Racing With Destiny: Chapter 10
by Lisette
Legalese: See Chapter 1 for disclaimers and ratings.
"Life is an unrelenting comedy. Therein lies the tragedy of it."
-Dean Koontz-
As the fiery sun rose over the horizon, the grounds quickly became cloaked
beneath a cloud of cool mist, obscuring the smallest of details and bathing the
world in a muffling silence. Even though Harry only truly took the time to see the
world at this early hour a few times each month, when everyone else was still
asleep, it was one of his favorite times of day. With the world so still and silent,
he could almost forget the pain, fear, and regret that they all lived with and focus
on the peace that the world contained in its most innocent hour. Smiling softly,
he quietly closed the large doors of the castle behind him and made his way down
the steps of Hogwarts, his heavy black cloak drawn around his lean frame and his
trusty Firebolt casually leaning against his shoulder. Within hours the sun would
burn away the mist, but until then, Harry was going to enjoy every minute of it.
His footsteps muffled by the misty morning, Harry stilled as his feet met the
dewy, grassy grounds of Hogwarts. Lifting his broom from his shoulder, he quickly
mounted it and then kicked off into the morning air, the cool mist wetting his cheeks
and parting around his lean frame. Up until Dumbledore had closed the school,
Harry had maintained his seeker position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Despite
his added inches, he still remained the quickest on the broom, and the most agile
flyer that Hogwarts had seen in many a year. It was the one thing that he did right,
all on his own. It wasn't something that was attributed to his connection with
Voldemort, and nothing that he had learned on his own. It was nothing imagined or
exaggerated. It was just something that came naturally to him - something that was
all together his, thereby making it his greatest achievement. His greatest joy.
As the wind whipped his heavy robes around him, Harry directed his broom to
the edges of the magical boundary that protected them all. Slowing slightly, his sharp
eyes, trained from years of looking for the small, golden snitch, roved the borders,
searching as he always did come this time. However, when his eyes did alight on a
figure on the grounds below, it definitely wasn't the figure that he had been searching
for. Startled, Harry quickly dove down, alighting softly beside the strange girl from the
night before. She was curled into a small ball on the wet grass, face pale and streaked
with blood, her blonde hair pooled around her small shoulders. She looked dead. Paling,
he shifted his weight, bending towards her as a small twig cracked beneath his foot.
What happened next came so fast that Harry barely had time to register the fact that he
was now lying on the ground, a sharpened piece of wood scant centimeters above his
chest. Gasping, Harry lifted his wide green eyes to the wild eyes above him. Eyes that
slowly faded into recognition.
Confused, Buffy slowly lifted her head, her eyes taking in the misty grounds spread
before them, hints of the tall castle peeking out in the distance. She had been so sure
that she was in the Centre - so sure that she had somehow been brought back. She
heard a sound and was jolted from her sleep, only to realize that she was cold, sore,
stiff, and definitely not lying on Giles' couch. She had thought that she had been back
and had reacted in that instant with a ferocity that frightened her.
"Buffy?"
Startled from her thoughts, Buffy looked down and into the pale, frightened face of
one Mr. Harry Potter - the guy that she was currently straddling with a stake poised inches
above his heart. Flushing, Buffy dropped the stake and clambered to her feet, reaching
down to seize his hand and pull him up beside her. "Didn't anyone ever tell you how
dangerous it is to sneak up on dangerous magical creatures?" she asked crossly, scowling up into his pale face.
"Nope, never did learn that one," he retorted, his eyes taking in her
mussed hair and gently reaching forward to pull a twig from her tangled masses.
"However, I will make a point to remember it from now on," he added, his
eyes skipping down to the forgotten weapon as she slowly bent to retrieve the stake,
grimacing at the movement. Concerned, Harry's eyes drifted over her, noticing the dark
stains that covered her clothing - especially the stains that looked suspiciously like a vast
amount of blood on the front of her jean jumper. "You're hurt!" he exclaimed,
his face paling even further as he realized just how much of the blood had to be hers.
As though remembering the wound for the first time herself, Buffy looked down at her
stained clothing. "Must not have been that bad - didn't even bleed to death,"
she quipped as she unhooked one strap and lowered the jean bib, wincing at how her
once bright white shirt was now stained red. Slowly she lifted the hem of her top, hissing as it pulled at dried blood.
Paling even further, Harry lifted one hand and gently traced his finger above a long gash
that started on one side of her frame and trailed all the way over to the other, dry blood crusted
over top. "We need to get you to the infirmary," he murmured as Buffy absently batted his hand away.
"No hospitals," she protested, her tone sharper than she had intended as
Harry met her gaze quizzically. Flushing, she quickly readjusted her clothing. "Besides,
it's already almost healed," she added, her eyes focusing on her clumsy attempts to reclasp the snap of her overalls.
Frowning, Harry stepped back, his eyes taking in her pale skin. She had been so tanned
the night before. "You must be frozen," he finally said, his green eyes conveying
his worry. "How long have you been out here?"
"Long enough," Buffy returned with a small shrug, turning away from the young
wizard and moving back towards the woods that had nearly claimed her the night before. She
would have to be more careful tonight - more watchful and aware.
"What were you doing out there?" Harry continued, following behind her, his
eyes tracing over her slight form. "And why don't you have a cloak?"
"I did," she replied, finally stilling as she stepped over the invisible barrier protecting
Hogwarts and into the Forbidden Forest, "but he needed it more," she added as she pointed
to another form lying prone on the ground, just outside the barrier a few feet away.
Freezing, Harry followed Buffy's hand and felt his breath catch in his throat as he recognized
the gray head poking out from beneath a heavy, black cloak. "Remus!" he cried, his
voice strangled as he quickly forgot every rule that was laid down for him, bolting across the barrier
without another thought as he fell to his knees at his professor's side.
"You know this guy?" Buffy asked, her nose crinkling as she stilled beside the two,
her eyes taking in the man's weathered features. She had been right about the wolf being older
than Oz - the guy looking around Giles' age with hard lines cut into his face and a peppering of thick
gray hair. Thank God she gave up her cloak to him. Not the first thing that she'd want to see in the morning.
"This is Professor Remus Lupin - one of my guardians," Harry explained, his eyes frantically searching the man for injuries.
"And did you know that he's a werewolf?" she asked, a wry smile lifting her lips.
"Of course," he returned, his gaze finally lifting to meet hers. "That's why I'm
out here this early," he explained, gesturing to the still morning around them. "Ever
since Professor Snape disappeared, Professor Lupin has had no one to make his wolfsbane potion
and he's been forced to put himself in the Forbidden Forest on nights of the full moon. He can't cross the barrier while a wolf-"
"A lesson we learned the hard way," Buffy affirmed, wincing as she rubbed her still sore muscles.
Confused, Harry stared at the girl for a moment before continuing on. "It's safer this
way," he added with a small shrug. "And after the full moon I always come out here
to meet them and make sure he's alright," he finished, a small frown pulling at his lips as
his eyes returned to his friend. From all appearances, he simply appeared to be sleeping. "What did you do to him?"
Smiling innocently, Buffy lifted the gun that she had dropped the night before. "I used
a tranquilizer dart on him... well, two, actually," she admitted apologetically. "But he
didn't really leave me a lot of choice. He did try to eat me," she added, pouting slightly as
she crossed her arms defensively over her chest.
Relieved, Harry nodded distractedly before turning his eyes to the dark woods spread out
before them. "I just don't understand," he murmured, shaking his head slowly.
"What on Earth happened to Sirius? He should have prevented-"
"Wait a sec," Buffy interrupted, green eyes narrowing slightly. "What does
any of this have to do with your godfather?" she asked, a feeling of unease beginning to filter through her veins.
"Sirius always follows Remus into the woods on the full moon," Harry explained
distractedly. "He keeps him in line."
Confused, Buffy's eyes followed Harry's into the dark woods. "Is that a wizard
thing?" she asked, her nose crinkling slightly. It wasn't as though she was new to
this whole werewolf deal. She had seen Oz, countless times, at his werewolf-y worst, and
as far as she could see, there was nothing anyone could do to keep a wolf in line save
drugging it or locking it up. Before he could answer, Buffy quickly pushed on. "Well, I
didn't see your godfather anywhere," she stated, despite the odd feeling that she
was getting - like perhaps she had done something really wrong, again. "Just the wolf
and a big, black dog.." she murmured, her voice trailing away as Harry's eyes snapped
to hers, his eyes growing wide. Sighing, Buffy felt her worst fears confirmed. Well, not worst.
Worst would be if Harry told her that his godfather somehow turned into a swamp-thing-like monster on nights of the full moon.
"Don't tell me that the pooch is-" she began, her voice trailing off as her
senses started going wild. Quickly she moved before Harry, placing herself as a shield
before him as she raised the dart gun before her - only to drop it to her side as aforementioned
pooch in human form stumbled out of the woods and towards them, a hand pressed against his
head. Sighing, Buffy closed her eyes and stepped to the side, feeling sheepish once again.
"Why me?" she mumbled as Harry quickly launched himself at his guardian.
As the teen began pummeling the older man with questions, Buffy looked down to the dart
gun that she held in her hands. Flushing, she quickly hid the weapon behind her back as the man's
assurances washed over her, his blue eyes finally lifting from his godson and locking on her.
"Listen, about last night," she began weakly as his blue eyes swept over, his face going
pale as he brushed past his godson and closed the distance between them in a few long strides.
"It was a-" she broke off as his hands wrapped around her upper arms, gripping her so
tightly that had she been anyone but the slayer, it probably would have hurt. "Hey, it was an
accident!" she protested as his eyes swept over her again. "Listen, I didn't know that
you could go all doggy!" she added as Harry flanked the older man, his green eyes showing his concern and confusion.
Ignoring her protests, Sirius finally found words for his fears as his blue eyes locked with hers.
"Did he hurt you? Were you bitten?" he asked, his voice cracking beneath his desperation
as his eyes locked on the unmistakable sight of dried blood that coated her skin and clothing. It was
as if his worst fears were coming to life, and Sirius felt himself being pushed beneath the heavy weight
of whatever verdict she would bring. If she had been bitten... if Remus had done the unthinkable...
Sirius knew that his friend wouldn't be able to live with the thought. It would destroy him and that, in
turn, would destroy whatever sanity Sirius had managed to retain after eleven years in Azkaban.
Confusion dying away, Buffy gently, but firmly pried Sirius' hands away and slowly stepped back.
"Once again, I'm fine," she said, her tone firm as she unconsciously crossed her arms
over the mess that was her clothing. "Besides," she added at his evident doubt, "it's
not like this was the first time I've taken down a werewolf. Trust me when I say that I've been playing
this game awhile." At her words, Sirius merely arched a thick black brow. "What?" Buffy
continued, her tone turning indignant. "You don't think we have werewolves on the Hellmouth?"
she asked, watching as he paled slightly at the mention of her hometown. Apparently, he'd heard of all the
fun that living on the mouth of Hell entailed. "Nah, we've got it all, plus some," she added,
enjoying herself immensely as she winked at Harry. "Plus, one of my good friends was bitten by his
werewolf-toddler-cousin a few years back."
Smiling slightly at the girl, Sirius decided to let it drop and instead returned his attention to the
red mess that she was literally caked with. "So what's with all the blood?" he asked, nodding at her stained garments.
Grimacing, Buffy turned her eyes to her wrecked clothing. "This," she muttered darkly,
"is living proof that I'm down by one outfit already." Sighing dramatically, Buffy ran her fingers
along the clean cut that cleaved the jean and shirt below, revealing her healing wound in all its grisly glory.
"While I've gotten quite good at getting blood and demon goo out of pretty much anything, that
slice is pretty irreparable," she continued, oblivious to the guys' amusement.
"Not completely," Harry returned with a small smile as he slipped his wand from his cloak.
"Reparo vestis," he said, waving his wand with a flourish and then flicking it slightly,
his eyes narrowed on her clothes.
Confused, Buffy followed Harry's gaze, her eyes widening as she noticed that not only was the rip
gone, but the stains were as well. Even the wrinkles from a cold night sleeping on the dewy grounds
were gone. The shirt and jeans looked as good as new. Better than new, actually. Grinning, Buffy turned
bright eyes to the lanky teen beside her. "Thanks!" she chirped, hands patting down the
unmarred material. "You know? That little trick of yours could have saved me a fortune in
clothes over the past four years!" she added as Sirius rolled his eyes at their antics.
"Well if you two are quite finished," he broke in, his eyes drifting down to take in his
unconscious friend, "we better get Remus back up to the castle and to Madam Pomfrey."
Pulling his own wand from his robes, he quickly cast a clothing charm before tossing the dark cloak
back to its owner. Then, with another flick of his wrist, and a mumbled mobilicorpus, he levitated
his friend and led the way back onto the Hogwarts' grounds and towards the castle which loomed in the distance.
Startled by the sight of the man floating beside Sirius, Buffy shrugged the sight away and wearily
began to follow. This place was weird, granted, but she had to admit that she'd probably seen weirder
over the past four years. She had been desensitized to weirdness. Nothing could really faze her - not
for long, anyway. "So who's Madam Pomfrey?" she asked, catching up to Harry and smiling
at the sight of the old-fashioned broom perched on his shoulder. She'd save that one for later.
"She's the mediwitch at Hogwarts," Harry explained as he followed his godfather. "A sort of nurse."
"Oh," Buffy mumbled as her eyes slipped back to Sirius. "But your friend doesn't
really need to go to the doctor," she offered as his blue eyes turned to her. Stumbling slightly at
his intense gaze, Buffy hurried on. If she was to be honest with herself, there was something in the
older man's gaze that threw her a little - something that looked so haunted. Maybe it threw her so much
because it was a look that she often saw in her own eyes. Shrugging the thought away, Buffy nodded at
the floating man beside her. "I only tranqued him."
"She used a tranquilizer dart," Harry quickly supplied, forestalling his godfather's confusion.
"It's a muggle type of sleeping potion," he explained as Buffy's startled green eyes turned to
him. Shrugging at her wide-eyed gaze, he ran a hand through his unruly black hair. "I was raised by
my aunt and uncle," he added as a frown twisted his lips. "The worst sort of muggles."
Grimacing slightly, Buffy faltered beside Harry as she slowly turned her eyes away. "I've probably
met worse," she muttered, almost too softly to hear as she forced herself to turn away from thoughts
of Lyle, Raines, and all of the 'muggles' that had done so much to her for so long. Sighing, she lifted her eyes,
only to find herself in the large foyer of the castle. Turning, she watched as Sirius floated Remus away, trying
and failing to hide her snicker at the amusing sight - a snicker that was quickly muffled by a large yawn.
"You look tired," Harry noted, frowning softly as he took in her haggard appearance. While he
had managed to help her make her clothes look as good as new, from everything that Percy and the others had
said the night before, there was no magic he could produce to reduce the dark bags under her eyes or return
the color to her pale skin. At least the blood on her abdomen was hidden.
"It was a productive night," Buffy returned nonchalantly as she moved towards a suit of armor
beside the door, the metal shining brightly. Sighing, she leaned forward and grimaced at her reflection. Giles
would have her hide if she returned looking as she did. Frowning, she began scrubbing at the blood that caked
her chin from her busted lip, almost completely healed now. What Harry had been too polite to say was that she really looked like crap.
"Here."
Surprised, Buffy looked down at the damp cloth that Harry was holding out to her. For a moment, she
thought to ask where in the heck he managed to come up with that, but instead just smiled gratefully and
used it to wipe away the rest of the evidence of her night's activities. No reason to have Giles go ballistic
quite yet - especially if she ever wanted to patrol solo again. He had never seemed to mind so much back in
Sunnydale, but that was when Faith was by her side. He didn't even have to say anything for Buffy to realize
just how much things had changed between them - how protective of her he had become.
"Listen, do you want to grab some breakfast before turning in?" Harry asked suddenly,
pulling Buffy from her thoughts as she finished smoothing her hair back into a semblance of order.
For a moment, Buffy considered turning down his invite, if for no other reason than the sound of a
nice, long soak in that ancient bath tub sounded even better - until her stomach gave its vote. Blushing
slightly at her tummy's rumblings, the small blonde shrugged her shoulders before smiling cheekily. "I
think that was my answer," she replied as Harry matched her grin and led her towards the open doors of the Great Hall.
Despite the early hour, the large room was as packed as it had been the night before, many families
dining together before those who were able to left for work. As the din of the breakfast hour encompassed
them, Buffy allowed her head to tilt back and take in the bright morning sunshine that filtered down through
the enchanted ceiling high above. She didn't think that she'd ever tire of that sight. Smiling slightly, she
followed in Harry's wake, grinning at the many looks that she was drawing, same as the night before, her
eyes drifting forward to take in their destination... and her Watcher who was busy glaring at her. Faltering
slightly, Buffy quickly pasted on a bright grin, steeling herself as Giles abandoned his seat to tower before her.
"Where have you been?" he hissed, his voice low and obviously attempting to be subtle - and very much so failing.
As Harry settled into an open spot between his two friends, Buffy felt every eye on the table lock on her
and her Watcher. "I couldn't sleep and went back to the Forbidden Forest for another patrol," she
replied, her voice steady as her green eyes met his. She tried to hide her frustration at the third degree,
reminding herself once again that he was only concerned about her. Then again, it was a little more difficult to
remember that when it was still too easy to remember the free reign he had always previously given her.
"All night?" he asked, taking in the clothes that she had been wearing the night before. Sighing,
he knew the answer to his question even as he asked it, his hand reaching out and his finger trailing lighting over
her lip. "That wasn't there before," he said, trying to remain calm as his eyes swept over her for evidence of further injury.
Brushing his hand away, Buffy forced a bright smile for her watcher. "I found one of those nasty
creatures you were talking about," she explained casually, purposely avoiding mention of her much
larger and more painful wound. The less he knew about the night before, the better, she figured, all the
while hoping that Harry would follow her cue and keep his mouth shut. "But hey, no worries,"
she added, turning her smile up a notch or two in a way that only she could manage. "I won, demon's
dead, and I even managed to find Harry's guardians for him," she added, grinning broadly at her version
of the previous night's events before purposely turning away and settling into a vacant seat.
Sighing, Giles shook his head, his eyes meeting with both Molly and Arthur Weasley who seemed to be
commiserating with his frustration. He supposed that they could relate - although he doubted that any of
their children could even compete with the troubles that his small slayer provided. The headaches and the
frustrations were astounding for one so small. Shaking his head, Giles settled beside his slayer, watching
as she dug into her food, seemingly oblivious to the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the table.
Seemingly being the key word.
Eyes locked on the plate before her, Buffy felt her face grow hot as she silently wished that Giles would
have held off the confrontation until later. She was going to have to see these people on a daily basis, and
she already felt like the new kid on the block. She didn't need her watcher adding to the embarrassment.
As though reading her mind, Ron quickly smiled and leaned forward, his eyes searching hers out. "I
think that it's wicked cool that you're a slayer!" he said, a large dimple appearing in each cheek as Hermione rolled her eyes.
Unable to resist returning his infectious smile, Buffy smirked at the tall redhead. "Well, it does
have its moments," she allowed as someone settled in the vacant seat beside her. "And the
Chosen One has such a better ring to it, doesn't it?" she added, forcing a bright smile as she ignored
the memories that the single title brought.
"Although it does seem to land me on the wrong side of you all too often," Sirius quipped
as he folded his long frame onto the bench beside the small blonde.
Grinning, Buffy lifted her fork to point it accusingly at the man beside her. "Well, if you'd quit
starting things then you'd stop ending up all bruised and unconscious!" she said, accidentally flinging
bits of eggs in his direction as Sirius flushed at her words, laughter ringing out around them - laughter that
faltered as Remus wandered over to the table, obviously distracted, and settled in the vacant seat beside Giles.
Amused, everyone at the table watched as the professor reached for his fork, faltering when he finally
became aware of the strangers sitting beside him. Startled, he quickly dropped the utensil and turned to the
older watcher, his confusion turning into a warm, welcoming smile. "I'm so sorry - my head isn't quite
straight this early, I'm afraid," he said as he held out his hand to the watcher. "Remus Lupin,"
he said by way of introduction as the two men shook hands.
"Rupert Giles," Giles returned with a small smile as the man then leaned across Giles to shake Buffy's hand.
"Buffy Summers," she added, blushing slightly. "And we've already met."
Confused, Remus looked at the girl, gray eyes taking in the green eyes, blonde hair, the slightly swollen
lip and the strange muggle clothing. She was American, he was sure of that. And he was also sure that he'd
never seen her before in his life. "We have?" he asked, his confusion evident.
Startled, Buffy turned wide eyes to the dark-haired man who was smirking beside her.
"You didn't-" she began, her question dying as Sirius smiled mischievously, quickly
leaning back to slap his friend on the back.
"Remus, why don't you tell our new friends what you do," he said, his smile innocent.
Confused, Remus shot his friend a suspicious look before turning back to the
man who sat beside him. He recognized his friend's look all too easily, and he quickly
wondered what he was setting himself up for. "I was the Professor of Defense
Against the Dark Arts until the school's closing," Remus returned, shrugging slightly.
"Since then I've stayed on to help Professor McGonagall to continue teaching the students that remain."
"The DADA professor?" Giles interrupted, his smile growing. "Well
it seems then that we have a lot in common," he stated, even as Buffy was busy
rolling her eyes dramatically beside him. Then again, perhaps she should be grateful -
if she was really lucky, Giles would be so distracted with this new find that she
would be free from scolding for just a bit longer.
"We do?" Remus queried, obviously growing more suspicious by the second.
"More than you could possibly know," Giles assured, his smile growing
at the man's confusion. "So tell me, what do you know of the methods for dispatching the red-tipped horning tail?"
Pausing on the threshold to the headmaster's office, Sirius took a moment to wipe the stupid
grin from his face and school his amusement from breakfast a few minutes before into something
far more appropriate. Defeat. Sighing wearily, Sirius felt his previous anxiety swarm back until the
sound of his blood rushing through his veins filled his ears. His task had been long, arduous, and
without question, extremely dangerous. And for all of the long weeks and months that he had been
forced to be away from Harry, it was all for naught - and that was the worst feeling of all.
Shaking away his thoughts, Sirius slowly reached forward and pushed the door open, knowing
that he had kept the beloved headmaster waiting long enough as it was. Lifting tired blue eyes, the
ex-prisoner allowed his gaze to drift around the unchanging office until they locked on the warm eyes
of Dumbledore, seated behind his desk with hands folded primly before him. "I'm sorry to have
kept you waiting," he offered, repeating his thoughts as he crossed the office in a few long strides
before folding his weary body into one of the plush chairs that faced the headmaster's desk, jumping
slightly as he noticed Arthur Weasley for the first time, sitting in the high backed chair beside him.
Offering a small smile to the older man, both shared a brief nod before turning their eyes back to the Headmaster.
"You had other matters to attend to," Dumbledore said, dismissing the other man's
words with a small wave of one pale, wrinkled hand. "It just does my heart good to see that
you have finally returned to us. You have been away far too long," he murmured, his usually
bright and twinkling eyes now shadowed beneath the oppressiveness of the great weight that they all shouldered.
"I ran into some... resistance upon my return," Sirius acknowledged, knowing that
he needn't explain further. In dark times such as these, the mention of the Death Eaters that had
been lying in wait for his return to their shores was hardly a surprise, nor even note-worthy. All that
mattered was that his many long years as one of the Marauders, schooling himself in mischief and
ways to avoid the angry hands of McGonnagal or Filch, had come to his aid once more as he had
miraculously avoided capture - and worse. He supposed that his relatively few years as an Auror
for the Ministry after his graduation from Hogwarts probably helped as well.
"I see," Dumbledore responded, his voice far too grave for such a powerful wizard.
One who had power such as he should never have to sound so resigned nor so weary of a world
that was once more being cast into darkness - all powerless to stop the onslaught. It didn't matter
if every single Death Eater was captured or killed, because until Voldemort himself fell, the darkness
would never leave their world. Voldemort was the glue that held the darkness together and until he
was eliminated, the threat would never be over. But this darkness wasn't something that a few
strong and brave people could fight and defeat - a fact that Sirius was only too well aware of.
"What did you learn?" Arthur asked, pushing other questions aside and focusing on
the matter that brought them to the office that morning. There were others that should have been
there as well, other key members of the Order of the Phoenix... but that morning, they were all that
could be gathered. The Order had been created by Dumbledore in the dark times during Voldemort's
first rise to power, taking on the Dark Lord when the Ministry was found lacking. It was a hard truth
to realize that the Order was needed once more, but a truth that none of their members were willing
to ignore - unlike some of the higher echelon of the Ministry of Magic.
"The French, Belgium, and German Ministries of Magic have refused to send aid," Sirius
responded grimly, getting straight to the point of the matter. "They have all stated that Voldemort
is our own problem and they refuse to involve themselves in a matter that they believe belongs solely to Great Britain."
"Then they're even blinder than Fudge had been," Dumbledore returned, his voice a
weary sigh as his shoulders slumped beneath the weight of Sirius' grave words. He would be lying if
he were to say that he had expected anything different, but such a hope couldn't have been ignored.
Someone had to try. "What they refuse to see is that once Voldemort has conquered our isle,
he'll soon turn his attentions to the magical communities that surround us. He won't stop until he rules
everything," he murmured, his voice growing soft as his blue eyes drifted until they locked on
Fawkes shining figure on the post beside his desk.
As a thick silence fell upon the room, Arthur turned tired eyes to the ex-auror beside him. Sirius had
been away from the castle for a long time and there was much that he had missed - much that he needed
to know. "The emissaries that were sent to the other ministries in Spain, Russia, and even Ireland
have all responded similarly. The emissary who was sent to Italy, Fitzhugh, never returned," he added, his voice low.
"Only the Americans, it seems, have shown an interest in our plight," Dumbledore added,
smiling wanly at the rueful expressions on both mens' faces.
"And that's only because it's in the Americans' nature to have a hand in everything that
happens in this world," Sirius added, smiling wryly at the thought of the new American that
even now had joined in their battle. A very young, blonde, and strong American.
"Nonetheless, they have stated that they will not directly aid us in our fight against Voldemort
unless the request comes through the official channels," Arthur added, grimacing slightly at his words.
"Which, seeing as how Voldemort already owns the ministry, isn't likely to happen,"
Sirius sighed, voicing all of their thoughts aloud as he wearily lifted one hand to rub at his aching
head. "And what of Hagrid and the giants?" he asked, turning back to his two comrades.
"We lost contact with Hagrid a few weeks back," Dumbledore responded, his face
becoming even longer as his gaze once more drifted to his trusted phoenix. "I am beginning
to fear the worst," he sighed, his eyes closing wearily before turning to the men that sat
before him. "We are indeed living in grave times," he murmured before a small smile
began tugging at the corners of his lips as he couldn't help but think of the small slip of a girl who
had occupied Sirius' seat just the night before. "Yet there is always hope to be found,"
he added, forcing his despair away and focusing on what he knew to be true.
"And while there's still hope to be had, I will continue to be in your service," Sirius
added, smiling softly despite the pain those words brought. His commitment to Dumbledore and
the Order of the Phoenix ran deep - a commitment that he had first made all of those years ago
when he, Remus, Peter, and James and Lily Potter had pledged to join the fight against the Dark
Lord. In the passing years he had lost two of his very best friends and was betrayed by a third -
a series of dark events that no one could have predicted, and events that had led him to a third
commitment that he had been unable to see to for far too long. And this commitment was the
one that he had to forsake every time Dumbledore needed him for one mission or another - and
that was the commitment that he had made to James and Lily when he became Harry's godfather.
"Is there anything else that I can do? Anyone else I can visit?" he asked, forcing himself
to say the words even as he could almost feel Harry's disappointment at his imminent
departure. Sadly, Sirius knew that Harry would understand and would make his sacrifice the same
that he made every sacrifice for their cause - quietly and without protest. And that acceptance was
almost harder to take than anything else, for Harry was used to being pushed to the side far too often.
As if reading his former student's mind, Dumbledore smiled softly and slowly shook his head.
"I think it best that you remain at the castle and rest. You have been away a long time and
I know that both Harry and Remus have missed you - especially Harry," he said, a twinkle
sparkling in his blue eyes. "It would do them both good if you remained here for awhile.
Besides," he added, his smile dimming, "something tells me that you'll be needed far
more at the castle in the coming months than anywhere else."
Continue to Chapter 11
