Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 110: Find The Center
Sirius was walking through the center of London.
The Notice-Me-Not charm that he applied would prevent any Muggles from taking notice of his presence, and so, he would work unencumbered.
"Urgg…" He rubbed his cheek again. The wound had healed, but it was still aching a lot, which made him wonder if this was because the nails of that shadow demon had caused it. Or perhaps it was his increasing frustration that was causing it.
His black eyes looked up at the sky, and despite having lost track of how long he had been walking around this massive city, he could tell that they were running out of time, given the fact that the sun was starting to disappear behind the tall buildings.
In an hour or so, it would be nighttime and perhaps… too late.
Sirius pulled out the enchanted page that Tonks had given them.
"Still blank, huh?" So far, no one had found anything.
"Come on… where are you?"
It was after walking for a few more minutes that Sirius found something that caught his attention.
To his right, a beautiful cathedral could now be seen. It was very old, but also one of the most famous places in the center of London.
Even someone who had grown up in the magical world knew about St. Paul's Cathedral.
"Hmm?!" When he was just a few dozen feet away from the staircase that led into the old church, Sirius finally felt something strange.
It was a mild, but also oppressive feeling. And he knew immediately that this was being caused by black magic.
As someone who grew up in the House of Black, he had experienced this feeling many times in his life while wandering around that house.
The more he approached the building, the stronger the feeling got. As his feet touched the first step, Sirius began to experience a sense of nausea and was forced to back off.
Looking back at the cathedral, he realized that he may have found the very center of the magical formation, and not just one of its connecting lines.
Thinking about it for a second, using a church as the epicenter of a magical circle meant for the summoning of demons was a special kind of evil that a monster like Ekrizdis Skarvok would find amusing — or even poetic.
Sirius took a few steps back and began writing in the enchanted paper, relaying the message to everyone.
'St. Paul's Cathedral. I found the center of the formation… hurry!'
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Several minutes passed, and Sirius could not perceive any unusual movements inside the building.
Muggles were still coming and going. A tour guide came outside while a large group of people followed behind and announced the end of the visit, while another one informed some tourists that they were near closing time.
It was getting late… in more than one sense.
"Sirius."
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to find his cousin Tonks looking at him.
"You found him, huh?" Tonks moved her eyes to the cathedral. "My mom brought me here when I was little."
"Can you feel it?" asked Sirius.
Tonks nodded solemnly. "Something unpleasant…"
"It gets much stronger if you reach the steps," Sirius said.
The others arrived in quick succession over the next few minutes and gathered around the plaza before the cathedral.
"Mmm… yes. This is definitely the center." Voldemort walked up to the steps before remaining still. "He must be here then." A wand appeared in his hand.
"Wait, what about the Muggles? If we start fighting here…" Tonks looked at them with concern.
"I understand, but…" Moody spoke. "We don't have a lot of time to spare. If the circle becomes active, it may be too late to save them." He didn't want to say it outright, but a few casualties would be a tolerable collateral damage compared to losing an entire metropolis of seven million people.
"The Muggles are leaving the building already," the German witch said.
"We should go in before they close the doors," an old wizard commented.
Sirius glanced at his companions. They had started this battle with a massive army.
Right now, there are only a handful of them left.
Just four members of the former Order of the Phoenix, with the addition of the General and Bellatrix Lestrange, as well as the ten remaining members of those elite foreign wizards.
Almost everyone else had been too injured or too exhausted to join them, and they could not wait any longer.
The Demon Lord had likely been expecting this situation already. This was why he chose the day of the attack on Azkaban to perform the ritual.
If not, then it was a terribly convenient coincidence for him.
"Let's go inside. Place some protections on yourselves." The German witch walked toward the steps as a Muggle dressed as a security guard was starting to close the doors.
He seemed to notice her approach. "Sorry, miss. Visiting hours are over… you'll have to return tomorrow."
"Oh, it's no problem." She flicked her wand with extreme dexterity and hit the guard with a spell. "I actually work here, remember?"
The Muggle looked at her with an expression of confusion, but eventually nodded. "Ah… yes. Sorry."
"It's okay. You can leave now. I will close the door," the witch said with a warm smile on her face.
Once the guard left, she gestured for them to hurry inside.
They were all under the effects of the Notice-Me-Not charm, but this was a very mild piece of magic, and if they called too much attention to themselves, they would still be noticed.
Once they were all inside the cathedral, the witch locked the door behind them and placed some protections so no one could open it by accident.
The unpleasant sensation that Sirius had felt before was extremely strong now, and it appeared to be growing stronger by the second.
"We don't have much time…" Voldemort said, grasping his wand firmly in his hand. "I think he is already activating the circle!"