Here's the next chapter! Hope you like it :)
Chapter 1 - Once Upon a Time
Sirius had stopped to look if someone walked by his prison cell. There weren't many people anyway here. Visitors practically didn't exist; the other prisoners were as weak as him.
While they were sleeping, they cried of pain. Some of them screamed their head off. But the Dementors had their own methods to keep them quiet.
Sirius had stopped fighting back a long time ago. There wasn't any reason to do so. The whole life was pointless after you got here to rot to death inside those walls. There wasn't even the tiniest chance to escape.
Suddenly footsteps got closer and came to a halt in front of his cell. The grid door was opened. Sirius looked up in surprise. Did his sense of time fool him and it was already time for breakfast? No. The sun hadn't even risen. It was still the middle of the night.
Instead of the usual bowl of indefinable mass of anything that should represent food, a little figure was pushed through the opening. Fresh meat, he thought, grinning.
The shaped began to move. The hood fell off of the little head and now Sirius was able to see the small face and the bright red mop of hair. He only knew one red-haired wizard family… "You're one of the Weasleys," he said with a hoarse voice. It felt strange to use his voice again. He hadn't talked for years, at least nothing besides screaming in his sleep.
"What a nice way to greet me," the girl said. Sirius considered she was probably eight years old. She seemed to be pretty curios for her age. "My name is Nina Westbourne, and I have never met somebody named Weasley. Why do you think I could have anything to do with them?"
"Well, because you have such red hair."
"I see. A very good explanation. And such a nice compliment. May I now get to know who I have the privilege to meet here?"
"Just call me Sirius," he said. He had never mentioned his last name in Azkaban. Nobody should associate him with this family of Death Eaters. "And you don't have to talk that formal."
The girl didn't pay attention to his last statement and continued. "Don't you have a surname?" She seemed to be extremely stubborn.
"Sure I have, but that is none of your business. Understand? How old are you by the way, five?"
"I'll be turning eight in a few month if you care about it, but I don't think you mind," she said stiffly and turned his back to him.
For the next hours she kept ignoring him completely. He didn't mind, of course he didn't want to talk to a little kid all the time. They had their sparse meal in different corners of the cell. Sirius watched her secretly. He wondered why a young girl like her would be put to Azkaban. What could she have done that she was sentenced to spend her whole life in the high-security wing of the safest prison in the world? He couldn't imagine anything. She looked far too innocent to be a murderer. Well, the appearance can make a wrong impression.
Slowly it was getting dark outside. During sunset the girl had just looked out of the window that was locked with iron bars. What was her name again? Oh, Nina. In the early stages many of them long for freedom. But that would be over soon.
Now she slid down the wall and hid her face in her hands. "Just yesterday I still had a home and a family," she said quietly. "And today, there's nothing of it left."
Sirius remained silent. He didn't have the slightest idea how to handle a crying little girl. It seemed to be a good solution to comfort her, but how? In the meantime Nina was sobbing uncontrolled, but anyway Sirius could hear the rattling breath that announced the arrival of a Dementor. They were doing a tour through the prison every evening.
Immediately Nina began to shiver. She hit the air around her and screamed to the top of her lungs. Seconds later Sirius was at her side and covered her mouth with one hand. "Be quiet," he hissed. "You will just make it worse."
She didn't struggle for a long time. As soon as the Dementor was gone, her screaming softened and died away. Nevertheless the sobbing continued. "This pain," she croaked with difficulty. "Every time I see one of them, I feel it again."
"The Dementors make you relive your worst memories again and again," Sirius said. "But you will get used to it if you are here for a couple of years." He laughed bitterly.
Soon the patrol was over and silence settled over the hallways. Nina leaned against Sirius and closed her eyes. "I bet I won't be able to fall asleep."
"Yes, just try it. Er, I could tell you a story," Sirius proposed. "I'm not very good, but I could try."
"I don't care. This will be great! Please think of something. I will be able to sleep very well", Nina yelled happily. "Something nice, okay?"
"All right", he agreed. "Once upon a time…"