Interlude – Sirius's adventure Pt. 3

"So where to next?" Lupin asked as he summed himself a new pair of clothing since his own was torn apart and matted with blood.

Turning around and giving his friend some privacy, Sirius answered, "It is to the Black Fortress where my family's army- the Black Host is posted to guard the Doom Pits. I will need to start rousing them up for the coming war!"

"Well then we best be going then," the werewolf stated as he finished putting on the last article of clothing.

Turning around, the wizard nodded his head in agreement, and they both apparated out of there in two silent pops.

Before they knew it they were in a landscape that made the volcanic area they were at before picturesque. Dark misty clouds swallowed the whole of the land in a tight grip, with red lightning flashing across the heavens, the land itself was dead or dying as if the life has been sucked from it even with the snow that littered the ground.

In the distance was a dark towering mountain with jagged rocks sticking out like spikes and on it was an evil foreboding fortress that stood serving the whole of the land.

However that was not what caught Sirius's attention, no it was obviously the giant Three-legged Crows in the sky and Winged serpent that were attacking the fortress.

"What the fuck is going on?" Lupin asked no one in particular as they watched this massive battle unfolding right before their eyes. On the defending side

"Those are Mort men," Sirius noted with narrowed eyes, he knew those banners better than anyone with the large green M and the twin crow perched on it.

"What the hell are they doing here?" the werewolf asked as gazed at the battlefield in wide wonder.

"They are here to contend for my family's holding and assets just like Cissy," Sirius simply answered as he wasn't really paying any attention to his friend.

His gaze was now focused on his family's army defense which was clearly going poorly, it seems like they never recovered just like the Potter family Griffin Legion with nobody at the helm or more accurately no sane person leading them.

If the two invading armies weren't fighting each other as much as they were his family's army then the fortress might have fallen a long time ago.

"Why? How? What?" Lupin tried to word out but couldn't find the correct words at all.

Understanding what he was trying to get at, Sirius stated, "Bellatrix, Cissy, and Dromeda weren't the only cousins I have. Amaryllis was another, and last I heard she is head of the Mort family after her husband, the old head of the house died under suspicious circumstances."

"So just like Narcissa, she wants to claim your family."

"Yep, exactly," Sirius nodded, "If my family was good for anything, then it is producing cutthroat and scheming women."

"I wonder how you even survived living with them under the same roof," Lupin wondered out loud.

Chuckling, Sirius shook his head, "That is exactly why I ran away from home. I was surrounded by she-devils constantly!"

"Well Andromeda turned out all right," Lupin tried to comfort.

"Yeah," Sirius said as his eyes clearly told he did not think so. "Be that as it may, we still have to go up there," he pointed towards the fort, "and make sure that the defense stands still."

"Of course you would say that," Lupin muttered.

Turning to face his friend tried to argue, "We need to do this, I can not afford to lose the manor because it really isn't worth it, however, if the fortress falls we lose the Black Host a pivotal piece in the coming war."

"I know," Lupin said as he held his hand up, "You know I am always with you. But..."

"But what?" Sirius pumped for.

"If you lose your life here in this battle, who would take care of Harry?"

"He isn't that same little kid anymore we amused when he was one year old," Sirius stated. "He is an adult, I can see that now."

"I guess you are right," Lupin sighed as his shoulder slumped a bit, "this world has made him grow up much faster than he should have."

"Yes," Sirius agreed, "and I guess I will have to make sure that nothing happens to me so that I can see him again."

"Alright," Lupin said, "What is the plan?"

Putting his finger to his mouth, Sirius whistled out loud as the sound of it echoed in the area then suddenly two large great big mastiff the size of men appeared from the shadow.

It seems like his control of all his family's creatures are truly absolute. Now he could summon them with ease!

Giving his bosom companion a grin as he hopped on the shadow mastiff back, he answered, "Well first we need to get into the fortress!"

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Traveling through the chaotic battlefield, both wizards passed by the command tents set up, the supplies ready at hand for a long siege, the magic cannons firing at the fortress, the fresh soldiers ready to set forth at any given moment, and the bloodthirsty family magical beasts gathered up.

Both of them shared the same thoughts as they passed by the overwhelming force set right outside the fortress. They were fucked!

Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain and spring out of the shadows. Jumping off the Shadow Mastiff, Sirius turned to look up the mountain which at this close distance felt like it would swallow him and the sky.

"Now how do you plan to get up there?" Lupin asked. "We sure as hell can't apparate since I can already feel the wards put up, and there has to be countless traps laid out along the path, plus we would be running into a whole lot of soldiers."

"Who said anything about climbing up the mountain the old fashion way?" Sirius replied with a question of his own, sarcastically. He eyes were darting around the landscape until he spotted what he was looking for something.

"There it is," he exclaimed as he made his way over to a spot on the ground with intricate designs.

"Is that what I think it is?" Lupin asked once he saw his friend wipe all the snow and dirt off the outline.

"Yep," Sirius answered as he stood in the middle of the circle along with Lupin, "It is a Jump Disk." Then just as he said it, he pressed down on a spot and they were both off into the air in a single push.

While Lupin screamed all the way up, Sirius on the other hand just laughed like a mad man. Before they knew it they were high up into the sky nearly reaching the dark clouds, then started to slow down when they crescendo over the fortress. With the magic of the disk at work, they smoothly touched down on the ground in the courtyard of the fortress without a single injury.

Immediately countless soldiers took notice of them and started to point wands, gauntlets, magical swords, and other magical items at them.

"Woah, woah, woah," Sirius said as he held out his hands in surrounded, "we come in peace, gents!" Lupin on the other hand bent over and retched up all his breakfast on to the stone floor.

Walking down the planks was a older gentleman, balding in the head, dressed in military regalia of black, the color of his family, with a sash around his shoulder, and countless badges on his chest. At his hip was a sabre encrusted with tahitian pearls and black opals.

As he came up to Sirius, twirling his mustache and his honor guard at his side, he came to a stop right before them and peered down at them with a sneer. "Who are you, and state your business quickly before I have you killed on the spot."

"What?" Sirius asked as he matched his sneer inch for inch with the man. He knew how best to deal with his family's men and you can not give them an inch or they take it for weakness. And weakness can never be shown before dogs!

"Do you not recognize your liege lord, my fine man?" Sirius inquired with an attitude that looked as if he expected the man to get to bowing right away and scraping before him.

Once he did not see the man react, he pressed in an endless barrage, "Tell me who are you? What is your rank? Where is your superior officer? I think they would need to discipline you, if can not do a simple thing such as bowing before your lord!"

"I recognize you now," the man said as he pointed his finger at the wizard. Then collecting himself and his haughty leaked through. "If you are wondering, I am the General of the Black Host, the supreme leader of this army. And you must be Sirius Black, the wayward son. Heh!"

"The supreme leader of this army, you said?" Sirius asked as his eyes bore into the man even Lupin who gathered himself up took a step back when he sensed his friend's mood. It was never good to be around a mad Black, even Sirius.

"You must think very highly of yourself if you think you can usurp the position of your Master."

"You think I would follow you whatever you think," the man asked, curled his lips. "You are a disgrace who ran away from your line. There would be no way I would ever accept you as my liege and lord!"

When coming to do this small tour, Sirus knew that this might be a problem, but he would be damned if he would allow it. "So," he asked with a barking laugh, "are you going to lead you, Great General!"

Puffing himself the idiot did not even realize he stepped on a landmine and answered arrogantly, "Yes! I will beat back these attackers and restore this family to its former glory."

"Ha ha ha, HA HA HA,"

Laughing piercingly a loud harsh laugh, deep dark shadows started to form against the walls with figures of large giant three-headed dogs and countless other canine creatures.

The soldiers that stood around soon became uneasy as the shadows seem to be coming to life. An oppressive atmosphere build in the area until suddenly Sirus broke of and turned to face the General.

However he did not look at him with human eyes but ones that were pitch black from iris to Sclera with blood red slits in the center. They seem to be just like the eyes of the Cerberus.

"You know I find it funny whenever upstart think that they can lead us to a brighter future," Sirius stated in a barking laugh. Then in a blink of an eye before the man could even react, he was upon him and swung low at the General's gut.

Bending over the man broke into fits of coughing, but Sirius gave him no chance as he grabbed him but the scruff of the neck and lifted him up. "I might have believed that if there weren't two FUCKING armies at our doorstep!"

Chocking as the man tried to pry away at Sirius's hands, the Black family head shook him as if he was a ragdoll and asked. "Now, where was that self styled importance, huh?"

All the man could do was stay there as the wizard held him in a vise grip.

Sneering in contempt, Sirius finally let the man drop to the ground, then waved his hands at him, black chains appeared without the use of any wand and wrapped around the General.

"Take him to the dungeons, I will decide a proper punishment for him later," Sirius declared. Then when nobody moved an inch, he turned to the crowd at large and shouted, "NOW!"

Immediately two men stepped forward and took the ex-general in hand and hauled him off.

"Now," he said as he took charge of the situation, "who is next in command? Step forward!"

Without a word, a man who seem to be quite young for his rank stepped forward, "That would be me, Sir! Colonel Michal at your service."

"Now?" Sirius asked, "I do not need to take proper actions against you, do I?

"NO, SIR! If you would excuse my pardon, General Aemin was always an incompetent, arrogant ass who only got his rank and title because of some connections."

Chuckling slightly, Sirius acknowledged, "then it would seem that we will not be having any problems with each other. Now, give me an assessment of the situation."

"Yes, Sir," the Colonel replied as he followed behind Sirius like a dutiful soldier.

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"So our defense is in shambles," Sirius concluded. Right now they stood inside the command center and the Colonel was reviewing and going over everything for him.

"Yes, Sir," the man reluctantly answered.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, the wizard sighed as he slumped in his chair. Reaching out, Lupin comforted him with a nod and a pat, "You can always abandon this fort."

"No offense, mister," the Colonel as if he looked abhorrent of just the thought of it, "the Black family has held this fortress for over thousands of years. There is no way we would abandon it."

"He is right, Lupin," Sirius said, "We must defend this place to the last man, and we have to also keep to our duties and continue to guard the Doom Pits so nothing gets out."

"What the answer then?" the werewolf asked, "just get overrun?"

"No," Sirius said as he rubbed his chin, "there is still an option left."

"You don't mean that, Sir?" the officer inquired with a slight raise of his eyebrow.

"What are you even talking about?" Lupin grilled for as he wasn't following anymore.

Ignoring his friend for the moment, Sirius announced, "bring up the wardstone."

Nodding his head in signal, the support personal got to work, and promptly a giant stone of pitch-black appeared from out of the floor, floating in the air without any support.

Walking up to it, Sirius rested his hands on it and closed his eyes to focus.

"What is he doing?" Lupin turned to asked the Colonel.

"Look outside," the man said as he pointed to the balcony. Glancing between the two of them, Lupin mumbled under his breath then just followed his direction.

Strolling over to the balcony, he could suddenly feel the wind picking up, and then it began to howl. Looking up at the sky, the dark sky from before was replaced with a bleeding red sun, and the landscape that was worse before now became hellish as the earth split as lava spewed.

Peering down at the two armies camped below who were going absolutely mad, he could see a black shimmering light surrounding all of them, from the soldiers on the ground to those in the sky and every opposing magical beast.

Then in a flash that nearly blinded him, they were all gone, supplies equipment and all. Nothing was left at all, and the landscape when back to his gloomy dark setting.

"What the hell just happened?" Lupin asked no one in particular.

However, someone did answer for him, "It was called Abyss Switch," the Colonel answered.

"Abyss what?"

"Abyss Switch," the man repeated as he stared off into the empty clearing, "they were all sent to Hell."

"Hell?" the werewolf repeated again as he wasn't following.

"Yes, this place is connected to the realm of the damned thanks to that Pit we guard. Consequently, the barriers between the mortal realm and the demon realm is very weak here. Thus a Black from long ago came up with this spell to send whoever dares to invade this fort to the Inferno."

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Appearing outside a dark tower that stretched high into the heaven in a dark mountain, at the height of it was a flaming eye that took in the whole of the surrounding. This was going to be their last stop along their journey.

They visited all the other properties of his family, and he could only say a few remain still. Most where taken by either one family or the other. The other were being fought over, some were ruins, and others were long cleared out with nothing left inside of them of worth.

"Are you still mad about what happened?" Sirius asked his near brother, who was off on the side grumbling under his breath. He knew well when Lupin was angry.

"Yes," the werewolf growled, "death would have been better then what you have done to them."

"You know that was not an option," Sirius stated. "Anyways, they knew what they were walking into or had some idea. There have been legends and rumors surrounding the Black Fortress for centuries on end. All who dare to approach, would enter the fiery depth of Hel!"

"Yeah, but to just press the trigger like that...."

"No," Sirius said with a shake of his head, "my cousins knew better than anyone that it was not a joke or a fairy tale. I take some of the blame, and I will live with it, but it was on them for sacrificing their men like that."

"Will we be expecting any bullshit from your family's Wizarding tower?" Lupin asked as he decided to just change the topic.

"I guess we will have to find out," the wizard answered with a shrug as they marched to the tower.

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