Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Only One He Ever Feared

'He hasn't gone!' Harry yelled.

He did not believe it, he would not believe it; still he fought Remus with every bit of strength he had: Remus just did not understand, people hid behind that curtain, he had heard them whispering the first time he had entered the room—Sirius was hiding, simply lurking out of sight—

'SIRIUS!' he bellowed, 'SIRIUS!'

'He can't come back, Harry,' said Remus, his voice breaking as he struggled to contain Harry. 'He can't come back, because he's d—'

'HE—IS—NOT—DEAD!' roared Harry. 'SIRIUS!'

There was movement going on around them, pointless bustling, the flashes of more spells. To Harry it was meaningless noise, the deflected curses flying past them did not matter, nothing mattered except that Remus stop pretending that Sirius, who was standing feet from them behind that old curtain, was not going to emerge at any moment, shaking back his dark hair and eager to reenter the battle—Remus dragged Harry away from the dais, Harry still staring at the archway, angry at Sirius now for keeping him waiting—

But some part of him realized, even as he fought to break free from Remus, that Sirius had never kept him waiting before...Sirius had risked everything, always, to see Harry, to help him...If Sirius was not reappearing out of that archway when Harry was yelling for him as though his life depended on it, the only possible explanation was that he could not come back...That he really was...

Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilized by invisible ropes. Mad-Eye Moody had regained consciousness and was getting to his feet, Allison was no longer by his side and was instead jumping off of the dais where Harry hadn't seen her get on, and she shoved something into her pocket. While Harry was beginning to slow down, right behind them Tonks was still struggling to hold a desperate Canini who was screaming at the top of her lungs. Behind the dais there were still flashes of light, grunts, and cries—Kingsley had run forward to continue Sirius's duel with Bellatrix.

'Harry?'

Neville had slid down the stone benches one by one to the place where Harry stood. Harry was no longer struggling against Remus, who maintained a precautionary grip on his arm nevertheless.

'Harry...I'm really sorry...' said Neville. His legs were still dancing uncontrollably. 'Mr Black was just there—and now he's—I'm so sorry Harry.'

Harry was starting to become quite numb, but he still nodded his head in appreciation.

'Here,' said Remus quietly, and pointing his wand at Neville's legs he said, 'Finite.'

The spell was lifted. Neville's legs fell back onto the floor and remained still.

Remus' face was pale. As Allison came up the stairs to join them, while still holding Harry he turned to face his youngest adopted child.

'Canini, love, please stop, he is gone and we have to go,' he said, tears running down his scarred face.

'WE CAN'T GO MOONY! PADFOOT NEEDS US HE'S NOT GONE! LET ME GO DORA! HE'S NOT—'

Remus raised he wand and pointed it at his only daughter.

'My sweet child, I am so sorry, Stupefy,' and with a jet of red light Canini went limp in Tonks' arms. 'So-someone grab her feet, please.'

'On it professor,' said Allison quickly passing him and picked up Canini's legs so that she was now fully in the air.

Remus couldn't seem to face what he had to just do and for a moment turned away from the girls and towards the ending of the battle.

'Let's—let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?'