A/N) Well… this chapter just didn't want to end. I could have split this chapter in to two but I figured it would be better as one. I am amazed I managed to write nearly 7000 words in less than a week but I have! And it is quite epic too… Enjoy!

Twisting Time

Chapter 32

Sunday 5th April 1992

The invisibility cloak lay on the floor of Dumbledore's office. James stared at the spot where his son had just been. He was gone… And they were all still here. Shock fell onto his senses. Beside him, Lily collapsed to her knees and reached for the cloak. One word wailed from her mouth.

"HARRY!"

The sun was just peeking over the horizon in the distance. Small rays of light were hitting areas of the graveyard. Harry blinked. In front of him stood Voldemort and just behind him was Sirius. But Harry rapidly became aware that something had gone drastically wrong. His parents were not beside him. Nor did he wear the invisibility cloak any more. He had come here on his own. His bond with Sirius hadn't allowed him to bring his parents or anyone else with him. They had underestimated everything.

Harry's breathing quickened. He was only eleven… He plunged his hand into his robe pockets and pulled out his wand. He didn't know enough magic to even fight in these circumstances. He trembled in fear, eyes wide with worry as Voldemort looked at him. A nasty smile curved up at the monster's lips.

The words he said shook Harry to the core.

"Potter. How nice of you to join us."

The smile on the snake-like face was deeply unnerving.

"Harry… How did… How did…" panted Sirius from behind Voldemort.

Harry could see the shock and horror on his godfather's face. He couldn't speak. His wand wasn't steady; the shakes coming from his body overcoming him.

"Is this Dumbledore's pitiful rescue attempt?" Voldemort cocked his head to the side. "A mere boy? Though how did you get past my wards? I know Dumbledore has been trying to find holes in it… but how did you?"

Harry swallowed.

The wand came up.

Harry's eyes widened.

Sirius shouted. "DIVE!"

Harry threw himself to the side as a red jet of light flew past him. He scrambled away, rolling, continuously moving. But then he felt intense pain in his chest and he collapsed in a heap. A scream rolled from his lips but he knew he hadn't been hit. Harry gingerly looked around and saw his godfather writhing on the ground. Voldemort was hurting him. Harry had felt it. Was seeing it. The wand was pointing at him.

Voldemort raised his wand, ending the curse, and glanced back at Harry. "You two are connected…"

Harry heard Sirius groan.

"How?"

Harry's lips trembled but he answered. "I don't know."

"Really? I do not believe that… Harry Potter," hissed Voldemort.

Harry shivered. He didn't like it when that monster said his name. He slowly got to his feet. He didn't feel very brave but he was a Gryffindor. They wouldn't shirk from danger. His fingers held onto his wand though he didn't know what to do with it. He couldn't duel. He had only mastered simple spells and they would all be useless in a duel. Especially in a duel with a dark wizard. He cast his green eyes around the graveyard. He saw Quirrell standing to the side, alongside someone who he was certain was Draco Malfoy's father.

"He doesn't know," coughed Sirius. This drew Voldemort's attention.

What didn't he know? Harry felt confused. How many more secrets were being kept from him?

Voldemort's eyes locked with Harry's. He had the feeling the Dark Lord was looking into his head… He turned his head away, closing his eyes.

"He doesn't know… Interesting…" mused Voldemort.

"I don't know what?" Harry couldn't help himself. He wanted to know. Curiosity got the better of his fear. "Sirius… what does he mean?"

"Shall I tell him, Black? Or will you?" the Dark Lord laughed.

Sirius growled low in his throat. He didn't answer.

"Your godfather hasn't been very talkative… However it has not prevented me from breaking into his mind. He has kept many secrets from you… Some of which I still need to learn but I know exactly how to get him to talk…" The curve of Voldemort's lips moved upwards.

Harry didn't appreciate the way he was talking or looking. He had the horrible feeling that he would be the one thing that would get Sirius talking.

"Black changed time, Potter. He travelled back and stopped me from attempting to kill you."

Harry's breathing hitched in his throat. His parents had always told him that Voldemort had wanted to kill them but the monster was making it sound like he had only wanted Harry. "But…" He trailed off, not knowing how to respond.

"In doing so Black became the Man-Who-Lived instead of you becoming the hero of the wizarding world. He took your place… Nullified the prophecy."

"Prophecy…?" gasped Harry.

Voldemort's cruel laughter echoed around the graveyard. "Your parents really have kept the truth from you, haven't they? You were my target ten years ago until Black intervened. I still desire your death, however, right now, you are more useful to me alive…." The wand in Voldemort's hand was now pointing straight at Harry's chest. "If Black will not talk through torture perhaps witnessing your pain will open his mouth?"

Stepping back involuntary, Harry looked for a way out. But he couldn't see one… He understood the concept of wards. If the Headmaster had been unable to break them down, he doubted he could do anything about it. He couldn't escape… He still had his wand.

"Crucio!"

The torture curse.

Harry stood frozen in fear as a red jet of light cascaded towards him. Time slowed around him. Reactions didn't kick in… Stock still with fear. He raised his arms in front of his face in an attempt at defence yet even his eleven year old mind knew this wouldn't stop the curse.

"NO!" Sirius' voice rocked out around the graveyard, reverberating through the air.

"WHAT?" Voldemort's voice sounded angry.

Harry, eyes scrunched tight, slowly lowered his arms. Green eyes widened. "What?" A blue shield hummed all around him, enclosing him in a protective barrier. He reached out and touched the fizzing blue field. Familiar warmth spread up his arm from his fingers and into his chest, warming his heart. He felt calm and loved. He knew that warmth. It echoed of Sirius. A smile tugged at his lips. Harry didn't understand much but he remembered what his mother had explained to him about how he had saved Sirius' life all those years ago. Now Sirius was returning the favour.

He sought Sirius and saw sweat falling down his face.

"How is this possible?" whispered Voldemort.

"I will not let you harm him."

Harry watched the Dark Lord slowly approach Sirius. Several curses ripped from Voldemort's mouth, all colliding with Sirius' body. Harry saw a slight flicker in the shield surrounding him but it didn't budge – he couldn't push forward any further. Pain erupted in his chest again as he both watched and felt the hurt his godfather was experiencing.

Raising his wand, Harry watched carefully as Quirrell approached the shield. The man tried to pass through it and grab Harry but the shield wouldn't allow him to pass. Harry was protected from any harm, providing Sirius could keep the shield summoned. But Harry had faith his godfather would do so, even if it meant exhausting himself.

Voldemort's anger was a sight to behold. He blasted several statues before throwing the killing curse at Harry. On instinct he ducked but the curse merely impacted against the shield. Nothing could get in and Harry couldn't get out.

"I expect if I killed you, the shield would break," stated Voldemort, looking at Sirius.

"Probably. But I know that isn't a… option." Sirius panted heavily. "You want what is in my head… You can't…. afford… to… kill… me."

Harry didn't know how Sirius could stay so calm when faced with Voldemort. Baiting him didn't seem like a sensible option.

"How do you think your godson will take it if I torture you in front of him? Do you really want him to see you suffer?" asked Voldemort.

Harry didn't want to see his godfather tortured.

"Better me then him," spat Sirius in return. "Besides…" he coughed. "He can close his eyes and cover his ears. You can't force him to watch."

Harry winced. He still felt fear but knowing he was safe for now certainly helped with the nerves that had been building up in his stomach. He kept his wand gripped tightly in his right hand.

Then Sirius screamed.

Placing his hands quickly over his ears and scrunching his eyes tightly closed, Harry blocked out the sound of his godfather's pain, though he couldn't ignore it as mingled pain reverberated in his chest. Even as he sat there, in the safety of the shield Sirius had erected for him, one thought entered Harry's mind. He only wished for one thing.

Mum. Dad. Please come.

There was only one thing James could think of doing. He knelt beside Lily who was still on the floor, clutching Harry's invisibility cloak in her hands. Silent tears ran down her cheeks. All James wanted to do was curse at the headmaster but he realised it wouldn't help his wife. It wouldn't help him either. Of course he could have transformed into Prongs and skewered something but he had long ago decided being an animal wasn't the best way to handle stressful situations.

"You know what we have to do now, don't you, Albus?" said James. He hoped the Headmaster would realise what he had to do.

"James… There is nothing I can do. This was our final option."

James shook his head. "No. It's not. And you damn well know it! You were more certain this would work which is why we offered Harry the choice! We shouldn't have assumed. We shouldn't have taken the risk but we did so because you refused to consider our other option! Snape be your pet spy to use when you want but my son and best friend are in danger! Snape is the only one who can get them out!"

"If I send Snape in without being summoned his life will be forfeit!" retorted Dumbledore. "Voldemort will know he is just a spy for me! If we play this right we will have a double-agent! We will need Severus inside Voldemort's circle! Snape's information will help us plan and stay one step ahead of the game."

"I DON'T CARE!" roared James. "My son is in danger!"

Dumbledore's eyes flashed angrily. "James –"

"NO!"

A soft voice stopped him in his tracks. "No, James. We can't."

James glanced at his wife, seeing her tear-stained but dry tears on her cheeks. "Lils…"

She shook her head. Red tresses fell about her shoulders. "No. I understand… We chose to allow Harry the choice to help us. We knew the dangers. What Sirius and Harry have is unique. We shouldn't have assumed that Harry could take us along with him. None of us have the connection he does with Sirius."

"But we can't just leave him…" moaned James. Their son. Would they even see him alive again? Morbid as it sounded James was truly worried for his son. If Sirius had refused to speak then Harry could be used to force him to talk.

"We are not going to leave him," stated Lily, pulling herself up and dragging James with her. "I have an idea."

Remus spoke up for the first time since they had realised Harry had followed the bond without them. "Does it involve all of us going to Little Hangleton?"

She nodded. "It does. Professor Dumbledore, you may be the most powerful wizard alive today but even you are not infallible to failure. You've tried to get through the wards at the graveyard. But I haven't. And you know I am good at it."

Suddenly James gripped her arm. "Wait a minute… Did you test to see if the wards worked on animals?"

Lily gasped. "Yes…!" Realisation sparkled in her eyes.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I did not… It is an oversight I should have considered… however the likelihood of Voldemort erecting wards that did not guard against animals would be minimal."

But James was now grinning. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Sirius could feel his energy draining. It was a struggle to keep his focus upon the shield he had placed around Harry. He didn't know if it would remain in place if he refocused his attention elsewhere. It wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

"Why not just tell me what I want to know? You will spare yourself the pain."

"No. You already know enough." Sirius gritted his teeth. He was not going to let this monster win.

"As soon as that shield falls that boy will be mine." Voldemort leaned in close to his captive.

"I won't let it fall," stated Sirius, determined.

"You can't keep it up forever. And when it does its goodbye Potter."

"Yeah… that really gives me the incentive to lower the shield," snorted Sirius.

A thin, white hand grasped his hair, pushing his head back, exposing his neck. Voldemort's breath evaporated on his skin. "I could snap your neck. That would solve all my problems."

"No, it won't," stated Sirius, "because you don't know what Harry is capable of. You need to know. Otherwise you cannot risk killing him."

"I don't have to be the one to kill him do I?" smiled Voldemort.

Sirius's fear leapt up into his mouth. He hadn't expected that answer.

"Of course I could simply knock you unconscious."

Sirius had been surprised Voldemort hadn't attempted that tactic yet.

"However I know as soon as you wake you would put another shield up around him. Whatever connection you share with the Potter boy is, it overrides all my knowledge of magic. I cannot predict what will happen… and I am not in the mood to experiment. Mark my words, Black, if I want your precious godson dead it is in my power to make it happen. Your shield is only delaying the inevitable."

"Understood." Sirius' head was slammed back into the ground. Spots danced in front of his eyes and he shook his head to clear them from his vision. Harry was only safe because Voldemort didn't want to kill him just yet. If he wanted Harry dead, all he needed to do was potentially knock Sirius unconscious and the shield should lower, exposing Harry to him.

The wand came up again. "Now. Where were we?"

"Torturing me?" supplied Sirius.

Voldemort growled. "Crucio!"

Harry stayed on the floor of the shield, eyes clamped shut and his hands remaining over his ears. He felt utterly helpless. He couldn't do anything to help Sirius but he really wanted to. He knew Sirius would be happier if he stayed safe. Despite covering his ears, Harry couldn't drown out the sound of Sirius' screams, though they were nullified a bit.

He just kept thinking the same thing over and over. Mum, Dad. Help us. Please.

They stood on a hill overlooking the graveyard. The sky was becoming lighter as the sun rose in the distance. A slight wind wrapped around them as they stood there. Below them were the wards Voldemort had erected around him. Within that area were Harry and Sirius. They couldn't hear or see anything but they all felt the compulsion to turn around and walk away. It didn't work so well on them as they were prepared for the trickeries Voldemort would use on them.

It also didn't help that Lily was the best at charms. She had the uncanny ability to dig deep into wards and pull them apart, a skill she had used during the war. She just seemed to know how they worked and where the weak spots were. She had never encountered Voldemort's wards before and they were far more refined than what she was used to.

But her desire to rescue her son fuelled her.

The others stood silently behind her, waiting for when she gave them the signal.

James leaned in close to Remus. "I hope she doesn't intend to bring all the wards down at once."

Remus shook his head. "No. I bet she's hoping to change the mechanism in how they work. However we need to get you in there. If there isn't a defence against animals…"

"Prongs will indeed have been useful," smiled James.

Remus frowned. "Prongs has been useful many times, mate."

James shrugged. "I know. But this is probably the only time I can use this. Once I'm seen and I transform back then Voldemort will know my secret and he will likely guess Sirius is one too." He didn't think of the other Animagus who had joined them on their pre-adult adventures. He had long forgotten about him.

Lily turned to face them. "Ok, I think we're good to go. I cannot find any curse or spell which repels animals or any Animagus. We know there are Animagus-repelling charms however we are in luck. Voldemort has not considered these necessary. I've also managed to insert quite a few kinks into the shields too. Given enough time I could bring them down. Or alter them enough that would allow anyone who does not have a Dark Mark to get in and out. If I bring them down we would be risking the exposure of our world… It is getting light."

Clearing his throat, the Headmaster approached them. "I think it would be mutually beneficial if we leave the wards intact as much as possible. Whilst the wards are up, Voldemort cannot Apparate."

"Neither can we," intoned James.

"No. However we can still escape from the wards. Lily, please continue to work on the wards. If we can enter without Dark Marks that would be very helpful indeed. James… Are you ready?"

James nodded. He had always been ready. "I am."

"James…" whispered Lily. "Please be safe. Keep them both from harm."

A slight smile tugged at his lips. "I will." Hugging his wife, James took a deep breath, standing straight and tall. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and felt his arms lengthen, his neck grow longer and then he fell forward, his hooves touching the ground as he completed the transformation. Opening his eyes he saw Lily standing in front of him, her eyes shining with hope and fear all at once. Inclining his head, James bent his hind legs and leapt through the wards, and into hell.

Sirius groaned, sweat pouring down his face. His body hurt so much and he couldn't stop shaking. Overuse of the cruciatus curse on him was beginning to show its affects. Voldemort knew the dangers of it. He wouldn't want Sirius to go insane but still… If Sirius did lose his mind he would be unable to maintain the shields in his head and the Dark Lord would easily be able to trawl through his memories.

Sirius bit his lips, pulling his body as tight as possible despite the bonds around his arms and legs. The pain seemed to have stopped and he risked opening an eye.

Voldemort still stood in front of him, wand hanging loosely at his side. "You died and came back. You wouldn't be fighting me so personally if you didn't know more. What did I do?"

Oh Voldemort was clever. He was baiting Sirius in the right way.

"I killed your friends, didn't I? Potter and his Mudblood wife. Somehow their son survived my attack… How?"

This was bad. Voldemort was now taking educated guesses. Unless he had seen more in Sirius' head and had been keeping it quiet until now.

Sirius kept his mouth shut. He wasn't going to answer. Wasn't going to let that monster get to him.

"I did see in your head a boy with a lightning shaped scar on his head. That can only be a scar from the remnants of a failed dark magic attack. Clearly I was defeated but by what? Why not tell me? What harm is there?"

Sirius decided to answer this time. "Because if I fail to end this…" he panted, "then what happened originally could still come to pass."

"Ah but it won't. Now that I know Harry Potter is the prophetic chosen one then I will not be the one to touch him. In fact his death will be handed down to him by a loyal Death Eater. I will not risk attacking the boy in case he gets lucky."

Sirius hadn't confirmed Harry's place within the prophecy but his silence on the subject was giving Voldemort ammunition to believe that he could guess, and, unfortunately for him, it seemed he was excellent at making the correct guesses. He knew what Harry had been and what he still could be. If Voldemort had already decided to not attack Harry directly, would he still attempt to murder Neville Longbottom?

"But there is one thing I do require from you. How much do you really know?"

Sirius laughed. "You've asked me that a lot already. I'm still not talking!" He had the unnerving feeling Voldemort was seeking to discover if Sirius knew about his Horcruxes. If he was then it might explain why he had yet to see the snake anywhere. If Voldemort suspected he was aware of them, he would try his best to keep his pet snake out of view until he was certain Sirius was not aware of the existence of his Horcruxes. Sirius' knowledge of them were kept under lock and key. He would not be letting that piece of information out.

"I will break you, Black."

"Give it your best shot!" Sirius dared.

"Gladly." Voldemort rose his wand again.

Sirius braced himself, shutting his eyes.

"Cruc-!"

"Stupefy! Stupefy!"

What? Sirius risked a glance. To his surprise and utter bafflement he saw James standing by the edge of the wards, wand in hand, a look of fury etched onto his features as he flung off spells left, right and centre. How the hell did he get in here?

He had got through the wards with ease. As soon as he had, he transformed back into his human form. The first thing he had noticed was that he hadn't been seen as the backs of two Death Eaters stood away from him, their faces looking towards Voldemort and the bound man on the ground.

Sirius!

He sought his son and focused upon him between the two Death Eaters and Voldemort. He seemed to be wrapped in a shield. James didn't have time to wonder why Harry was where he was, he just hoped the shield was Sirius' doing rather than Voldemort's.

But if he could get to Harry, surely Voldemort would be torturing him instead of Sirius? It was a valid question that James didn't really care for the answer.

He saw Voldemort's wand come up, pointing directly at Sirius. The torture curse formed on the monster's lips. James reacted. He stupefied both of the Death Eater's in quick succession and they dropped like flies.

Unfortunately his actions had garnered him Voldemort's attention.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Shit!

James dived, rolling in the dirt, bringing his wand arm up and throwing off a variety of curses towards Voldemort. He scrambled behind a tombstone, leaning his back against it. His heart was beating fast in his chest. He had been very surprised he had been able to sneak through the wards and not be noticed but now he was the prime target.

"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE, POTTER?" Voldemort's fury was incense.

"Magic!" he responded.

"I can just torture your friend if you do not surrender."

"I thought you'd threaten me with my son rather than my best friend!" retorted James. "Or can you not get to Harry?"

The Dark Lord didn't answer.

"I guess Sirius did something that has prevented you from using my son against him. I bet you really hate him now, right?" James continued to bait Voldemort, which probably wasn't the wisest of moves, but at this moment, he didn't exactly care. He had to use the time he had to keep the Dark Lord busy so Lily could continue to work on the wards. Once she had managed to change the code to allow people without Dark Marks in, they would join him.

For now he was on his own.

Harry had heard the commotion.

And he opened his eyes.

Surprise coursed through him as he saw his father dive behind a gravestone. Leaping to his feet, Harry pressed the palms of his hands to the fizzing shield around him. He couldn't get through it but he pressed his face closer. "Dad."

If his father was here, his mother wouldn't be too far behind.

Just how had his father got in?

"It doesn't matter. Dad's here. Everything is going to be fine."

Lily was working hard. Dark energy coursed through her as she immersed herself in the wards. She found the strand she was looking for. It was this spell that prevented anyone without a Dark Mark from entering the area. During the first war, once Snape had defected, the knowledge of how to bring down those wards had been very useful.

Though Lily had been helping in the creation of a spell to disable that type of ward, Severus had given them the answer. Now she was using his knowledge to benefit her work.

"Reversio et warde!/" she whispered.

The ward reversed.

It remained intact however the instruction had been reversed. Instead of allowing only people who had Dark Marks, it now prevented anyone with a Dark Mark from exiting or entering the wards. If she had completed her task correctly, Lily and Remus and the Headmaster should be able to walk through the wards with ease.

She turned to face them, brushing a bit of stray red hair back behind her ears. "It's done. Voldemort shouldn't be able to escape now, unless he breaks the wards, which he could easily do since he did create them. But we should be good to go through without any problems."

"Very good," replied her old Headmaster.

Remus stepped up beside Lily. "Ready?"

All three turned to face the invisible wards in front of them.

"On three?" checked Lily.

The two others nodded.

She began to count down. Gripping Remus' hand, Lily squeezed hard.

"One."

It will be fine. Harry will be okay and James hasn't been there long enough to get himself killed.

"Two."

But what if James and Harry are dead?

Fear built up in her stomach but Lily ignored it. She was overreacting.

"Three."

They stepped through the wards.

"Tell me, Potter, how much do you know about Black's past life?" Voldemort taunted.

James bit his lip. So this was the game Voldemort wanted to play.

"Perhaps you will be more willing to discuss this with me… Black seems very unwilling to even acknowledge to me that he died and came back…"

James' eyes bulged in his sockets. He knows that much?

"Yeah, well, you will find I'm not so forthcoming either!" James twisting round, thrust his arm over the tombstone and shot off a non-verbal curse. To his dismay Voldemort battled it away before it could hit. He really shouldn't have been expecting it to hit.

"Pity. You could have saved your son."

Those words turned James' blood ice cold. Even though his brain was yelling at him to stop, James exposed himself, standing up from his position behind the tombstone, only to be hit by a Body-Bind curse. His arms snapped to his sides and his wand stayed clutched tightly in his right hand as he fell back to the earth.

Damn.

He should have listened to his brain.

"DAD!" Harry yelled. He knew he wasn't dead as he hadn't been hit by a lethal curse… but to see him fall was heart-breaking. Dad… Hopelessness filled him. All Harry wanted to do was help but he couldn't break through this shield and if he did… I know what will happen.

Voldemort would torture him in front of Sirius. And Sirius, seeking to save Harry, would do anything to stop Voldemort harming him. Harry would be Sirius' downfall. He couldn't risk hurting Sirius by trying to force his way through the shield protecting him.

His eyes glued on his father's form, Harry watched silently, hoping against hope that further help was on its way.

Sirius stared up into Voldemort's laughing eyes. He smirked. "I don't know why you are laughing. If James is here then you can bet Dumbledore will not be too far behind."

"They can't get through my wards." The red eyes burned.

Sirius didn't flinch. "Yet James got through." He didn't know how his friend had managed it but he had a sneaky feeling it had something to do with the specific coding of the wards. And if so, Sirius realised it was very likely Lily was just outside the wards along with Dumbledore and Remus. She was busy decoding the wards to allow the access. Not enough to alter them so Voldemort would notice, just enough that would allow them to slip through.

"But no one else did which suggests he has an ability others do not have."

Sirius stilled. He had a feeling Voldemort already knew or he had made an educated guess.

"My wards are far too powerful for anyone to tamper with. Whatever enabled Potter to get through was an oversight which I can easily remedy," snarled the Dark Lord.

"Oh… I don't think so, Tom."

Grinning, Sirius leaned to the side and saw, standing behind Voldemort was Lily, her long red hair tied back, and a furious expression on her face as she pointed her wand at the Dark Lord.

"Ah, the Mudblood."

Sirius growled low in his throat. Lily didn't even blink.

"I'm not the only one who is here, Tom." It was bold of her to call Voldemort by his Muggle name but Lily seemed to be determined to hack Voldemort off. "We didn't come here without a plan."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "You won't win."

A smile quirked at Lily's lips. "Oh, I think we will." She stepped aside. "Albus?"

The Headmaster strolled in to view. "Hello Tom."

"DUMBLEDORE!" Voldemort pointed his wand straight at the Headmaster. "Avada Kedavra!"

The Headmaster stepped aside calmly, his gaze not wavering. "You have only one option, Tom. Surrender."

Voldemort laughed. "I have many other options too." He pointed his wand at Sirius. "Care to see your hero die?"

"I thought you wanted what was in my head," stated Sirius. He didn't feel worried.

Voldemort didn't answer. His attention was focused on Dumbledore and Lily and not on Sirius. He may be pointing his wand at Sirius but his body was away from him, his gaze upon the two people in front of him.

"Padfoot!"

Sirius whipped his head around to the side. Remus was beside him, crouching low. Before Sirius could ask, his friend had already answered the question that had been forming on his lips.

"After we stepped through the wards I went around the area and sneaked up. Voldemort was far too concentrated on you to notice us arriving. It gave us the advantage. We figured if we can get you freed Voldemort will flee," grinned Remus, cutting the ropes that bound Sirius' limbs together with the rest of his body.

Freedom suited him. Sirius wrenched his arms out from behind his back, stretching them carefully. It hurt to move them as they had been locked in position for so long. He eyed the wound he had suffered during the ritual. Blood stained his right arm. He disliked the notion of Voldemort using his blood to resurrect himself however Sirius was grateful it had been him rather than Harry.

"You haven't got a spare wand, have you?" asked Sirius.

"Better. I've got yours." Remus pulled from his pocket another wand. "I took it from Malfoy. It was poking out of his pocket." Of course they were still unconscious after James had stunned them. Voldemort hadn't bothered to revive them.

Sirius took his wand gleefully. "Thanks." His right arm hurt with the movement and he transferred his wand to his left. He wasn't used to using his left arm for magic but he had no choice. "I'm not going to do well here."

"Just stay low. Try and make your way around the perimeter until you get closer to Dumbledore and Lily. I need to revive James. Then we are good to –" Remus trailed off, suddenly grabbing Sirius by the arm and yanking him to the left.

Both men rolled in the dust as a curse struck where they had been standing only mere moments before.

Sirius grabbed Remus, pushing him behind a tombstone. "Stay down!" he hissed.

"I'm not finished with you, Black!"

"Yeah, well, I'm finished with you!" retorted Sirius, feeling reckless. Antagonising Voldemort wasn't the best move but at least he could now defend himself. He leaned in close to Remus. "If the wards are down why can't we just make a break for it here?"

Remus bit his lip. "We could… but we need to revive James. And get Harry. What did you do?"

"I… protected Harry." Sirius knew what he had to do. But he couldn't do it until they were closer to the boy. "Moony, I have a plan." It should work; at least he assumed it would, though his plans had a habit of going wrong. "I can't just let the shield drop. Someone needs to be there to protect Harry. If I can get to him…"

Remus guessed the rest. Years of knowing Sirius had enabled him to predict what the other wanted to do. "You can protect him. Get him out of the wards and Apparate to safety. Once that is done…"

"… then the rest of you will follow," finished Sirius.

Remus nodded. "The important thing is getting you both out of here safely. I'll cover for you whilst I head for James. You're going to need it."

Sirius was shaking. The effects of the torture he had been put through was beginning to affect him. He knew his inhabitations were going to be messed up. He daren't risk a battle with Voldemort. That would be one way ticket to being captured again.

"Come on. Let's go." Remus stood up and immediately shielded against a curse Voldemort had set his way.

Sirius ran behind Remus as best as he could as the two moved back around. Now and then Voldemort threw curses their way however he was more concentrated on Dumbledore who was now engaging him in a real duel. The two Death Eaters James had stunned not that long ago were still out, giving Sirius and Remus the chance to make their way around towards Harry's location without any further distractions.

Whilst Sirius ducked behind another tombstone, Remus ran for James. Lily was already beside her husband, having moved aside from the main duel in the minutes since it had begun. She had already revived James, meaning all they had to do was collect Harry and they could attempt an escape whilst the Headmaster kept the Dark Lord distracted.

Sirius peered around the tombstone, careful to not allow Voldemort to catch sight of him. He knew the Dark Lord would aim for him if he saw him out of the safety of cover. He was close enough to Harry that he could risk saying his name. "Harry!"

The boy looked up at him, terrified. "Padfoot?"

"Harry, I'm going to lower the shield. Run for your parents."

"But… Voldemort…" Harry feared the Dark Lord would target him.

Sirius had already prepared for that eventuality. "I'll take care of it." It was the only way to keep Harry safe. He didn't want to but he would have to leap out into the open.

"But you're hurt…" the boy trailed off.

"I know," admitted Sirius, feeling the strain in his muscles. Sweat was already forming on his face. "We need to reach your parents and Remus. I have to expose myself so you can reach safety." He gripped his wand tightly in his hand, determination on his face. "I'm going to lower the shield," he continued, "leap out in front of you and defend you. We'll make our way over to them together. Okay?"

Harry nodded nervously.

Reaching into the link he shared with Harry, Sirius yanked at the bond. He didn't know how to drop the shield but he figured if he yanked it might just work. The bond frizzled. He saw Harry's wide eyes and the shield protecting the boy flicker. He yanked again. The shield dropped and Sirius dived out from behind the gravestone, shooting a curse straight at Voldemort as the Dark Lord quickly turned his attention upon his prisoner. Sirius moved quickly as Harry dashed towards the safety of his parents.

A stunning curse brushed past his shoulder and Sirius made a desperate dive for the tombstones in which the others now hid behind.

But something hit his legs. Another stunner and he collapsed, his arm flinging out helplessly as he began to crash to the ground.

Yet Lily was there, tugging him back even as he fell, her petite hand landing in his flailing palm, and pulling him forward and behind the tombstone.

Voldemort screeched in fury.

Then, James, Lily and Remus all rose, standing directly in front of Sirius and Harry. All three threw curses towards Voldemort, even as the Headmaster began to retreat. There was no point in staying now they had retrieved what they had come for.

Sirius' legs felt weak. He could barely move them. No! I have to get out of here! Concentration echoed in his brain. Supported by Harry, and pushed back by Remus, even as the werewolf continued to defend them, Sirius stumbled, moving back, his breathing coming hard and fast.

"Nearly there," whispered Lily over her shoulder.

Then Sirius felt something push against his shoulder and he lost sight of Voldemort as he fell sideways through the protective wards. He landed on his side on patchy grass, wincing in pain.

"Sorry," apologised Harry, who had lost his grip on him.

"S'alright…" panted Sirius. He felt so weak and tired. His body hurt so much.

Then James, Lily and Remus fell through the wards.

All was quiet though they all knew only a few metres away an intense duel between Voldemort and Dumbledore was taking place but they had lost it from view thanks to the protective wards surrounding the Graveyard.

"Padfoot… are you okay?" asked James. "Harry?"

"Yeah… just tired…"

"Mum… I'm fine…" Harry tried to push his mother away as she enveloped him in a hug.

"We thought we'd lost you." Small tears were leaking from her eyes.

Remus glanced around. "We should move. Get back to Hogwarts."

"I don't think I have the strength to Apparate," explained Sirius, still lying in the grass.

"I'll help you," said Remus. "Buddy Apparate you back."

James knelt beside Sirius on his right side, being careful not to pull at the injured arm whilst Remus crouched on the left. On three they hoisted Sirius to his feet, holding on to him to keep him steady.

"I'll see you back at the office." Lily nodded at three men, then, twirled with Harry's hand in her right and both Disapparated.

"Dumbledore?" asked Sirius. The Headmaster had not yet emerged.

"He's fine," said James. "He was retreating but he wanted to give us time to get you both out." He grasped Sirius tighter.

"Okay…" Sirius blinked. "Let's… go… before I lose consciousness."

"To Hogwarts," nodded Remus.

James inclined his head.

Together, they twisted on the spot and Apparated to Hogwarts.

To be continued…

Please let me know what you think! Thank you for all the comments so far!

So a few notes to go with this chapter…

James was able to get through the wards before Lily managed to disable the Dark Mark only entry because of his animagus form. As he is recongised as an animal in that form, the fact that his human self doesn't have a Dark Mark didn't matter.

Harry and Sirius' bond is brought up in this chapter a bit more. This will now be explored further, especially since Harry is now more aware of it and of Sirius' origins.

I didn't want to go into detail of Dumbledore's and Voldemort's duel, mainly because it was more of a distraction for the others to rescue Sirius and Harry. I may or may not cover their duel at the start of the next chapter. I have yet to decide on that.

What Voldemort really wanted to know from Sirius is whether he knows about his Horcruxes, which was why he was so desperate to get into Sirius' head. At the moment Sirius' secret is safe… but for how long? If Voldemort does discover his Horcruxes are missing he could always make more…

Also Reversio et warde I just made up because it sounded good in my head. If I have a chance to I will try to look up the proper latin. It's meant to imply 'reverse the wards'.

I hope to post the next chapter again soon though it will not be as long as this one, as this chapter did run away from me!

Until next time,

the-writer1988