DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter...
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Sirius looked out of the only window in the room he was being kept in. The setting sun casting red-golden rays about the damp room.



Gryffindor colors.



Was he being brave now? Finally giving in to his family’s wishes? And all for what? A girl. A girl who said she loved him.



And he loved her.



Love-such an unusual power. It can manipulate man, making him do what he never would, turning friend on friend, uniting foes. This thing called love. Something Sirius used to scoff at, turning a blind eye to its awesome power. And now, this power he glanced over before, came and hit him full in the face.



Making him do what he never thought he would ever do. All because he loved her.



He turned his gaze from the window. Away from his last glimpse of glorious freedom. He stared at his reflection in a small pool of water on the floor. His own haggard face stared back at him. Tears began to form in his eyes. Tears of rage, worry, and fear.



Would she be safe? Or would his sacrifice be in utter vain?



He closed his eyes and turned his face towards the window, allowing the soft night breeze to caress his worn, tired face.



A clock began to toll the time in the distance. He had a half hour left to be himself. A half hour left of freedom.



Slowly, the brilliant light that once illuminated the cold room sank lower, and lower. Finally disappearing, giving way to night and all its evils.



Now, in place of the blazing sun, there was the dark moon to brighten his gloomy countenance.



Terror like he had never felt before began to grip him. He would soon be selling his soul, his life, his very existence to the most evil man on Earth, the very man he had been trying to kill.



He heard the clock chimes once again. Only fifteen minutes left. Fifteen minutes until his life was no longer his.



He heaved a sigh, tears welling up in his eyes. Out of all the things he saw for himself in life, this was definitely not one of them. Never in a million years would he have thought he would be waiting to join Voldemort. Tom Riddle. Evil wizard extraordinaire. Pureblood maniac bent on taking over the world.

His thoughts then went to his friends. Prongs, Lily, Moony, even Wormtail. What would they think of him? A fool, more likely than not. He was giving away his life. But Sirius knew he loved her, and that was enough for him.



He hoped they would understand. He sure as hell didn’t.



The clock in the distance then tolled the hour. His time was up. It was time to go meet his fate. And so he went. All the while praying his friends would understand. Understand and forgive.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Sirius knelt in front of the Dark Lord, as he was now forced to call Tom Riddle. He bowed his head, he felt humiliated, degraded. Thrust to the lowest of the low. Being forced to serve his worst enemy, calling him master. Oh, the things one sacrifices for love.



“Rise.” The cold, unfeeling voice of the murderer echoed through the stone hall.



A murderer. What Sirius was about to become. All for love. And he began to wonder, what would James do in his place? Lily? Remus? Too late for that now. What’s done...is done. And this was one thing, that could never fully be undone.



“Yes. You are right. Blood traitor though you are. You have some sense.”



Sirius looked up sharply, he had forgotten the evil blighter could read minds.



“Not exactly, dear boy.” The voice dripped with condescension. “Occlumency and Legilimency are very different from the mind reading those filthy muggles talk of.”



The Dark Lord’s red slits of eyes pierced his own stormy grey orbs. He saw memories playing before his eyes. Ones he never wanted to remember. Ones he never wanted to forget. The good times, the bad. He quickly shut his eyes, grimacing at the emotions the memories brought up.



He slowly looked up again, into his soon-to-be master’s triumphant glance.



“Love, Black, makes us vulnerable. Vulnerable and weak. Which is exactly what you are right now.’ The Dark Lord got up from his throne and walked across the floor to where Sirius knelt on the cold stone.



He put a long, cold finger under his chin, “Look at me.”



And again, Sirius was subjected to the mind probing. His mind was an open book for Voldemort. A new world he could go through. Sirius tried to push him out, but his memories had been claimed by the Dark Lord.



“See, Black, you have a problem. You feel.” The Dark Lord sighed. “And we shall soon cure you of that.”

The Dark Lord turned around, and walked away from Sirius, seemingly contemplating some important matter.



He spun around. “Sirius Black, do you swear to be loyal to me, Lord Voldemort?”



He felt as though he had run into a brick wall, his head felt like it was being squeezed into juice. His memories numerous, again resurfaced, and he could not make them go away.



“Sirius Orion Black, do you swear it?”



Sirius cringed, clenching his fists, grinding his teeth. His whole life, he watched it like a movie. One face kept coming up. The same beautiful, angelic face. All the memories he had of her. Replaying. Again and again.



The jet black hair. The mischievous hazel eyes. Red cheeks and lips. Her embrace. Her kiss.



He remembered it all. Relived it all in a split second. And relived it again.



“Do you swear it?”



First dance. First date. First kiss.



“Do you swear it ”



Suddenly, he saw that same beauty being tortured. Raped. Beaten. Hurt in so may ways.



Beauty marred. Agonized screams tearing the air.



“Sirius Save me Please, help me ”



Screams of utter pain. Then a flash of green light.



And all was silent save for the evil cackling. The manic laughter. The screams of joy.



Tears streamed down his face, rivers of sadness. His love, his life. And for his love, he would have to pay a price.



“Swear it ”



He wrapped his arms around himself as though he was cold. And he was. His heart ached, it was no longer warm. He rocked back and forth on the cold stone floor. Love lost. Life lost.



Would he ever see her again? After he sold his soul to the devil. Making a deal with Lucifer for her life.



Selling his soul to a murderer. So she wouldn’t be hurt. His life. So she could live. So she could be happy. Because he loved her.



And thus, with these last thoughts, tears in his eyes, he nodded his assent.



“Say it ”



His voice once loud and happy, now sad, broken, his eyes full of unshed tears. His head filled with images of her.



“I-I swear. I swear it.”



“What do you swear ”



“Loyalty. Loyalty to you, Master. Dark Lord.”



The Dark Lord smiled triumphantly.



The gears were being set into motion for an evil plot. By the end of that age, many would fall. To evil, to death, to the depths of despair. And still, the murdering Dark Lord who was once a young boy named Tom Riddle, would not understand love and sacrifice.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius watched Voldemort twirl his wand in his long, bony fingers. His breathing, heavy. His mind on over drive. Would this hurt? Would he have some suicidal initiation? Well, this was Voldemort. Anything was possible.



Who knew that a choice made in a minute, could be so complicated. Sirius definitely didn’t.



Voldemort turned around to face Sirius, still twirling his wand. Sirius looked at him apprehensively, meeting his evil glare with nervousness.



He pulled up his sleeve, bracing himself for the pain he knew would eventually come. He squinted his eyes shut as Voldemort came closer.



But the wand never touched his clear forearm. The pain never came.



Voldemort grabbed his chin, forcing him to open his eyes. Sirius gazed with fear into the blood red eyes of the Dark Lord.



“In a hurry, are we, Black? I can assure you, your little whore is safe, for now.” He cackled.



With a sudden burst of his old courage, Sirius lashed out. “Don’t you dare call her that ”



“Ah, ah, ah. Manners, Black. I am your master now. I can do whatever I want to you. You should be careful.”

Voldemort turned around, and walked away from him again. His wand now still, he tapped his chin with his finger.



“Now, I know you are a Black and a gifted wizard. But I have many of those at my disposal.’



Voldemort whipped around, his black robes billowing out, then settling again on his seemingly emaciated form.



He again walked over to Sirius. “What is it that you can offer me and my cause, Black?”



He walked past Sirius this time.



“Besides money of course,” he said with a malicious laugh. “I already know you have that. And your father has given most generously in the past, you know.”



Sirius did know. Filthy, pure-blood maniac that his father was. He would have expected no less. But he could not say so. He had to watch his step, tread lightly around this beast that could take away the lives of all the ones he loved before he could say ‘Quidditch.’



He contemplated what to say, making sure not to let anything that would hurt his friends come to the surface of his mind, remembering the mind probing he had been subjected to earlier.



Everything about the Order, the prophecy, Harry, his friends, and his love was pushed to the back of his mind.



His job. He sighed a silent sigh of relief. He could still save them. He knew he could. He could be of use to this vindictive monster.



He looked up at Voldemort who was now standing in front of him, waiting impatiently for his answer.



He gulped. Was this the right thing to do?



It was the only thing he could do.



And with great conviction, he said. “I know I can be of use to you.”



Voldemort looked at him.



“My Lord.”



He must remember not to forget that...



“Well? Tell me then, Black Let’s not wait for the unicorns to come ”



Sirius looked at the floor for a moment, still second-guessing himself. Casting his mind around. Trying to find something else that wouldn’t endanger so many people. Finding nothing, he continued. “I am a curse breaker. My Lord.”



A smile came to Voldemort’s face. A look of utter, evil glee. His scarlet eyes lighting up with lust to kill, to use, to conquer.



Sirius looked back at the drab stone floor. He had saved his love for now. But at what cost?



Suddenly, Voldemort left Sirius kneeling on the floor alone. He walked out of the room and locked the door. Sirius glanced around the room, confused. No one was there. He was alone. He had his wand. Was Voldemort testing his loyalty? Seeing if he ran the first chance he got?



Sirius’ head whipped around, the room was melting away. The dark walls and gothic candle holders were disappearing, all giving way to pure white. A disembodied voice filled the now pure white room.

“You claim to be loyal to me, Sirius Black. But how can I be sure? Only yesterday you and your little friends were running around attempting to kill me.”



The voice gave a maniacal laugh. Sirius shivered.



“ I am going to give you a riddle, Black. You were smart in school, yes? Well then, this should be extremely easy for you.”



The voice faded out and against the blank wall, grey smoke began to appear. Once there was a fairly large cloud, it began to form words.



‘Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.’



Sirius stared at the words. It was a muggle riddle. What was Voldemort doing using it?



The disembodied voice returned. “Because. I want to test you, Black. Now get to it ”



Sirius looked around the room again, only emptiness greeted his eyes. He sighed and stared at the smoky words.



He muttered to himself. Had there been anyone in the room, they would have called St. Mungo’s immediately.



Only a few words were audible. “Confusing...odd...hold on ...wait...red herring...”



Sirius paced the room. Occasionally smacking his head. This was beginning to get much harder than he had thought. Why couldn’t that damn Riddle simply take him without all these tests?



He stopped in front of the words once more. Contemplating. He rubbed his chin.



“Third...everyone...day...pointing...I...direction...I’ve got it ”



He smacked his forehead. The answer had been so obvious. And utterly stupid, now that he thought of it.



He sighed. “Language.”



The words disappeared. And the disembodied voice returned.



“Very good, Black. And in record time too. You are a bright one.”



Sirius frowned. But what did being a curse breaker have to do with language.



Suddenly, another riddle appeared.



‘Short am I

And sometimes mean

People visit me

When they have need

I am controlled

I want to be free

Not always in

The same place everyday.’



Sirius stared at this one. Who on earth had written it?



“Lucius, Crabbe, and Goyle got together and did this one. They refused to look up a muggle one for me.”



Sirius chuckled slightly at this. Then, remembering what he was doing, his face turned somber, and he stared at the words. Knowing Malfoy and his goons, the answer would be quite simple.



“Hmmmm...short. Mean. Controlled. Wants to be free...Sounds like it’s enslaved or something...”



Sirius thought for a couple moments longer. Making sure his answer was right. For it was painfully obvious. But then, he remembered who had had a hand in the riddle’s writing and said his answer. “Goblins.”



“Oh, well done, Black.”



“But what is it that you want me to do?”



“Not so smart now, are we then?”



Sirius glared out at no one.



The disembodied voice sighed. “Figure it out, Black. I don’t have time for this ”



The room slowly went back to it’s normal dreary self and Sirius sighed. He knew he’d have to face the stupid cold, stone, grey room again sometime.



He sat down on the cleanest bit of stone he could find and thought...What could Voldemort possibly want him to do?



Then it hit him. Goblin. Language.



Gobbledegook.



Voldemort wanted an ambassador, a translator...and a spy in Gringott’s.



Slowly, the old door creaked open. People began to file in one by one. Each of them clothed in matching robes of solid black, complete with a skull mask and a black wizards’ hats. The faceless bodies formed a circle around Sirius as he crouched on the stone floor. Sirius looked at all the nameless faces, masks really, apprehensively. Fear filled his heart.



What was happening? Was this an extension of his test?



His fear of being killed was quelled once the door once again flew open and Voldemort strode in. He nodded at his faithful followers who parted for him to go up to Sirius. Once he had walked through, they closed ranks again.



Sirius looked up into the malice filled red eyes of his master and cringed. The man, if he could be called that, was indeed a monster.



Voldemort glanced at Sirius, then around the circle. “Ah. All of you responded to my summons. I am pleased.” Voldemort smiled, a smiled filled with evil and vindictiveness. “Well, except Pettigrew. But, I’ll deal with him later.”



Snickers resounded throughout the room from the Death Eaters.



Until someone asked, noticing Sirius crouched on the ground, “Excuse me, my Lord. But is that not the blood traitor Black? Why would he join us? He would only act as a spy for that fool, Dumbledore.”



The other Death Eaters nodded their agreement and began to talk. Voldemort shushed them with a raised hand. “Do you doubt me? My followers. Do you doubt your master?”



They all shook their heads. “Good. Because you would not want to know what would have happened to you otherwise.”



Sirius stared up at this man. He was supposed to follow...this? The fear in his heart was definitely still there.



“You are all about to witness the induction of a new Death Eater This is a joyous occasion. Is it not?”



The Death Eaters all murmured their assent.



“Sirius Orion Black shall today be inducted into this righteous order Dedicated to purging this world for those that will follow us ”



Voldemort turned to Sirius and lifted a hand. A Death Eater stepped forward and knelt next to Voldemort.



“Do you, Sirius Orion Black, swear to be faithful to the cause of the Death Eaters as long as you are on this Earth?”



Sirius looked at the man. “Answer, Black ”



He looked up at the Dark Lord, and replied to the man’s query. “Yes. I do solemnly swear.”



A tear slid out of his eye. More threatening to follow. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good...



“Do you swear to follow the Dark Lord and to answer to him and to him only?”



A few more tears trickled out. “I swear to be faithful to the Dark Lord.”



“Do you swear to uphold to the code of honor of a Death Eater?”



Sirius looked up at this and nodded. He would ask someone later.



“Say it, Black. Do not simply nod. It’s rude.”



“I swear it.”



He looked down at the ground again. His mind drifted to a day in the boys’ dorm, his fourth year.



“We need a code, mates ”



“James...”



“What, Remus? We’re the Marauders We need a Marauders’ code of honor ”



“Do you swear to be discreet about Death Eater matters and not to compromise us or the Dark Lord?”



More tears slid out, slowly sliding down his haggard face. “I swear it.”



The man stood and shuffled back to his place in the circle. Voldemort lifted his chin with a finger. “Look at me, Black.”



Voldemort took out his wand, and twirled it in his fingers. The Death Eaters each took out their wands as well. They all pointed them to the middle of the circle, above Sirius’ head. Then they waited. Waited for the signal from their Lord.



Voldemort clutched Sirius’ bare left forearm. He placed his wand tip on the smooth, plain skin.



“Morsmorde ” cried all the Death Eaters in the circle. Sirius looked up and saw a large Dark Mark looming over him. Reminding him of what was to come. Suddenly he heard Voldemort hiss, “Morsmorde ”



Pain shot up his arm, he clenched his free hand, his eyes squinting shut. He bit his tongue, trying not to scream in pain. He would not give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream in pain. He was not weak. He was not.



Soon the pain was gone. “Rise, new Death Eater. And meet your brothers ”



One by one, he shook hands with each Death Eater. He would soon know each one of them by name.



After he had shaken the last hand, he found himself face to face with Voldemort. Not knowing what to do, he knelt and kissed the hem of Voldemort’s robes. Preparing himself for the pain, the sorrow, the suffering, the following, and the servitude that was to come.

Suddenly, Sirius’ arms were grabbed by two Death Eaters. He was dragged out of the room and down a damp, dark hallway. He winced as his knees scraped across the rough stone. The two men stopped in front of a door, wrenched it open and threw Sirius in, shutting it with a resounding, malicious laugh.



Sirius slowly raised himself to his knees. He felt his way over to a wall and collapsed against it. He leaned his head back against the damp stone, his robes beginning to soak through due to the equally damp floor.



How had he gotten himself into this mess? Well, he knew that. He knew that very well.



He banged his head against the wall. Why did he have to continually reminisce about his choices?



He sighed. Well, they made him who he was.



He rested his head on his knees and hugged his knees to his chest. The room was cold and his robes were wet. And he had only one thing on his mind. One face. One image.



The woman he loved. The angel whose life Voldemort had been willing to spare, only if Sirius joined him.



“Crucio ”

Screams filled the air, shattering the silence. She was kneeling on the wet earth, her hair matted to her face, pain etched into her visage.

She whimpered, “Sirius...Sirius don’t. Please ”



“So. What will it be, Black?” Voldemort grabbed the girl’s head, pulling it back by her hair, putting his wand to her throat.



“Sirius, don’t. It’s not worth it. No.”



“Your life, or hers?”



“Sirius, let him kill me. Let him. Please.”



“NO Elizabeth. No. I can’t...I can’t.”



“Please, Sirius. Don’t join him Let him kill me ”



Voldemort laughed. “Why don’t you listen to your girlfriend, Black? She could be right you know.”



Sirius stared at him. He would never let the monster get Elizabeth. He promised...he had promised...



“My patience wears thin. Make your decision now, Black.” He dug his wand deeper.



Sirius gazed into Elizabeth’s eyes sorrowfully, “I’m sorry. So sorry-“



“Sirius. No ”



“I’m sorry, Lizzie. I have to. I can’t let him kill you. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”



She looked into his eyes, silently pleading with them, “No. Sirius...No...”



“I love you Elizabeth. Forever and always...” Sirius let his wand drop to the ground, sinking into a dark, muddy puddle of earth. Voldemort pushed a muddy boot into Elizabeth’s hands and she was gone.



Sirius gazed at the now empty space of flattened grass, wondering if he would ever see her again...



“Ah. I expected you would do that, Black.” Voldemort scoffed, “A true Gryffindor, all heroes the lot of you. All with the same weakness. You feel.”



Sirius looked Voldemort in the face, staring at the man incredulously.



“And now, because of that, you belong to me.” He let out a sinister laugh.



Sirius shuddered. He only hoped that Elizabeth was all right. There was no hope for him now. But at least one of them had survived. With a grim face, he grabbed the Portkey given to him by Voldemort and braced himself for the impact.



And now...here he was. A couple days later. Or was it years? It seemed so long ago that he was with Elizabeth sitting in front of the fire, drinking butterbeer with Prongs after work, bouncing little Harry on his knee, running around with Remus and the other Marauders on the full moon. Those happy times were now gone forever. And he knew that.



Tears streamed from his eyes, forming little rivers down face. He could just see Elizabeth now, telling him, “Smile, Sirius. Smile or I’ll end up crying too.”



He stared out into the empty room. Empty. Darkness. Despair. Just like his life.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



He saw her face. He saw her smile. Her. He saw her. He stared at her in front of him.



Hold on...How could she be here? Surely she had not joined him...



“Hello, Sirius.”



Her voice. Her voice.He stared at her. Putting it off as the hallucinations of a broken man. He looked down at the floor. But he still sensed her presence.



“Sirius?”



How...What in Merlin’s name was going on?



He looked up, and sure enough, she was there. Cleaner than when he saw her last. But her face too, held sadness and pain.



“Wha-.”



She put a finger to his lips. “Don’t ask questions, Sirius. Just accept it.”



And she pulled him into a hug. “I missed you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over, streaming down her face. She got up and turned around, he reached up and grabbed her wrist, giving her a pained, questioning look.



Elizabeth looked at him through her tears, then at the door, “I have to go, Sirius. I’ll come back....”



He said, in a rasping voice, “Promise?”

“Yes. I promise, Sirius.”



“I love you, Elizabeth. I love you.”



“You shouldn’t, Sirius. You shouldn’t”



She pulled her wrist out of his slack grip and left. He watched her leave without a sound. Feeling a small sliver of hope come and go. What did she mean?



The next day, or, what seemed like the next day to Sirius, came and went and she did not come. As did the next. He waited for her to come. For her to come and tell him everything was all right. That she still loved him.



What seemed like an eternity later, he was summoned by Voldemort.



He knelt and kissed the hem of the Dark Lord’s robes.



“You summoned me, My Lord?”



“Yes, Black. I have an assignment for you.”



Sirius looked up at Voldemort apprehensively, what suicide mission did this monster have planned for him?



“It is easy, as it is your first mission.”



Sirius tried to be relieved, but what was easy to Voldemort, could quite easily mean extremely difficult. Still, Sirius replied, “Thank you, My Lord,” anyway. He wanted to live to see her again.



“You will leave as soon as Lucius brings your Portkey.” Voldemort smiled malignantly at him.



Lucius entered the room and handed Voldemort a necklace. Voldemort then walked up to Sirius and put the necklace around his neck and laughed evilly.



Sirius felt the usual tug at his navel.



“Good Luck, Sirius Black.”



Sirius landed with a thump on the shores of a lake. He looked around, there was naught bubt rocks and dirt where he was. He turned around and was met with a solid stone wall. He looked up and saw a hole from which a bit of light was coming from. He then looked onto the lake, as that seemed his only option, and saw an island.



Fairly small, sparse brown vegetation, a few tall trees. Sirius glanced at the island and looked around for a boat of some sort. None were in sight, the only boat was a shattered mess of splinters and planks on the shore near where Sirius was standing.



Sirius shuddered. What could have done that?



He nervously prepared to jump into the lake and swim before something got him, but then, a small creature that looked like a monkey with webbed hands jumped out of the water.



That definitely rules out swimming...



Sirius pointed his wand at the thing as it advanced towards him. He looked around for an escape, anyway he could get away and to the other side quickly without getting eaten by anything.



He looked down at the pendant he wore. There was writing upon it. He grabbed it with his free hand and read, “What did you get when you were 17, you idiot ”



Oh...



Sirius quickly Apparated to the island just as the animal jumped at him. He landed on the island and looked back to shore, he saw the animal looking around, confused and disoriented. He smiled, then quickly frowned. He could not become like a Death Eaters. He could not take pleasure in hurting others...



But the thing was going to attack him...



Suddenly he felt something...some presence, in his mind, around him.



‘But you are a Death Eater, Black.’



He heard an evil voice cackle. ‘Now, I want you to find me a box.’



“A box? What on earth do you want a box for?”



“Patience, Black. Just find it for me. It is dark brown with a curious, swirling pattern on the lid. It looks like some sort of ancient writing. Find me this, or don’t come back at all.”



And with that, the presence was gone. Sirius sighed and began walking along the shore. Soon, he came to a cove, there was a cave on the other shore. He swiftly Apparated to the other side.



He slowly walked into the cave, muttering ‘Lumos’ as he went. He glanced around the dank, still quite dark caveSirius slowly tread deeper into the cave. Keeping an eye out for the mysterious brown box Voldemort wanted him to retrieve.



He came to the end of the cave and saw a large boulder that seemed to be covering the entryway to a room. He moved the boulder with a swish of his wand and nervously shuffled into the room.

There, in the middle, under a slight shaft of light, was the brown box. He looked at it. It had a curious, swirly pattern, that was in fact an ancient writing that Sirius had learned about in Curse-Breaker training, and it was dark brown.



He shot out to grab the box when something jumped on him. He whirled around but saw nothing. Sirius put his hands to his head and felt something slimy, he pulled it off and came face to face with an amorphous, green creature smiling widely at him. The eyes looked familiar...



He jumped and threw it aside. It bounced off the wall and back at him. He caught it, and stared at it’s smiling face.



“What in Merlin’s name are you?”



The creature let out a series of squeaks. Sirius raised his eyebrow at it. He shook his head and placed it on his shoulder and grabbed the box. Running from the room before something else could accost him. Before he could Apparate, he was whisked away by the Portkey back to Voldemort’s lair.



He arrived back in the room he had left from, he felt his shoulder for the green creature and found it gone. Sirius looked around the room. Voldemort was not there.



The door few open and the Dark Lord strode in. Sirius knelt before him and said, “I have found it, My Lord.”



Voldemort’s eyes went wide. “Hmmm. You were not attacked by any...green things?”



“No, My Lord.”



He then heard Voldemort mutter something under his breath about punishing her for disobeying.



Her? Who was he talking about?



Sirius pushed it to the back of his mind and lay the box at Voldemort’s feet.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I have another...small task for you, Black.”

“You have only to say it, My Lord.”

It sickened Sirius, having to suck up like this. But there was so much he still needed to figure out...and he had yet to see Elizabeth again.

Sirius was handed another necklace Portkey and was yet again whisked away to who knew where.



He landed with a thump on soft green grass, a womans’ voice in his head said, “Sirius Black, from here, I want you to find me a map. It is green, with glyphs on it. Hopefully you will be able to find it. And for your sake, I truly hope you do.”



The voice sounded quite familiar, yet again, he pushed this to the back of his mind, planning to think on it later. He slowly turned, taking in his surroundings, he seemed to be in a meadow of sorts, bordered by a forest. Assuming the map would not be concealed in the meadow, as the grass was fairly short, he proceeded towards the forest.



Darkness surrounded him, such a contrast to the bright sunlight that shone above the meadow. He pulled out his wand and whispered, Lumos, and continued on into the forest. After a while he arrived at a small clearing. Sirius had paused in the middle to take a look around and gauge which direction he should go in next. He decided to go East, towards the rising sun.



Elizabeth always woke early just to watch it peak over the horizon, and had even made him watch it a couple times, he found it as beautiful and breath-taking as she did. It would serve as his good-luck charm. He smiled softly to himself, reminiscing, when he suddenly walked into a tree. He looked closely at the tree and saw a soft green glow coming from a hole in the trunk.



He thrust his hand inside the tree, sifting through the many leaves that were inside it. Sirius began to get frustrated and pulled leaves out of the knot instead. Eventually, there were only a few leaves within the hole and Sirius was able to see a green scroll. He pulled it out and unrolled it, looking at the glyphs on it. He recognized them from Curse breaker school.



He began to read the glyphs when suddenly, a big, brown, ball of fur flew at him. He dove out of the way and stood up quickly, shoving the map in his pocket facing the fuzz-ball which on closer examination was actually a ball of spines covered in fur.



The creature had long, sharp teeth and what looked like a needle on its sides. It had three horns, talons, 3 eyes, and, making it look even more evilly odd, leathery wings with feathers and claws on the edges sprouted from its back.



Sirius stared at the creature. He had never seen anything much like it before, it looked to be an odd hybrid of a couple animals he had learned of in Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts with Kettleburn.

He wracked his brain, thinking of a weakness this horrendous Dark creature might have...for it was dark. Why else would it be living in such a place, looking the way it did?



The creature came towards him, baring its teeth and preparing to spring at him. Sirius turned and ran blindly through the forest, he heard the creature’s wings flapping behind him, forever getting closer.



I have to get out. Have to see her. Have to find out what’s going on. Why couldn’t I have had some Felix Felicis on me?



Sirius continued to run, still not knowing what to do. The creature’s spines would deflect most curses and jinxes.



He began to think simple. Like they taught him in curse breaker school.



So, damn Professor Lockhart’s lessons will come in handy after all.



All right. Simple. The thing has fur...and spikes. It has leathery wings...



Wings...with feathers...and fur...and three eyes...eyes



Sirius swiftly turned around and hit the flying creature in its eyes with the Conjunctivus curse and while it was moaning in pain, ran off in the other direction. Soon he stood in the middle of yet another clearing panting.

He righted himself, feeling oddly light. Sirius felt at his neck. The Portkey was gone.



Sirius panicked. How was he to get back? And what would the consequences be for him if he didn’t get back?



He had completed his task...but would he be able to deliver the map to his master?



Sirius sighed. He knew there was a spell upon the forest that prevented him from Apparting, his Portkey was gone, and if he left the forest and Apparated he would be caught by the Ministry.



He also knew that if he summoned his broom and flew, someone would definitely notice it flying through the air to get to him. Besides, he had no idea what condition his broom was in anymore. Nor any of his belongings. It wasn’t like he was allowed to pack before he was taken to Voldemort’s headquarters.



So, Sirius began to walk. He walked eastward and was soon out of the forest. His feet carrying him wherever they might. His mind lost in thought.



How had he come to be in such a situation where getting places was an issue? He couldn’t even call the Knight Bus for fear of being caught and sent to Azkaban. Voldemort would not be pleased if that were to happen. He had to watch his every step. So different from his care free school days. Voldemort and the threat he presented had made him and his generation grow up much sooner than they should have had to.



He walked onward, his mind wandering, finally coming to rest on his current predicament. How would he return to Voldemort’s side, from...He looked around. An utterly muggle city.

There were shops on either side of the street he now stood on. Suddenly he heard a honking noise and jumped out of the way.



A...car? Whizzed past him. “Bloody yobos.” Someone flipped him off out their window.



He stared at the car that was steadily growing smaller. Someone needed anger management...



Sirius was utterly lost. He continued to wander down the street. He came to a set of stairs that descended down into the ground.



He looked up and saw a sign. “Underground. Mill Hill East.”



Suddenly, he remembered the day Prongs and Lily had taken him for his first tube ride.



“You’ll love it, Padfoot. Lily-flower took me yesterday. It’s quite fun to look at the posters and things. And the people...”



Lily smacked James upside the head. “You really scared that little boy, James.”



“Yes...but it was still bloody hilarious ”



Sirius looked at the two lovebirds curiously. “What did Prongs here do then?”



“Nothing ” James looked up and whistled at the sky.



Lily smacked him again. “He told this little boy a story about a big, black ghost that takes children out of their beds and eats them at night.”



“If they’re bad.”



“You forgot to tell the little boy that. Poor kid, was sitting on his seat crying. His mother was not happy with you.”



“Which is why it’s lucky the tube had just stopped. Right?”



“Oh yes. Very. I thought she was going to strangle you right then and there. Other people were staring too ”



“Oh, the shame James Potter, how could you ” Sirius mimicked Lily in a high, shrill voice.



Lily smacked him. “Well, here we are. Oxford tube station.”



James was jumping up and down and Lily had to buy the tickets. Sirius stared at her in awe as she handled Muggle money, recieving three tickets in exchange for a couple pounds, one of which she handed to Sirius. Instructing him to put it into the slot on the turnstile.



He had had a blast that ride on the underground. It was...enlightening. Sirius had been awed over how well Muggles got on without magic. Him and James had had a blast, sitting and standing alternately. Getting off at random stations, and getting back on again after exploring the platforms. Lily thanked Merlin she had gotten them Day Passes.



“Why didn’t you take Muggle Studies, Sirius?”



“Did. Just...slept most classes. Only skimmed the book for OWLs. Sides, said nothing about subways in the book.”



Sirius remembered the day well. And now, he rummaged through his pockets, looking for enough to get him to central London. He found a couple crumpled notes from the time they had ridden the tube again, that time, just him and Prongs. Lily had refused to go.



He walked up to a tube map, looking for the station he was at.



“Where you going, Mister?”



“Central London.”



“Well, you’ll want to get on the Black line, south. Only direction it goes in from ‘ere. Then get off at Tottenham Court Road. You should be able to walk to wherever you’re going from there”



Sirius gave the man a nod, ‘Thanks.”



And he went to buy a ticket. “Erm...I’m going to Tottenham Court Road.”



“One way? Or-“



“Well, I’m going there...and not coming back here.”



The woman nodded and blew a large pink bubble with her gum.



“Ok. That’ll be 3 pounds please.”



Sirius handed her a crumpled five pound note. She handed him two coins in change. He shoved them into his pocket, took his ticket and went off to board the tube.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sirius knelt before the Dark Lord, Bellatrix and Lucius on either side of Voldemort’s throne. Sirius placed the glowing green map at the Dark Lord’s feet and bowed his head.



“Well done, Black. You have retrieved the objects I requested of you, but, can you stomach your next assignment?”



Bella laughed. “Him? He is a worthless blood traitor. Can’t stand to have blood on his hands.”



Sirius’ knees began to shake. What were they going to have him do?



“Now, Bella. He will do as I say. Or he and his loved ones will die. I’m sure he’ll be able to handle a bit of...blood.”



“What about El-“



“Bella ”



Bella bowed her head. “Sorry, My Lord.”



Sirius could not lift his eyes from the ground, he was a bit disoriented from the lack of sleep. Yet he knew he could not show fear to the Dark Lord. Especially when so many lives hung in the balance.



There was silence for a few moments. “Bella, kindly tell Black his new...assignment.”



“With pleasure, My Lord.”



Sirius shivered at his cousin’s cold tone, wondering what they were going to have him do. Surely they would not order him to kill someone...it was too early for that...right?



“Someone has insulted the Dark Lord, you see, by refusing to join him.”



Sirius’ blood ran cold. He had a bad feeling about this...



“And he has decided they need to be punished.”



Oh shit...

“You will go to their house tonight and kill them.”



Sirius blanched.



Bella laughed. “Do not worry, little cousin. We have ensured that no one will get in your way, but if they should, I would like to think you can take care of them. Yes?”



Sirius nodded slightly, not wishing to anger his psychopath of a cousin.



“Now, wouldn’t you like to know who you will be visiting?”



Sirius looked up at her, simply questioning with his eyes, not trusting himself to speak.



“You will be paying a visit to James Potter. I believe you are familiar with his home. Though him and his mudblood wife and son have gone into hiding-“



Suddenly, the doors to the room flew open and a short man stumbled inside. “My Lord, my Lord. I have done it, I have done it ”



Sirius gaped at the figure that had just run in. Peter...



“What have you done, Wormtail?” The Dark Lord asked with impatience.



“I have done it I am the Potters’ Secret Keeper.”



Sirius’ face went white as a paper.



“Well then cousin, your job should be significantly easier now.” Bella gave him a sickly sweet smile.



“Sirius? What are you doing here?”



“Wormtail. You have fulfilled your duty. Now, write down the Potters’ place of residence, and leave.” Peter handed the Dark Lord a piece of parchment and clumsily backed out of the room, glancing at Sirius nervously every now and again until the door was shut. All the while wondering. Was that really Sirius? Brave, arrogant, cocky Sirius?



Voldemort handed Sirius the parchment. “Let’s see what you can do then, Black.”



Sirius stuffed the parchment into his robe pocket.



What Voldemort had asked him to do was now sinking in. James and Lily. He had to kill James and Lily.



He quickly left before someone sensed his fear and hesitation.



How could he kill his best friend?



”We’ll always be friends, right Sirius?”



“Of course we will James. Of course we will.”



He slumped against the stone wall of the hall way. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he killed his best friend. For he was still his best friend.



Sirius saw a figure limping down the hall away from him. It was a woman. Her hair looked familiar.

“Elizabeth?”



She whipped around and put a finger to her lips, glancing apprehensively at the door Sirius had just come out of. A few moments later she sighed in relief and gestured for him to come over to her.



“What happened to you?” He put his hands on her shoulders, gently.



“What usually happens to those who disobey the Dark Lord, Sirius,” she whispered hoarsely, her throat parched.



He reached into his pocket and handed her a flask with a few sips of water left in it, and looked at her with sadness in his eyes. “Torture?”



She just looked at him.



“Why?”



“Because, I refused to attack you on the island.”



“So the green blob was supposed to attack me?”



“If told to, yes.”



He stared at her. She was avoiding his gaze. “Why? Why didn’t you tell it to then?”



She looked up at him through her curtain of curly black hair. “Because- I love you.”



He hugged her to him, holding her close. They stood there, sharing their pain- the pain that coursed through their veins, the sadness for what they had become.



She whispered into his chest, “I heard them discussing your assignment.” She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “What are you going to do?”



He sighed. “I can’t kill James- or Lily.”

“I know. So what will you do?”



He shrugged. “I don’t know.”



Suddenly, she gasped in pain. One of her wounds had opened and blood was now soaking her already blood soaked robes. Elizabeth collapsed into his arms, and he lifted her up. “Where is your room?”



Elizabeth pointed down the hall and he carried her. She gave him directions as he walked along.



Sirius looked down at her and whispered softly, “So you are a Death Eater.”



She whispered back, her eyes closed, “Yes. He said he was going to kill you, Sirius. You and Lily and James and Harry. He locked me in a room and gave me seven days to decide. Oh. The things I saw...”



Tears began coursing down her cheeks, mingling with the dirt and blood already upon them.



They had reached her room and he nudged open the door with his foot and placed her down on the bed, softly wiping away her tears. He lay next to her, holding her gently. “Shhh.”



He rubbed her back as she wept her tears of pain. “And now, he has you too.”



He sighed. “He has his ways, doesn’t he?”



She simply sniffled. They lay there for a while, and Elizabeth eventually drifted off to sleep. Sirius sighed again, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and got up off the bed, the springs groaning at the shift of weight. He turned to see if Lizzie had stirred, thankfully, she had not.



He walked over to the door and opened it softly; he turned once more before leaving, wanting one last look at her angelic face. “I love you, Elizabeth. I love you.”



He looked at her sleeping form, contemplating. “And I understand. I understand, and I forgive you. I only hope you can forgive me...”



And with that, he left her and glanced at the now crumpled piece of parchment. Godric’s Hollow.



He knew the place. Sirius closed his eyes and Apparated.



Sirius landed in front of an empty lot. He stared at the space for a bit and slowly, a well kept, white washed house with a white picket fence appeared. He looked up at the sky; the sun was setting, turning the sky blood red.



He hurried through the white gate, striding up the porch with great purpose and knocking on the green door. He heard a crash, a wail, frantic whispers and running feet. Then he saw a nervous hazel eye peeking out at him.

“What did you do in your seventh year to Elizabeth that made her so angry she wouldn’t speak to you for a week? And no one but us Marauders and Lily knew why?”



Sirius gave the eye an odd look and responded, “For a dare, I gave her the choice to either kiss Snivellus or go skinny-dipping with me.”



Sirius saw James sag with relief and open the door.



James pulled Sirius in for a hug, Sirius tensed. “What’s wrong, mate?”



Sirius looked at James with wide-eyes. A worried look took over James’ visage. “Oh no...What happened? Is it Elizabeth? Peter? Lily? Wait no...Lily’s upstairs...”



Sirius pushed James into the house. “Are you mad?”



“What?”



“Someone could have seen you.” Sirius hissed.



“Oh.”



“James!”



“Yes, Lily?”



“Who was it?”



“It was Sirius, love!”



Sirius heard footsteps on the stairs and then Lily Potter came into view carrying one-year-old Harry.



Lily took one look at Sirius’ face and asked, worry creeping into her voice. “What happened?”



“P-P-P-Pet-Pete-“ Sirius stuttered, glancing out the windows. No one was there.



“What did Peter do, Padfoot?”



“Voldemort. Voldemort,” was Sirius’ response, finding he was suddenly unable to speak of his assignment. Damn Voldemort and his spells.



“He-He told Voldemort?”



Sirius nodded vigorously. Lily looked at James, a look of pure panic on her face.



“What are we going to do? Oh, James. Harry What are we going to do?”



James put his hands on Lily’s shoulders, “Stay calm, Lily. Stay calm.”



He planted a kiss on her forehead, oddly calm, and hugged her and Harry, who was still in her arms, tightly.



Sirius looked at the family, feeling oddly out of place, something tugging at his heart. This is what he could have had...



Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door and a bright flash of red light.



“Take Harry and run! Run, Lily! Save Harry, and yourself.”



Lily began crying and held onto Harry tightly. “No, James. No! I can’t leave you!”



“Lily, think of Harry. He’s only one! Save him, give him a life to live.”



“James...”



He planted a kiss on her forehead.



There was another bang, the whole house shook, things fell and broke.



He hugged her once more and pushed her away towards the stairs. “GO!”



Yet another bang resounded through the house, the door flying off its hinges. James pulled out his wand, ready to face his foe. “Lily, go!”



Sirius stood rooted to the spot, speechless, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.



Lily took one last look at her husband. “I love you, James.”



And she fled towards the stairs just as Voldemort strode into the room they were in. “Well, well, well, Black. You are a weaker follower than I thought.”



James looked at Sirius incredulously, a sudden mask of hatred coming over his face.. “James, James. Please. I had no choice.”



The tears now flowing over the rims of his eyes.



“No choice? You should have died You had that choice!”



Sirius looked down at the ground and collapsed to his knees, and whispered. “He had her.”



James looked at him. “Who?”



“Elizabeth.” Sirius brought a hand to his face. “He had his wand at her throat. He was going to kill her. He had already tortured her, there was nothing to stop him from killing her.”



Voldemort laughed. “Yes. You see, it seems I outsmarted you, Black.”



James looked from one to the other, his friend and his foe, confused.



“You see, Potter, your sister is also a loyal follower of mine. She joined me but a month ago.”



Sirius’ eyes went wide. That long...



James’ mouth went slack. “No...no...NO!”



He punched the wall, tears sprung from his eyes. “What did you do to her!”



Voldemort just laughed. Sirius answered for him, “Voldemort said he would kill you, Lily, Harry, and me if she didn’t join. He had her locked in a room for seven days.”



Suddenly a voice cut in, “A dark, dank, and cold one at that!”



“Ah, my loyal servant ” Voldemort twirled his wand in his hands. “How nice of you to join me.”



Elizabeth scoffed, “I am no servant of yours.”



“The mark on your arm says otherwise.”



She gripped her forearm as Voldemort laughed. A loud crack was heard throughout the house. James breathed a sigh of relief. Lily and Harry were safe.



Voldemort looked furious. “Well, at least I can get you!”



He raised his wand and pointed it at James. “Now, Black, you get to see him die anyway.”



Voldemort laughed and yelled, “Avada Kedavra! ”



Sirius jumped in front of James only to be knocked aside by someone. When the dust fell, he saw James gripping the wall to stand, and he looked to the floor and saw Elizabeth, her gaunt, still bloodstained face held a soft smile. He let out a wail of pain and sadness. He whipped around. Voldemort was gone.



Sirius slammed his fist into the ground, tears flowing freely from his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, James too had tears in his eyes.



He looked away from the eyes of his friend and gripped Elizabeth’s shoulders. Shaking them, he softly whispered, “Wake up. Wake up. Oh, please, wake up!”



‘Sirius, mate, she’s gone. She won’t-“ He choked up and could go no further. He gripped Sirius’ shoulder and whispered, “Come on, mate. We should get to Order Headquarters and tell Dumbledore.”

Sirius slowly got up off the floor and nodded. He allowed James to Apparate him to Headquarters. There, Dumbledore heard the story of what happened, and, teary eyed said, “This is why we fight Voldemort. So that we may all live in peace and calm once more, free of the fear, pain and suffering brought upon the Wizarding World by Voldemort. And we shall continue this fight!”



There were resounding cheers throughout the meeting hall. Sirius stayed silent, as did James, Lily and Harry, who was asleep.



Sirius sat remembering, thinking over what had happened. These past few weeks? Or was it months? He had made mistakes, sorely misjudging many things. He now knew that he should have listened to Elizabeth when she pleaded with him. And now, she was gone. It was all his fault. He slammed a fist down on the table, lucky that while he was thinking everyone except James, Lily, Harry and Dumbledore had departed.



He slouched down in his seat, breaking out into uncontrollable sobs. James patted his back beginning to cry along with him, which got Lily started. The three friends sat and cried as their former mentor stood before them, tears gracing his own eyes seeing the pain and suffering they had to go through.



“Mate, it’s not your fault...”



Sirius simply shook his head, silently saying the topic was not up for discussion. Silently vowing that he would avenge Elizabeth’s death, and that her sacrifice would not be in vain. Vowing to always remember these days he would soon come to remember as his dance with death.