Thanks for the reviews, Madmad237, Masterofbugs123, Sarah Liz B, and LizziePixie-Aiko!

I'm going to be pretty busy again today, so I decided I'd publish early. If I have time, I'll put out another chapter tonight.

S-s-s-s-suspense! :O

Review please?

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS JESUS!

CHAPTER 37

Back in the battle, Sven had grabbed Sirius and pulled him behind a column.

"Are you mad!" Sirius asked, incredulous. "There's a battle going on out there!"

"Sirius, you must get the portkey and go back to Hogwarts-"

"WHAT?" He yelled. "Sven, I can't just leave you and Audrey here."

"You must." Sven said seriously, pushing him in the direction of the tiny bag in the corner. "You need to go back, and get Albus Dumbledore. He is our only chance."

Sirius realized he was right, they were far outnumbered and had suffered significant losses. Audrey was missing as well and he was fearful she was dead.

He dove towards the portkey and began to spin.

With a crash, he landed in the empty, dark, Great Hall. The tables were still up against the wall, the decorations were still there from the Yule Ball.

He ran out the large oak doors into the entrance hall, spotting no one. It was late in the evening, everyone had to be in bed.

"Sirius Black!" called a shrill voice.

For the first and only time in my Hogwarts career, I had been so incredibly relieved to hear Minerva McGonagall say my name.

"Professor, oh thank Merlin." Sirius panted.

"Sirius Black." Professor McGonagall scolded. "Where have you been? Where is Miss Dalio? Where are both Mr. Dalios? And Mr. Beria? Their headmasters are looking for them!"

"Professor, I don't know what happened. But someone turned Audrey's bag into a portkey. When she grabbed it earlier, Sven and I grabbed it realizing what it was and we were transported to Audrey's grandfather's house in Russia. And there was this man there that wants to kill Audrey and her family and I don't know what's happening but Sven sent me back to get the Headmaster immediately. We need help." Sirius blurted out.

Professor McGonagall didn't say anything except. "Follow me."

She quickly mounted the nearest staircase at a speed Sirius didn't expect for a woman of her age. He followed her for ages it seemed, until they had reached the stone gargoyle.

"Sherbert Lemon." Professor McGonagall said quickly. The gargoyle jumped out of the way and a spiral staircase began to appear, climbing up. McGonagall stepped on it quickly and Sirius followed.

In mere seconds, they were in Albus Dumbledore's office. Sirius was surprised to see the old man up so late, he noticed in a chair next to him was Hisoka, Audrey's mentor. The Marauders had just found out about Hisoka the year before, including that she was rather close with their headmaster.

Though Hisoka was not as decorated as she was when Sirius usually had seen her. She wore a solid black kimono and her long hair was down and flat. She looked unusually pale.

"Albus, Mr. Black has come to me with rather grave news. The missing children have been port keyed to St. Petersburg." Minerva said urgently.

"What has been happening, Mr. Black?" Albus asked, lowering his half moon spectacles. Sirius inhaled and began to speak, repeating the same thing he told McGonagall.

Albus looked to be in deep thought, he was about to say something when there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Albus called.

Professor Slughorn stood in the doorway. "Sorry to burst in at this hour, Albus. But one of my students, and this young man from Durmstrang are looking to speak with you."

He stepped aside to reveal Karl, who wore a loose tee shirt and black jeans, followed by Severus. Karl looked angered and distressed, Severus merely was angered. Then again, that's what Snivellus always looked like to Sirius. Horace closed the door quietly behind him.

"I am sorry to interrupt." Karl said politely. "But I was just contacted via patronus by my grandfather. The Dalio family is in danger."

"No shit, Merlin." Sirius mumbled, Karl shot him a look. He had seen Sirius bothering Audrey just before she disappeared from the dance. He had been bothering her the whole night, in fact.

"Yes, we were just informed of that by Mr. Black." Albus replied. "Hans and Peter were transported by portkey, the same way Audrey was."

"…And Sven?" Karl asked nervously. When he hadn't seen his best friend at the end of the night he was incredibly worried.

"Sven grabbed on at the same time I did." Sirius said, not looking at Karl.

Karl nodded, knowing that Sirius would not see he then turned to Albus. "How do we get to them, sir?"

"We're going to go by floo." Albus said calmly. "The only fireplace open in St. Aleksander's Palace is the one in Ivan's study on the top most floor. From what I understand from what Mr. Black had told us, the battle is in the entrance hall."

Karl nodded.

"Minerva, keep an eye on the castle." Albus said, looking at his Deputy Headmistress. She nodded.

"I will go first." Albus said, looking at the three boys and Hisoka. "Hisoka, you come next, then Severus, then Karl, then Sirius."

They all nodded, and Albus left. Hisoka waited for a few moments, she looked at the three boys, and then followed Albus.

Severus, Karl, and Sirius were now alone together, an odd group. A best friend, a date, and a lover. Karl spoke after a few seconds of silence.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Sirius spat, annoyed.

"Why are you so cruel to Audrey? It seems she has spent half the year in tears because of the things you've said to her." He replied, turning to him.

"I am not cruel!" Sirius protested. "She's the one stringing me along."

"More like you just think she's stringing you along." Severus pointed out.

"Oh shut it, Snivellus. No one asked you." Sirius spat.

Severus shot Sirius a 'You know I'm right' look before entering the fireplace and leaving.

Karl snorted and said something in Russian, but then returned to English and said to Sirius. "You are the one who dates a new girl every month, or week, as I've heard from her. That may be the case, but if I were dating someone I would keep my focus on them, and not my closest female friend."

Sirius didn't get a chance to retort, Karl had taken a pinch of floo powder and left for St. Aleksander's Palace. Sirius cursed and followed.

Ivan's study was deserted, but there were booms and yells coming from the first floor. Albus and Hisoka were waiting, wands lit, Severus, Sirius and Karl followed.

"Karl, I believe you would know your way around the house the best?" Albus asked, Karl nodded, standing next to the headmaster and pulling the door open.

The hallways were dark, and the five kept on their toes.

"They are fighting in the entrance hall…" Sirius said, figuring he ought to help Karl.

"I'm aware." Karl replied, in a civil tone. "It has the loudest acoustics in the house, Ivan was smart to direct it there so they could be heard."

There was a light at the end of the hallway, someone else was there.

"Who are you?" Karl called, angrily, wand ready.

"It's me, Karl." Grigori Gregorovitch called to his grandson. "Your grandfather, you have lived with me since you were a small boy."

Karl nodded, verifying this. Very few knew that of him.

"But how am I sure it is you?" Grigori called.

"Ask me anything." Karl called in English.

"How did your mother die?" Gregorovitch senior called, his eyes flickering in the wand light.

"She was murdered by Vladimir, but it was covered up as an accident." Karl said solemnly.

Sirius felt a pang of guilt.

I must admit that I didn't know Karl well at all, and from the moment he stepped foot into our school and was holding Audrey's hand I didn't want to find out anymore about him. In my eyes, he was some prat holding my girl's hand. However I couldn't really express my feelings in any form other than doing what I've always done, getting every other girl in the school.

"We need to keep moving then." Grigori whispered. "Albus, have you been in touch with Isaac?"

"I have sent him an owl." Albus nodded.

"Where is Audrey?" Karl asked his grandfather.

"I don't know…but by the looks of it." He shone his wand on the floor, there was a huge smatter of smudged blood, and four sets of hand prints. One set was definitely a man's. "She may have been here…"

Karl, Severus, and Sirius all swallowed a lump in their throats, though none noticed the others.

Creak.

"Grigori? Grigori is that you?" A faint voice whispered, it was dark and they noticed a very narrow rectangular door appeared out of nowhere.

"Sophia! Yes, it is me. Karl, Albus, and some others I do not know are here to aid." Gregorovitch replied.

A woman with sandy brown hair poked her head out of the doorway, her face was stained with tears.

"Sophia, where are the others?" Karl asked nervously. She stifled a cry, ushering them into the room quickly and locking the door.

The room looked larger than it appeared to be on the outside. It was dimly lit, there were shades over the windows. Another woman, a little older than Sophia stood at the end of the room, nervously pacing, an elderly woman with piercing blue eyes sat in an arm chair facing the door. Sirius recognized her, she was in a few of the photos Audrey had shown them from Russia the previous summer.

"Anastasia, lovely to see you again." Albus said, giving the woman a nod. "I'm sorry to see it is under such circumstances."

"Yes, Albus. It is lovely to see you as well. I am just baffled though…" The elderly woman whispered, tears in her eyes.

"It is understandable." Albus nodded.

"Have they instructed you to stay here?" Hisoka asked. The three women nodded.

"My father has, yes. We've seen everything…" Sophia spoke, her voice breaking. She pointed at the narrow door, it was concealed on the outside of the hall as a wooden panel, but everyone who was inside the room could see through it clearly as though it weren't there.

There was a flash and they saw a man running and firing curses at an unknown pursuer.

"Edik…" Anastasia whispered, silently creeping towards the door. Her wand was raised, ready.

"Avada Ke-" The attacker yelled.

Anastasia flourished her wand quickly and the man was on the ground, stiff.

She looked over her shoulder at everyone in the secret room, rolled up her sleeves and said. "I will no longer tolerate these hooligans in my home. I'm not staying in here any longer."

With that, the elderly woman left the room. Her two daughters followed, then Albus and the others.

Sirius looked to his left and noticed the elderly woman quickly walking towards the stunned man, she pointed her wand at his throat and snarled something indiscernible. She slashed her wand at blood began to spill on the floor.

"What did she say?" Sirius asked Karl.

Karl looked at Sirius with a grave look in his eyes. "She said, 'How dare you come into my home, and threaten my family.'"

Sirius nodded, concluding that Audrey obviously had gotten her boldness from her grandmother.

Anastasia moved away from the dead man and towards her husband down the hallway, they hugged for a moment. Edik then turned to the group waiting.

"We need to get downstairs. Sven and Ivan are fending them off, they need back up now."

"Well? What are we all waiting for? Come on!" She hissed, in perfect English, bustling down the hallway. Edik followed.

Everyone was speaking in quick Russian except for Sirius and Severus. However neither dared talk to each other, they hated each other far too much.

Severus noticed bloody foot prints all down the hallway, moving in the opposite direction of where they were going. They might've been Audrey's, she had flipped her shoes off earlier that evening at the dance.

They had run through a side door to find Sven in the middle of a large circle, battling a large cloaked man, Vladimir's second in command, Ilya. Edik looked to the far right, noticing his grandson with a sword in his back, not far over from him was his own brother, slumped in the corner.

Edik let a tremor run through the floor, shaking the room. Every one of Vladimir's followers, including Ilya, and Sven turned to the door Edik and the others stood in.

Ilya gave Edik a twisted smile.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Ilya hissed.

There were a bunch of yells and everything became chaotic. Edik and Anastasia entered the fray, Karl could hear Anastasia yelling at three of the men she was dueling. Challenging them.

"Come on, you filthy hogs. Is that the best you've got?"

Edik was dropping pieces of stone from the rubble in the house on unsuspecting victims.

Albus and Hisoka stood back to back, battling three men each. It was now that Sirius realized how incredibly outnumbered they were. He was intensely focused on a battle with a bulky Russian who was talking to him…not like he could understand. His focus was broken slightly when he heard a scream in the distance.

…Audrey.