin Bellatrix tap Draco on the shoulder and order him to go and carry out his appointed task. Dumbledore! Sirius' heart thumped hard in his chest. He understood that Albus was going to die but now that it appeared tonight was the night he couldn't just stand there and let it happen!
It was foolish what he was about to do but someone had to.
Grasping his wand tightly, he stepped around the corner, a look of contempt on his face. "Not so fast, Bellatrix," he growled, raising his wand and pointing it straight at her. "Stupefy!"
His cousin ducked the red jet of light, pushing Draco out of the way, ordering him to go, while the other Death Eaters joined in the battle. Sirius fled behind the corner, conjuring a shield up as Bellatrix Lestrange hurried around the corner, curses flying from her mouth as he fought to batter them away.
"Crucio!"
The torture curse battered through his failing shield as a Blasting Curse tore it apart, hitting him directly in the chest. He flew to the floor, writhing in agony, biting his lip as Bellatrix kept the curse trained on him.
Sirius grasped his wand tightly in his hand, fighting the impulse to release it. "Extundo!" he bellowed; the Hammer Curse hit his cousin directly and she soared into the air, the Cruciatus Curse no longer upon him.
Springing to his feet Sirius raised a shield even as several stunners were sent his way by the other Death Eaters. Why no killing curses? It was probably a good thing they weren't intending to kill him; Voldemort probably wanted to finish him himself anyway due to his continued defiance.
"Capitiscindis!" The Decapitation spell shot towards Thorfinn Rowle. It was nasty but this was no time for niceties. The curse shot through, killing the Death Eater instantly.
One down, nine more to go! Even Sirius wasn't foolish enough to think he could win against this many Death Eaters. He was a powerful wizard but he was on the defence, and when one was on the defence against nine Death Eaters, the odds were against him, no matter how much he looked at it. If he could stay one step ahead of them, he might be able to outthink them long enough to get out of the room and rouse the castle to the presence of the enemy within its walls.
"Ingulra! Offenvox! Rumperis! Evanescorpus! Repellum!" The last spell was a more powerful shield then the standard spell that students learnt at Hogwarts. The first four curses failed to reach their intended targets as the four Death Eaters he had aimed at, leapt out of the way.
Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, having clearly run off at the first sign of trouble. Bugger! Sirius cursed and fled around a corner, breaking into a sprint, knowing that he couldn't win and that his only chance was to run. He shielded himself even as the Death Eaters followed; Bellatrix yelling at him for being too weak to face her. He couldn't let himself be drawn into her taunts – he could pay the ultimate price if he did.
He fired off another strike spell, quickly followed up by a choking curse and then a throat cutting one; the choking curse briefly struck Alecto Carrow but he was unable to maintain the curse, and had to release her even as he bounced around another corner. His eyes widened in realisation as he recognised the entrance to the Room of Requirement. He put on a burst of speed, but stumbled as a curse hit him in the back; his shoulder snapped and he cried out in agony. Bone breaker! His wand arm useless, he transferred his wand to his left, feeling clumsy, but he couldn't allow his injury to get the best of him. Throwing caution to the wind – and no matter how much he hated to do it (but at least they had authorisation to do so) – he released a killing curse, felling Amycus Carrow who failed to move out of the way in time. The four Death Eaters running behind that particular Death Eater all tripped over him, taking Sirius' pursuers down to four in total, for now.
"LEAVE HIM!" he heard his insane cousin yell. Clearly Bellatrix Lestrange didn't care that he had succeeded in taking out two Death Eaters in a matter of minutes. She was trying to round up the other three Death Eaters who still remained sprawled on the floor; Sirius couldn't help but laugh that he had succeeded in tripping up his own cousin.
"Contegorum!" Another shield spell, which he raised to protect himself as he reached the door to the Room of Requirement. He pulled it open, and dashed outside, pushing the door shut as he did so, bolting down the corridor as fast he could, muttering a healing spell at his broken shoulder that would allow him to use it, despite the fact that if he did use it, he'd damage it even more. But he couldn't fight with his left arm, he had to do so.
I just hope Madam Pomfrey doesn't kill me for using that particular spell on my shoulder.
The spell he had used hadn't healed it; just made his mind think it wasn't broken so that he could use it without feeling any pain. The spell would last up to an hour and then the effects would worsen, leaving him in a lot more pain than he had been when he had first received the injury. But that didn't matter. He had no time to get to a proper healer.
"Expecto Patronum!" He cast his Patronus, casting a message for it to carry to the other Order members in the castle, as well as sending it to the Aurors at the Ministry, knowing that they wouldn't be able to help since they were technically in Voldemort's employ, but Kingsley would appreciate being kept up-to-date of what was going on at the school. He would, at least, attempt to get some help to them if he was able to.
He rushed around the corner, ducking through another door and locking it, panting against it as he sought to regain his breath. Fiddling in his pocket, Sirius pulled out the two-way mirror he always carried with him. "James Potter!"
Harry's face immediately appeared. "Sirius?"
He had to warn his godson. "Where are you?" he demanded.
"In my bed, in my dormitory," answered Harry, sounding a little confused by the urgency in his godfather's voice.
"Good." Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Do not leave the dormitory at all. Death Eaters are in the castle! I do not want you getting involved!"
"Okay, I won't," replied Harry, almost too quickly for Sirius' liking.
He wouldn't have contacted Harry, but he had, had the strangest feeling that his godson had not really been asleep, as if he had known that something was up. Even if Harry did attempt to join the fray, at least he would have done his duty as godfather and warned him and asked him not to interfere. Harry was too much like James to sit still and wait, though he was fully capable of doing so.
"What about the rest of the teachers? Do they know?"
"Yes, I've already alerted them. Stay where you are. I'll come and find you when it's over." Sirius shoved the mirror back inside his pocket, wrenched open the door, and made a beeline for the Grand Staircase, where he hoped he would still be able to stop the Death Eaters – with, hopefully, a little more back-up this time.
When Sirius had called, Harry had not been in bed as he had informed Sirius; instead he was sitting in the Common Room in Gryffindor Tower by the roaring fire watching the Marauder's Map that was spread out on a table in front of him. He hadn't been able to sleep and with a lack of other things to do, he had decided to take the map out. He could have done some revision but he had been revising all day for his upcoming exams, he may as well do something that wasn't considered educational.
Harry hadn't expected to see anything of interest on the map, but then he hadn't thought he would have seen his godfather's name appear on the edge of the map. He had watched, following with his eyes Sirius' route to the seventh floor where he then disappeared into the Room of Requirement. He had contemplated getting his Invisibility Cloak and going up there to see if he could find out exactly what Sirius was doing there at this time of night.
But seeing Draco Malfoy's name walk along the seventh floor corridor minutes later stopped him. His name, too, vanished from the map. Biting his lip, Harry had considered the dangers in his mind, figuring that if Malfoy was up to something within the Room, Sirius had the better chance of finding out what since he was in there too.
Minutes passed and Malfoy reappeared hurrying away from the seventh floor corridor as quickly as possible. His green eyes focused on the dot, following Malfoy's progress, but then, out of the corner of his eye, another dot reappeared on the map, labelled: SIRIUS BLACK. Sirius' dot seemed to move quickly, rushing around the corner, and then to Harry's horror, the names of eight well-known Death Eaters suddenly appeared, rushing after Sirius in the direction he had fled.
He had no time to wonder how they had gotten there when Sirius had contacted him via the mirror. Now that he knew Death Eaters were inside the Castle, both from what his godfather had told him, and what he had seen on the map, Harry made his decision.
He had no intention of sitting still and letting Sirius fight against a bunch of Death Eaters, even if he had alerted the rest of the Castle; it wasn't right. He had been trained to fight back, why shouldn't he defend the school that he considered home? Surely Sirius could understand that?
Glancing back at the map again his eyes found Draco Malfoy's dot once more. What is Malfoy doing at the Astronomy Tower? It was then his eyes focused upon another name that was there: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE.
He pulled out the mirror once more and said Sirius' name, his godfather's face appearing instantly.
"I'm a little busy right now, Harry!" he hissed.
"I know, sorry," said Harry, "but Malfoy is at the Astronomy Tower with Dumbledore!"
Sirius nodded curtly and disappeared from the mirror. Harry couldn't help but overhear – just as the connection cut – the unmistakable voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry grabbed the map and searched fervently for Sirius' name. He found it and he appeared to be in the middle of a battle on the Grand Staircase with at least five Death Eaters, the other three were already rushing off further down the staircase, heading towards the door that led to the stairs that would take them to where Draco Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore were.
Harry swallowed, his mind caught in indecision. Straining his hearing he could just hear the sounds of battle and then he became aware of sounds above him. Students in the dormitories knew something was up as well. He quickly wiped the map and stuffed it into his pocket and ran for the staircase, skidding to a halt as Ron, followed by Neville, Dean and Seamus emerged. Behind them were a few other younger students as well as Fred and George along with their friend Lee.
"Harry!" Ron was surprised. "What's going on? Neville woke me saying you weren't in your bed ... and that he could hear screams and shouts..."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Isn't it obvious what's going on? The school is under attack!"
"Who is it?" stammered Neville. The round-faced boy suddenly looked very afraid.
"Death Eaters," answered Harry truthfully. "Bellatrix Lestrange for one."
"How'd you know anyway?" asked Seamus, haughtily.
Harry pulled the blank piece of parchment that hid the Marauders Map from his pocket, waving it in front of the students. "This." He received blank looks from the majority of the students but he knew Ron, Fred, George and Lee Jordan would understand.
"Is it Voldemort too?" asked Hermione, emerging from the girl's dormitory staircase, flanked by the other girls in her dorm.
Harry shook his head. "I didn't see his name, but I don't think so."
"James Potter!"
Harry started as his pocket vibrated once more. The mirror was supposed to stay a secret! Reluctantly he pulled it from his pocket, aware of everyone's eye in the room upon him. He spoke to the glass, saying Sirius' name aloud.
Sirius' voice instantly came over the mirror, but Harry couldn't see his godfather's face. He could, however, see the ceiling of the Grand Staircase, and as he listened, the mirror changed direction so that it was pointing downwards. Sirius was clearly holding it in one hand while fighting with the other. "Harry! Get to Dumbledore now! I can't get there!"
Grasping his wand, Harry shoved the mirror back into his robes and rushed to the portrait hole, pushing it open, looking over his shoulder at the other students who had all moved forward. "Stay here!" he ordered.
"No way!" said Ron instantly. "We know the same as you!"
Harry growled, gritting his teeth. "Those are Death Eaters out there! Someone has got to stop the students from leaving this house!"
"And that's not us, Harry," said Hermione, gently. "We can help. From what we just heard it's just Sirius out there! And god knows how many Death Eaters! Not all of us know as much as you do, but we can still fight, still hold our own against them!"
Harry growled in frustration. He didn't have time for this! Sirius had given him instructions and he had to carry them out! "Fine! Just be careful!" He knew that whatever he asked them to do they would still fight, he could at least hope that Ron and Hermione (and to an extent Fred and George) would stop the much younger students from engaging in a battle they couldn't possibly win.
Without waiting to see whether the others were following him or not, Harry heaved open the portrait hole and clambered through, emerging into a battle that he had considered wouldn't be that bad.
He had caught up with the Death Eaters on the Grand Staircase. Unfortunately for him, that was the one place a battle wasn't the best place to occur. He hadn't wanted to enlist Harry's aid in getting to Dumbledore but seeing two of the eight remaining Death Eaters rush through the door to the Astronomy Tower had made his decision for him. He couldn't get there but Harry could, providing of course he used his invisibility cloak.
The members of the Order had yet to arrive, and only McGonagall and Flitwick had been able to answer his summons, but the Death Eaters being smart had barricaded the main doors leading to the Grand Staircase, preventing anyone from confronting them. Sirius knew that McGonagall was trying to break through the charms placed on the first floor doors and that Flitwick was hard at work on the second, so he was still on his own. What other defences that the Death Eaters had been put place was probably preventing the Order from arriving as well.
Sirius clutched his wand and ducked as a red jet of light shot his way, impacting against the wall. He growled under his breath and shot of a shocking spell in the general direction of the curses. Bellatrix was springing around the staircase, propelling herself with magic, making herself completely unpredictable.
Another thing Sirius had noticed was that Fenrir Greyback was amongst the Death Eaters, prowling around the back of the Death Eaters, his eyes fixed on Sirius like a hawk. He knew that Fenrir had been the werewolf that had infected Remus as a child... And he had done that purposefully.
"Glacialium!"
The freezing spell caught him unawares. His body froze and he couldn't move. The spells and curses that had been reigning towards him abruptly stopped. He could hear Bellatrix laughing gleefully. He was up on the fourth floor, with his opponents on the third and second and fifth floors, having realised that he would probably ambush them if given the chance when they had run past him in the seventh floor corridor.
He fought through the curse trying to shatter the coldness that gripped him but he couldn't. Ice covered his face, hands, clothes... Suddenly Bellatrix was there, his wand plucked from his fingers and she threw it over the staircase so that it clattered to the floor below. Her hand touched his cold, frozen cheek.
"Awww, poor little Siri..." she cooed in a sickly voice.
If he could have responded, he would have but the freezing charm had done its work. He was helpless.
"Extundo!"
Bellatrix went flying.
Sirius didn't even have a chance to register the voice as someone unfroze him and he ducked as a curse sailed his way. He had no wand, but he was capable of wandless magic... Scrambling back up the stairs, trying to find shelter from the curses that were reigning above him, Sirius found Ron and Hermione, with Fred and George and a few other fifth, sixth and seventh years Gryffindors standing, spread out on the staircase that led to Gryffindor Tower. Harry, he was relieved, nowhere to be seen, and he figured that the boy had done the smart thing and grabbed his cloak to get through the fight.
The Death Eaters turned their attention towards the students, even as both Transfiguration and Charms Professors broke through the respective barriers that had sealed them in their respective corridors and burst through, joining the battle that was now heavily erupting in the Grand Staircase.
I need my wand!
Transforming into Padfoot, Sirius bounded down the stairs, leaping over the second floor railing and landing on the tiled floor below. Quickly he returned to human form and grabbed his wand, twisting around to notice that he wasn't alone.
Fenrir Greyback stood there, his lips pulled up in a nasty grin.
Hermione was angry, more so then usual. She had tied her back to prevent it getting in the way. All the spells that Sirius had taught her came flying back into her head; the torture she had been put through while a prisoner of Voldemort's was at the forefront of her mind, but she wasn't going to let it affect her.
This is what you took from me!
She focused her eyes upon the bounding form of Bellatrix Lestrange, who had been revived by another Death Eater, and was shooting spells all over the place, not caring what she hit. Portraits lay shattered on the staircase, and the banister was burned with the heat of spells impacting against it.
Hermione snarled in anger as her stunning spell missed Bellatrix by inches. She threw up a shield spell as a Cruciatus curse sailed her way and then ducked behind the banister as a green flash of light zoomed over her head.
They had followed Harry out of the portrait hole but he had already disappeared, clearly having gone undercover in his cloak.
"RON! LOOK OUT!"
That was Neville yelling, and Hermione whirled, her eyes widened in horror as Ron was hit by a bone-breaker curse, one of the spells Sirius had taught them to use but had advised them not to use in battle unless they absolutely had to. Ron collapsed, clutching his broken arm against his chest.
She dived forwards, casting a shield to protect her as she ran towards his position. She reached his side, and with the help of Neville, dragged Ron back behind the line of students. There were already a few other students lying slumped against the wall, who had clearly been injured and retreated away.
"Ron! Are you okay?" Hermione asked desperately.
He nodded, though it was clear with the expression on his face he was in pain. "I think I'd better sit this one out, yeah?"
"I'll stay with you," she said, warmly.
Ron shook his head. "No. You need to help. You know this stuff, Hermione. Without Harry here..."
Hermione bit her lip. "I know..." She leant forward and gently kissed him on the lips. "I'll be back, okay?"
Ron gave her a small smile, and grasped his wand clumsily in his left hand, setting to work on bandaging his right arm, while Hermione ran off to join in the ensuring battle.
Kingsley had alerted them to what was going on at Hogwarts. He had been on night duty at the time when Sirius' Patronus message had arrived, and acting quickly, Kingsley had alerted Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody, who had both been at Grimmauld Place when he had managed to make contact. After a brief chat, Remus, along with Bill Weasley, Tonks, Moody and Hestia Jones had all Apparated to Hogwarts. They had found, to their surprise the wards on the castle gates were down, however the rest of the wards were intact around the school.
"Dumbledore knew that Black would contact us," said Moody gruffly. "It's got his work all over this."
"You don't think that the Death Eaters got in through the gates then?" asked Remus as they ran, hard, up the hill towards the main school doors.
"No. I don't. They would have taken all the wards down if that was the case. Believe me, Lupin, I know what the enemy thinks like. I've been doing that for years."
Remus shook his head but didn't try to contest it.
"The main doors are unlocked as well. And not open. Further suggests that they did not enter this way. Attackers do not close doors once entering a place they are trying to invade," continued Moody.
"This is all Auror logic, Remus," laughed Tonks, her purple hair tied back in a ponytail. "Surely Sirius has told you all this?"
"Not yet, he hasn't. Remind me to bug him about it, will you?" he responded good-naturally.
"Sure!"
"No talking! Focus! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" yelled Moody.
They reached the front doors to the school and pushed then open, sprinting into the entrance hall, and running for the stairs and the doors that would lead them to the Grand Staircase. Moody shoved the door with his shoulder, slipping through the gap he had made, already bellowing curses as he squeezed through.
It was clear that the battle was taking place on the Grand Staircase. Above them there were students of Gryffindor Tower firing off curses at the Death Eaters, though Remus' keen eyes could see that a few were sporting injuries. He knew instantly that Harry was not among the students fighting which surprised him, but then he couldn't find Sirius either.
Running forward, Tonks at his side, Remus leapt into the fray, firing off a stunner, followed by a disarming spell, which hit its target of a mass-robed Death Eater he knew was Crabbe, one of Voldemort's thicker supporters.
It was then, as he continued to throw out spells in the general direction of the Death Eaters, he heard a howl of agony come from below him – and his heart chilled as he realised he knew that voice. He bounded forward; ignoring the danger he was throwing himself into and peered over the edge of the stairway. "No!"
He saw Sirius being attacked by Fenrir Greyback, who, although was not in werewolf form, was still capable of harming a fellow human being. The werewolf's clawed hands had latched onto Sirius' robes, tearing them open, trying to get at the skin underneath, to contaminate Sirius in any way he could.
Behind Sirius was Barty Crouch Junior, wand trained on him, laughing madly. Sirius' own wand was off to the side, and he was desperately trying to shake free of the curse that Barty had on him, while avoiding the sharpened fingers of the werewolf. Suddenly out of nowhere, bounded Bill Weasley who knocked into Fenrir Greyback, sending him crashing to the floor even as he had made another lash towards Sirius.
"Expelliarmus! Incarcerous!" Ropes flew from Remus' wand, wrapping around Barty Crouch Junior, binding him securely. He had given the Aurors particular problems for way over a year now, but Remus was not happy about using the killing curse on somebody. He preferred that they'd pay for their crimes through imprisonment – death was an easy way out. Sirius was a reluctant killer too, as were most Aurors, though a few were known to be bloodthirsty enough to actually enjoy taking out those that liked killing. Still, it was not Remus' place to kill.
He sprang down the rest of the steps to the floor and hauled Sirius to his feet. "Are you okay?"
Sirius nodded, panting slightly. "That bastard nearly got me." He grabbed Remus by the shoulders and turned him round. "Quickly!"
"Impedimenta!" cast Remus, hitting Fenrir Greyback with the slow-reaction curse, causing him to slow down, giving Sirius enough time to retrieve his own wand and then stun him in the back, before he turned his own wand on Barty Crouch Junior, who was yelling obscenities at Remus for daring to pollute him with his use of spells against a pure-blood wizard, silencing him too.
"Look at Bill! Make sure he is alright!" ordered Sirius, for he could see blood pouring from wounds on Bill's face, scratches made by the werewolf in the violent attack he had been preparing to use against Sirius.
Remus gave him a stiff nod and ran towards the fallen Weasley, not bothering to ask where Sirius was off to. He could trust his friend, and someone needed to keep an eye on Fenrir Greyback, plus Remus had experience in dealing with werewolf injuries. Just by looking at the blood seeping from the face of Bill Weasley, he realised instantly that the young man would lead a cursed life, but would never lead a full werewolf life. Remus crouched down beside him, taking note of Bill's ragged bleeding and, lifting his wand, set to work.
In the minutes he had been occupied with the joint attack made on him by Barty Crouch Junior and Fenrir Greyback, the battle between the Death Eaters, Order members and a few brave students had moved into the Entrance Hall.
The commotion was starting to rouse the other students in the school, though Sirius noted that the Slytherins remained well away, hidden in their dungeon common room below. A few of the older Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students had come to investigate, unaware of what had truly been going on and had been forced into battle to protect themselves from the multitude of curses that were flying around.
Walls were cracked around them; the doors to the Great Hall were hanging off their hinges, while the candles floating above them exploded in fireballs of light, as Bellatrix Lestrange continued to go crazy. Gritting his teeth, Sirius made a beeline for her, intent on taking her down, but suddenly he was flying through the air, hit by a curse from behind, his forehead smashing down, hard, on the marble floor.
He groaned; his head thumping as a headache blossomed. One hit too hard, Padfoot. His wand had flung from his fingers once more and he tried to hoist himself up by his elbows, scrambling to his knees, his vision spinning before him. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his head, but he could tell that the Death Eaters were fleeing.
Sirius stumbled to his feet, hand on his head, only to find someone grab him from behind. He tried to struggle but Remus' voice broke through, telling him that he needed to let the dizziness leave before he tried to do anything. Sirius stilled, taking deep, calming breaths.
"What happened?" he asked.
"You were hit quite heavily from behind by Snape. It was a silent curse, sent you flying."
"Snape?" questioned Sirius, dizzily. "Why would Snape curse me?"
Remus shrugged as he steadied his friend. "I don't know. I just saw him descending from the Astronomy Tower with Draco Malfoy behind him. He saw you, waved his wand and then you went flying. I came through the doors just as you went for Lestrange. I think," he bit his lip, as if afraid to speak the words that were on his mind, "Snape has betrayed us."
"Where's Harry? I asked him to go help Dumbledore..." swallowed Sirius, feeling a bit better as his head stopped swimming. Remus handed him his wand and he tucked it safely into his pocket. It was then an ominous feeling hit him. "No, please no."
"Sirius?" Remus was weary.
But Sirius was gone, running for the open doors to the school, where the Death Eaters had fled just moments ago. He could hear Remus yelling his name, asking him to stop, but he didn't, he just ran onwards, following the sounds of gleeful laughter and the yells of anger. He was sure that the anger was from Harry. Something had happened.
And he had an ominous feeling he knew what had occurred.
Please don't let Dumbledore be dead! Please don't let Malfoy have succeeded! But the more reasonable side of his brain informed him that his hopes were worthless. There was no reason why the Death Eaters would be retreating or celebrating unless they had succeeded at what they had come to do.
Sirius sped on forward over the bridge, connecting the castle to the grounds, pumping his legs as fast as he was able to. He had to catch them, to find out what had happened. Harry must have slipped past them, hidden by his invisibility cloak, following the retreat of the Death Eaters. Even now he could hear his godson's voice even clearer than ever before. There was anger in his voice and such hatred...
And then he heard Snape's, ordering Draco to run.
Sirius burst through the trees near to Hagrid's Hut, wand already in hand to see Harry facing Snape, a look of such anger on his face that he was almost unrecognisable. In all his life, Sirius had only seen that expression on James Potter's face twice: first when Sirius had nearly killed Snape when playing that trick on him that had resulted in him discovering Remus' secret, and secondly when James' elderly grandparents had been murdered.
"Crucio!" That was Bellatrix.
Sirius collapsed, for she had seen him coming, and so focused upon Harry he had been, he had failed to notice her presence. A roar leapt from his throat and Sirius writhed on the ground, hand convulsing around his wand. Why did she always target him? Wasn't it enough for her that her master clearly wanted his head? Or did she just want to punish him for not being the loyal heir to the perfect pure-blood family? But then she never did like me anyway.
"Leave him, Bellatrix," snarled Snape.
The curse was removed and Sirius curled into a ball trying to protect his body from any further ones that were to come.
"Sirius!" That was Harry, suddenly kneeling beside him.
"I'm fine," grunted Sirius, clambering to a sitting position, glaring hatefully towards his cousin. "You sure do like torturing me, don't you, Bella?" he baited. Give me a reason and I swear I'll do it.
He saw her lips curl. "Why you filthy little blood traitor! How dare you talk to me like that? You deserve it after the dishonour you have bestowed upon the Noble House of Black!" She raised her wand, pointing it straight at him. "TRAITOR!"
"And they called me insane," muttered Sirius, but loud enough for his outraged cousin to hear.
She screeched angrily and suddenly green light flashed from her wand, directly towards Harry.
"NO!" yelled Snape, grabbing Bellatrix by the wrist and pushing her back. "Get out of here! Potter is the Dark Lord's! Black is as well!"
For, on instinct, Sirius had grasped Harry by his robes and pushed him down, flattening his godson's head against the grass, as the killing curse shot over his head. He had known that would have been her reaction and that was what he had been waiting for. Smiling grimly, Sirius pointed his wand towards Bellatrix Lestrange's lithe form. He was calm, but content with what he was about to do. He had authorisation to do it after all, and if anyone deserved to die, it was his maniac of a cousin.
But he faltered; he wasn't a part of the Ministry anymore. Voldemort was effectively in control, he'd become even more wanted if he killed her. He'd be a fugitive, for inevitably, Bellatrix Lestrange was now on the government's side.
She was giggling, clearly having guessed what he was about to do. "Aww, little Sirius can't kill! Is his Gryffindor courage failing him again? Just like it did when he turned down the opportunity to save James Potter?"
Anger erupted through him and Sirius scrambled to his feet, wand thrusting forward. Green light flashed but Bellatrix danced out of the way. She was already running away, giggling madly. He made to stop her but found his way blocked by Snape; the former Potion's Professor's wand pointed directly at his eyes.
"Don't make me hurt you anymore then I already have had to, Black," spat Snape, his dark eyes flashing in the moonlight.
Sirius' eyes narrowed. "I expect I have no reason to not let you go? Clearly you have shown your true colours at last, Severus! Allowing Bella to leave?"
"No," smiled Snape grimly, "I'm just trying to stop you or her from doing something stupid. The Dark Lord wants you alive, Black. Who am I to deny him what he wants?" He began to step back, sneering at him.
"How could you?" answered Harry quietly, but his voice rose with every word until he was shouting. "How could you? After everything Dumbledore has done for you!"
"You know nothing, Potter!" spat Snape.
"You killed him," stated Sirius, the dragon that had slowly been diminishing inside his chest, roared back up and he had to stop himself from not killing Snape then and there. "Didn't you? Albus is dead, by your hand." And then something clicked in his head. Dumbledore had mentioned that he had planned his death with someone... what if that someone had been Snape? "You're his confidante, aren't you?"
Snape did not answer, but merely turned away, his black robes swishing behind him.
"Sirius? What are you doing?" yelled Harry. "He killed Dumbledore! I saw it happen!"
Sirius made to grab Harry by the wrist. "No!" He was watching his old childhood enemy walk away. "He's on our side, Harry."
"No, he's not!" shouted Harry vehemently. "Didn't you hear? He killed –"
"I know! I know! But it was planned between them, Harry! I was there, at the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix when Dumbledore told us that he was planning his death with someone, but he wouldn't say who! I'm positive it was Snape. It only makes sense! We have no choice but to trust him!" He looked at Harry, imploring him to see sense in his logic. He had to be right, had to be. "He may appear to be on Voldemort's side, but he really isn't. Trust me on this, please!"
Harry's eyes flew over towards Snape's rapidly retreating form, his chest taking in deep breaths. He lowered his gaze and tucked his wand back inside his robes. "I guess I do have to trust you, Sirius, don't I?"
Sirius didn't know what to say to that.
They found Dumbledore's body at the bottom of the Astronomy Tower, shattered and broken, in a crumpled heap. By the time they had made it back up the hill, the majority of the school had been woken by the commotion in the castle and had come to investigate, only to witness the Death Eaters fleeing.
The two Death Eaters captured had been placed within magically sealed cells within the dungeons of the castle, where two Order members stood guard. The Aurors had not been able to make it to Hogwarts, for their Voldemort-controlled Ministry had prevented them from going. Undoubtedly that had been Voldemort's plan.
Those that had been injured in the attack had been taken to the hospital wing to receive treatment for their wounds.
It had been Neville Longbottom who had discovered Dumbledore's body, nearly tripping over it in the darkness, but catching himself on time. Horrified at what he had stumbled across, Neville had gone running, informing those still inside the Castle of his demise.
Now, the entire student body, stood crowded around the body of the fallen Headmaster, tears sliding down their cheeks. The man that had been charged to protect them was dead.
Slowly, Professor McGonagall raised her wand to the heavens, gently lighting the tip of it. Sirius followed suit, with Remus at his side and Tonks. Harry was next until the whole school had their wands raised in silent respect for what Albus Dumbledore had stood and fallen for.
The world had darkened.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Next chapter: A Final Goodbye - in which explanations are given and Harry and Sirius go Horcrux hunting. To be posted on Thursday!
Until then,
the-writer1988