True Grey

"Ennervate," said some voice.

Sirius opened his eyes and saw the voice's man. Dark hair, dark eyes... He thought he knew this man from somewhere, but he didn't have time to waste in trying to identify him-- he had work to finish.

"You were Stunned," the man told him.

"I gathered that," Sirius said as he looked up at the man. "Nice try, Trixie," he muttered, smirking to himself. She had always hated that nickname. Sirius clambered to his feet and was filled with the adrenaline of battle once more.

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Where am I?

"I'm on your side, Black, I'm here to help--" the man was saying.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name," Sirius interrupted, buying himself time to regain his balance and his senses. The Stunning Spell had left him a bit groggy, and blurry-eyed to boot.

"'God' will suffice. J--" the man said, and cut off his own words.

"Well, I had thought you looked familiar, but I can't say I know anyone of that name--"

"Listen to me--"

"You listen to me, God," interrupted Sirius, barely taking time to be sarcastic. "Have you seen Harry Potter anywhere around here? I need to find him."

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Where's Harry?

"Are you feeling all right?" God asked, as though Sirius hadn't said anything.

"Forget about me!" shouted Sirius, now looking around the chamber. His vision was clearing up. "Where's Harry? Is he all right? Did he get Bellatrix? Damn my legs, if they didn't still feel like jelly, I might've found him by now..."

"Don't worry about anything now except for getting out of the Ministry before the Death Eaters get here," said God with maddening calm. "Do as I say, and we'll both get out of here... alive."

"Before the Death Eaters get here?" repeated Sirius in disbelief. He let go of the stone pillar and archway onto which he had been clinging, and found that his legs could support his weight once again. "I always knew God had a sense of humour. I mean, Merlin forbid they already be inside the Ministry, already attacked Harry--"

"Apparate to the floor just above the Atrium."

"I thought you wanted us to get out of the building! Or has God changed his mind?"

"Clearly, your mind has unclouded enough to allow you sarcasm, but not sense," said God coolly. "Do as I say. You don't understand the situation."

Furious, Sirius spun on his heel to face God. "Oh, I don't understand the situation, do I?" he spat. "Look, I don't know who you are, or who you think you are. But I do know you weren't even there when it was happening--" he whipped out his wand and pointed it straight at God's heart. "--unless you were under a mask!"

God didn't flinch. "Don't be a fool. I'm on your side," he repeated. "Do as I say. Apparate to the--"

"I don't have time to play your trust games," Sirius hissed, enraged, backing slowly away from God. They haven't gone far, they're still in the building... he needs me...

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Is he all right?

Without another moment's hesitation he turned and sprinted for the chamber door. As he raced down the corridor and pounded the lift button, he heard God's voice yelling strong and clear: "Black! Avoid the Atrium!" God's quick footsteps echoed through the deserted hallway.

After what felt like the passing of a century, the lift finally arrived. Sirius dashed inside and magicked the golden gate shut behind him to keep God from following. After a moment's consideration, he pressed all the buttons. Sweating slightly, breathing rapidly, he willed the lift to rise faster.

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Where's Remus?

When finally the lift halted and the golden grille slid open, Sirius stepped forward, intending to look around the Atrium for any sign of his godson. He had just caught sight of some dark human shapes behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren when God pounced, forcing Sirius backwards into the lift and slamming the grille shut with his own muscular arms. As though frightened, the lift shot upwards at an alarming speed, heading for the top floor.

Sirius wrestled free of God's grip and jumped to his feet, aiming his wand once again at God's chest. God calmly drew his wand in turn, staring Sirius down with hard eyes.

"You can't afford to be rash when you don't understand," said God with an air of deep patience that made Sirius want to strangle him. "I haven't time to explain it now. But you can't afford not to listen to me when you don't know--"

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Where are they?

"I know what I need to know," growled Sirius. "I know that Harry was in trouble and I came to help and I got Stunned, and I have no idea what happened or where they are after that. I've got to find them.

"I heard voices, I saw people in the Atrium."

God blinked twice.

"That's where I need to go," Sirius continued.

"Wrong. Don't go to the Atrium," said God.

Sirius ignored him, cursing the lift because he couldn't Disapparate from a moving surface without Splinching himself. When the lift screeched to a halt on the first and uppermost floor, Sirius charged through the golden grille, knocking God to the ground, and Apparated immediately to the Atrium.

Black robes, white masks...Three Death Eaters stood waiting for him.

"Well, if it isn't the Dark Lord's right-hand man," said one, grinning malevolently through his mask. "We salute you, Mr. Black." All three bowed in mock respect.

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Is everyone all right?

"You shouldn't believe what you read in the Daily Prophet," said Sirius. "Where's Harry?"

Two of the Death Eaters laughed ominously; Sirius's heart thumped a little harder. "You'll tell me where Harry is, you sick--"

The other Death Eater, the one who had spoken, raised his eyebrows and walked slowly forward, hands behind his back where Sirius couldn't see them. Sirius felt his head cloud and his throat tighten in anger as the laughter intensified...

"Harry is--" began the Death Eater, but then stopped. For a moment, a mixture of annoyance and fear shone in his pale eyes, fixed on a spot over Sirius's shoulder. "Looks like you have a visitor, Mr. Black."

Sirius whipped his head around, sure he would see Remus standing there, or Dumbledore; but it was only God who stepped forward to stand by his side. Sirius glared at him before turning back to the Death Eaters, fist clenched around his wand at his side.

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Where's Harry?

"You have ten seconds to tell me where Harry is," said Sirius in his lowest, most dangerous voice. "Ten."

Nobody moved. "Nine. Eight."

The trickling of water in the Fountain of Magical Brethren was the only sound. "Seven. Six."

The Death Eaters' hands remained concealed behind their backs. "Five. Four."

Sirius raised his wand, pointed it in their direction. "Three. Two."

A hand grabbed Sirius's wrist; God leaned sideways, his head inclined close to Sirius's ear.

"Don't use magic," he whispered.

Sirius, bewildered at this order, abandoned his countdown.

"What are you talking about, no magic?" he hissed. "Do you plan to make yourself useful, or are you here just to be a permanent obstacle?"

Heart pounding. Tick, tock. Somebody better tell me something soon...

"Don't use magic," God repeated forcefully. "They're Muggles."

"Muggle Death Eaters?" Sirius scoffed, not troubling to keep his voice down. He looked in the Death Eaters' direction, but their masked faces were expressionless. "Am I really supposed to believe that a bunch of Muggles are among Voldemort's closest supporters? We are talking about the same Voldemort, aren't we?"

He wrenched his arm from God's grasp and strode away, out of his reach, raising his wand once again. He was losing time, time he didn't have. He wouldn't, couldn't, hesitate this time--

It was God's voice, however, that uttered the first spell. "Expelliarmus!"

The shock on Sirius's face quickly gave way to fury as his wand flew from his hand.

"ON MY SIDE, MY ARSE!" he roared. He spun around and dived at God, tackling him at his knees. Both crashed to the ground; Sirius pinned him on his back and grabbed his arms. God stretched to put the wands out of Sirius's reach, but Sirius threw himself on God's arm, grabbed both wands, and rolled onto his feet.

"You don't understand, you insufferable bastard, won't you just listen to me for once?" snarled God, stalking towards Sirius despite the fact that both wands were aiming straight into his chest.

"You haven't yet told me one damned thing I need to hear right now!" shouted Sirius, standing his ground as God approached.

"What do you want me to tell you, that Harry is just waiting for you outside? It's not that simple! I've told you what you need to do!"

"Fuck off! What I need to do is use magic! I've fought Death Eaters before, you know--"

"And ended up unconscious," God said venomously.

"Look, you try to interfere again, and I'll--"

Sirius flew against the wall as God's fist connected with his jaw. Face numb, he tightened his grip on the wands; but God landed another blow to his abdomen. Winded, Sirius sank to the ground, and God took the opportunity to step on Sirius's wrist and wrest the wands from his hand. The man took off, sprinting back towards the lifts--

Breathing heavily, angrier than ever, Sirius pulled himself to his feet and went tearing after God, blood streaming from his mouth as he ran. When he reached the lifts, God stood facing him, holding Sirius's wand in front of him.

"Don't make me break this," God said softly.

Sirius approached him slowly, making no sudden movements until he was within a foot's distance of the man. Without warning, he landed a swift kick to the back of God's knees. God stumbled to the ground, but hooked his legs around Sirius's and pulled. Sirius landed on top of him, but God freed himself, sprang to his feet, and ran out of the reach of Sirius's flailing arms.

"Be reasonable, Black," God said calmly, still brandishing the wands threateningly. "Would you really have those Death Eaters watch us fight each other to the death over a couple of wands? I'm sure they'd love for one of us to finish the other off, it would make everything easier for them..."

"Easy for you to say, you're the one with a wand to defend yourself!" Sirius said. He threw a look over his shoulder as he advanced, shaking with anger, towards God. There was something suspicious about the way the Death Eaters were standing passively, watching the fight, seemingly as without a care as to who won or who lost...

"Just because I have a wand doesn't mean I'll use it," God said. "I told you, they're Muggles. Only a fool-- or a Death Eater-- would attack a Muggle with magic. Which are you, Black?"

Sirius looked again at the Death Eaters. He saw no sign of a wand; he could hardly even be sure they had hands, for their arms remained crossed behind their backs. He lowered his voice so that they couldn't hear. "Say they are Muggles. Surely you would have thought to bring a gun or something with you to use in place of your wand."

"I certainly would have, except that I was sent here on very short notice. I didn't have time to pack."

"I see," lied Sirius.

"Do you see enough to agree not to use your wand?"

By way of reply, Sirius launched a hard uppercut to God's chin. God's head snapped back, but he recovered, and stomped on the inside of Sirius's foot. Sirius recoiled, managing to look daggers at God through eyes half-shut in a wince.

"Fuck it all," Sirius breathed.

"Just so you know, you could never beat me in a fistfight," God said nonchalantly, as though telling Sirius the score of the latest Falmouth Falcons match.

Sirius interpreted this last insult as a challenge. Seething, he made a final and desperate lunge at the hand holding the wands.

God seemed to be expecting this; he pulled back his arm at the last second and pushed Sirius to the ground. "You leave me no choice," he said. "Stupefy."

As the scene at the Atrium faded to black, Sirius saw God pocket both wands and charge towards the waiting Death Eaters.