Chapter Fifty Five: Basement
Sirius still didn't trust Robbie as much as he would like to. Nevertheless, he was grateful for his help, for he was almost a hundred percent certain that if he wasn't there to stop him, he would've waltzed straight into Godric's Hollow and handed himself over to the death eaters, possibly getting killed in the process.
When they returned to Elizabeth's home, Robbie forced him to sit down and think. He made it clear that he wouldn't do anything without careful planning, and although Sirius didn't like the idea, he was at least glad that he was agreeing to help him. Nathan and Marlene would definitely have asked him to wait for Dumbledore's orders.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. His friends would have woken up by now. Should he let them know that he has, in fact, not died? Maybe it would be a good idea. He wouldn't want them to go over and tell Dumbledore that he was missing.
He reached inside his shirt and pulled out the silver pendant. After a second's thought, he wrote that he has simply gone for a walk and that he would be back by afternoon. He told them not to worry and sent the message.
"What is that?"
It was Anastasia, who has snuck into the kitchen without him noticing. She placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.
"We use it to send messages to others," he answered.
"Oh, Robbie has one like that too. But his is a ring rather than a necklace."
Sirius hummed absently in response, cutting up a slice of the pancakes. He felt bad eating pancakes when his friends were hiding in the warehouse, alone and hungry. But his current anger towards them kept him from feeling any sort of guilt. He knew the guilt would hit him afterwards, when his anger would subside, but right now, he tried not to thinking about his friends.
"Do you love my sister?"
The question came suddenly, taking him aback. He gazed at the fifteen year old girl thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Love is a strong word. We don't know each other for very long."
"She really likes you," said Anastasia. "She told me how brave and reckless you are, and I think she likes that about you."
Sirius didn't get the feeling he would have expected from a comment like that. He was suddenly filled with immense guilt. Did he really like Elizabeth? He remembered all the nights he has cuddled with Remus in bed, all the kisses they have shared. He definitely liked Elizabeth; he liked her company, he liked talking to her, kissing her, but he did not feel the amount of attraction towards her as he felt towards Remus. His feelings towards him were as strong as they used to be, maybe even stronger, and Sirius was, all of a sudden, grasped with the terrible realisation that he was being an arsehole and merely using Elizabeth to try to forget Remus.
Anastasia continue to talk to him, but he barely heard her. He swallowed his slices of pancakes quickly and shot to his feet, depositing the plate on the sink. He gripped the kitchen counter with his fingers, so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Are you okay, Sirius?"
It was Elizabeth. He looked at her, feeling an odd sense of misery. She was a muggle, and yet wasn't untouched by the war. She wasn't fighting directly in it, but she was playing a role that was not insignificant – feeding and offering shelter to the soldiers. It may not seem like much, but Sirius knew the importance of emergency supplies during the war, and he was sure that by feeding the soldiers, she and the other muggles that she has mentioned, were significantly increasing their chances of fighting back against Voldemort's forces.
He felt an immense amount of respect for her. She had absolutely no reason to help Robbie, and yet, she has chosen to do it, thereby putting her and her sister's life at risk. It was a form of bravery that he wasn't sure he possessed.
"Yes," he answered. "I'm okay."
"I hope your mission is successful," she offered a smile.
Without answering her, he pulled her into his arms and embraced her. Anastasia wasn't in the kitchen now, and he thought it was the best time to confess to Elizabeth that he has been using her all along, that he has been cheating on her, that she didn't deserve a person like him.
But he remained silent.
He may be a Gryffindor, he may be brave and reckless, he may have the courage to run into a swarm of death eaters defenseless, but he still did not have the courage to admit his own faults.
So when he and Robbie left the house an hour later and Elizabeth smiled at him in goodbye, he couldn't return the smile.
Sirius gripped Robbie's arm when they were away from any sort of crowd. Then he closed his eyes and disapparated.
They came upon a very familiar street – at least familiar to Sirius. He quickly pulled him into a side street so as to remain inconspicuous. They couldn't afford to reveal themselves, not when they were taking such a huge risk with little planning and with a large chance of failure. Tiptoeing, they reached a corner of the street and crouched into the shadows, waiting for their signal.
It came only about five minutes later. Robbie's communicating ring glowed a pale yellow, indicating that their partners in the mission have managed to create the distraction. They inched their way out of the street after placing a disillusionment charm on themselves. On the opposite side of the road, Sirius noticed a large building appearing when it wasn't there just a second before, pushing aside the number 11 and number 13 buildings on either side of it.
12 Grimmauld Place.
The house where he was born, where he grew up. The house he has run away from because it wasn't his home.
As they waited, a tumult of emotions ran across Sirius. 12 Grimmauld Place has never been his home; it was a prison, it suffocated him, gave him the scars he still had from the times Orion Black had caned or Crucio-ed him. When he had left the house all those years ago, he had not thought, even for a second, that he would be returning here. He thought he had left the house for good.
But the universe seemed to work in mysterious ways, for there he was, back at the house he has lived for fifteen years, but that he couldn't call his home.
The front door cracked open and emerged three people in black robes and wands out. They said something to each other and promptly disappeared with loud cracks that would have been heard by the entire street had they not been inside the muggle concealment charm. Sirius and Robbie waited a few minutes to see if anyone else would come out, but when the coast seemed clear enough, they crossed the road and reached the house.
12 Grimmauld Place.
Neither him nor Robbie was confident in their mission. They did not know where Remus was kept, so they had proceeded to eliminate the places which seemed unlikely. Most of the pureblood houses were eliminated quickly, for Sirius doubted families like the Malfoys or the Lestranges would be willing to keep a muggle in their basement. He had postulated that Remus was likely to have been imprisoned in 12 Grimmauld Place, for it was no longer inhabited by anyone. Moreover, if it was the death eaters' intention to draw Sirius into their trap using Remus as bait, then Grimmauld Place would be the place to go.
Robbie has asked him more than ten times already if he was aware that he was actively walking into a trap, but Sirius ignored him. He couldn't let such thoughts hold him back.
"Are you ready?" asked Robbie in a low whisper once they reached the door.
Sirius was about to say yes, but no words came out of his mouth. He wasn't ready. He could never be ready to enter Grimmauld Place.
But he forced out a yes anyway and opened the door.
If he were someone else, he wouldn't have been able to gain entry into the house. But he was a Black. As much as he hated to admit it, his roots were here, and the house recognised him. He only had to use a simple spell to unlock the door.
Sirius had prepared himself for all kinds of obstacles possible. He knew the charms Orion Black had casted on the house, and he knew that anyone else wouldn't be able to replace them. Much to his relief, he was able to walk through the charms simply because he was a Black, and when any obstacle halted them, he was able to remove it with a flick of his wand.
Robbie followed closely behind him, keeping an eye out for any unwanted company. They were still under the disillusionment charm, keeping them a step ahead, although it wasn't a very strong defense to keep them fully guarded. And indeed, as Sirius tiptoed through the dark and damp corridors, he heard footsteps in front of them, followed by a loud, "Who is there?"
It was only one person, Sirius thought with relief. He had hoped that when Robbie's friends attacked a death eater haunting place, they would draw the death eaters away from Grimmauld Place, leaving the house open for Sirius to explore. Since no one actually lived in this house, it was possible that the few death eaters who were there, maybe just for a day, would all rush to that location. Their plan has somewhat worked – three death eaters have left. Only one seemed to have stayed, but he didn't pose much of a threat to them.
The man slowly crept towards them, but they were still invisible. Sirius could've easily shot him with a spell, but first he had to ensure that there was no one else in the house. As the death eater did not call out to anyone, Sirius thought that perhaps he was alone.
"Revelio!" shouted the death eater, which instantly caused the disillusionment charm on them to drop. But he wasn't fast enough to process the arrival of the two intruders, for he was hit with the petrifying spell and was down on the floor in a second.
Sirius and Robbie stood with bated breath. Their voices should have been enough to draw more death eaters towards them, but when five minutes passed without much disturbance, Sirius was certain that 12 Grimmauld Place was now fully empty.
Except maybe for Remus.
He unfroze. As Robbie bound the death eater to ensure he wouldn't summon his friends, Sirius hastened across the corridors and finally found the set of stairs that led down to the basement. He halted when he reached the top of the stairs, almost causing Robbie to topple over him. He stared at the dark door at the bottom, which had a doorknob wrapped in a green snake. Either Remus was on the other side of the door, or they have risked their lives for nothing.
Sirius couldn't move.
"Sirius," Robbie whispered behind him, placing a comforting hand over his shoulder. "It's okay. Let's just go downstairs and see if your muggle friend is in there."
He nodded, but still he didn't move. Robbie slipped past him and went down the stairs, before he turned the doorknob. "It's not opening," he called out after a few tries. "I need you to perform your spell."
Sirius finally came to, and he followed Robbie to the door. He drew his wand and muttered a spell, which immediately caused the door to click open. But he didn't push it.
"What if he isn't in there?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. "What if we've just wasted our time? What if they have already killed him?"
"Sirius," said Robbie gently. "You cannot lose your calm now. If he isn't in there, we need to get out as fast as possible. If he is in there, well, we need to get out as fast as possible. We cannot waste time."
Sirius nodded and took a deep breath. Then he pushed the door open.
Near the opposite wall of the basement lay a figure covered in a pile of dirty clothes. Sirius cocked his head. The brown hair, the gangly figure, the long, thin arms – they could only belong to Remus. He was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he realised that Remus wasn't moving.
He rushed towards him and knelt down. Remus's face was caked with dirt, and his closed eyes seemed to have sunk into his skull. He was barely breathing.
"Remus?" he whispered, leaning towards him. He shook him gently. "Remus, please wake up. We need to leave."
Remus shivered and opened his eyes. Squinting, he looked at Sirius first, then at Robbie, who was staring at him as well. Remus ran his tongue over his dry lips, and muttered something. But his voice was soft and weak, hardly audible. "What did you say?" asked Sirius.
"You came," he repeated, a little louder.
Sirius wanted to weep. He cupped Remus's face with his hands and brought his face down towards his. Their foreheads touched, and his eyes fluttered shut. He was aware of Robbie's presence behind him, but right now, setting boundaries was the least of his worries.
Then all of a sudden, the sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs was heard, followed by a spell, then a painful cry from Robbie, who was shot across the basement towards the wall opposite. He crumpled to the floor and slimy green ropes snaked around his limbs, binding him.
Sirius reached towards his wand, which he had unconsciously dropped to the floor when trying to hold Remus, but a quick summoning spell pulled it away from him. He leapt to his feet, but something heavy slammed into him and he fell. A sharp crunching sound was hard as his ankle snapped, and he cried out helplessly, lying defenseless on the cold floor of the basement as a death eater in black robes slowly inched towards him.
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big shit
i was looking for basement gifs and they gave a bunch of creepy horror movie gifs and i freaked the fuck out