Chapter 1
Cold , drained, and ravenous his body barely able to move another inch across the desolate forest floor. Sirius had lost his self-control as he tried one last time to catch the fugitive Hippogriff he had escaped on. He had been wandering for days now without a sign of any living thing except for his rebellious fellow convict.
As he reached the edge of the clearing his heart skipped as the half bird-half horse practically trampled him. He was undoubtedly fleeing from something and scampering swiftly. Then, with a burst of power, Sirius grabbed Buckbeak's mane and was dragged more than one hundred feet before the mighty animal came to a halt.
"What has gotten into you?" he asked as he tried to soothe the beast. "You almost ran me over with those clumsy wings of yours!"
His question was answered almost instantaneously when a foot long arrow flew right past his ear and sank into the tree directly in the rear of him. He heard the sound of approaching hooves traveling fast. Exceedingly fast and not more than fifty meters away.
"This cannot be happening!" Sirius said to himself as he quickly dodged another arrow and jumped on Buckbeak's back and urged him to flee in the opposite direction.
The forest was too dense to fly but the Hippogriff was as quick as any four legged animal through woods like these. Sirius rode for what seemed like more than thirty minutes and then stopped to take note of his surroundings.
"I think that we're in the clear, boy." he whispered.
The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized his hopes were mistaken. More than twenty riders, each on heavily armored steeds surrounded the area posing no opening of escape.
"You trespass on marked lands sir!" a voice exclaimed "The consequence for poaching on the Chriton's territory is death!"
"I have not been hunting! I have not even seen anything worth eating for days." Sirius said in a panic.
He knew that these riders meant business by the way they all had their bows raised and pointed at either him or Buckbeak. He was curious about these men, if indeed they were men. They had not pulled back the guards on their armor to reveal their faces and who's territory did they say this is? Trying to seem unaware of his aparent trespassing, Sirius was slow to dismount and held up his arms as if to say "I am not armed." He still did not know who or what he was dealing with but he was nearly convinced that whoever these angry horsemen were, they had something to do with the magic world. It was this assumption that forced Sirius to conceal the wand he was had holstered under his right pant leg.
"Please good sirs, I have been lost for days without food or drink and as you can plainly see I have not killed anything." he said with as much innocence as possible.
"Drop to your knees and place your hands on your head!" came a most authoritative voice. "We will need to harness your beast and place you under arrest."
As Sirius knelt down he heard the sounds of the riders landing and walking towards him and Buckbeak. He was not enthusiastic about the idea of being restrained and he was sure that the Hippogriff would not surrender to having a rope tied around its neck. Still unsure how much of a danger these men actually were, a thought came to his head as he noticed something odd about the approaching mob.
These men were really short; teeny if one could describe them. Sirius was on his knees and the two that came at him, holding what looked like restraints, barely came up to his waist. Their long hair was red as blood and their hands a deep gray with stubby fingers and long razor sharp claws. He noticed their slightly pointed ears which were disproportionate and much too generous for their size. As they got closer he could sense the air around him growing thinner and found it strenuous to breathe, falling into almost a tranquil state. He was their prisoner and could do nothing to defend himself against their grasp.
"Take him to the mountain." was the last thing he heard before drifting into a dreamless sleep.
Sirius awoke, having no idea how long he was unconscious and feeling rather sick to his stomach. He was certain that he was in a dungeon of sorts. His hands bound by the same metal cuffs he remembered seeing back in the forest and noticed the same around his legs. Him cell, although unlike no other he had ever seen, was ice cold and felt as though it was moving ever so slightly. There was absolutely no source of light, which gave him the feeling of being inside a void. Right away he reached for his wand, hoping to free himself from the painful chains that help his limbs. "Lumos!" he said but nothing happened.
"Your magic is of no use in here Wizard." came a raspy voice from the darkness. "This place is protected by some type of ward."
Sirius felt helpless and whispered in his reply, "Where am I? What is this place?"
"You have been taken prisoner by the Druids of Chriton." said the voice.
"The who?" asked Sirius.
"The Druids of Chriton, who were banished by the Leprechaun race many years ago by Saint Patrick himself." the voice explained, " I saw when you were brought in that you were unconscious. Are you hurt?"
"SILENCE!!!"
Sirius swallowed hard at the echoing instruction which had just shocked him.
"You will not speak!"
The prisoner that had spoken to Sirius, could be heard whimpering while cowering to the far corner of the cell. Sirius not fully understanding his reaction calmly inquired to the voice of authority,
"Why am I here? Let me ggg…..AHHHHHH!!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth he felt the impact to his head. His knees gave way and his now limp body immediately fell to the frozen floor. He could taste the sour rush of his own blood and suddenly found it difficult to breathe once again. Sirius passed out before he could get an answer to his question.
The darkness continued as Sirius awoken only cracking his eyes open but still lying on the frosting cold floor. His mouth dry and stomach in anguish with the rumbling of hunger. He had not been aware that it had been over a week since he was taken from the forest.
"Try not too move too quickly." came a familiar whispering voice. "You muscles are weak and you have been inside the Mist of the Touk for more than three days."
Sirius got to all fours feeling the blood rush to his brain almost making him fall from the vertigo. Taking his time he was able to reach a standing position enabling himself a chance for the first time to examine his surroundings a little closer for the first time since his capture. Realizing almost immediately that his cell was no bigger than a large closet, he had a strange feeling of similarity to his enclosure in Azcaban.
"Where am I?" Sirius whispered.
"You are far north of the Scottish boarder inside the top of an enchanted mountain. I was apprehended by the Chriton while taking a journey from Belfast to my home in Essex. I am horrified to say that my unfortunate downfall was more than five years ago as far as I can tell. I have not spoken to another human being in ages."
Sirius heard the man start to whimper as he reached the end of his statement. "What year is it anyway?" The man asked Sirius cautiously.
"The year is 1996, late July I think." Sirius told.
At this point Sirius heard his poor neighbor begin to cry a little harder and suddenly felt his heart heavy with compassion for this man but he could not figure out why. His own situation was no better.
"What's your name there mate?" Sirius asked trying to sound a little more uplifting.
"D..D...Damian Malfoy is the name. And I just now realized when you told me the date that I have been here more than twenty years."
Sirius could hear him crying again. "Hold onto yourself there Mr. Malfoy. We must try to be strong and put our heads together if we are to ever escape from this place. I am Sirius Black." Said Sirius with as much confidence as he could muster.
He was very weak and was having a hard time keeping himself upright. "Did that man really call himself Malfoy?" Sirius thought to himself and decided to ask Damian about his past at a different time.
"Tell me Damian, what is this Mist thing you said I was inside?" Asked Sirius "Is that what made me feel like I had no air to breathe?"
"That is it exactly, The Mist if the Touk is their weapon. It comes from their very lungs and removes all the oxygen from the air around the designated target. The Mist will also hang around for a while keeping you down and out for as long as those damn Druids feel like it!" Damian exclaimed. "I am sure that it is some sort of dark magic because not all of them can cause it to happen."
Hours seemed like days and Sirius was beginning to think that he was going to die from starvation. His thoughts turned to dread as his confidence lowered to a point of helplessness and for the first time since his capture Sirius had a chance to weigh his situation from a strategic perspective. Obvious that his captures had more control than he would have liked, he just could not see a way to free himself. His eyesight had improved some, no doubt to the long period of darkness and his pupils adjusted so that the outlines of bars could be seen.
"Damian? Are you awake?" Asked Sirius quietly.
"Yes, but you must be silent for one if them is sure to make his rounds soon." Answered Damian.
"Damian? How well can you see? Have you ever had a good look at their faces?"
"SHHHH! We can talk later." came a quick response from next to him.
No sooner than Damian shushed did the sound of movement start to fill the air. Someone was coming for sure and as the echoing footsteps got louder it was apparent that more than one guard was approaching. Sirius could hear them marching almost in unison and the rattle of chains was distinctly noticeable. Twenty seconds later he could tell that they were within the bounds of his cell and he could start to see the outlines of their short bodies on the other side of the bars.
"Get up Human!" one of them said loudly "It is time you are judged for your crimes."
Sirius wanted to ask for which crimes but in heeding the warnings of Daman, he was afraid that he would be knocked out again. Besides by leaving the cell he would be able to get a better look around this mountain city and think of a way to escape.
Sirius' hands were shackled in the same type of restraints which were used on him in the forest and a black cloth hood was placed over his head blocking any chance for him to see where the two guards leading him. He could hear voices and the hammering of metal on stone coming from underneath him. The smell of sulphur burning his nostrils which would also have made him get sick if not for the fact that there was nothing in his stomach to vomit. He could tell that they were leading him down a staircase which the steps were so close together seemed more like a ramp than stairs. Sirius and his tiny guards walked down for what seemed like ten minutes when one of them spoke up.
"Do not move from this spot until you are instructed to do so!"
Sirius nodded his head in acknolegement and waited for the sound of a very large door unhinge directly in front of him.
"Walk forward and be judged!" Sirius was told and at that point him hood was removed revealing a large opening leading into a great chamber large enough to fit five thousand men or possibly double in Druids.
The light blinded him as he entered the huge hall which did not seem to subside for quite some time. As his sight adjusted Sirius could see one man sized throne in the middle of a stadium of empty seats. If as on cue Sirius walked slowly and sat in the lonely chair and noticed that the color of everything in the entire room was a dark shade of red including the thousands of benched lined across every wall which were now starting to fill with Druids. Directly in front of Sirius' throne elevated to the height of about twenty feet and levitating from the floor was a much larger bench draped in deep red cloth. After about five minutes the colosseum was completely full and a group of guards similar to those in the forest were at attention in the rear. He could see that the bench in front had only one Druid dressed in pure white with red stripes along the collar and his long red beard braided along the sides. He was also holding what appeared to be a large black bird on his forearm.
"Prisoner, state your name and your affiliation!" came a voice from above.
"I have not done anything wrong!" Sirius yelled "Your men took me by force in the foressss...... AHHHH!!"
All of a sudden the iron binds around his wrist grew tighter and Sirius felt as his hands were being ripped right from his arms.
"State your name and your affiliation!" the voice said again with a little more authority.
"I am Sirius Black and I am affiliated with no one! Now could you please loosen these cuffs before my hands fall off!" still holding onto his confidence.
The grips on his wrist were relieved slightly although not enough to suppress his pain. He could tell that his captures had no sympathy for his anguish and made a mental note not to speak out of turn until his binds were removed.
"You were seen in the company of a Hippogriff and are therefore suspected as being a member of the Rielly clan. We had been watching your movement for two days before we arrested you and exterminated your beast." Called out the short man in charge.
"You Killed Buckbeak?!!!" Shouted Sirius
This is my very first ever fanfic story...Tell me if you think I shoud write more.......
Cold , drained, and ravenous his body barely able to move another inch across the desolate forest floor. Sirius had lost his self-control as he tried one last time to catch the fugitive Hippogriff he had escaped on. He had been wandering for days now without a sign of any living thing except for his rebellious fellow convict.
As he reached the edge of the clearing his heart skipped as the half bird-half horse practically trampled him. He was undoubtedly fleeing from something and scampering swiftly. Then, with a burst of power, Sirius grabbed Buckbeak's mane and was dragged more than one hundred feet before the mighty animal came to a halt.
"What has gotten into you?" he asked as he tried to soothe the beast. "You almost ran me over with those clumsy wings of yours!"
His question was answered almost instantaneously when a foot long arrow flew right past his ear and sank into the tree directly in the rear of him. He heard the sound of approaching hooves traveling fast. Exceedingly fast and not more than fifty meters away.
"This cannot be happening!" Sirius said to himself as he quickly dodged another arrow and jumped on Buckbeak's back and urged him to flee in the opposite direction.
The forest was too dense to fly but the Hippogriff was as quick as any four legged animal through woods like these. Sirius rode for what seemed like more than thirty minutes and then stopped to take note of his surroundings.
"I think that we're in the clear, boy." he whispered.
The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized his hopes were mistaken. More than twenty riders, each on heavily armored steeds surrounded the area posing no opening of escape.
"You trespass on marked lands sir!" a voice exclaimed "The consequence for poaching on the Chriton's territory is death!"
"I have not been hunting! I have not even seen anything worth eating for days." Sirius said in a panic.
He knew that these riders meant business by the way they all had their bows raised and pointed at either him or Buckbeak. He was curious about these men, if indeed they were men. They had not pulled back the guards on their armor to reveal their faces and who's territory did they say this is? Trying to seem unaware of his aparent trespassing, Sirius was slow to dismount and held up his arms as if to say "I am not armed." He still did not know who or what he was dealing with but he was nearly convinced that whoever these angry horsemen were, they had something to do with the magic world. It was this assumption that forced Sirius to conceal the wand he was had holstered under his right pant leg.
"Please good sirs, I have been lost for days without food or drink and as you can plainly see I have not killed anything." he said with as much innocence as possible.
"Drop to your knees and place your hands on your head!" came a most authoritative voice. "We will need to harness your beast and place you under arrest."
As Sirius knelt down he heard the sounds of the riders landing and walking towards him and Buckbeak. He was not enthusiastic about the idea of being restrained and he was sure that the Hippogriff would not surrender to having a rope tied around its neck. Still unsure how much of a danger these men actually were, a thought came to his head as he noticed something odd about the approaching mob.
These men were really short; teeny if one could describe them. Sirius was on his knees and the two that came at him, holding what looked like restraints, barely came up to his waist. Their long hair was red as blood and their hands a deep gray with stubby fingers and long razor sharp claws. He noticed their slightly pointed ears which were disproportionate and much too generous for their size. As they got closer he could sense the air around him growing thinner and found it strenuous to breathe, falling into almost a tranquil state. He was their prisoner and could do nothing to defend himself against their grasp.
"Take him to the mountain." was the last thing he heard before drifting into a dreamless sleep.
Sirius awoke, having no idea how long he was unconscious and feeling rather sick to his stomach. He was certain that he was in a dungeon of sorts. His hands bound by the same metal cuffs he remembered seeing back in the forest and noticed the same around his legs. Him cell, although unlike no other he had ever seen, was ice cold and felt as though it was moving ever so slightly. There was absolutely no source of light, which gave him the feeling of being inside a void. Right away he reached for his wand, hoping to free himself from the painful chains that help his limbs. "Lumos!" he said but nothing happened.
"Your magic is of no use in here Wizard." came a raspy voice from the darkness. "This place is protected by some type of ward."
Sirius felt helpless and whispered in his reply, "Where am I? What is this place?"
"You have been taken prisoner by the Druids of Chriton." said the voice.
"The who?" asked Sirius.
"The Druids of Chriton, who were banished by the Leprechaun race many years ago by Saint Patrick himself." the voice explained, " I saw when you were brought in that you were unconscious. Are you hurt?"
"SILENCE!!!"
Sirius swallowed hard at the echoing instruction which had just shocked him.
"You will not speak!"
The prisoner that had spoken to Sirius, could be heard whimpering while cowering to the far corner of the cell. Sirius not fully understanding his reaction calmly inquired to the voice of authority,
"Why am I here? Let me ggg…..AHHHHHH!!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth he felt the impact to his head. His knees gave way and his now limp body immediately fell to the frozen floor. He could taste the sour rush of his own blood and suddenly found it difficult to breathe once again. Sirius passed out before he could get an answer to his question.
The darkness continued as Sirius awoken only cracking his eyes open but still lying on the frosting cold floor. His mouth dry and stomach in anguish with the rumbling of hunger. He had not been aware that it had been over a week since he was taken from the forest.
"Try not too move too quickly." came a familiar whispering voice. "You muscles are weak and you have been inside the Mist of the Touk for more than three days."
Sirius got to all fours feeling the blood rush to his brain almost making him fall from the vertigo. Taking his time he was able to reach a standing position enabling himself a chance for the first time to examine his surroundings a little closer for the first time since his capture. Realizing almost immediately that his cell was no bigger than a large closet, he had a strange feeling of similarity to his enclosure in Azcaban.
"Where am I?" Sirius whispered.
"You are far north of the Scottish boarder inside the top of an enchanted mountain. I was apprehended by the Chriton while taking a journey from Belfast to my home in Essex. I am horrified to say that my unfortunate downfall was more than five years ago as far as I can tell. I have not spoken to another human being in ages."
Sirius heard the man start to whimper as he reached the end of his statement. "What year is it anyway?" The man asked Sirius cautiously.
"The year is 1996, late July I think." Sirius told.
At this point Sirius heard his poor neighbor begin to cry a little harder and suddenly felt his heart heavy with compassion for this man but he could not figure out why. His own situation was no better.
"What's your name there mate?" Sirius asked trying to sound a little more uplifting.
"D..D...Damian Malfoy is the name. And I just now realized when you told me the date that I have been here more than twenty years."
Sirius could hear him crying again. "Hold onto yourself there Mr. Malfoy. We must try to be strong and put our heads together if we are to ever escape from this place. I am Sirius Black." Said Sirius with as much confidence as he could muster.
He was very weak and was having a hard time keeping himself upright. "Did that man really call himself Malfoy?" Sirius thought to himself and decided to ask Damian about his past at a different time.
"Tell me Damian, what is this Mist thing you said I was inside?" Asked Sirius "Is that what made me feel like I had no air to breathe?"
"That is it exactly, The Mist if the Touk is their weapon. It comes from their very lungs and removes all the oxygen from the air around the designated target. The Mist will also hang around for a while keeping you down and out for as long as those damn Druids feel like it!" Damian exclaimed. "I am sure that it is some sort of dark magic because not all of them can cause it to happen."
Hours seemed like days and Sirius was beginning to think that he was going to die from starvation. His thoughts turned to dread as his confidence lowered to a point of helplessness and for the first time since his capture Sirius had a chance to weigh his situation from a strategic perspective. Obvious that his captures had more control than he would have liked, he just could not see a way to free himself. His eyesight had improved some, no doubt to the long period of darkness and his pupils adjusted so that the outlines of bars could be seen.
"Damian? Are you awake?" Asked Sirius quietly.
"Yes, but you must be silent for one if them is sure to make his rounds soon." Answered Damian.
"Damian? How well can you see? Have you ever had a good look at their faces?"
"SHHHH! We can talk later." came a quick response from next to him.
No sooner than Damian shushed did the sound of movement start to fill the air. Someone was coming for sure and as the echoing footsteps got louder it was apparent that more than one guard was approaching. Sirius could hear them marching almost in unison and the rattle of chains was distinctly noticeable. Twenty seconds later he could tell that they were within the bounds of his cell and he could start to see the outlines of their short bodies on the other side of the bars.
"Get up Human!" one of them said loudly "It is time you are judged for your crimes."
Sirius wanted to ask for which crimes but in heeding the warnings of Daman, he was afraid that he would be knocked out again. Besides by leaving the cell he would be able to get a better look around this mountain city and think of a way to escape.
Sirius' hands were shackled in the same type of restraints which were used on him in the forest and a black cloth hood was placed over his head blocking any chance for him to see where the two guards leading him. He could hear voices and the hammering of metal on stone coming from underneath him. The smell of sulphur burning his nostrils which would also have made him get sick if not for the fact that there was nothing in his stomach to vomit. He could tell that they were leading him down a staircase which the steps were so close together seemed more like a ramp than stairs. Sirius and his tiny guards walked down for what seemed like ten minutes when one of them spoke up.
"Do not move from this spot until you are instructed to do so!"
Sirius nodded his head in acknolegement and waited for the sound of a very large door unhinge directly in front of him.
"Walk forward and be judged!" Sirius was told and at that point him hood was removed revealing a large opening leading into a great chamber large enough to fit five thousand men or possibly double in Druids.
The light blinded him as he entered the huge hall which did not seem to subside for quite some time. As his sight adjusted Sirius could see one man sized throne in the middle of a stadium of empty seats. If as on cue Sirius walked slowly and sat in the lonely chair and noticed that the color of everything in the entire room was a dark shade of red including the thousands of benched lined across every wall which were now starting to fill with Druids. Directly in front of Sirius' throne elevated to the height of about twenty feet and levitating from the floor was a much larger bench draped in deep red cloth. After about five minutes the colosseum was completely full and a group of guards similar to those in the forest were at attention in the rear. He could see that the bench in front had only one Druid dressed in pure white with red stripes along the collar and his long red beard braided along the sides. He was also holding what appeared to be a large black bird on his forearm.
"Prisoner, state your name and your affiliation!" came a voice from above.
"I have not done anything wrong!" Sirius yelled "Your men took me by force in the foressss...... AHHHH!!"
All of a sudden the iron binds around his wrist grew tighter and Sirius felt as his hands were being ripped right from his arms.
"State your name and your affiliation!" the voice said again with a little more authority.
"I am Sirius Black and I am affiliated with no one! Now could you please loosen these cuffs before my hands fall off!" still holding onto his confidence.
The grips on his wrist were relieved slightly although not enough to suppress his pain. He could tell that his captures had no sympathy for his anguish and made a mental note not to speak out of turn until his binds were removed.
"You were seen in the company of a Hippogriff and are therefore suspected as being a member of the Rielly clan. We had been watching your movement for two days before we arrested you and exterminated your beast." Called out the short man in charge.
"You Killed Buckbeak?!!!" Shouted Sirius
This is my very first ever fanfic story...Tell me if you think I shoud write more.......