A/N) I have just, literally, finished chapter 78 of this fic. Only three more chapters to write and then its done! I can hardly believe that I am this close to finishing this, I never actually thought I would. I am just very glad that my inspiration for Harry Potter came back. I guess I'd better thank Warner Brothers for releasing that fabulous trailer for Deathly Hallows part 1 and 2 earlier this year: if it hadn't been for that, I doubt this story would have been revived!

Chapter Seventy-Five: Gringotts

Thursday 9th October 1996

"James Potter!"

"Neville Longbottom," responded Harry, waiting as the boy's face appeared in his mirror. This was an unexpected call. His eyes flickered around the table that they sat at which was lined with maps, notes and spare pieces of parchment. "What's happened?"

"I thought you should know," Neville was breathless, "Ginny left Hogwarts last night. They made a move on her."

"They. Did. What?" Ron's voice was very hard.

Harry was equally angry by that. "Did they hurt her?"

Neville shook his head. "No. She got away. I saw what was happening and helped. I got punished for it though," he explained by lifting up his arm which was bandaged heavily. "She's left Hogwarts as far as I know. Professor Lupin was here earlier too. He told me to tell you that your family, Ron, is safe but is officially on the run. All I know is that they are hiding in a safe place."

"Is Ginny with them?" Harry asked quietly, fear installing itself in his gut.

"I think so." Neville bit his lip. "They know Ron is with you now, don't they? Is that why they tried to take her?"

Ron bowed his head. "They do. We had a run in with Death Eaters and You-Know-Who himself. Harry got us out of that one. They didn't exactly have any proof I was with Harry, just that I was missing. I'm surprised they didn't try to take Ginny sooner," he caught Harry's dark gaze, "I mean, I'm glad they didn't."

"They were just waiting for official confirmation that Ron was with me. He may be missing but that doesn't necessarily mean that we are together," finished Harry. "It was only a matter of time before they turned towards Ginny. As long as they are safe..."

"Professor Lupin seemed pretty certain," added Neville. "We've been doing open rebellion here continuously. I think the Death Eaters are beginning to tire of me; we've only been back at school for just over a month. They won't harm me though. My blood is pure. They still have hopes that I will see the error of my ways."

Sirius snorted, turning it into a cough as he patted his chest. "My parents thought the same thing about me. Glad I proved them wrong by not being swayed by that madman. The more trouble you cause them, the more they'll worry that the students will rise up against them."

"That's the plan, anyway," said Neville. "It's something that my Gran approves of anyway. Harry, will you be coming back at all, to help fight?"

"I don't know." It was the truth after all. Harry really didn't know if he would be going back, but if they were to make a final stand, Hogwarts would be the safest place to make it. "I really don't know." He couldn't really explain to Neville that they might be bringing Voldemort himself to the school's doorsteps. And I'd wait anyway; make sure I'm prepared for it before I act. "Good luck Neville, and thanks for the message."

"Sirius did ask me to be your spy in Hogwarts. Only doing what I have to do. It feels good to be doing something productive and not bowing down to them," Neville grinned crookedly. "They're not allowing Madam Pomfrey to heal my arm. I think it is their attempt to stop me causing trouble, but having this injury won't do anything to deter me. I'll just find other ways to cause trouble: after all, I have all those who are in training to help instead!"

Sirius smirked. "You would make a brilliant Marauder, Neville. Nothing seems to stop you."

"A Marauder?"

"Never mind," Sirius shook his head.

Neville frowned as if he was about to question Sirius further but his expression suddenly changed and he hissed: "Somebody's coming, I've got to go."

Seconds later, Neville was gone.

Sirius gazed around the room, meeting each face. "Well, that was enlightening."

Ron started down at his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets. "At least we know my family is safe, for now at least."

"You wished to speak to me, Harry Potter," intoned Griphook as Harry crouched down in front of him. Suspicion seemed to flare in his dark eyes.

"I do," answered Harry, feeling awkward. "It's about the sword..."

Griphook's eyes narrowed to slits. "You are going to renegade on your promise?"

"No, never," Harry said honestly, "it's just that you deserve to know the full truth or as much of it as I can tell you."

"Go on."

Taking a deep breath Harry ploughed right in, explaining that they needed the sword after they had got into the bank as it was vital to their mission. "We have to destroy something and the sword is the only thing capable of doing that. Without that, I have no chance of succeeding. We hope to find an object within the Lestranges vault that needs to be taken care of as well, but there is one other after that. For me to succeed, I require the sword. I will keep my word to you, when this is all over, I will seek you out and give you the sword."

The goblin was silent, stroking the small beard that wound down from his chin.

"You gave me your word that you would give me the sword if I helped you get into Gringotts," replied the goblin steadily.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, feeling bad that he hadn't clarified the details earlier. "I didn't exactly say when you would get it..." He hadn't been lying; he just hadn't given him all the information. He could tell by the goblin's expression that he was not impressed.

"You lied to me," replied Griphook coldly.

"No," added Harry hastily. "No, I will give it to you, that is my promise." He hesitated wondering if he should continue. I have to take the risk, he convinced himself. "Do you want everything to return to normal? So that your kind isn't being persecuted as they are now?"

"Yes."

"Then I need the sword for just a little bit longer." His heart was hammering in his chest as Griphook considered him, his expression completely unreadable.

Minutes seemed to pass before the hoarse voice of the goblin erupted once more. "I said you were an unusual wizard, Harry Potter. I wonder if I was wrong to think that of you. Perhaps you are unique among wizard-kind that you will keep your word?"

"I will," pressed Harry earnestly. "I'm not deceiving you. If I was, I wouldn't have told you this. I would have kept you in the dark."

Griphook very slowly held out his hand. "Then I will trust you, but as soon as you are finished with it, I expect it to be returned to me."

Harry sighed with relief, taking the goblin's clawed hand and shook, sealing that particular deal.

At least now I don't have to worry about Griphook making off with the sword.

They spent three weeks planning an elaborate break-in into the Wizarding bank. The reason for the delay was simple: they had to wait for the goblin's arm to heal before proceeding any further. Thankfully, because he was a magical creature, the healing took less time than a Muggle injury would. Sirius was adapt enough at healing but didn't have the necessary skills to correct a broken arm instantly like Madam Pomfrey could.

Much as they hated having to wait, the longer they took to plan, the more likelihood they'd be able to get in and out before anyone became suspicious. Griphook aided them in drawing out a detailed map of Gringotts and laying out security measures that may surround the vault. The goblin couldn't be sure if anything had changed since his departure, however since Gringotts had the best security in the world, he was certain that any changes wrought would have been fought heavily against.

Gringotts security was legend. No one had ever been able to successfully break in. Harry was hoping to be the first to change that. But then, the young man considered, Azkaban was supposed to be impenetrable, inescapable, yet Sirius got out. Miracles had been made before. It had to happen this time, didn't it?

Dean and Ted Tonks remained with them as they would part ways when Harry, Sirius, Ron and Hermione left to go to Gringotts. Both wizards were well aware of what they were up to but Sirius had sworn them to secrecy. It was almost impossible to hide from their friends what they were up to, especially since Sirius felt it was better for Dean and Ted to remain with them for as long as possible. They would be safer with him around and it was an almost certainty that searches were being made around the country to track them down.

On the day before they planned to invade Gringotts, Sirius planned to Apparate with Ted and Dean to France, setting them up in a house his family had owned there that had passed to his ownership upon the death of his mother. He had already summoned Kreacher and ordered him to go to that specific house and spruce it up a bit and to follow any order put to him by Ted and Dean when they arrived. It was the only place he could think of that would be safe enough for them to hide at.

The Black Family wealth had extended to Europe to an extent, his parents having enough money combined to own quite a few manor houses but they didn't have power in the European Wizarding World. Sirius' arranged marriage to Avril Leverg had meant to consolidate their power grab as well as restore the reputation of the Leverg family. It made sense to Sirius for him to take advantage of what he owned.

For now, all they could do was plan, and wait.

Friday 31st October 1996

The day before Sirius had taken Dean and Ted to the house in France. Kreacher had – surprisingly – done well in making the house habitable, unlike his efforts with Grimmauld Place when the Order had first moved in. Sirius' demeanour to the elf had changed since he had heard of how his brother had died. He did feel sorry for Kreacher but that didn't stop the elf from reminding him so much of the home that he had hated growing up. Kreacher had been part of the reason why his home life had always been miserable. I can't hold that against him after he saw my brother die.

With the two settled in and safely protected by enchantments, Sirius hoped they would be able to live out the rest of the war in safety. Ron had quizzed Sirius as to why his family couldn't have hidden there or why instead of traversing around the country-side they couldn't have used that as a base of operations. Honestly, Sirius hadn't remembered he owned the place. It was hard to keep track of everything he had to his name when as a child he'd paid no attention to what would one day be his inheritance. It had only been when he and Ted had been discussing options that the other had mentioned something that had made his brain go click.

By then they had almost finished planning and Sirius had decided to stay in the country. Going to France would be a waste of time though they probably could all do with some proper rest and sleep as opposed to camp beds. It was a luxury they couldn't afford to have.

With everything in place they went over the plan one last time before departure.

Considering they were the most wanted wizards in the country, the plan called for them to disguise themselves. This called for Sirius to magically alter the faces of Ron and Hermione. It was something that he excelled at, especially since he had regularly pulled pranks at Hogwarts, usually ending with people's appearances changing. It was a lot of magic to install upon one individual and for it to hold the disguise in place but he was able to pull it off. Harry and the goblin would hide underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

Since they couldn't walk into the bank and demand to visit the Lestranges vault without one of them present, Sirius had transformed Hermione's appearance to resemble that of his insane cousin. He had assured her the spell would hold for at least ten hours, hopefully allowing them to get into the vault without arousing suspicion. Ron, he had altered his appearance to that of someone with long brown hair, dark brown eyes, slightly fatter and a beard fell from his chin, hiding the majority of his features. Sirius, on the other hand, had attempted to transfigure his own appearance to resemble that of his cousin's husband.

It wasn't a good resemblance but enough to pass inspection, after all the Black's and Lestranges shared lineage and blood. Hermione's transformation had been more difficult to do and Sirius had put a lot more power and effort into it. He knew Bellatrix was the power in the marriage, not Rodolphus. They would look to her, not him. If anything Hermione now resembled Bellatrix more so then he did Rodolphus.

Sirius had told Hermione to act haughty and that anyone would be beneath her. She hadn't liked that but to pass off the deception she simply had to.

With the spells performed and in place, the group packed up, with Harry carrying all their stuff in his back-pack underneath his cloak and the goblin clinging to him with his hands linked in the front of Harry's throat, and Apparated to an alleyway just outside the Leaky Cauldron. Checking their appearances one last time, they strode out and walked into the bar of the pub, finding that it was nearly deserted.

Tom, the stooped and toothless landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter; a few wizards who sat in the corner having a conversation, caught sight of the remarkable similarity that Hermione and Sirius now had to the Lestranges and draw back further into the shadows.

The innkeeper bowed before Hermione but as per Sirius' instruction she ignored him, having informed her that Tom the Innkeeper would be nobody to her.

They walked right out of the pub and rapped the bricks with Sirius' wand, opening the entrance to Diagon Alley. It was quiet and almost silent; those that dared to brave the streets hurried along it and seeing the two famed Death Eaters there, walked even faster, turning their faces away in the hope of remaining unnoticed. Shops were boarded up though a few had been replaced with shops dedicated to the Dark Arts. Voldemort was slowly turning the street into Knockturn Alley.

Plastered on the windows were posters of the wanted: Harry Potter and Sirius Black being the most prominent. There was also a fairly newish one that had clearly been added: this one was of Ron, wanted for colluding with the most desired. Ragged people sat huddled in the doorways, deprived of wands and Sirius had a feeling that these were Muggle-born witches and wizards who had presented themselves to the Ministry and had been stripped of their power. They had been reduced to nothing and cowed even more when they saw the Lestranges marching along. They melted into the shadows as if fearing retribution.

But one did not and stumbled towards them, a bandage covering what appeared to be a bloody eye. He pointed right into Hermione's face, his voice cracking and high-pitched: "Where are my children? What has he done with them? You know, you know!" And then he lunged forward grasping for Hermione's throat, but Sirius stepped in front of her, raising his wand.

"You will not soil my wife's robes with your filthy Mudblood fingers! Crucio!" He distinctly heard both Hermione and Ron gasp in horror but he kept the curse on the wizard for only a few moments before withdrawing it, grasping the man by his shoulder and throwing him to the side. He marched off, grabbing Hermione by the arm, whispering urgently into her ear. "I had to. People will suspect if we do not put forth this front. This is how the Lestranges act. I do not like the fact that I had to curse him but I had no choice if we are to keep up appearances!"

"But I can't do that!" hissed Hermione in return.

"I do not expect you to," he replied. "Just act like you are above everybody else. I know it's hard but we have no choice."

Hermione gave a reluctant nod and they continued down the street towards the snowy-white building at the end of it which housed the wealth of the Wizarding World.

They arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up to the great bronze doors. Usually they were guarded by a pair of goblins however they had been replaced by wizards. That had been one of the reasons why Griphook had fled; he disliked how the wizards were usurping their positions. The two wizards were clutching long thin golden rods.

Probity Probes, Sirius' mind warned him as his eyes recognised the devices. If scanned they would detect his carefully performed disguising spells. Quickly, before Hermione reached them, he pulled his wand from his robes and quickly pointed it towards the two guards. "Confundo!" he hissed.

Hermione glanced back at him wearily.

"Just go, pretend you've been scanned!" he mouthed towards her. He moved back a bit, quickly passing Harry his wand and taking his godson's one and whispering instructions to him, trying to make himself inconspicuous. "If you see anything that needs confounding and – god-forbid it – the Imperius curse, do it. But be careful!"

"One moment, madam," said the guard, raising the Probe towards Hermione.

Sirius watched as her expression turned to one of anger. Bellatrix would have acted like that: she felt that she superior to everyone, save for her Lord and Master. He moved up towards her, folding his arms in front of him and glaring at the two wizards in front of him. "You've just scanned all of us."

"Yeah, we've just checked them all," said one guard and stepped back to allow them to enter.

They swept forward into the great hall where two goblins stood before the inner doors, which were made of silver and which carried the poem warning of dire retribution to potential thieves. They stepped through the doors in the main hall where a long counter was manned by goblins sitting on high stools serving the first customers of the day. Sirius nudged Hermione towards an old goblin that was free from customers. "Put on your best haughty expression," he whispered to her.

Hermione lifted her chin and strode forward, hips wobbling from side to side. "I wish to enter my vault," she said haughtily.

The old goblin seemed to scrutinise her over the counter but nodded and clapped his clawed hands. "I shall need the Clankers," he ordered a younger goblin that had hobbled up to him. The goblin rushed off returning minutes later with a leather bag that jingled with clanging metal, and handed it to his superior. The goblin jumped down from his stool and rounded the desk. "If you will follow me, Madam Lestrange, I shall take you to your vault."

Hermione fell in behind him.

So far, so good, everything was slipping into place.

Harry clutched the Invisibility Cloak to him, following the disguised Sirius, Ron and Hermione. He held Sirius' wand in his fingers, poised to cast any spells at anyone who might suspect who they really were. He had never cast the Imperius Curse before and he hoped that he wouldn't have to use it. They turned off into a corridor and through another door, now standing in a rough stone passageway, which was lit with flaming torches.

They came to the track and before long a cart came trundling along towards them out of the darkness, summoned by the goblin that they had learnt had the name Bogrod. The goblin opened the door to the cart, and Harry quickly clambered inside before Sirius and sat himself as small as possible in the corner. Hermione sat tall and proud next to the goblin as the cart started to roll along the tracks.

The cart gathered speed, hurtling faster and faster, twisting and turning through the labyrinthine passages, sloping downward all the way, going deeper and deeper into the bank. They were going deeper into Gringotts then Harry had ever been before. He felt a tap on his shoulder; it was too dark for their guide to notice Sirius reaching out. He heard his godfather hiss for his wand and Harry hastily passed it to him.

"Imperio!" The curse struck the goblin steering the cart. "Lestranges vault!" ordered Sirius.

"Why did you do that for?" grated Hermione, glaring daggers at Sirius.

"Because we have to," said Sirius, and tossed his wand back to Harry who had pulled the Cloak off himself. "Keep my wand, Harry, you need one that you can use without being traced."

Hermione reached into her own black robes and passed Sirius her wand. "You can use mine." She nodded encouragingly at Sirius. "I won't need it and we need someone who is experienced."

Harry shrugged off the backpack he wore which contained the sword hidden in its depths. "Here, have the sword. Someone needs to hold it while we search for the cup and if we find it and it needs to be destroyed quickly, either of you can do it."

"Are you sure?" asked Ron. "It's your job after all..."

"I know, but if we're discovered we can't afford to hang around, can we? Sooner or later they'll click something is wrong," shouted Harry over the rattling of the cart on the tracks. His hair flew behind him as they swerved deeper into the ominous caverns. It was cold and chilly and Harry pulled his robes tighter around his body. The cart seemed to slow down and suddenly stopped at a station.

"Everyone out," hissed Griphook in Harry's ear. "We need Bogrod, keep him with us."

Harry nodded and looked to Sirius who ordered the goblin to follow them. Griphook had already explained what guarded the vault, but it was still worrying to think that he would have to face another dragon... Third time is the charm...

They hurried along the platform, entered a small tunnel and then turned another corner. Despite the fact they had been prepared for the presence of the dragon, it was still a shock to see it standing there, tethered to the ground, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the bank. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground, its eyes were a milky pink; both rear legs wore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enormous pegs driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, folded close to its body, and when its head towards them, it opened its mouth, roared and spat a jet of fire that sent them backing up the passageway.

"It is partially blind," panted Griphook, dropping to the floor after releasing himself from around Harry's throat, "but even more savage for that. However, we have the means to control it. It has learned what to expect when the Clankers come. Give them to me." The goblin held out a clawed hand and took the leather bag from the controlled one.

Inside the bag were a small number of metal instruments that when shaken made a long ringing noise. Griphook handed them out: Bogrod, on Sirius' instruction, took his as well.

Griphook had already told them what to do. They advanced forward once more, shaking the Clankers, and the noise echoed all around them. Harry's skull vibrated with the noise; the dragon let out another hoarse roar, and then began to retreat.

Sirius pointed his wand at the goblin as they neared the Lestranges vault, ordering him to press his hand to the door. The old goblin obeyed, pressing his palm to the wood, and the door of the vault melted away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, the skins of strange creatures, potions in jewelled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown. The dragon had moved well away from the vaults now and they slipped inside.

"We have to search fast!" shouted Harry. Who knew how long this deception would last? It was the cup; they had to find the cup. Total darkness suddenly plunged downwards: the door had reappeared, sealing them inside the vault.

"Lumos!" Sirius cast, sending light all around them, his head twisting and turning, his eyes roaming treasure after treasure, searching for the cup.

Harry cast his own spell however neither Ron nor Hermione could since they both were using wands which would still be under the tracking charm. Hermione had the sword out of Harry's back-pack ready, both of them standing together in wand-light available, tracking their eyes around.

"If you see it, don't touch anything! There are bound to be spells on this vault to prevent thievery!" shouted Sirius as he slowly moved about, being careful to not touch anything. "And if I know my cousin, it will be deadly spells designed to kill us!"

Harry swallowed, green eyes still looking. "Just look around! Remember, the cup's small and gold, it's got a badger engraved on it, with two handles!" It was almost impossible not to brush up against any of the objects, but somehow they managed ... just barely.

"Sirius?" asked Ron. "What type of curses would they have added?"

Sirius glanced towards the disguised red-haired frowning, his mind clicking away as he considered what to do. Taking a risk he reached out and grabbed a Galleon, dropping it instantly. He moved back swiftly as a shower of Galleons fell down upon where he had been standing. "Ah, that is not good at all." He looked at his burned hand, wincing.

"What is it?" questioned Harry, noticing his godfather hold his left hand protectively against his chest.

"Gemino and Flagrante Curses have been added. Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless, and if you continue to handle the treasure, you will eventually be crushed to death!" explained Griphook from the shadows. He stood by the door, watching Hermione with beady eyes.

Directing his wand-light over everything in sight, Harry raised his beam higher and higher and then he stopped, his heart skipping a beat and his hand was trembling. "It's up there!"

Sirius followed his wand right to Harry's so that the light shone upon the little golden cup that had once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. It sat on a shelf high up on the vault wall, sitting between two shining helmets; so inconspicuous among them, easily overlooked by thieves looking for a bigger prize.

"How the hell are we going to get up there without touching anything?" moaned Ron.

"Summoning charms won't work," said Sirius. "Precautions would have been made." His dark gaze travelled around all of his companions. "Ok, Hermione has the sword, we need to get up there, but we can't touch the treasure." He began to move carefully around the empty floor available, stopping where Ron and Hermione stood. He knelt down on the floor. "Ron, clamber onto my shoulders."

"Err, is this a good idea?" Ron sounded a bit befuddled.

"Probably not, but it is the only way I can think of to reach that cup," replied Sirius. He held onto Ron's legs as the boy scrambled on top of his shoulders. "Hermione, do you think you can get on Ron?"

Hermione didn't answer, instead choosing to just climb up. Sirius wobbled slightly as more weight was added. He gritted his teeth and slowly began to rise, keeping a tight grip on Ron's legs. The sword dangled downwards, held in the girl's hands.

"Can you reach it from here with the sword?" questioned Sirius. He had moved as far as he dared towards the shelf, standing in the only free space available, and his feet inches away from the gold on the floor.

"I think so," answered Hermione as she gripped the sword and lifted it higher. She reached out with the sword towards the cup, leaning forward as far as she dared, the sword's tip just inches away from one of the handles. "Nearly there!" Hermione lunged forward without warning, the sword's tip looping through the handles and she pulled back, just as Sirius tried to keep his balance, but he fell back. Ron and Hermione tumbled from his shoulders.

There was a yell of pain as he crashed to the floor; his already burned hand made contact with a stash of Galleons and they multiplied quickly, burning his hands as more magically fell. Sirius rolled out the way. "Where's the cup?"

"I have it here!" screamed Hermione, the sword still in hand, the cup hanging from it.

The treasure was beginning to rise, burning flesh filled their nostrils.

"SIRIUS! We have to get out of here!" yelled Harry.

Sirius pointed his wand to the Imperiused goblin. "Open the vault!"

With objects raining down upon them, burning their very flesh, the group stumbled together, knee-deep in treasure, wincing in pain as more fell upon them. Griphook latched onto Harry's back, and despite the pain they were clearly all in, he could hear the goblin's words in his ear. "Remember, Harry Potter, I have your word that you will give me the sword."

"I know," he responded.

And then the door to the vault burst open and they all tumbled out of its entrance, falling practically into the path of the dragon that had once more moved up beside the vaults.

"Shit!" yelled Sirius, twisting and pointing Hermione's wand at the dragon and casting a stunner at it. It bounded right off its thick skin. Fire roared from the dragon's mouth, and his companions ducked and ran as the creature came for them. The Clankers lay forgotten in the corner. "Quickly, get back to the cart!"

"Accio Clankers!" That was Harry, having clearly remembered what they were used for. They flew right into his hand and he shook them rapidly, stepping past Sirius who was still attempting to stupefy the dragon. At the sound of the noise the dragon stepped back, roaring in terror, shrinking back so that Harry and Sirius could follow the others back to the cart.

Ron and Hermione were already seated in the cart; the Imperiused goblin standing by the controls. Sirius climbed in, followed by Harry and Griphook. Sirius instructed the other goblin to take them back to the surface. He lit his wand so that he could check the others appearances. They were still intact, but he was sure it wouldn't last.

"Put the cloak back on," instructed Sirius, and Harry retrieved the cloak from his robes and pulled it over his head, covering him and Griphook. "Do you still have the cup?"

Hermione nodded meekly in the darkness. "Yeah, I do." She lifted up the sword from which the cup still hung. Carefully, Ron picked up their rucksack and opened it, allowing Hermione to slip the sword and the cup back inside the bag. She zipped it up and passed it to Harry underneath the cloak. "I can't believe we managed to get it."

Sirius frowned through the darkness. "Don't count your chickens yet. We still have to get out of here." He narrowed his gaze at the controlled goblin. "I'll have to release him from the curse. They'll notice something is wrong with him if we don't. We'll have to take the risk. And remember, stay in character, Hermione."

Hermione bowed her head which so resembled Bellatrix Lestrange. "I don't want to be her any longer then I absolutely have to."

Sirius grinned. "Not long now."

The cart started to slow down and then eventually rolled to a halt. They all clambered out of the cart, reaching the door that led back into the corridor leading towards the main hall. As he rounded the corner, he pointed his wand at the still stationed goblin in the cart and released him from the Imperius Curse. Hopefully they would be out of the bank before that particular goblin could squeal on them.

"Ok, we're a bit singed from the burning objects, but if we can get out quickly we might be able to avoid suspicion," said Sirius.

"A bit singed?" retorted Ron angrily. "I'm hurting in case you hadn't noticed!"

"Shh." Sirius began to walk forward, indicating for Hermione to walk in front of him. They slipped their wands back into their pockets as they entered into the main chamber.

They moved quickly towards the double doors, slipped through them and were almost out the bank when they saw them standing a little way away. Barty Crouch Junior and Walden Macnair stood on the outside porch, conversing with the two wizards on guard duty. Before Sirius could even warn Hermione, Barty Crouch Junior looked up and his eyes widened.

"We are so screwed," hissed Sirius, his hand convulsively reaching into his robes to clutch his wand.

"I'm surprised you are here Bellatrix," said Barty Crouch Junior, strolling towards them. His eyes were flashing darkly. "After all, I only just left you at our Master's side." His wand was instantly in hand, but Sirius was faster.

"Stupefy!"

But the Death Eater ducked the red jet of light. He yelled to his companion: "Imposters!"

Harry pulled his Invisibility Cloak off his head, clutching it under his arm, throwing curses towards the two Death Eaters and two Ministry representatives that guarded the doors.

"IT'S POTTER!" shouted Walden Macnair. His dark eyes swivelled to the others of their group. "That's Black!" he yelled, pointing towards the Rodolphus Lestrange look-alike. "Extundo!"

A powerful force hit Sirius in the chest and he flew backwards, his head banging hard back against the stone floor. Darkness washing briefly over him but he ignored the tugging sensation and scrambled to his feet. The situation was becoming more and more complicated as spells flew all over the place, as other wizards and witches joined in the fight, throwing curses towards the group of refugees.

"MOVE!" ordered Harry. "Just run!"

Hermione and Ron bolted past, using the two wands that were still able to be tracked by the Ministry, but they had no choice. Sirius was hot on their heels, Harry following behind them, throwing curse after curse over his shoulder, felling a witch and a wizard, before putting on a burst of speed and fleeing up the street.

Screams of anger followed them, and a killing curse shot over Sirius' head, but somehow they made it to the Leaky Cauldron, bursting in through the door, ignoring the petrified figure on the Innkeeper.

"Out onto the street!" That was Sirius.

Harry whirled around looking for Griphook. "Griphook! Where's he gone?" He cast his eyes all over the place, ignoring the frightened patrons that were seeing him. High up in the corner of the pub he found the goblin, for he had scrambled up the barrister and now hung onto the ceiling, but the goblin had no intention of coming down. And Harry knew what he was going to do. Griphook was letting them go, taking Harry at his word that the sword would be returned to him.

"Harry! Come on!" shouted Sirius, grabbing his godson by the arm and pulling him away from the spot he stood at, just as the other door to the Leaky Cauldron burst open and the two Death Eaters burst in. Tables exploded all around them and one of the patrons fell as a Cruciatus Curse struck.

"POTTER!" screeched Barty Crouch Junior.

Harry ignored him and ran out, even as Sirius threw a strike spell over his shoulder, and followed.

Appearing dishevelled suddenly in the middle of a busy Muggle street had startled casual passers and a group of them were now standing and staring at the dirty and sore strangers. Sirius didn't even give them time to think, and he held out his hands. Seeing his intention, Ron, Harry and Hermione latched hold; darkness pressed in on them. They Apparated with a resounding POP.

"Sirius, we shouldn't have done that," snapped Hermione reproachfully, "in front of Muggles too!"

Sirius rolled his eyes as he pitched up the tent with his wand. "What would you have suggested? Run and cause even more trouble? We had to get out of there fast otherwise we would have had You-Know-Who come down on us in broad daylight and probably would have gone on a massive killing spree." He muttered incantations under his breath, placing all the protective enchantments around them.

Once he was done he followed Hermione into the tent where Harry had taken the sword from his backpack as well as the Hufflepuff cup and placed that upon the floor.

"Are we going to wait for these charms to wear off?" asked Ron. He, Sirius and Hermione still sported their disguises but the charm was starting to lose potency. They had been gone for nearly three hours. After the first hour the charm started to wear off over a period of ten hours. The disguises hadn't been perfect in the first place but they had been good enough that they had fooled people with them.

Sirius raised his wand, pointing it directly at Ron's face. "Finite Incantatem." Ron's features changed, his beard changing back to ginger and then growing shorter, his long brown hair returning to normality and his nose lengthened and his eyes faded to blue. He repeated the same spell on Hermione and then on himself, shaking his head as he transformed back to normal.

His eyes locked upon the cup on the floor and the sword in his godson's hands. "Well?" he prompted.

Harry looked around at the others in the tent, ending with Hermione and handing her the sword. "You should destroy it, you and Ron together."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "But why?"

"Without you two helping Sirius, we wouldn't have retrieved that cup. If anyone deserves to destroy a Horcrux it's both of you," explained Harry. "I know I'm not making any sense, but I think you should do it."

Hesitating, Hermione glanced at Ron. "Shall we then? Together?"

Ron nodded instantly. "Yeah, together."

They stood facing one another, the cup sitting innocently on the floor in between them. The sword hovered inches above it, both Hermione and Ron gripping the ruby-crusted hilt.

"On three?" asked Hermione, soberly.

Ron started the count-down. "One..."

"Two..."

Together. "THREE!"

The sword came down, stabbing itself right into the bottom of the cup. A high wail screeched into the air and then the cup crumbled to dust, shattering into tiny, little pieces. Hermione let go of the sword, stumbling backwards. Harry rushed forward to catch her as she fell.

"We did it," she breathed in awe. "We destroyed a Horcrux."

"Yeah," smiled Harry, "you did, together."

Sirius lay back in his camp bed, covers up to his chest, his mind thinking. He was too wide-awake to sleep; ideally he should have offered to take the first watch but Harry had insisted and he had no idea why. We have just the snake to get. It seemed highly unbelievable that they had only one Horcrux left to destroy and it would be the most protected one at all, especially since the snake rarely left Lord Voldemort's side.

More intense planning was needed if they were to get to the snake. Voldemort was not a fool.

That is something to worry about tomorrow once we've rested.

Sirius was just closing his eyes when a scream tore through the air.

"HARRY!"

Darkness lifted, pulling up the blinds that had descended down upon his vision. Harry Potter grudgingly groaned as he moved a hand up to his forehead. His scar was burning and he felt angry, angrier then he had ever been before, but then his senses erupted around him when he recognised where he was. He was in the tent, wrapped up in blankets, his godfather, Sirius, sitting next to him, a concerned look on his face.

"Harry?" whispered Sirius gently.

"What happened?" muttered Harry, his head throbbing. A glass was lifted to his lips and he took a few grateful gulps, collapsing back onto the soft pillow once he was done. He checked his mental barriers, finding them down and he hastily reconstructed them. What he had done had been an insane thing to do, but what he had discovered could only be a good thing, right?

"I was hoping you could tell me that," replied Sirius diplomatically. "I was just falling asleep when I heard you scream out. I rushed outside and found you convulsing on the grass outside. I brought you in here and you slipped into unconsciousness. You've been under for a few hours." There was concern in his eyes, and Harry felt bad for causing his godfather so much worry.

"Sorry, that was my fault... I shouldn't have done what I did."

"What did you do?"

Harry bit his lip. "I let my barriers down. For the first time in months, for some silly reason, I decided to let my shields down and it just hit me." He caught Sirius' gaze. "He was angry, so very angry... He killed a few people. I wasn't expecting that, I wasn't even thinking that I would see anything, or gather any information." He ran a hand through his black floppy hair. "He knows, Sirius, he knows."

Sirius paled. "About the Horcruxes?"

Harry nodded. "He knows that we broke into Gringotts, and he knows the cup is missing. He doesn't know about the others yet, but I think he is going to go to each of their hiding places to make sure. We have time, but he is so angry." He grasped Sirius' wrists. "That isn't all I saw." He swallowed, shaking a little. "He has Dumbledore's wand."

"What?" Sirius was shocked, his eyes wide in horror. "Why would he have Dumbledore's wand?"

"I don't know, he just does," choked Harry. "Sirius, he desecrated his tomb! He broke into it! He defiled it!"

"Harry, calm down! Breathe deeply," instructed Sirius. "Now, let's think about this. Bill told us he was searching for something, what if he was searching..." And then he remembered. Dumbledore had told him about the legend of the Deathly Hallows, and Sirius knew they existed, for James had told him long ago how he was related to the third brother. "His wand doesn't work against you; they refuse to fight so he needs a wand that will..."

"Sirius?" swallowed Harry. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"It depends on whether you're on the same thought train as me," his godfather replied slyly.

"I heard him mention that the... the Elder Wand was his, that he could defeat me, but it's Dumbledore's wand! Dumbledore has one of the Deathly Hallows!" Clearly Harry had remembered the story too. Sirius had wondered at the time why the Headmaster had even told them about it, clearly he had expected Voldemort to make the connection that he possessed the Elder Wand or that he sought to carry a wand capable of defeating Harry's own, but the question that now bugged them was: how had Dumbledore come into possession of it?

Sirius slapped himself on the head as everything fell into place as his mind ran through significant details the Headmaster had told them about. "Of course! Grindelwald!"

"What? Sirius, what do you mean?"

"You were never told this, but the Elder Wand has a bloody history. It's the most traceable of the Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore and Grindelwald became obsessed with finding them in their youth, what if, what if Grindelwald actually found the wand and took it for his own, so that when Dumbledore faced him in 1945, the ownership of the wand passed to him?" explained Sirius, a slight smile pulling at his features. "You-Know-Who must have somehow learnt this and thought taking the wand from Dumbledore's tomb meant that he would possess the wand, be able to harness its full power..."

Harry crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "Are you telling me that he can't use it?"

"Harry, the night Dumbledore died, when you witnessed the confrontation between him and Malfoy, did he still have his wand when you arrived?"

"No, he didn't," returned Harry, shaking his head. "Malfoy must have disarmed him before that."

Sirius was smirking. "Oh, how little he knows... Tom Riddle cannot harness the full power of the wand, someone got there before him. If he hasn't realised this yet, we might be able to ensure that we can pass the Wand onto ourselves or at least protect the one who does. A wand can pass into another's ownership but if you intend on taking it, it might not be willing to take a new master."

Harry's green eyes widened. "Malfoy is the owner of the Elder Wand?" he concluded, astounded.

Sirius nodded. "And he has no idea that he is in full possession of the world's most powerful wand."

"Bloody hell." It was an expression that Harry never usually said, but in this instance he felt it was necessary. "And this is what I'm supposed to do, you think? Hunt down the Horcruxes and possess all the Deathly Hallows? There's still one missing isn't there, the Resurrection Stone?"

Sirius faltered, his bright eyes dimming. "Not sure, but it is a possibility. We cannot ignore the fact that we know something he doesn't and we need to act on it fast. As for the stone, I think you might already have it."

"How?"

"He left in your possession the first Golden Snitch you ever caught. Could have been one of his crazy ideas to hide it in there," suggested Sirius. "You did believe that something might be in there..."

"Let's not worry about that now, we've got more important things to worry about," said Harry, lowering his gaze as he felt his stomach open into a black hole. "We have to go to Hogwarts, don't we?"

Sirius locked gazes with his godson. "I'm afraid so, much as I hate the thought, it is the only place we can really stand against him and where we would have the most support."

Harry swallowed, getting to his feet and retrieving the two-way mirror from his pocket. "Then we'd better get Ron and Hermione in here. We've got plans to make, a world to save."

At that moment in time, Sirius felt proud of his godson. Despite the wealth of information that had suddenly been dumped on his head, Harry had kept his cool, not panicking but looking at it logically and coming to the most obvious conclusion.

They had to go to Hogwarts. They had no other option for it if they were to retrieve the Elder Wand (or protect its current owner) before Voldemort realised his fatal error, and they had to draw the Dark Lord out if they stood any chance of killing the snake once and for all, thereby making Voldemort mortal once more.

Within a week the war could be over with. It all came down to those that connected the dots first, and they surely had a head start. Sirius hoped, fervently, that his godson would be the one to succeed, because he had no idea what he would do if Harry fell at the last hurdle of his quest.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think! Please just leave me a little note, since I am coming to end of this fic, please review!

Coming soon: Preparations - in which Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sirius infiltrate Hogwarts... To be posted Monday.

Until then!

the-writer1988