Stepping out of the horrid squeezing sensation of Apparition, Sirius continued through the gates and up the long drive leading to Hogwarts. As he walked, he thought back on the night before with Marlene. She really was a remarkable woman. Not only was she a talented witch, good with charms and hexes, but she was amazingly dexterous as well. A roguish grin graced Sirius features at that memory.
"Ah, Sirius. I'm so glad you could come so quickly, I've got another mission for you. Where's Marlene?" inquired the Headmaster as he looked behind Sirius. This task must be important for Dumbledore to meet him at the entrance of the castle.
"She's headed home, sir. She hasn't seen her parents for a couple days and decided to give them a visit. Did you need her here as well?"
"No, no, it's just strange to see you without her. On to business then, shall we?" Gesturing with his hand, Dumbledore began to lead Sirius into the castle, only to have the way blocked by an ethereal hare.
A sudden surge of panic raged throughout Sirius. He had seen this Patronus before. It was Marlene's.
"You have to hurry," the hare spoke in Marlene's husky alto. "My home has been attacked by Death Eaters."
Cursing the safety wards that surrounded the school, Sirius ran full tilt towards the iron gates, leaving Dumbledore grasping at thin air and attempting to call him back. Reaching the perimeter of the gates, he twisted into nothingness with only thoughts of Marlene swimming through his consciousness.
Arriving outside the small cottage that she shared with her parents, Sirius' reflection was cast into a green ambiance. Looking up, he fought the bile that filled his throat, swearing to himself that everything would be fine. She had to be alive. The gods wouldn't be so cruel as to take her away just when he had found her. The Dark Mark that hovered in the sky just above the cottage mocked him and any hope that he harboured of finding Marlene alive.
Carefully, he snuck up the front walk, on to the front porch, and stepped to the side of the door frame. He heard no movement inside, but just as he went to carefully nudge the door open, it exploded into bits.
"Dear brother, next time you might want to arrive with a little more stealth. We could have heard you Apparate from a block away," chided Regulus from the dark interior of the home.
Sirius still heard no movement nor could he see where his brother stood. The only thing that gave Sirius any idea of his location was his voice. He had to keep him talking.
"Ah, yes, Regulus, but I wanted you to hear your death coming. Tell me, how is our worthless mother?"
Sirius heard movement to the east of the door, in the direction of the sitting area, as someone ran into the coffee table. He heard his brother curse under his breath as he sent a jet of green light in Sirius direction. Ha, got you, Sirius thought triumphantly as he sent a Stunner back in the same direction. He rolled slightly to his left and the green light blasted into the side of the porch, missing Sirius by inches.
A cry of surprise and then the sound of someone falling limply to the floor signalled to Sirius that his spell had hit its mark. Bounding into the house, he finally heard muffled footsteps coming from above. Marlene had used the term Death Eaters in her message, plural. Sirius began to wonder who else lurked in the dark confines of the McKinnon home.
The streetlights from outside failed to pierce the dusky light of dawn well enough for Sirius to see. Slowly, agonisingly slowly, he made his way through the house towards the stairs. In the hallway, Sirius nearly lost his balance as his foot nudged something soft and pliable. Sirius closed his eyes tightly and reached a trembling hand towards the bulky item. His touch met with a woolly sweater, then what felt to be a tie, and finally a bearded chin. Marlene's father. Not Marlene. Sirius was sad for the loss, but also thankful that it was his beloved. Carefully, he stepped around the body and continued his trek to the stairs. Reaching the first step, he silently began to ascend to the second floor.
"Well, well. The mouse does have an appealing squeak, I must admit. She had much more fight in her than I expected, but I knocked that out of her fairly quickly."
"Travers," Sirius spat.
"None other," he replied, stepping into a beam of moonlight at the top of the stairs. A small cut on his lip still glistened with blood.
Emotions rose within Sirius: hate and fear twisting into a guttural scream as he pointed his wand towards Travers. "Crucio !" he cried as he advanced on his quarry.
The man doubled over in pain as the spell hit him squarely in the chest and Sirius hit him with a clenched right fist as he passed by him, sending Travers tumbling down the stairs. Throwing another stunner behind him for good measure, Sirius continued up the stairs and down the long hallway. Sliding with his back along the wall, he heard a whimper coming from the last bedroom on the left. Marlene's room.
Edging through the doorway carefully, he saw Marlene kneeling on the floor retching, her clothes in tatters around her. She looked up as Sirius entered, her right eye already turning a delicate shade of purple and her nose bloodied, a look of fear crossed her delicate features as she pointed to a space behind Sirius. Turning slightly to his right, Sirius made to look behind him just as a piercing pain sliced into his left shoulder.
Sirius cried out in shock and agony as his attacker loosened an amused cackle from her lips. "Little cousin, how delightful. Come to save this filth?"
Pulling the dagger from his shoulder with his right hand he threw it at Bellatrix's head. She dodged it easily. "Aww... now, now. Play nice," she jeered as she readied herself for a duel.
Standing in front of Marlene's mirror, Sirius prepared as well. A jet of red light came crashing his way. He rolled to the side and the spell glanced off of the glass of the mirror and back on to Bellatrix. She hadn't been expecting it and it sent her flying into the hallway.
Gathering Marlene into his arms as she broke down in to another round of sobs, he prepared to Disapparate back to his residence, but thought better on it and decided on Hogwarts instead. Madame Pomfrey would know what to do for Marlene. As he twisted into nothingness once again, his left arm held limply at his side, the right holding Marlene close, the last thing he saw before departing was Travers' face as he ran into the room, attempting to stop them. Closing his eyes, the familiar squeezing sensation took hold of him, and he pressed Marlene's shuddering form closer to him.
As the cold night air once again cooled his skin, Sirius opened his eyes. Pulling Marlene to arm's length he brushed her hair away from her face. "Sh-sh-sh... It'll be alright, love. We're safe now." Tears ran the length of her face as she again threw herself around Sirius' neck. She said nothing.
Caressing her hair as they walked, they entered into the safely guarded grounds of Hogwarts. The gargoyles that flanked the gates had never looked so appealing.
