the_debt_of_time

thought about Apparating directly into the cave, but he knew that if he aimed wrong, he
would end up on the edge of a cliff.
Before he could take a single step, the air was rent by a loud scream that sent chills
up his arms, and his hands flew to his ears.
"Caterwauling Charm, just fucking great," he groaned and made to Disapparate
away only to find that Anti-Disapparition Charms had been cast over the village. He
scowled and shifted into Padfoot, quickly moving around the outskirts of Hogsmeade,
taking back alleys and side streets when possible.
Death Eaters roamed the hamlet in droves, wands at the ready as they searched high
and low for whoever had set off the charm. "Look everywhere! Potter's got an Invisibility
Cloak, so check every corner even if you don't see anything!"
"What about the dementors?" called another Death Eater. "Let 'em have free rein,
and they'll find him quick enough!"
"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead at his own hands."
"Dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, not his soul. He'll be
easier to kill if he's been Kissed first!" the other Death Eater argued.
Padfoot flinched at the sight of the few dementors moving in and out of the streets.
He swallowed hard, refusing to make eye contact, silently hoping that none of them
recognised him in this form. If Sirius could sneak out of Azkaban from a cramped cell in
the midst of at least one hundred dementors, he could manage this handful of them. It was
difficult, however, as he pushed closer and closer to the creatures and felt all the happiness
evaporating from his body. Terrible memories pricked at his mind the closer he got to the
monsters, and he cringed as voices from the past echoed inside of his head.
"Sirius don't leave, don't leave... Please! Sirius, don't leave me!"
Shaking his head and trying to breathe, he focused as hard as possible and continued
forward past the dementors, clinging to what little hope he had left.
Finally reaching the street that led up to Hogwarts, Padfoot ducked from sight,
slipping into the back door of Honeydukes. The shop was closed, and it didn't look like it
was just for the day. Death Eaters had completely taken over the sweet little town that had
filled his youth with joy. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to see it so empty and lifeless, the
joy literally sucked out of it.