The dog's nose caught first the scent of dust and dirt that dominated the building. Nothing unusual, there. Then another, quite different and familiar smell coming from a nearby room. The dog recognized it immediately.
The black dog then dropped the thing it had been carrying, which was a rolled up trench coat, and began to transform. Black fur became white skin, and soon enough, Sirius Black was standing in place of the canine. He hurriely collected the coat and wore it, then went into the room the smell came from.
"Hello, Sirius."
Albus Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the room, his hands behind his back and his eyes on the newcomer. He looked calm enough, but staring closely into his eyes, one could have noticed a slight hint of worry.
"Sorry for the wait, professor." said Sirius.
"Don't worry, I haven't been here for long. Now, tell me. How is your brother?"
Sirius hesitated for a moment before answering. "He is...I left him with Kreacher, and he seemed to be fine..." He gave out a short grunt. "Those things...those things in the lake did a number on him. Almost killed both of us."
Dumbledore nodded. "And...did you manage to retrieve it?"
Sirius had almost forgotten about that. He reached into a pocket of the coat and took the thing for which he and his brother had almost died. "Here it is. The bloody thing."
Voldemort's locket was ancient, but it looked as if it had been made just yesterday. It had a sinister look that reminded Sirius of some of the objects his family kept stored at Grimmauld Place, and the snake on it was so well defined that it seemed it might come alive any moment to bite him.
Sirius had felt a deep, unprecedented hate upon first seeing it. Even just keeping it in a pocket seemed to intensify his negative feelings. He was glad that now the locket would become someone else's burden. Dumbledore would surely know what to do about it. Although Sirius didn't fully trust the older man, despite almost two years of working for him, he had to recognize his resourcefulness and vast knowledge.
The former headmaster took the locket and gave it a good look. "So, this is it...the Horcrux." He furrowed his brow, seemingly deep in thought. "You could feel it, too, Sirius? The evil in it?"
Sirius nodded. "Are you going to destroy it?"
"Of course. Just not now. First, I want to examine it closely and make a few inquiries. I have a theory that could help us immensely, if confirmed."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Is it about the Horcrux? Or Voldemort himself?"
"I can't tell you more than this, Sirius. You know why. We..."
Indeed, Sirius knew why. Despite all the precautions he and Dumbledore had taken, despite the Polyjuice potion and the Occlumency lessons, there was always the risk of Sirius being found out. He had to be extremely careful whenever he was with the other Death Eaters. Especially with Voldemort around. The man was a skilled legilimens, after all.
However, a part of him felt frustrated at that. Not knowing all the details, being ordered around...sometimes he felt like one of those muggle puppets James had once showed him. Not in control of his own actions, forced to do things that he normally would never do, with a puppet master constantly hovering over him. He hated that.
This must have somehow showed on his face, because the older man stopped talking and stared at him. "Is there something you want to tell me, boy?"
Sirius averted his gaze, feeling a little embarassed. "Nothing. It's just that..."
"Let me guess. You feel guilty for what you are doing." Then he added. "And no, I didn't use Legilimency. It was written all over your face."
He sighed. "It's not the...the guilt. Not just that, I mean. I...well, I feel helpless. I feel frustrated. And I hate it!"
Dumbledore motioned for him to continue.
"I've always hated being told what to do, not being in control of my own actions. And now here I am, playing spy for you. Don't get me wrong, I know what we are doing is extremely important. I know why you can't always tell me everything. But still...I wish things were different. I wish we didn't have to do all this. I wish I didn't have to spend time hiding among people I despise and pretending to...to..." His voice faltered, memories of meeting with the other Death Eaters flashing before his eyes. Memories of raids against muggles and muggleborns, and anyone who had been unlucky enough to become one of Voldemort's targets. Sirius hadn't personally killed anyone, yet.
Still, those memories haunted him all the same.
"Believe me, Sirius." the former headmaster said. "I, too, wish things were different. I wish I didn't have to ask this of you. I'm really sorry for what you have to go through. If there was another, better way, one that didn't involve anyone but myself, I would gladly take it."
Sirius didn't doubt the sincerity in those words. Dumbledore was many things, but he wasn't evil.
"Unfortunately, sometimes life forces us to do things that we would never do. And as unpleasant or terrible as these things may be, our only option is to clench our teeth and soldier on and do our best.
"And if you feel guilty for what you are doing...well, my only advice is to try to think you are fighting for a greater good."
Sirius took a moment to ponder on those words. "But...what if it doesn't work?"
"Then you try to learn to live with the guilt. As I have been doing for many years." A shadow fell on the old man's face, as if he had just remembered something unpleasant.
"You mean Sniv...Snape?" The former headmaster must have felt terrible for allowing one of his students to die, even though it wasn't his fault.
As for Sirius, he would never admit it to anyone, but only recently he had realized how much he had screwed things up. Snape didn't deserve to die. If only Sirius hadn't been such a prat...sometimes he hated his younger self. He had even come to hate that stupid nickname, the one he himself had invented. He didn't blame his former friends for cutting off contact with him.
Dumbledore grimly nodded. "That, and...other things. Things I don't wish to discuss."
The tone in the other man's voice made Sirius realize it was better to not press that matter any further. So, he merely nodded.
Dumbledore then sighed and put his arms behind his back. "Now, I think we should change topic. What can you tell me about Voldemort's activities?"
Sirius promptly answered. "Well, not much, I'm afraid. As you know, I'm not in the inner circle yet. However, just yesterday I saw Voldemort talking with Lucius and Bellatrix, and I heard "Hogwarts" come up a couple times. I couldn't hear much else, unfortunately."
"Hmm..." Dumbledore scratched his beard. "Whatever it is, it can't be anything good. I will have to warn Minerva and Hagrid to stay on alert. Perhaps I should even send there someone from the Order. Alastor, or Fabian." He paused. "Anything else?"
"No, sir. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, my boy. Even the tiniest bit of information can be precious, if used correctly."
Sirius found himself hoping that to be the case.
