A jet of green grazed Audrey's cheek, bursting into a shower of sparks as she reared away from it too slowly.

"And, you're dead again," Sirius observed. If anything, Audrey was worse at dueling than the Swede Ingmar had been this morning. "Every green spell is the Avada Kedavra, Audrey. Act like it!"

"It's the wrong shade," she complained. "That was obviously a Verdimilly."

Sirius rolled his eyes and threw a blasting curse in her general direction. She yelped and apparated out of the way, and he hit her with three stinging hexes instead while his blasting curse destroyed a swath of trees. They were practicing in the woods near the wreckage of Malfoy manor, since Audrey as a halfblood wasn't allowed at the Averys' and Sirius disliked the mask-required training rooms at Headquarters. "Would you like me to switch to real Unforgivables, for the sake of authenticity?"

Audrey glared at him. "No."

"It might help you take this seriously."

"I am!"

"You're not. I can tell by the way you're currently rubbing your wrist instead of trying to curse me. I didn't say to take a break."

"Screw you, Sirius. I'm bloody tired because I've been working for the obliviators sixteen hours a day for almost a week!"

"If you can't fight when you're tired, you'll eventually lose." Bella had taught him that. She was mad, but she was right. "Stupefy. Diffindo. Pellakinesia." Audrey ducked under the stunner and raised a shield to block the others. "Avis. Oppugno. Deprimo." She vanished the attacking birds and stumbled backwards when the ground beneath her shook. "If you only defend, you'll always lose. Flagrante Lacerum." A flame bore through her shield, and she apparated away again. "Stupefy. And remember the aurors always raise anti-apparition wards." She cast another shield charm. Was she even listening to his instructions? "Crucio."

A Protego couldn't block Unforgivables. Audrey screamed the instant the curse hit her. Sirius held it for barely a second, but she was still on the ground sobbing when he released it.

Sirius watched her shudder and cry guiltily and wondered if she'd even experienced the Cruciatus before. If she wasn't an Occlumens, the Dark Lord might not have bothered during her interrogation. He felt bad for hurting her, but she was going to end up dead if she didn't improve. She'd die in a duel, or she'd die from the Dark Lord's displeasure. Just like Regulus will if you let him get dragged into this. He pushed the grim thought aside. It really wasn't fair for him to take out his anxiety on his teammate. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Audrey. I know you don't like dueling. I wish we weren't in this situation. I wish we could have just continued as we were, you being the brains for our sabotage and that's it. But..."

"But the Dark Lord ordered otherwise," Audrey said dully. She looked up at him, breathing hard. "Are you really sorry, Sirius?"

Before he could answer her, a bolt of lightning lanced through his left arm. He clapped a hand over the Dark Mark instinctually. He grimaced at Audrey. "You have no idea. Go home and take an early night. I'm being summoned."

Eyes wide, she nodded at him. Sirius took a deep breath, bracing himself and focusing his mind. He conjured and donned his black robes and Death Eater mask. He fumbled open his watch with one hand inside his robes for Moody to listen in, assuming he was there. He followed the pull of the Dark Mark. This time, it did not lead him to Headquarters, nor back to the Lestrange manor. Instead, he was back in the clearing in Yorkshire where Voldemort had trained him in the Inferi ritual. The Dark Lord was waiting on the same stump as always. The air was so thick with secrecy spells Sirius could practically taste the magic. Interesting. Sirius walked forwards calmly and bowed. "My Lord. How may I be of service?"

"Sirius. Remove your mask and sit. I have something to discuss with you and you alone."

Sirius bowed again, vanished the mask, and conjured his customary student desk to sit on. He waited for his master, but Voldemort did not speak. Instead, he lit his wand. Eyes met, and the Dark Lord bore his way into Sirius' thoughts. Sirius kept himself calm. He showed thick surface Occlumency shields and plainly dropped all the ones he safely could.

"Are you loyal to me, Sirius Black?"

Are you loyal to me, Sirius Black? The question echoed in his mind, because the Dark Lord was still focusing on it, training his Legilimency to sift Sirius' answer. He wondered what Voldemort would do if someone ever dared answer in the negative. He smiled. "As loyal as I can be, my Lord," Sirius answered. He filled his thoughts with genuine awe for Voldemort's incredible sorcery, the exhilarating sensation of power he had gained in exercising his own magic since joining the Death Eaters, and the satisfaction he felt every time he managed to coax a laugh out of the Darkest wizard in the world. All true. Nothing to do with loyalty, but he didn't think Voldemort quite understood the concept anyway, he was so quick to turn on loyal Death Eaters making perfectly human mistakes.

Voldemort smiled back, wide and reptilian with his bloodless lips. He withdrew his gentle probe. "I'm glad to hear it. I called you here to discuss that which is for your ears alone. The details of the task I am appointing to you and young Regulus. You see, there is an object in Hogwarts I desire and that it will be his task to retrieve. Fret not. The Headmaster does not know of this object, and your brother will not be in any danger from it."

Troll shit. He was talking about a horcrux. There was nothing else it could be with the timing. And he wanted Reggie to handle it?!

"I will give Regulus instructions for how to retrieve the object when we meet with him before your uncle's funeral. He will deliver it to you, either during a Hogsmeade weekend if those are still going on after this, or through one of the secret passageways. You and I will go tonight while the Ministry and volunteers from Hogsmeade are yet distracted cleaning up that village in Yorkshire to investigate which of the passageways might be suitable. Tonight will be our last chance with the rate the obliviations are going."

Yeah, that's totally why you burned down that village. Except you didn't do the math. Audrey and Richard have already been sent home. You killed too many muggles for the obliviations to last even twenty-four hours. "You think of everything, my Lord. What is the object?"

Voldemort grinned with all his teeth. "The Diadem of Ravenclaw."

Sirius was silent for a beat, mouth hanging slightly open. Then he laughed. "You... will never cease to amaze, my Lord. How in Merlin's name did you find that? Was it always at Hogwarts?"

"It was not. I came upon it on my travels and returned it to its home out of the goodness of my heart." Sirius smirked. Voldemort shrugged. "To be honest, I had no use for it at the time. Its magic is powerful, but mine moreso. There is nothing it could give me that I did not already have, and so I placed it where it would be safe. But now... there is a chance it could be used to help one like Rodolphus resist the Imperius. Or perhaps even to free those already under the curse. Thus, I have decided to retrieve it."

That wasn't even a bad explanation, Sirius thought, impressed despite himself. Very plausible. Still a lie, though. "I am honored to serve you in this mission, my Lord."

"You are honored above all others. Be grateful for it."

"I am, my Lord. And I shall not displease you."

The two of them went straight to Hogsmeade from there, as soon as it was full dark. They checked the passage to Gregory the Smarmy first but found it was heavily warded a third of the way along. Dumbledore would surely notice if the spells were broken. From the look of things, a student probably could go through, as the only dangerous wards were bound to an age line trigger. Anyone born after 1st September 1961 would be unharmed, though an alarm spell would still trigger to draw a staff member to the scene of the crime when the errant student returned. The mirror and Shrieking Shack passages were similarly protected. Voldemort inspected the claw marks in the Shack with interest but did not comment as to what he thought the monster, now absent, had been. Voldemort did not show him the passage through the caves.

"I'm afraid if there is no upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, your brother will be earning a detention," Voldemort commented as they returned to Headquarters.

"Since it's for you, I'm sure he'll get over it. I'll give him something suitably scandalous to smuggle back into school, so the detention is properly earned. Maybe some of Dolohov's vodka. Is there anything else you require this evening, my Lord?"

"No."

"Good night, my Lord." Sirius bowed and left. He went straight back to the Shrieking Shack and opened his watch. There was Moody. "When did you get in?"

"While you were sneaking around in the tunnel behind the mirror."

Sirius cursed softly. "That late, eh?"

"What did I miss?"

"Well... he wants Reggie to help him steal the Diadem of Ravenclaw."

"Beg pardon?"

"You heard me. Apparently, it's in Hogwarts. Presumably, it's a horcrux."

"I see. I don't suppose he told you where it is?"

"No. But he'll be telling Reggie, and then Reggie is supposed to smuggle it out to me."

"To you? I wonder... well, I suppose he thought it would be more suspicious to meet a Hogwarts student in person to pick it up."

"To be fair, it would be. Anyway, that's the big news. Now, what the hell do we do? I'd rather my little brother not take the fall for you lot destroying the thing."

"Myself and Dumbledore are already looking for it. It will be easier now they know what to look for. Hopefully, they can find it before Regulus ever has a chance to retrieve it."

"So, find it in the next few days and destroy it before the funeral, very publicly, so Reggie will be in the clear? Is that the plan? Great, what if you can't find it? Is Dumbledore just going to take the location from Reggie's mind by force?" Voldemort hadn't been concerned about that, because he believed, quite rightfully, Albus Dumbledore would never assault an innocent student in such a way. The calculus rather changed when Dumbledore knew Regulus had such critical information in his head. Sirius had a bad feeling Dumbledore would be more than willing to let Regulus take the fall for the failure of the mission, if it meant Sirius could stay in play as a spy. The Headmaster would just force Regulus into hiding in Order custody and figure all was well.

Thinking of Edgar Bones and Elphias Doge and all the other Order members Bella had murdered in the past year, Sirius wasn't sure he trusted their security enough for that.

"I don't know, Sirius. Remember, I'm just a portrait. I don't have a real brain."

"Well, tell Dumbledore I will kill him if Regulus ends up dead because of this."

"I will inform him of your concerns, though I might withhold the threats. They won't do you any favors."

"Go tell him now. I'll wait here for his answer." There was no knowing when Sirius would have a stretch of free time and a safe space to talk next, and he really didn't want to be left in the dark until the last minute. People ended up dead when that happened. The portrait nodded and left. Sirius waited, sitting on the scratched and dusty floor where Remus had transformed so many times.

His heart leapt into his mouth when he heard a scuff in the passage under the floor and the incantation for an anti-apparition ward. He yanked his hood up and ran towards the broken and partially boarded up window that served as the only physical exit to the outdoors. Then the trapdoor opened, and Albus Dumbledore climbed up out of it. Sirius sagged against the wall in relief.

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry, my boy."

"I didn't expect you to come here in person."

"You didn't? I had assumed that was what you meant when you said you would wait for my answer here. No matter." The Headmaster conjured two arm chairs upholstered in plum-colored velvet. "Have a seat, Sirius." The old man plopped into one armchair.

Slowly, Sirius moved over to the other chair and sat. Dumbledore peered at him over his steepled fingers.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. What are you going to do about the Diadem?"

"Find it, hopefully."

"And if you can't?"

"It will be as you suggested," Dumbledore said calmly. "I will ask Regulus. I will give him the option of surrendering the information and accepting my protection willingly. If he refuses, I believe I am a more than able Legilimens to obtain the information regardless of his cooperation."

Sirius shook his head frantically, imagining Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes tearing through Regulus' mind. Sirius knew all about the dangers of Legilimency, had watched the Dark Lord destroy multiple people with it. "No, don't hurt him, Professor. Please."

"Oh, Sirius, I won't. I doubt he will refuse in any case, not if I explain to him exactly what's at stake."

"You think? He's wanted to join the Death Eaters for years!"

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Yes, but we both know that desire is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what that means. If it comes to it, then I will tell your brother what you have suffered this year. He will come around."

"Maybe he will, yeah, but the Dark Lord will know it was Regulus..."

"I will protect him."

"And if you protect him well enough, the Dark Lord will probably punish every surrogate he can get his hands on instead, like he did to the Greengrasses. Me. My parents." Not that Sirius cared that much about Orion and Walburga Black. "Narcissa. Uncle Alphard. Lyra." The last two were the most vulnerable targets, Sirius was sure, because they were the least immediately useful to the Dark Lord's cause, no matter how interested Voldemort had seemed in Narcissa's baby throughout the pregnancy. The most innocent, the least deserving of retribution, they were the ones Voldemort would punish, because their deaths would hurt the most.

"It is a risk," Dumbledore admitted. "You will have to be very careful, and disavow your brother's failure."

"What if... Can we let Reggie make the handoff successfully? And then I'll destroy the Diadem after it's out of Hogwarts."

"And you will either be killed immediately or forced into hiding yourself. We cannot afford to lose you."

"I won't make it obvious. I'll give it to Voldemort as ordered, and I'll track what he does with it and destroy it once it's moved to its final location. I mean, it's a crown. He won't carry it around with him all the time. It would be too obvious."

"And then we run the risk of simply losing it again. No, Sirius. I understand your fears, and I will extend my offer of protection to anyone you wish, but I cannot allow the horcrux to leave Hogwarts. That is final."

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. "I was always willing to give my life for the cause, Professor, but I don't... we've lost so many people already. I don't want to sacrifice more."

"I am sorry. I am sorry for all that you have endured, Sirius. But there is no alternative. The horcrux must be destroyed. If anyone comes to harm as a result of my decision... then remember at least that this time, the blood is on my hands. Not yours. Whatever happens, it is not your fault, Sirius. And now I must return to the castle and continue the search. And you must return home before you are missed."

Sirius nodded miserably. When Dumbledore dropped the anti-apparition ward, Sirius stood up and disapparated.


Perhaps he should have returned to the Averys, but he couldn't bring himself to face Richard right now. There was too much of Regulus in Richard. Too much put-upon, sheltered, weak innocence. Not to mention the agonizing remorse he felt watching Richard mourning Evan and Felix. Richard would be a pallbearer at each of those private funerals. And so he apparated to Lestrange manor instead. He would go back to the Averys later, once the rest of the family was in bed.

Bella was out somewhere, perhaps tracking Madeye Moody or some other Order member, and Sirius was glad. He didn't want to talk to Bella right now. He wanted Rodolphus. Whatever else Rodolphus was, he could be an excellent companion and exerted a calming influence on the people around him, even Bella and the Dark Lord.

He found the man sitting silently by the fire. Alone of course. He was effectively a prisoner in his own house, which Sirius imagined was rather difficult for him. Rodolphus was always a very active man when Sirius had been living here, spending far more time at Headquarters than at home. His former energy had vanished now, with nothing to do but wait for his master to call on him. There was no book or newspaper lying by, no book of accounts, no correspondence, no music playing, no food or wine, nor evidence of any other activity with which he might while away the hours.

He looked up when Sirius entered the room, and his sad expression morphed into a welcoming smile. "Sirius! Good to see you! Are you looking for Bella? Do you need something?"

"No. Just visiting."

His smile widened and reached his eyes. "Then have a seat. Posy!" The house elf appeared in an instant, saw Sirius, and bowed. "A nightcap for us both," Rodolphus ordered. The elf beamed and cracked away again. "Do you have any of those muggle cigarettes with you by chance?"

"I do, but I thought you didn't smoke," Sirius answered with a grin.

"I'm thinking of taking it up."

Sirius took out a couple cigarettes and passed one to Rodolphus. "That bored are you?"

"Merlin, yes. It's only been a few days, but... the war is out there, Sirius. I should be fighting it, and I can't."

"You're not missing much at the moment," Sirius informed him.

"Not this week, no, but... I'm almost certain the Dark Lord means for me to stay put here until the Ministry falls. It could be months. A year. Longer."

"Can you blame him after what happened at Foulness? Bella, Antonin and I... we can't replace you, Rodolphus."

The older wizard grinned darkly and coughed on his cigarette. "No. I heard. What was it you said to him when he asked your opinion about the Wizengamot again?"

"Can I get a list of who's on it."

Rodolphus chuckled and shook his head. "Your mother would die of shame."

"You think so? You should write a letter to her and let her know. See what happens."

Posy trotted into the room just then with two steaming hot toddies on a silver tray. Sirius accepted his and took a sip. It was sweet and spicy, and the liquor in it burned more than the steam did. "Is this made with firewhiskey?" Rodolphus nodded. "Bit excessive for a nightcap."

"I find myself craving the heat this week. Do you not like it?"

"No, it's good, just stronger than I expected."

"It was one of Rabastan's favorites in the winter." Sirius grimaced involuntarily. He had, of course, killed Rabastan long before the first frost last year.

Rodolphus noticed his expression and misinterpreted it, thankfully. He set his own drink aside and leaned forwards a little. "This has been a hard week for everyone. How are you coping, Sirius?"

"I'm fine."

"There's no shame if you're not. You're with family here."

"I'm fine." Rodolphus stared at him skeptically. Sirius sighed. "I... might be a little stressed."

A faint smile. "Just a little? You're coping remarkably well, then. Most everyone else in wizarding Britain is living in a constant state of fear and anxiety, no matter which side of the war they are on. Except Bella of course. She's just angry right now. She should have been in Gryffindor like you. So, what ails you?"

Sirius took a long drag on his cigarette. "Oh, you know. This and that. I was working with Audrey and Ingmar today, and I discovered I'm a crap teacher."

"You're working with the most challenging students," the older wizard temporized. "What seems to be the trouble?" Briefly, Sirius summarized his session with Audrey. Rodolphus listened attentively, and then nodded at the end. "I see your problem. You are trying to instruct her using the same techniques that worked for you." He grinned. "The problem with that is my beloved Bella's methods are not suitable for most students. They worked well for you, because you already knew Bella."

"Audrey already knows me, too," Sirius pointed out. "We've been working together for months."

Rodolphus waved a hand dismissively. "A professional relationship is completely different from the bond you have with Bella. You and she grew up together. You are very compatible, so far as your personalities go. You have enough energy to keep up with Bella's constant challenges with the obstinance to keep at it. You understand her well enough not to get pointlessly frustrated and angry with her."

"I get that, but Audrey... she just wasn't listening today."

"She listens, but she's very literal. I've found you can't tell her just to 'defend less and attack more' or something equally broad and expect her to correct herself in the middle of a duel. You need to tell her something more specific, such as 'cast a nonverbal Stupefy the instant I break your shield.' That is something she can more readily practice and integrate. She freezes when she's faced with something brand new, but she's excellent at pattern recognition. She's never going to learn to improvise in a fight to the same extent you do."

"So instead she needs a huge repertoire of spell combinations," Sirius said. He shook his head. "She's toast in a chaotic battle situation."

"She might not be, if you can help her learn to mitigate the chaos. I was planning on working with her on rapid construction of area defenses before this happened. She could eventually be very successful with a niche skill enabling her to use her strategic mind without the interference of fending off someone directly attacking her. You might also try asking her what she could do for various scenarios and allow her to think it through ahead of time. She'll surprise you then."

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. He knew Audrey well enough, he ought to be able to play to her strengths if he tried. It was still debatable whether she'd ever become a decent duelist.

"I hope you're still honing your own skills as well. You are worth more than that halfblood will ever be, both to the Dark Lord and to me."

Sirius flicked the end of his cigarette into the fire. "I've been slacking for the past month, between the Inferi lessons with the Dark Lord, the jobs last weekend, and being promoted."

"Slacking, yes. So lazy. Well then, let me reappoint myself your personal tutor, since I've nothing else to occupy my time with. Remind me, what were you working on in February?"

Sirius thought back. "Wandless and/or silent casting of more advanced curses. I dunno, though. Is it even possible to cast the Cruciatus or Avada nonverbally?"

"It is. I can. It isn't easy, though. Were you practicing on animals?"

"Mostly, yeah."

"That's part of the problem. It's completely impossible to cast either curse nonverbally without a target, and still very difficult without a human one. It's hard to summon sufficient loathing for a creature you know can never really matter to you. You must have perfect focus on the desired outcome, but there can be nothing cold or clinical in the casting itself. For the nonverbal Cruciatus, you must be able to imagine your victim experiencing the pain, to know exactly the agony you will cause and desire nothing but that. Likewise for the nonverbal Avada, you must intimately understand that what you are about to do is the utter obliteration of another sentient being. It is not enough to think that you will bring death. You must acknowledge the specific death and all that person means to you."

Sirius shivered. It was basically what Bella had told him about learning the Unforgivables in the first place. Although he had found her instruction to be incorrect when it came to his own ability to cast the curses, he suspected Rodolphus was telling the truth about this. Nonverbal casting really was different, after all. "If that's the case... I suppose you'd have to pick your targets pretty carefully? You wouldn't be able to curse just anyone?"

Rodolphus smiled. "No, actually, that's no trouble. At least not for me. Neither curse has failed me, once I mastered it."

"How? How can you make, say, a random muggle's death significant enough? It doesn't make sense."

"For me... I just think of Bella. I imagine the victim hurting her, taking her from me, and so I find my rage. You don't have to know anything objectively true about the person you're cursing. You only have to feel it in yourself so the feeling can power your magic. For you..." His friendly expression darkened. "You would remember that dreadful night when Bella almost killed you with the Cruciatus in her grief for my brother. That is the pain to inflict. Imagine your victim wishes to turn that pain on someone you love. On Regulus perhaps, or on Narcissa's little baby. And the only way to stop the worst from happening is to make it happen to them instead."

Sirius looked down into his amber drink, thinking. It was a macabre conversation they were having, but fascinating nonetheless. "You can't just imagine they want to hurt you?"

"No. At least, I've never known someone to manage a nonverbal Cruciatus or Avada using only fear for themselves. Fear for the self is paralyzing. Fear for others is motivating."

Love is more powerful than fear. Sirius took another sip of his nightcap. He wondered if the Dark Lord could cast a nonverbal Cruciatus or Avada. He'd never seen it, but that didn't mean anything by itself. He didn't exactly pay attention to what everyone else was doing in battle, too focused on his own survival. But if Rodolphus was right about the emotions it took to power the spells, did Voldemort even care about anyone enough to do it? Maybe Rodolphus was wrong.

"Do you want to practice it? You can try the Cruciatus on me. I don't mind. You'd obviously have to go find a muggle for the Avada."

"No, not right now. I'll need to think about it some more before I try again."

Rodolphus nodded and settled back in his chair. "What's the real thing eating you, Sirius? There's a reason you're visiting all of the sudden when you were perfectly content with only Richard Avery's companionship before. It's not work. Is it grief? We've certainly lost enough lately."

Sirius shrugged uncomfortably. He couldn't lie to Rodolphus like he could to Richard and say he was upset about Uncle Cygnus. Rodolphus would know that wasn't really true. "I wasn't very close with anyone who died. But Richard was - Felix was his best friend at Hogwarts. And Mr. Avery won't stop wailing about Evan Rosier. It's awkward."

Rodolphus nodded but said nothing.

"And I'm worried about Regulus," Sirius finally admitted.

"The Dark Lord's task for him?" Sirius nodded. "I do not know what it is, and you cannot tell me."

Sirius sighed. "I know. It's not even this task I'm worried about per se. It's just... he's graduating Hogwarts in a few months, and the war's getting more dangerous. I was ready to join when I left Hogwarts, and I got the luxury of months of solo training with Bela before I was faced with anything challenging. Richard wasn't ready, even though he thought he was, and he's only survived this long because he hasn't been called to do anything more dangerous than our muggle-baiting raids. Reggie... I think he's more like Richard than he is like me, but I don't think he's going to get the option of a soft introduction to life outside of school."

"It will be okay, Sirius. It will be okay, because you will be there looking after him, and so will I."

"I can't always watch his back."

"No, you can't. And it will grieve you that you can't. Believe me, I know. But you will teach him everything you know. You will teach him not to make your mistakes and not to make the mistakes of those that you have seen die." Rodolphus smiled tightly. "You'll teach him never to turn his back on an enemy as my brother did."

Sirius winced internally and took another sip of the hot toddy to cover it up. "I wish the war would just end before he graduates."

Rodolphus barked a laugh. "Oh, wouldn't we all hope for such a swift victory? But who knows, maybe the Ministry will fall to the Imperius curses next month, and the Order will collapse the month after that, and our lord will kill Dumbledore in time for a new Headmaster to hand Regulus his diploma."

Sirius laughed as well. Maybe they'd find the last three horcruxes in the next three days before Regulus came home for the funeral, and then kill Voldemort in time to parade the Dark Lord's body through the streets atop Uncle Cygnus' coffin...

A daring thought occurred to him. Who said the end of the war had to come in the logical order? The only way to finally defeat Voldemort was to destroy all his horcruxes, but it was the soul of the wizard that the horcrux saved from death, not the body. The body could still be destroyed. Indeed, the body would eventually have to be destroyed and replaced as it aged for the wizard to function as an immortal. Sirius had read all the spells and rituals governing the use of horcruxes. Once the body was destroyed, the soul was basically useless until it came into possession of a new one. And that took time if one was not already prepared. Not a lot of time, if one had a loyal minion in possession of both the horcrux and all the accoutrements a resurrection ritual required, but time.

He didn't think it through any further than that. Time was what he longed for more than anything else right now. He finished his drink and made his excuses to Rodolphus, politely refusing the older wizard's hopeful offer of a chess game. He silently drew his wand as he stood up and subtly pointed it at Rodolphus.

Imperio. Kill Voldemort at the earliest opportunity. You must do it when you are alone with him. You must be swift and silent and give no warning. You will do nothing suspicious to contrive the circumstances of his death and otherwise behave exactly as normal.

With his wand, he conjured a ball of clay and transfigured it into a little simulacrum of himself, complete with black hair and a packet of cigarettes. He pocketed his wand again and muttered "Shabtis." The clay figure came to life, and he set it on the end table next to Rodolphus. "To keep you company. Good night."

Rodolphus snorted and held out his hand for the figurine to climb onto. "Thanks. Good night, Sirius."

He felt the slightest twinge of regret as he left, but he squashed it. If Rodolphus could reliably cast a nonverbal Avada, he had the best chance of actually taking the Dark Lord by surprise out of anyone in the country. And if the Dark Lord died, then Rodolphus too would be free. Sort of. A fugitive from the law, but free of a cruel master at least. Sirius shook his head and strode out into the night. Whatever else he was, Rodolphus was a murderer. One who had perfected the art of the killing curse as few could, no less. He'd been there for both the McKinnons and Bones deaths. Sirius refused to feel guilty about this right now.

Author's note: So yeah, Voldie's trying to be cagey about his horcruxes still but has decided he needs better hiding places. Not his fault his attempt to fix his earlier mistake actually hands the spy even more information. Bella did the same thing in Book 7 when she basically told the Trio there was something Very Important in the Lestrange Gringotts vault. And Sirius has gone into panic do-the-first-thing-that-comes-to-mind mode, which Dumbledore really should have seen coming. Thanks for the reviews, and look for a bonus chapter sooner rather than later, because I hate leaving the readership with cliff hangers.