A/N) Here is the next chapter. I hope its enjoyable.
Chapter Seventy-Two: Revelations
August 1996
The weeks passed quickly and the month of August came round quickly. Harry's sixteenth birthday passed with little celebration, though Molly Weasley and Andromeda Tonks prepared a large chocolate cake for him. Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin briefly arrived for a few hours that evening to pass on pieces of information to Sirius which Harry was not privy to. His godfather had taken that opportunity to reveal the location of the Dursley's to the werewolf, who promised to pass that information onto Minerva McGonagall so that he had a back-up if something happened to both him and Sirius.
As Ron had predicted, a few days after their conversation in July, Molly had confiscated Ron and Hermione's wands and every night she placed a locking charm on the door to their bedrooms, keyed to her so that if anyone broke through it she would be aware of it and stop them from slipping off. This frustrated both of them as they felt Molly was going too far, however Sirius found himself sympathising with her. If he could have done he would not be preparing to lead Harry into danger, unfortunately it was fate. Harry was the only one who could do something about Voldemort.
Molly's preparations to prevent Ron and Hermione from leaving with Harry and Sirius caused the Auror a headache. She was constantly looking over his shoulder and doing her best to keep them away from him, however Andromeda seemed to be on Sirius' side and found ways to distract Molly long enough so that he could at least get messages to them. Molly had also separated Ron and Hermione into different rooms.
The safe-house that the Tonks family lived in was quite a large one and did have more bedrooms then was required of the – at first – two occupants. Somehow Dumbledore must have foreseen the Weasley's need of it when he had died as he must have understood how unsecure Grimmauld Place would become.
It was on the first Monday in August that the final shoe fell.
Monday 4th August 1996
"I bring bad news," said Arthur Weasley as he collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table, placing his briefcase on the floor beside him. He glanced around at the concerned faces that all stared at him. It was lunch time after all – and Arthur never came home this early from work. "I'm here at great personal risk because I had to warn you, Sirius. The Ministry suspects that we are harbouring you – and to an extent Harry – wherever we are hiding. I'm going to have to bring a Ministry official here – much as I loathe the idea, it will be the only way to get them off our backs for a while. You need to get out of here by tonight. I've been instructed to bring the official here after work today which is the only reason why I am here. Kingsley is attempting to cover for me at the Ministry so I can't stay long."
Sirius was already on his feet, forgetting the meal that he had been eating. "We'll be gone by the time you return. I appreciate you warning us."
"I couldn't send you a letter, it would have been intercepted. I only know what I do because Kingsley tipped me off. I'm on my way to a house-call I need to make otherwise I don't think I would have been able to get away. Hermione also needs to leave; if they find her here they'll haul her in for questioning – she hasn't presented herself to the Ministry yet and her name is down on the lists. They'll convict her of stealing magic and sentence her to Azkaban. All three of you need to be gone."
"Thank you, Arthur," said Sirius.
"The least I could do," he answered, getting to his feet and picking up his briefcase once more. He made his way towards the door, briefly looked over his shoulder and locked gazes with Harry. "Good luck, Harry."
Harry went red. "Thank you, Mr Weasley," he replied politely. There was so much expectation on him that it weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Molly leaned forward, concern on her features, but her eyes were flicking between Sirius and Ron and Hermione who, it appeared to Harry, were exchanging messages through their eyes. "Finish your dinner, dear, I expect, if you really have to go, that you need to leave on a full stomach. I doubt you'll be getting any good meals in the meantime." Here she glared at Sirius who promptly ignored her.
It's not exactly Harry's fault that we have to leave and could struggle for food. It's Voldemort, but no, Molly seems to think it is my fault. Once he was done with his own meal, Sirius left the table, knowing that they had to hurry to leave before Arthur returned home again. The trouble was, was how could they get Ron out? Hermione had a bona-fide excuse, but Ron did not.
He would have to act, and fast if his hastily constructed plan was to work.
Unbeknownst to Molly, the wands she thought were Ron and Hermione's were in fact fakes. The real ones were hidden in Sirius' robes at all times, he having swapped them with two of Fred and George's fake wands, a week after Molly had confiscated them. So far, she hadn't cottoned on to the swap.
Let it hold just for a few more hours... he thought desperately.
Harry had not thought they would have had to leave that quickly. He had assumed he would have had a warning of at least a few days, not of just a few hours. He unpacked his backpack, setting out everything that he needed on his bed covers, going through it all, mentally checking it off on the list he had formed inside his head. The bag had been packed for weeks, ready to be grabbed at a moment's notice; however Harry had to be sure that he had everything.
Books, maps, the two-way mirror, his wand, his Invisibility Cloak, all were there. The list he and Sirius had been keeping of possible locations for the Hufflepuff Cup was safely in Sirius' possession, and Harry knew that the second two-way mirror was in the keeping of Neville Longbottom. He had every item he required for his journey. Sirius had been handling the tents, food and water supplies, as well as figuring out how to smuggle out Hermione and Ron. Their untimely departure would make that a lot more difficult.
A knock on his door alerted him to someone standing outside of it. Wary that it would be Molly Weasley, Harry moved forward and opened the door slightly before pulling it wide open when he saw that it was Ginny standing there, her pretty face forlorn and her red hair tied up in a pony tail, rather than about her shoulders as he preferred it.
"Ginny, come in," he said, stepping aside so that she could enter. Their relationship had blossomed ever since they had got together in March. Nearly five months they had managed before Harry had, had to leave for his quest. Ginny had understood this and told him that she would wait for him. Every moment they could have had, they had taken every opportunity: after all, who knew when they would be able to see one another again? One of them might not survive but Harry fervently prayed that Ginny would be a survivor of the war and not a casualty, like her older Percy had been. Percy's death had ripped a hole within the Weasley family, each sibling vowing to fight back and avenge him, but Ron and Ginny being too young were the only Weasley children unable to, though his best friend, by coming with him, was keeping to his vow. The twins had joined the Order of the Phoenix, days after they had left school, instated into the organisation by Minerva McGonagall.
"We haven't got long, have we?" said Ginny quietly, sitting down on the edge of Harry's bed, twisting her hands together nervously. "I don't like this, Harry, not one bit."
Harry sighed and sat beside her and took one of her hands in his own. "Would it help that you knew I hated it too?"
A small smile emerged on her pretty, freckled face. "I can't imagine anyone liking what you've got to do, whatever it is."
"I wish I could just be normal for a change, you know? Even when I was at the Dursleys I was treated like a piece of vermin that had invaded their lives. I can't help it if some megalomaniac murders my mum and dad, can I? I sometimes wish my life was so much simpler, Ginny. I'm not looking forward to this journey one bit because I don't know what will happen, all I know is at the end of it, I'll be standing face to face with Voldemort, fighting him for the future of our world. I'm just sixteen, and not even of age yet, but I'm expected be the saviour of this world." Harry sighed, rubbing his hand through his black hair, making it stick up more then was usual for him. "Sorry, I just wish I could be with you, that I didn't have to end it for the sake of your safety."
Ginny leaned in close to him, resting her head upon his shoulder. "I told you months ago that I'd wait for you, and I will. I'll be here when you come back."
"Promise?" he asked because he couldn't help himself.
"Promise," smiled Ginny, though it was a cold one because she didn't feel warm at the prospect of her friend leaving her.
They briefly hugged before exchanging a quick kiss, and before the tears could come, Ginny Weasley walked out of Harry's room, leaving him to continue contemplating about the dark path that lay, inevitably, in front of him.
Understanding that Hermione had to leave with Harry and Sirius made Molly more desperate to protect Ron. As a pure-blood he had nothing to worry about, but being the best friend of Harry Potter meant that he did have a lot to worry about. In the end, Sirius had managed to get in contact with Tonks who had arrived at the house behind Molly's back, bearing Polyjuice Potion which she had procured from Mad-Eye Moody. No one knew where he had got it from – presumably the store at the Ministry of Magic – and Tonks, took the potion after adding a bit of Ron's hair to it.
This measure then allowed Ron to be hidden underneath Harry's Invisibility Cloak and would give Molly the assurance she needed that Ron was not going to leave. It was deceitful of them to do this but Ron was refusing to stay and Sirius figured that since he had trained Ron and Hermione up, Dumbledore must have foreseen some use the two would have on this quest.
They left the house after saying a quick farewell, an hour before Arthur was due home from work with the Ministry representative. Sirius was very glad that he would not be at the house when Molly learnt that Ron really had gone with them. It wouldn't surprise him if when they next met, Molly would hurl curses at him for taking away her youngest son and leading him into danger. He was only doing what he thought was right.
As they left the property, passing out of the protective wards, Sirius grasped Harry's hand in his left, and Hermione's in his right, and Apparated, returning moments later to retrieve Ron from the same spot and take him to the spot he had picked for them to camp that night.
Within the tent that Sirius had borrowed from Arthur, the foursome sat around a small fire that he had set up. The untimely departure meant that Sirius was the only one allowed to do magic, which constricted the uses to which Harry, Ron and Hermione were able to do.
"So, we've just got this cup to find then, right?" asked Ron into the silence that had permeated them for a few hours now.
Sirius nodded, prodding the fire with his wand and increasing the heat so its warmth spread out to all corners of the tent. "Correct."
"And the snake," added Harry, "but we already know that we'll find that where ever Voldemort is."
"That means drawing him out," stated Hermione, snuggling up inside a blanket. Despite the fact it was the height of summer, it was still cold. Dementors were being given free reign throughout Britain and the mist that was associated with them seemed to permeate the area they were camping in. All protective spells were up but it couldn't shake away the cold that they left in their wake.
"It does," answered Sirius. "But we don't have to worry about drawing Voldemort out until we've found and destroyed the cup. Even then we'll have to plan it very carefully. These are dark days for all of us; I fear it will get worse before this gets better."
That was not a comforting thought for either of them.
Wednesday 17th September 1996
For six weeks they travelled around the open and barren countryside avoiding all contact with the outside world. They had enough food to last them for a few months but their supply of water was beginning to run out and Sirius had taken a risky journey into a small Muggle town to purchase some supplies only to come running back to the camp, yelling at them to get their things together quickly.
Hermione was dashing around the tent packing the books back in Harry's backpack, while Sirius dismantled the protective enchantments around their camp, yelling at them to hurry up. They stumbled out of the tent, half-dressed and sleepy, and he waved his wand once; the tent falling to the earth and flying into the pack.
"Grab hold!" he instructed, holding out his hands.
"Sirius? What's goin –" Harry faltered as he realised why they were leaving so quickly.
As he felt a familiar tug of his navel as Apparation began, his green eyes fell upon the shadowed forms of nearly fifty Dementors gliding towards them.
They landed in the middle of a forest, Sirius collapsing to his knees as he let go of his companions. He handed Hermione his wand. "Cast the enchantments," he panted. "I can't do it."
Harry knelt down beside his godfather, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, I saw the Dementors as we left..."
"That village I went to get some supplies from is full of them. They're infesting the place. I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped inside the village but I ignore the warnings and carried on... next thing I know, I was surrounded. The village was full of Muggles, there was only one thing I could do without giving away our position. I tried to run... but got trapped," he shuddered, "I had no choice. I had to cast the Patronus Charm. I managed to draw them off enough for me to get away but they followed. We had to leave because the Ministry would have been alerted to it. Magic in front of Muggles is highly illegal after all. Our protective enchantments would have stopped the Dementors from finding us but we couldn't risk staying there."
Once they were settled in the new location, the tent rebuilt and the fire roaring once more, and steaming mugs of cocoa in their hands, Hermione ventured forth the question as to what they should do now.
"Do you have any idea where this cup could be?" asked Ron.
Sirius shrugged. "It could be anywhere. You-Know-Who tends to hide them in places pertinent to him."
Harry nodded enthusiastically. "The home of his ancestors – the Gaunts - , the cave that he took some Muggle children too and terrified them," he listed, counting off on his fingers, "Hogwarts in the Room of Requirement, the place of hidden things, and the diary was given to one of his trusted followers, but Lucius Malfoy didn't know what he was handling. I inadvertently destroyed it in the Chamber of Secrets the first time."
"Perhaps," mused Hermione, "the cup could be in the possession of another of You-Know-Who's followers, but like Lucius Malfoy, wouldn't know what its true use was, only that it was important to him?"
"I have been thinking that," Sirius confirmed, for that had been his train of thought for a while now. "But the question is who would he trust with something that holds a bit of his soul?"
"Well," Ron swallowed a gulp of water from his bottle, "you come from a dark family that associated with him, and wouldn't you be able to make a guess?"
Sirius grinned. "I do have a hunch." He leaned back, stretching his legs out on the floor, tipping his head back. His hair was growing long again and was falling just past his shoulders. He couldn't really be fussed with cutting it. "Lucius was of his inner circle and trusted beyond many others as loyal to the cause, but he never really had friends." He bit his lip musing over all the Death Eaters in his head but only one kept coming back to him. Bellatrix. She was so loyal, so devoted to him... Sirius would go as far to say that she could be in love with him. "The Blacks and the Malfoys have always been loyal to the old and dark ways. The Marvolo's, Riddle's ancestors were closely connected to both families; out of them all he would be likely to trust someone of Black blood. I think, if anyone, it would be Bellatrix. Since all of her property was seized by the Ministry, the likely hood of her owning a house or having anything to her name is small. I only had Grimmauld Place because at the time of my mother's death I was already in Azkaban and with all the enchantments on the place, the Ministry couldn't exactly find it," he explained, shrugging his shoulders in an offhand way. "The chances are, if my dear cousin, Trixie, was given a responsibility it would be in her vault at Gringotts, which would be impossible to get to without inside help. My reasoning for why Gringotts is a credible hiding place is simple: it is the one thing that links pure-blood families to the Wizarding world, which is something, Riddle would not have due to his upbringing. He might like the idea of storing something inside the one place that it is impossible to break into... and it does fit with his profile."
Hermione was biting her lip worriedly. "But if you are right, how are we going to get into Gringotts? Both you and Harry are wanted by the Ministry! The only one of us who isn't, is Ron, though I guess they might have realised he is with us when he didn't turn up for school."
"That's the problem," replied Sirius, his shoulders slumping. "We need someone who could get at least one of us inside the bank. Until we can come up with an adequate plan, we're just going to have to keep on the run. There is no guarantee that the Horcrux is even there, but it's worth a shot."
Ron was leaning forward, chin on his fist, his eyes crunched up, as if he was thinking hard. The others were looking at him with an odd expression on their faces but neither of them wanted to ask. Finally, he looked up, the ghost of a smile on his pale features. "Of course! I know how we could get into Gringotts!" He beamed round at the others as if the answer was obvious. "Bill!"
"What do you mean?" questioned Harry, not sure of where his best friend's older brother came into it.
But Hermione got there first, her face splitting into a huge smile. "That's it! That's brilliant! Harry, Bill works at Gringotts, or he did, unless it's changed recently, but he might be able to help us if we can get in contact with him!"
Harry turned to Sirius. "Can we?"
Sirius frowned. "It's risky, but doable, if I'm careful. I can get a message to him, but it might put your family in danger if the Ministry finds out they are in contact with us."
They had received no news of the Weasley family since they had left the safe house, and despite Ron carrying a wireless with him, they had no idea how the Weasley family fared. They knew Ginny had made it to Hogwarts, for Harry had checked the Marauders Map for her name. They also had heard through the wireless that the Death Eaters had jinxed the name 'Voldemort' so that if anyone said it, they could track them instantly. It had been lucky they had heard this on the wireless since Harry, Sirius and Hermione were frequent users of his name. They had slipped back to referring to him as 'You-Know-Who' or 'Riddle', the name Voldemort had been born with.
"Can you guarantee their safety?" asked Ron, biting his lower lip.
Sirius shook his head. "No, I can't. Bill would be the one most in danger if any communication between us was discovered, but the rest of your family might be safe. It would depend on how we contacted him and when we did. Undoubtedly, the Weasley's are known to be acquaintances to both Harry and I. They are being watched, we'd have to time it carefully," he looked at Ron, who was fiddling with his fingers, "but that is only if you consented to this. I will not put your family in any more danger if you do not wish me to."
Ron was silent, head bowed in his hands. No one dared to speak, giving Ron the opportunity to think and to make the decision for them. Minutes seemed to pass before the red-head glanced up at Sirius, devastation written across his features. "I don't want to put my family in danger but if there is a Horcrux in Gringotts, either way we've got to get in there. And," he swallowed, as if the decision he was about to make was physically hurting him, "and Bill knows that place like the back of his own hand. If anyone can help us, he can."
That night Sirius sat outside the tent, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, crafting a cryptic message that he would send to Bill within his Patronus. The message would contain a time and place for Bill to meet Sirius, and it would be a place far away from their current camp. Though it was difficult, Sirius succeeded in scrambling the message so that if it was intercepted by the wrong people, they might not be able to decode it. Bill's curse-breaking skills that had evolved during his work for Gringotts would hopefully come in handy for him to crack the message.
He sent it off in the dead of the night when everyone was likely to be asleep; the less chance of it being intercepted. He had made precautions himself; instructing Bill to not send a confirmation that he had received and decoded the message. It was a risk Sirius was willing to take; he would just turn up at the requested location and pray that he was not going to be walking into a trap.
Three days later – one day after Hermione's seventeenth birthday – Sirius helped move the camp one more time and set up all the protective enchantments before taking his leave of the trio, asking them that if he was not back within twenty-four hours they were to leave the area and continue on without him. When Harry had gone against this suggestion, Sirius reminded him that if something did happen to him and he was unable to return to them for a while, when he had the opportunity to, he would be able to trace Harry through their link that Dumbledore had set up so long ago before the Triwizard Tournament, and find their location that way.
It was still active, despite its caster's death. There were some spells that simply were not broken when those responsible for them passed on. The tracking and bonding spells were one of those charms impervious to death. They hadn't had to use their link in a long while but they had already tested that it was there and worked efficiently once Sirius had reminded Harry of its continued existence. It was enough to reassure his godson that if they got separated, Sirius had a way of finding his way back.
After a quick farewell Sirius moved out of the protective boundaries of the camp and Apparated away.
He appeared in the forest that was near to where the Quidditch World Cup had been held a few years ago. He crouched in the vegetation, eyes and ears peeled for any sign of unwanted movement. He was there for another fifteen minutes before he recognised the unmistakeable sound of someone Apparating.
Grasping his wand tightly in his right hand, Sirius moved out into the clearing, his eyes upon the figure that now stood there. He could tell by their physical stature that it was Bill Weasley, but he was an Auror for a reason. His mind worked quickly, putting together a question that he hoped that only the real Bill Weasley would know the answer to.
"What is the full name and title of the fifth magical person to take up curse-breaking as a career?" It was a tricky question. Most wizards and witches knew who the first was, but anyone after that would only be known to those who did their homework, and Sirius knew Bill had been the studious type, which was something the Death Eaters might not have realised about the eldest Weasley child.
The figure in the darkness moved forward, his long hair tied back in a pony tail, hands raised in the air, his wand sticking out of his pocket. The voice echoed out into the forest clearing that Sirius had picked as their meeting place. "It is debated among historians that Great Archeologist Marcus Braker is the fifth wizard to take up curse breaking in 1222, however in actuality, it was really Marcus' assistant – and future wife, who allowed her husband to take the credit for her discovery's – Charlotte Harbringer, who was really the Great Archeologist and fifth witch to become a curse breaker."
"Good answer," smiled Sirius, moving out of the shadows and holding forth his hand and shaking Bill. "Glad you could make it."
"Where is Ron? Mother isn't very happy with you, I hope you know!"
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "I figured she would want to skin me alive for taking Ron away?"
Bill laughed. "That would have been mild for her. She had a right fright when Tonks returned to her normal self. She was absolutely livid. It was worse for dad when she found out that he knew. But I would suggest running for the hills if you survive whatever you are doing, because mum will probably curse you into oblivion if you dare show yourself in polite society again."
"Great," muttered Sirius. "Ron and the others are far away from here. Quite hidden so that no one save for myself will be able to find them."
"I see the Aurors managed to drill some sense into you after all," joked Bill. His jokey face turned serious. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Sirius bit his lip, casting his eyes around the clearing before lifting his wand and silently casting protective spells around them, plus the silencing charm so that their words could not be heard. "We need to get into Gringotts. We think there is something hidden there that we need to destroy. Problem is we believe it is in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault and without the key, we are a bit stuck..."
"No one can break into Gringotts," returned Bill instantly. "It's impossible. You have the goblins, the dragons, other enchantments... all sorts. You'd be insane to try and break in there."
Sirius folded his arms behind his back. "All the same we're going to have to try. Whatever help you can give us would be grateful."
Bill sighed and turned away, hand on his forehead as he paced. "I'm not saying I'll help you. The Order needs someone in there and I'm the only one who currently is. Helping you I risk everything for what we are fighting against."
"I wouldn't ask if we didn't have a choice," answered Sirius sullenly. "At the most if we found what we need to in there, then we can end the war within weeks or days even."
"What are you looking for?" asked Bill, questioningly.
"I can't say. It's between the four of us. Any more people who know what we are up to are at great risk. Suffice to say all you need to know is that if we can find what we are looking for within the bank, we can finally end this war," explained Sirius. "Sorry Bill."
"I understand. Secrecy is paramount after all. I can't promise I'll be able to help you but I can tell you this. The goblins are unhappy with some changes being made within Gringotts and some goblins have gone on the run. You-Know-Who has taken away control of the bank from them and given it to wizards, keeping the goblins on as slaves. If you can find any of the goblins that are on the run then you might get an ally in them. I should warn you, goblins will want to make a deal, but as much as I loathe the idea, you might be able to bargain to help any fugitives, providing of course they help you." Bill sighed unhappily. "Goblins are used to being persecuted against. Unless you have something to offer them then I doubt you will succeed."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Sirius lightly. "Is there any other news?" He was concerned about Remus and whatever he was up to. Being cut off from the Wizarding world meant that he was unable to keep in contact with his best friend. Even the wireless network Ron carried around with him was not alluding to Remus' fate.
"Remus is fine," retorted Bill, guessing the source of Sirius' concern. "He's staying safe with us when he's not out working for McGonagall. For the most the Order is lying low but we are going to start co-ordinating more attacks just to throw distractions at the Death Eaters. Also, you probably won't like this, but Severus Snape has been instated as Hogwarts Headmaster. There is nothing we can do." He peered curiously through the darkness at Sirius. "You don't seem angry about that?"
Sirius shrugged. "I have my own reasons, of which I will not divulge to you on the interests of my safety and Snape's."
Bill frowned, the cogs in his head turning frantically as he processed the information. He let loose a gasp and clamped his hand to his mouth and Sirius knew that the young man had guessed what he thought, but he was smart enough to not say it aloud. "I won't say anything."
Sirius merely nodded but did not elaborate further.
"I'm assuming our meeting is at an end?" suggested Bill.
"I have nothing more to add. It's down to you what you can do for us in regards to goblins and Gringotts. I'll contact you in a week with a new location and time for a meet-up," said Sirius, stepping forward and shaking Bill's hand and patting him on the back.
"I should add that we have received intelligence from someone – who we don't know – that You-Know-Who is looking for something. We are trying to find out what it is but so far have been unsuccessful. I don't know how that could change your plans," said Bill fidgeting on his feet, "but whatever it is, he's running the country from afar. We've had reports that he's been sighted abroad, but why we don't know, only that he's after something. Remus did suggest the other day that You-Know-Who could be looking for a way to defeat Harry's wand since, as I understand it, they can't fight one another since they share cores?"
"That's right. The wands refuse to duel," nodded Sirius, holding his chin in his hands and stroking it. "If you can find anything out about what he is up to we'd appreciate it."
Bill smiled grimly. "I'll make enquiries." Grasping his wand, Bill started to walk away, but then stopped and turned back. "Can I give mum the reassurance that Ron is safe?"
"If it stops her worrying," replied Sirius, grinning slightly. He could understand worry; he did it every day with Harry. Molly didn't need to know her eldest son would be seeing them again, and it might allay her fears over her youngest son's safety.
"She'll appreciate that, though she'll probably skin me alive for leaving without him. At least I can blame you for that."
Sirius chuckled. "Great. I think when this is all over I'll be leaving the country, just so Molly doesn't come and curse me."
"It might be a wise decision," winked Bill. He put his hands into his robe pocket, started and pulled out something wrapped in a black cloth. "That reminds me. Albus' will came through three weeks ago."
"They actually let you have it?" asked Sirius, raising his eyebrows, surprised.
"Moody stole it from the Ministry as well as the items left to those in his will," Bill explained. "He's now on the run but doing what he can for the cause." He held up the first item. "This is a Deluminator. I don't know exactly what it said but the Deluminator is to go to Ron. Can you give it to him?"
Sirius took the object wrapped in black cloth and placed it carefully in his pocket. "I will."
He reached into his robes once more and held the second object out, wrapped in a bundle of black cloth. "This is for Harry. The first snitch he caught at his first Quidditch match."
Sirius was surprised. Why would Dumbledore leave Harry an old snitch? "How odd but I'll pass it onto him."
"There was also an instruction about the Sword of Gryffindor bequeathed to Harry as well but the Ministry won't release it," continued Bill.
"We have it," said Sirius shortly. "We took it from Dumbledore's office after his death."
"That's surprising then since we know the sword is in a glass cabinet in his office still."
"Or that one is a fake, because the one we have is real," said Sirius. "It wouldn't surprise me if Albus arranged for that to be put there after his death because he guessed that we would take it. Just don't tell anyone that we have it, it is better for Riddle to believe that one of his most trusted servants has the real one then a fake."
"I won't say a word," promised Bill. "That's all I need to give you. Dumbledore has always worked in mysterious ways; I expect there is a reason why he's given Harry and Ron those specific objects."
Sirius smiled slightly. "He always had a reason for doing what he did."
Bill backed away, gave the Auror a slight not and then Apparated out of the forest. Sirius stood alone in the clearing for a few minutes before he too disappeared into the night, back to the camp that housed Harry, Ron and Hermione in safety.
To be continued...
Please let me know what you think!
Coming soon: On the Run - in which Sirius gets in trouble, Ron gets mad, and Neville proves to be a useful informant. To be posted Monday.
Until then,
the-writer1988