The Death Eaters were camping in a small clearing outside Folkestone, Kent. They had managed to evade the Aurors, but unfortunately, they didn't have means of knowing what was going on in the magical world. Security had been tightened and they were on the run. They knew for sure that any home of theirs would be very closely monitored, so they had to make do with forest clearings. Thankfully, magic could make things a lot easier. They didn't want to contact the Death Eaters who had evaded Azkaban because they didn't trust them. There was no way to tell who was still loyal to the Dark Lord.
"We found something that can get us off the mainland," said Rabastan as he and his brother entered the clearing. They took the offered food they had stolen from the Muggles. Killing those animals would only attract attention, so they had to restrain themselves.
"What is it?" asked Rookwood.
"The Muggles have built a tunnel under the English Channel," Rodolphus answered. "Since it goes underground, we may be able to avoid the sensor net. I recommend that we don't Apparate, but use the Muggles' stupid train instead. We'll have to be extremely careful with our disguises, though."
"It's risky," said Rowle, rubbing his face. "For all you know, this apparent blind spot in the sensor net might be a trap set by the Aurors to capture us."
"Rookwood is the expert on the sensor net here," snapped Bellatrix. "And we will be going! The Dark Lord needs us!"
"I'll know more only after seeing this tunnel, but if we don't use magic, I think we can escape. Once we reach France, cross-country Apparition will become easier," said Rookwood. "But too many of us will increase the chances of being discovered by the International Magical Border Patrol. We can evade the British Aurors, but we can't afford to have the I.C.W. getting involved."
"He's right," said Dolohov.
"Fine," spat Bellatrix. "We'll split up. Four of us will leave using that filthy Muggle tunnel and the rest are to stay here and find out everything you can. Once we return, the Dark Lord will demand information. Start gathering intelligence. Cornelius Fudge is an idiot from what I've seen during his inspection of Azkaban, but that Bones bitch is a problem."
They decided who was to go. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan and Rookwood were to find the Dark Lord. The rest would stay out of sight while gathering useful information about the Ministry. Pettigrew's Animagus form would be useful to spy on people.
A few hours later, the four Death Eaters disguised themselves and left. Chanting the Dark Lord's name, they moved forward, letting their Dark Marks guide them. It was time they got their master back.
...
The second term at Hogwarts began without anything spectacular. Harry continued using the diadem for learning from Voldemort's memories and had later taken to practising the spells he had learnt in the Room of Requirement. At the end of January, Harry finally came clean about his excursion to the cave where the fake locket was found. Needless to say, Sirius was not happy.
"I have enough problems without you being one of them!" shouted Sirius angrily. "Harry, what in Merlin's name were you thinking? I'll tell you; you weren't thinking at all, that's what you were thinking!"
"Sirius -"
"No, I don't want to hear it!" snapped Sirius, cutting him off. "This is the most irresponsible, idiotic thing you have ever done! I don't even want to think about what could have happened if something had gone wrong! You are keeping too many secrets from me, young man, and I am not pleased! You are in deep trouble because right now, I can't even think of a suitable punishment for this latest stunt of yours!"
"Sirius, please hear me out," said Harry softly. "I knew the protections and defences on that cave. I knew that I could take care of them myself."
"Oh yes, that's why you were attacked by Inferi, weren't you?" the new Minister said sarcastically. Normally, Harry was quite mature and Sirius loved the lad with all his heart, but damn, there were times like this he wanted to show the boy how displeased he really was. The late Lord Orion Black would most definitely agree.
"I was distracted by finding out the fact that the Horcrux was not real," said Harry, his eye twitching in annoyance. "Until then, I was completely in control."
Sirius emptied a glass of Firewhisky as he sat down on his chair in his study, hating the fact that he was also dealing with annoying teenagers along with the incompetent Ministry. Dozens of files were placed on either side of his table which contained reports from different departments of the Ministry of Magic. He was really getting short-tempered because of the amount of work he needed to get done. He was close to smacking Fudge upside the head for being such a useless leader.
"I want you to know," said Sirius slowly, the anger clearly evident in his voice, "how deeply disappointed in you I am. You broke your promise when you said that you wouldn't risk your life unnecessarily and I can't think of a punishment that will be suitable for this, mostly because you are not staying at home right now and I doubt grounding you during the school year would help and considering how you react to it, I will never bend you over my knee either, though I am tempted. I can only hope that it means something to you."
"It does," said Harry quietly, sounding abashed, blinking the tears away. Sirius was the only father-figure in his life and Harry really looked up to the man. He was the first living person who had taken an active interest in Harry's life and he did not like disappointing his godfather who loved him so dearly. "It means I've let you down, and for that, I deeply apologise. But I was only trying to look out for you. I didn't want you to be in danger. You have a family now and -"
"You are also a part of that family, son," said Sirius, looking at Harry with piercing grey eyes. "And it is my job to look after you, not your job to look after me. You may be smart and mature for your age, but you, Harry James Potter, are still thirteen years old and it would be wise if you remembered that. I want you to promise me that you won't do anything this reckless again."
"I can't do that," said Harry, looking out of the window, mentally cringing in anticipation.
"Excuse me?" asked Sirius dangerously, his eyes narrowed.
"I have a prophecy hanging over my head, Sirius," he continued, looking at his godfather. "The future is not certain. If there ever comes a time when I need to act, I will do so. I'm not a person who will shrink from responsibility in times of danger but I will do my best to avoid it."
Sirius sighed. It was difficult to argue with Harry because the boy made valid points. But damn, he was so infuriating! Being Harry's guardian was really a pain in the arse sometimes. He felt like grounding the boy for a year, but he knew it would be counter-productive. Exhaling deeply, he said, "Where is this fake locket?"
Harry removed the locket from inside his robe pocket and levitated it to Sirius. The older man took it and observed it for a minute. After doing a standard detection spell, he opened the locket and removed a slip of paper. Unfolding it, he read it, his eyes widening in shock.
"Sirius?" asked Harry curiously. "Hmm, I didn't think to open it. What's inside?"
"See for yourself."
....
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