Double Dog Dare! -- Episode 14
Lev, 24 January 2002

Janet stared at him. Sirius was unable to read her expression. Finally she smiled. "You're too late, hero," she sneered, "I sent the map to the Master while you were unconscious."

She started to laugh, "Don't go anywhere, dear heart. I have some business to attend to."

She left the basement, walking with exaggerated sensuality. Sirius wondered how he compared to her husband.

About an hour later, she arrived with a flask of gray liquid. It was obviously a potion. But there was something about it that chilled his blood.

"My parents were dear friends of Lord Voldemort," said Janet calmly, "Old school chums from Hogwarts. They were also his first followers. They died before the Death Eaters began, but they were still a part of his plan. He encouraged them to move to the dark swamps where only dementors dwelled.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius croaked.

"Dementors only affect someone who feels shame, guilt, or sorrow. But if someone is raised among dementors, then she never develops those feelings and she's as evil as they are. Dementors don't affect me. Or my sister. I had wondered why she's stayed in Azkaban for so long. Now I know." She looked him up and down. "Though for the life of me I can't understand why."

"Why have I never heard about you?" asked Sirius.

"Lord Voldemort's plan. Margo was sent to Hogwarts, therefore she could not escape Dumbeldore's notice. But Voldemort had my parents send me to Durmstrang. I was to be his chief assassin when the time came. But then came Harry Potter.

"Why didn't you try to find your master like your sister?" Sirius nearly spat out, looking warily at the potion.

"That was part of the plan too," she said. Her tone ended the matter.

"Are you delivering me to him?"

"Oh no. I have something much worse planned for you. I didn't tell you about my past to make small talk. This potion, which you are so obviously sickened by, is a combination of Ginko, Iocaine Powder, and dementor skin. They're quite easy to kill actually, if you can force yourself to fight them. And they're not poisonous... Though you'll wish they were." She touched his cheek gently. "I'm not some evil overlord described by many a Muggle e-mail. I intend to break you quickly. Now drink!"

She forced the potion down his throat. He coughed and choked on the bitter taste, but he swallowed it. Iocaine, that's a hallucinogen used by seers, he thought to himself. Why that? But the question formed in his mind, he was no longer in Janet Tweksberry's basement. Nor was he chained.

Sirius was in his cell in Azkaban. There was nothing else, just dementors everywhere and the foul sickening scent that seemed to grow in the walls. Every once in a while screams erupted. In his stomach, Sirius felt the foul essence of his captors. He looked to his left. Margo LeStrange was staring at him, her eyes burning from within their heavy lids. He had to turn away from that stare. When he looked again, it wasn't Margo. It was Janet.

"You haven't broken me!" he shouted defiantly.

She shook her head. "Dear heart, I haven't even begun." With those words, the walls melted away.

It wasn't Azkaban anymore. Sirius stood in the middle of a vaguely familiar field. Swarming around him were dementors, maybe a hundred. They ignored him, but he still felt their miasma. Sirius couldn't say why, but he thought they were angry. At the other end of the field was a brilliant silver light. He walked a few steps toward it, and suddenly he was there. It wasn't just one light. There were seven Patroni floating around a ragged bunch of wizards and witches. Sirius looked closer and saw Dumbledore in the center. He looked pale and tired, but still powerful. On the ground beside him lay Minerva McGonagall. She was bleeding and being cared for by Hermione Granger, who looked older than when he last saw her. Sirius glanced at the others in the group. Ron Weasley and Charlie. There was Snape. A broken sword hung from his belt, and on his face was the resigned looked of a man about to meet fate. On the other side of Dumbledore were Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher, both with their wands drawn. Remus was beside them, kneeling on the ground, trying to hide his eyes. Moody was standing behind him, his clawlike hand on Remus's shoulder. Sirius looked around. They were on the Quidditch pitch. Behind it lay the ruins of Hogwarts Castle. No one in the group seemed to notice Sirius anymore than the dementors did.

"Is there any hope for us, Albus?" asked a voice from behind Dumbledore. It was James. No it was Harry. He looked and sounded so much like his father. But his cheeks were hollow and his face scarred. His once vibrant eyes glinted dully.

"There's always hope," replied Dumbledore. He sounded unconvinced.

"I'm sorry, Albus. I can't help anymore," gasped McGonagall.

"It's alright, dear friend. Just rest," said Dumbledore softly.

Her Patronus, a silver raven, vanished. Hermione hung her head, but no one wept. They had no tears left.

On the other side of the pitch, the dementors stirred. They cleared a path and through it walked Voldemort, swathed in gold and black robes. Behind him followed thirty Death Eaters. They line up on either side of him, in a phalanx formation. In unison, thirty-one wands were raised. One bolt dispersed the Patroni. The battle had begun.

The Death Easters lowered their hoods. On Voldemort's left side stood Margo LeStrange. On his right, Janet smiled malevolently. She glanced at Sirius. The dementors moved forward.

Those few who were able recast their Patroni. Mundungus Fletcher fell first. Avery and Nott ambushed him before he could react. Moody charged through Crabbe, Goyle, and Peter Pettigrew, using the killing curse liberally. Sirius had no satisfaction watching Peter die. But as Moody apprached Margo LeStrange he suddenly halted and fell over. It was too quick an end for the proud Auror.

Arabella Figg's Patronus, a giant cat, protected Charlie, Ron, and Hermione, but when Malfoy struck down the preoccupied Arabella from behind, the cat vanished. Remus hurried over to them, his wand out. As he ran, Malfoy yelled out, "MacNair, it's the werewolf." MacNair ran toward Remus, his ax raised. Sirius couldn't watch, but he still saw it. Tears fell from his closed eyes. When he opened them, he saw Ron try and shield Hermione from the dementors, a vain effort. The creatures lowered their hoods. It was all over in a matter of seconds. As the dementors departed, a green light burst over the victims. Ron, Hermione, and Charlie all fell dead.

Harry stood behind them, smoke emitting from his wand. He turned to Snape standing beside him. "I coulnd't... I couldn't let them like that..."

Snape put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I understand." It was all he said.

The two of them joined Dumbledore, and as a group they fought their way through the dementors. Malfoy, MacNair, and Avery stood in their way - and paid the price. Dumbledore had no mercy left.

They reached Voldemort, who motioned for Janet and Marlo to join him.

"Kill the traitor," hissed Voldemort. Janet mercilessly dispatched Snape.

Voldemort and Dumbledore dueled. The two greatest wizards of the century met on the field of combat. It was a spectacular match to any fan of dueling. The Dark Lord proved too strong and ultimately he felled his older rival. Simultaneously, Harry and Sirius screamed in rage and pain.

Harry, as Dumbledore's second, faced Voldemort. A circle of Death Eaters surrounded them. He was quite powerful, but in his grief he was too unfocused. His spells went wild, hitting dementor and Death Eater alike, but missing the Dark Lord. After what seemed like an eternity, Voldemort finally got his revenge against Harry Potter and laughed. Sirius started to weep loudly.

Janet Tewksberry walked over to him and grabbed his face, her nails gently raking his cheek. The Quidditch pitch flickered in and out, until it was once again only a basement.

As the scene changed, Janet spoke. "Do you see what I can do to you, dear heart? You may leave here, but you'll never be a whole man again."

"Was that the future?" Sirius whispered, shaking violently.

Janet let go of his face and walked up the steps into her house. Once he felt sure she was gone, Sirius wept.

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Elsewhere, Lord Voldemort was in his shower singing "God Save The Queen." Enraptured by his own voice, he continued with renditions of "Oh, Danny Boy" and "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General." As he finished the shower and dried himself off, there was a knock on the bathroom door.