A few days later Sirius is back in an office trying desperately to focus on the report on a group of rogue pixies that was due in the next day.
He still hadn't shaken off the guilty feeling, but now he knows it has something to do with that door and it must have happened during his last childhood visit when he was twelve.
Think, Sirius, think.
He hit himself in the head a few times then ran his hands through his hair.
"Rough day?" he looked up to see a pretty girl with long blonde curls smiling at him.
"You could say that," Sirius replied, returning her smile with a rather forced one.
"Well, I thought you could do with this," she said, putting a coffee down on his desk.
"Thanks," he said, taking a sip, coffee was exactly what he needed right now, "was there anything else you wanted?" he asked her.
"Well, I was thinking you and me could go and get a drink tonight," she said, fluttering her eyelashes, "to pay me back for that coffee."
"Sorry sweetheart, but you're not my type," Sirius replied.
"What?" she asked, frowning, "what's wrong with me?"
"You're not a bloke," Sirius answered simply; "I'll pay you back for the coffee if you want."
"It doesn't matter," she sighed a little, walking off.
Sirius chuckled a little; glad for any nuisance to distract him from work for even just a few minutes.
But then he was back to trying to remember what had happened.
He could remember sitting in his dad's chair, he got bored and started to wander about. There was something about a duck that could breathe fire then he got to that door but what was behind it?
Think, Sirius, think.
It was on the tip of his tongue; he could almost taste the memory coming to the front of his mind.
Think, Sirius think.
Then it came to him. He remembered.
"No," he said to the empty room, "no, that can't be true, it's not possible."
He ran out into the corridor, straight for the door that had been haunting his dreams. Thankfully, the corridor was empty. He stomped his feet on the ground, hoping he would hit that trigger, but then again hoping he wouldn't so it would all be proved wrong.
But the door opened and the sight that greeted him was not at all pleasant. He was back in the Prison. He remembered everything now, the smell of blood, the howling sounds, the darkness, everything.
Sirius remembered making a promise to a boy, he was the same age as him and he remembered his sandy brown hair, his bright amber eyes… but what was his name?
He looked at the nearest cell, "10057, Tessa Olden, fifteen years old."
He then looked to the cell opposite her, "10052, Remus Lupin, sixteen years old." There was a red cross next to his plaque.
That was him, Remus Lupin.
He went over to that cell and saw the boy with sandy brown hair and amber eyes, still as bright as ever but he looked paler and less alive.
"Remus," Sirius whispered, close to tears, "I'm sorry."
Remus started and looked at him, "sorry for what?" he croaked, "Who are you? P-please don't hurt me."
"I-I promised to save you, years ago," Sirius tried to explain, "but, but…"
"You can't," Remus whispered.
Sirius couldn't see what he could do to help, he didn't know. For the first time in his life he was speechless and helpless.
"I'm sorry," he murmured again before he stood up and left the room.
What are you supposed to do when you find that the place you work, no less the establishment that was built to make your laws and convict your criminals, has a secret prison where they are keeping children as young as three locked up?
Sirius went to the bar.
It wasn't the best plan in the world, admittedly, but he was, to put it lightly, completely freaked out by the whole ordeal and ended up drinking a lot of firewhiskey. Then he stumbled to the flat James shared with his girlfriend Lily, someone needed to know his story.
It was late and an annoyed looking, tousle-haired James had to get up to answer the bloody front door.
"Sirius?" he asked in surprise when he saw his best friend, "what the hell are you doing here?"
"Need to tell- to tell you…" Sirius slurred, drinking had been a terrible idea.
"You're drunk," James sighed and was about to send Sirius home, but he could see the distress in his eyes so he took pity on him and lead him to the spare bedroom where he fell on the bed gratefully.
The next morning at breakfast Sirius told James and Lily everything that had happened.
"A four year old girl, James!" he exclaimed, pacing back and forth across the small kitchen, "what the hell? It was disgusting and cruel and inhuman!"
Lily looked faintly green, James completely shocked; neither of them knew what they were supposed to say.
"And you know the worst thing?" Sirius spat, "the very worst thing? My dad is the fucking head of the department! He might be the fucking sadistic leader of the whole thing! My dad is sitting there locking up kids for no fucking reason!"
"Sirius," Lily started, calmly, "you need to talk to your dad about it, if anyone can explain what's going on; it is him."
Sirius nodded, sighing and slumped back into his chair, "you're right, you're always right," he mumbled into his hands, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still in shock."
