Chapter 45: Interlude – Sirius’s adventure Pt. 1

NEW POV*

Walking down the halls of his family's ancestral home, Sirius wondered to himself for the hundredth time what he was doing. He had no love for this place. It held too many bad memories and too few good ones.

But he had to do what he must so that he could survive and, most importantly, his godson as well.

Remembering that little bugger, a smile split his face; who would have expected that he would one day be responsible for a kid. He sure as hell didn't, and he never knew that it would be so fun.

It was like having James around at times!

Shaking his head, he got rid of that thought. Harry was his own person, he might be similar to James, but there were also times he resembled Lily at times.

Nevertheless, if he wanted both of them to come out of this war alive, he had to do this.

Taking a turn in the dark, gloomy hallway, Sirius ran into his family's miserable house-elf. Seeing how suspicious the house-elf was acting, he narrowed his eyes at it and asked, "Kreacher, what are you up to?"

Muttering under his breath, the thing bowed its head to him in respect, and answered back, "Nothing, Master B-black."

Taking a second glance at it, Sirius really wondered for the dozenth time what that little punk did to get this wretched thing this obedient. He really worked some magic on the thing for it to give him an ounce of respect.

"Carry on then," Sirius said, then added in a growl, "and I better not see you getting up to your antics."

"Yes, Master," the beastly thing rasped, and it was on its way with its back hunched as usual. For a moment there, Sirius could have sworn he saw a necklace around its neck, but he waved it off since there was no one that could have given it accessories without risking its release.

Continuing on his way, Sirius reached the wall way with countless portraits of Black family members of old. He remembered the few times he had come here as his mother went on and on about all the great Blacks, and he always found it arduous.

Arrogant men and women lined the hallway, cruel in nature with hearts as black as their surnames, and with a mean, nasty streak as wide. All of them looked at him with a varying degree of disappointment, and dislike as if he had failed the family for being so weak and soft.

Finally, he reached the portrait he came here to visit. "Hello, mother," Sirius greeted the living portrait of Walburga Black, the last Matriarch of the House. It has been a decade or two since he has last seen her, and it seems like she went spiraling downward. The once pristine slender woman who held such might and power was now a podgy crazed mess of an old woman.

It appears that she went mad in her latter year with the death of all her family members. Sirius might have found it pitying long ago, and his heart might have ached for her, but now there was none of that anymore as all love and feeling left for her long ago.

"What are you doing here, BLOOD-TRAITOR!!!" the woman shouted once she saw him.

Grinning up at her, Sirius replied in a mocking answer, "Well, I came to greet my mother, of course. What kind of son would I be if I didn't come by to say hi?"

"You are no son of mine," the woman growled like a dog ready to bite and tear of his face. "I disowned you a long time ago, now get out of my sight."

"Come, come," Sirius said, still in his jovial mood like he did not hear the clear revile in her tone. "I am the last remaining Black, mother! Do you really want to kick me out, and have this family all but cease to exist and be forgotten in the streams of time?"

"YES," the woman answered as she had a glowing maddening look in her eyes, "I rather have that than see you lead this family. You are weak and pathetic and would drag our family name in time. I would NOT have that, ever!"

"Alright," Sirius said with a shrug, "if that is how you feel, then I best be going on my way." With that, he made to leave before one of the portraits shouted.

"ENOUGH of this Walburga!"

"Hey, great-great-grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black," Sirius waved at the man who used to be the past Headmaster of Hogwarts.

Ignoring him, the black-haired man's eyes were only on the old Matriarch, daring her to say anything.

From on the left, a woman sniffed out loud and asked her descendant, "Do you wish the Malfoys to take over the family."

"Hey, Aunt Elladora," Sirius greeted the woman who began the family tradition of beheading house-elves.

However, he was once again ignored as the other Blacks took up the chant of, "There is no way I am letting those upstarts take over."

"Yea," someone else agreed, "how did we even mix blood with those bootlickers?"

"It was Walburga's mistake to allow a daughter of the Black family to marry that ingrate!"

"That is enough from all of you," a dignified man shouted over all the noise.

"Hey, grandpa," Sirius greeted the man.

"Hello, to you, grandson," the man answered with a soft smile. Then turning back to his daughter, he growled, "Sirius is still the heir and can become Lord anytime he wishes. From old head to new head, you can respectfully give him your blessing, but it doesn't matter if you don't. A son of house Black will lead this family, no matter what you think or feel, daughter."

Giving her father, Arcturus Black, a narrowed glare, the woman finally turned back to her son with a sour look in her face and uttered. "I give you my blessing!"

"Thank you," Sirius bowed.

Before he could move on, the insufferable woman whispered, "It should have been you!"

Stiffening for a moment, Sirius looked up at her with blank eyes and stated, "Regulus would have been here, mother, leading this family as you so wished, if you didn't push him to that mad man."

Turning from her, he looked at the room at large and declared, "Now, let's get everything back into running order!"

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"Hey Lupin," Sirius bellowed out as he walked into the living room where the werewolf was having a smoke on a pipe while reading the daily newspaper.

Rolling up his newspaper, the man looked up at his best friend and in a bit of an annoying voice asked, "What is it? Can't you see I am reading the newspaper!"

"Forget that," Sirius said as he waved that off, "I need you to come with me."

"And where do you want to take me?" the werewolf asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, don't sound like that," Sirius said in a grumble.

"Don't sound like what?" the browned hair man asked.

"Like that," Sirius pointed off, "It is like I am leading you to your doom."

"Well, to be honest, if you and James haven't led me from one bad situation to another, I guess I won't have sounded like this."

"Come on," Sirius said as he gave his mate a pat on the back, "We will be in and out just like that."

"When have I ever heard you say that before?" the mustached man asked no one in particular. "Oh, I remember, countless times," turning to look at his friend, he asked, "Anyways, where do you want to go?"

"To my family's properties," the old prisoner answered.

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"Are you sure you haven't been taken over by a doppelganger?" Lupin asked his friend as a concerned look crossed his face.

Giving him a blank look, he returned his question with one of his own. "If I was a shapeshifter pretending to be me, would I be sharing that particular fact?"

"No," the werewolf answered begrudgingly, "but this is so not you. What the hell are you even doing here."

Sighing, Sirius turned to his companion and simply answered, "I am doing this for Harry!"

Nodding his head, Lupin said nothing more on the subject and followed his friend until they finally reached the first property along their journey, the Black Estate.

The hold was on top of a hill that overlooked the ocean, dark currents beat against the craggy cliff walls with dark, dead trees taking up the surrounding of the hill side. The structure was made of dark grey stones that left a shadow across the land and it looked as if it would devour you whole.

All in all, the place was indistinguishable from a haunted house where ghosts and ghouls would have made it their home.

All Sirius could do was shake his head, his family was always a melodrama for the dark and foreboding.

Just as they came out of the clearing and were about to go up the slight rise, Lupin held out his hand calling a halt to their steps.

"What wrong?" Sirius asked his friend.

Ignoring him for a short moment, the man went on sniffing the air like a dog who caught a scent, "I smell humans," he growled as his eyes glowed a sickly yellow shade.

"What, but how?" Sirius asked, "that has to be impossible! My grandfather made it clear that this place was abandoned."

"Well, your info is incorrect," Lupin stated, "I smell- sniff, sniff- 17, 18, 19, 20 men just in the surrounding area, more have to be inside as well."

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"Fucking shit," the dog animagus cursed. "Do you think that another family is moving on the Blacks?"

"It would seem so," Lupin said with a shrug, "but didn't you say your mother made sure to hide her passing from the outside world?"

"Yea," Sirius answered with a shrug, "she was always a conniving bitch," he muttered the last sentence to himself.

"Mmm, so whoever did this must be real ballsy to make a move this big against Walburga Black, or just plain stupid."

"Maybe," Sirius said as he rubbed at his chin, "they have inside information she died and now are trying to pick at all the lands and wealth left by a now extinct family."

"Yea, but who would have that sort of insider information?" Lupin asked his mate.

"Well if we just stand here all day we will never find out," Sirius answered. "Come on. I know a secret path into the estate."

Nodding, the werewolf followed behind as the Black family head leading him down a winding road. Before long, they came up to a secret door, hidden by leaves and tigs. Prying it open they soon entered into the estate.

Walking down the dark halls, they made sure to silently avoid all the invaders until they finally reached one of the side towers. From there, they had the perfect view of the lay of the land.

"Look," the werewolf said as he was first to spot one of the invaders off in the distance.

"I don't have you enchanted werewolf senses," Sirius grumbled, "tell me what you see!"

"It seems like we have soldiers here," Lupin answered as his eyes glowed a sickly yellow once again.

"From whose house?" Sirius asked as he tried to make out what his friend was seeing.

"It is the Malfoy's men," Lupin answered, "I know that green and black colors from anywhere with that big M."

"So they couldn't wait until I croaked, huh?" Sirius mused out loud as his eyes narrowed into slits.

"It seems so," his friend agreed.

"Mmm, it must have been Cissy, who let them in then," Sirius inferred, "or else there would have been no way that they could have gotten in without being torn to pieces by the gargoyles," he said as he pointed to the gruesome statues that lined the perches. "Or whatever nasties my family keeps around to hold off invaders," he added as an afterthought, knowing better that this would have been all his family would have had on hand.

"Why would your mother allow her to be keyed into the family wards after she was married off?" Lupin asked as confusion was written all over his face.

Snorting out loud, the wizard simply answered, "She was always the apple of my mother's eye. The perfect mix of her two sisters, with Bell's cruelty and Dromeda's brain in equal mix."

"Well, that worked out perfectly," Lupin joked.

"That doesn't matter now. We need to kick them out," Sirius declared.

"And how would that pan out?" the werewolf asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty badly for them," the animagus answered as he gestured to the invading soldier's direction with a growl.

"No, not that," Lupin said with a shake of his head, "I mean they are going to find out your active around these parts and are aiming to get your family's assets in order."

"So what?" Sirius barked out, letting his anger get the best of him, "I just let them roll into town and take everything?!"

"Yea," the werewolf simply answered, "if the Malfoys know you are around they would gladly send some men after you to take care of you, and then there would be nothing at all stopping them from taking over your family."

Grumbling under his breath, the wizard knew his friend was right but to just allow them to do this galled.

"Listen," Lupin said as he rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Once your name is cleared, you can go before the Wizengamot and expose this illegal occupation of your land."

"What you think that makes me happy?" Sirius asked out loud, but he was started to calm down and come around to his mate's view.

"Well," the werewolf said as he spread his arms wide, "this does give you clear justifiable Casus Belli!"

Smiling as a wolfish grin slowly spread across his face, Sirius barked out in a loud responding laugh, "Yes, yes it does, indeed!"

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In a smoke covered region where the ashes fell from the sky like rain, and rivers of lava ran across the earth. Two men suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"The Hunting Grounds should be right over there," Sirius stated as he pointed to caverns that lead deeper into the volcanos.

"Who the hell makes a sanctuary here?" the werewolf asked he cast a few fire protection spells on himself.

Doing the same as his companion, Sirius answered with a grin, "this is the perfect place for those mutts. Or else they would have run wild on the countryside."

Shaking his head, they continued on their way until they reached a ruined castle, the place was made of dark brimstone and it looked to have stood there for centuries on end.

Walking with, they passed the ruined rubble until they came to a large elegant tunnel that had decorations of dogs in savage poses. Without stopping they entered the dark foreboding gap and at their passing dark red wizard lights came on.

Inside there were more paints on the wall of different canines and they looked to be near to life, as if they would jump out at any moment and chomp down on them.

Suddenly they were caught unaware as they turned a corner and came face to face with a soldier who was dressed in green and blacks with a crest of two-winged serpents and a large M.

"Hey!" the family man-at-arms shouted as he pointed his wand at them, "who are you?"

Before the man could even say another word or react at all, two wands were upon him and then he dropped like a fly.

Coming over to him and bending down to study him, Sirius looked up to face his friend and asked, "How did you not catch a whiff of him."

"Blame this sulfur stench," the werewolf answered, "is that a Malfoy man?"

"Yep," the black family head answered as he began to drag the body away and hide it in an alcove.

"We got to get out of here then," Lupin stated as he made to leave.

"No," Sirius stated with a shake of his head, "I can not let them get their hands on any of the dogs."

"Did you not hear any of the stuff I said before?" the werewolf nearly shouted. "It is like it goes in one ear and comes out the other."

"I did," Sirius answered, "but if I do not do anything and these pansy snakes get their hands on any of the magical beasts, then a very bad situation will become a lot more worse."

"If you do this," Lupin said, "then you are alerting the Malfoys that you are here, and they might just go to the Ministry with this fact, and they will put you as the top priority. You can kiss it goodbye sneaking about in the country, rebuilding your family, and even raising Harry anymore."

"I know," Sirius said, "but hear me out for a moment."

Seeing that foolhardy look on his best mate's face, Lupin could already tell that he was in for a very crazy plan.

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With the howls of a werewolf behind him and the terrified screams of countless men, Sirius ran deeper into the cavers. Already he could see gleaming eyes staring at him from the alcove and deep niches of the tunnels.

Sirius knew that his best mate could not hold a whole army back and distract them all day. Sooner or later, the Malfoy soldiers would reorganize and overwhelm the werewolf. Thus time was of the essence.

Without stopping or daring to look back, Sirius finally knew he reached the correct place as he saw mammoth-sized three-headed dogs napping about.

The only word to describe them was terrifying as their paws looked like they could rake mountains, and their jaws could chew trains. These were his family's ultimate weapons, Cerberus.

Picking his was carefully and making sure to not step on any tails or paws, Sirius had no idea how these creatures would react to him after he was apart from them for decades on end.

So it was best to be careful than to be sorry later; there was no way he was taking his chances with magical beasts that could squish him overhead with only one stomp. Making sure to tread lightly, Sirius had his eyes set on only one figure, the motherload of it all, one Cerberus that was nearly the size of a mountain that dozed off in the center of the chamber.

However just as he was halfway there one of the Cerberus stirred.

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Cerberus: https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/gate-hell-guardians-were-used-ward-people-deadly-cave-009225

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