Chapter 4

Sirius stood beside James's grave, staring down at the headstone. He'd had to move fast in order to escape Dumbledore and the minister. He'd hated to leave Harry behind, but a battle could've hurt the kid. Once he knew where'd they'd taken Harry, he could go and retrieve him. He knew from the papers that the aurors were looking for him, but he had to come here. Regardless what James had done, he'd been his friend. He had to say good-bye. "Hello James," He said quietly. "I guess you probably know both my secrets by now. I want you to know that I didn't do this to hurt you. Lily was my friend for a long time. I just wanted to make sure she would be happy. I hope you can forgive me in time."

He paused, staring out at the rows of headstones. "I promise I will take care of Harry, rest easy, my old friend." With an effort of will, a wreath of roses appeared in his hand. He gently lay the flowers on James's grave and turned to go. He froze as he saw a tall old man with a terribly scarred face staring at him. His beady blue eyes were cold. "Hello, Sirius, did you really think you could escape?"

"No, Moody, I wasn't trying to escape. I just came here to say good-bye to James."

"You wanted to say good-bye to the friend you'd murdered?"

Sirius shook his head. "I didn't murder him."

"Cut it out," Moody snapped. "Everyone knows that you were his secret keeper."

"We switched secret keepers. I thought that I'd be too obvious a choice."

Moody raised an eyebrow. "And who may I ask was the real secret keeper?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Peter's dead. You killed him."

"Yes, he came to the house with Voldemort. He tried to kill me."

Moody laughed harshly. "Convenient that. Peter can neither confirm nor deny your story." He raised his wand. "You can tell your story at your trial." There was a flash of red light. Sirius tried to doge, but tripped over James's headstone. The last thing he saw before the darkness engulfed him was Moody's cold eyes glaring at him.

XXX

Dumbledore and Bagnold sat in his office, a sleeping Harry tucked into the corner. Dumbledore poured two shots of whisky and passed one to Bagnold. Sitting down behind his desk, he watched her sip her drink. "Azkaban?" he asked softly.

Bagnold nodded. "We can't take any chances. The elves are the most dangerous of the Fae. I have no idea how much magic Lily knows and how much she can pass to her child."

"Then why are we locking him up with her. Would it not be best to simply kill the child?"

Bagnold gave Dumbledore a hard look. "I am not in the business of murdering children. I am surprised that the 'champion of the light,' would condone the murder of the innocent."

"No, you are correct. Ordinarily, I would never condone the murder of an infant. However, this child is not human, is he?" "

"You always championed for rights of all magical creatures. What's changed?"

"It is true that I have done so in the past. However, elves are a different story. They are too dangerous to live. If this child grows up, there will be two elves. There would be a male and female. What's to say they wouldn't breed? Elves don't have our morality."

Bagnold watched the old man as he stared at Harry. She shook her head. "No, I can't kill a child, even if it's not human. It's still an innocent child."

Dumbledore's expression was impassive. "As you wish, Minister. Where will you place him, in the cell with Lily?"

"Yes," Bagnold responded. "She will watch over him."

Dumbledore stood. Walking over, he lifted the sleeping infant. "Come, let's get this over with."

XXX

Sirius sat in the small holding cell, waiting to see what would happen. He'd been told nothing since he'd arrived in this tiny cell. He'd been given no food or water. So, here he sat, unmoving.

He had no illusions. They were going to charge him as an accomplice to James's murder. Hell, with Voldemort dead they might just charge him with the murder itself. He would either be given the dementors kiss, or he'd be thrown into Azkaban. What was he going to do? Should he try to escape? What about Harry?

He knew that Harry was alive. He'd caught a glimpse of him before he was transported here, but he didn't know where he was now. What were they going to do with him? His glamour was gone. The minister new that the boy was an elf; If he could convince them that he hadn't murdered James, would they perhaps allow him to take Harry? As far as the wizarding world knew, he was the kid's godfather. He snorted. There was no way they would allow him to take custody of the boy, not now that they knew the baby was an elf. He needed to know which punishment he was going to receive. Once he did, he would be able to make preparations. The clang of a lock broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway to his cell.

His blue eyes were cold, and his mouth was a thin line. He stared at Sirius, his expression hard. "How could you?" he asked quietly. "The last of a great wizarding line is dead. The Potter family is no more."

Sirius's heart leapt into his throat. "What about Harry? What have you done with him?"

A bitter smile twisted Dumbledore's lips. "The elf is safe. It has been decided that he will be put in Azkaban with his Mother."

Sirius was on his feet, his hands gripping the iron bars. "You can't," he screamed. "You are talking about locking a baby in Azkaban, are you mad?"

Dumbledore's bitter smile didn't fade. "I assure you I am quite sane. Look at it this way, we haven't killed him?"

Sirius scowled. "No, you're just going to lock him up with soul sucking demons for the rest of his life. For Merlin's sake, he's not even a year old yet."

Dumbledore's smile faded. "Exactly, he's not even a year old and he's already managed to defeat one of the most powerful dark wizards in history. He burned him alive. Do you realize how much power that takes?"

"What does it matter?" Sirius was glaring at the old man, "so he's more powerful than you thought big deal. Think of the advantages if he was allowed to breed into a wizarding bloodline. Imagine what kind of power that could bring to the magical world."

Dumbledore looked as if Sirius had suggested that cockroaches made a fine snack. "No wizard would want the taint of elven blood in their line."

Sirius looked at Dumbledore, his eyes dull. "So that's it, you're just going to lock him up? Have you forgotten how long elves are supposed to live? Elves are ageless, that means he's not going to die of old age. Barring an accident, Lily and Harry would be trapped in Azkaban for eternity."

"You say that like it's a bad thing. You think the ministry or I care about the wellbeing of the sorceress and her child? Let me assure you I do not. Elves are fowl evil creatures, end of story. It is merciful that we haven't killed them. We could revoke that mercy, if you wish? What do you say?"

Sirius remained silent. After giving him time to speak, Dumbledore continued. "We are not here to discuss Harry or Lily. We are here to discuss what will happen to you. Under the circumstances, the ministry has elected not to give you a trial. We all knew that you were James's secret keeper and it is clear that you have betrayed him. Do you deny it?"

Sirius said nothing. What could he say? They weren't going to believe him, and although he knew of a truth potion, he couldn't risk taking it. He may reveal more than he intended under its effects. At his silence, Dumbledore continued.

"It has been decided that you will be locked in Azkaban for the rest of your life. He drew his wand and pointed it at Sirius. "We are not monsters. We could've let the dementors have you. When you wake up, you will be in your new home." There was a flash of red light and Sirius fell to the ground, out cold.

XXX

The man stood on the shore, looking out at the ocean. There was no evidence of the small cottage that he'd spent his childhood in, but it had been almost fifteen hundred years. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the sun had just dropped below the horizon. He needed to get moving.

Rising into the air, he flew north, heading for Scotland. It'd been a long time since He'd seen Hogwarts. He would check it out before taking a trip to Azkaban.

XXX

The boat moved swiftly through the water. Sirius watched the island approach, holding Harry tightly. How could everything have gone so wrong? Why would they put a child in this hellhole? Briefly, he considered running, but that was no good. They would surely fire spells at him if he ran and one of those spells might hit Harry. He looked down at his sleeping son. 'We'll get out of here, I promise.' There was a thump, as the boat docked and Sirius looked up at the prison of Azkaban for the first time.

Azkaban resembled a tall black tower jutting towards the sky like an accusing finger. The tower had no windows, just tiny slits only a few inches wide. Iron grates blocked the prison off from the outside world. A jab in the back from one of the aurors got him moving. As he stepped forward, one of the aurors gently took Harry from his arms. Sirius froze. "Where are you taking him?"

"That is not your concern, Black," the auror growled, "Keep moving."

Sirius lunged for the auror holding Harry, only to receive a kick to the face for his troubles. Sirius sprawled on the dock, blood dripping from his nose. Sitting up slowly, Sirius glared at the auror. "You will pay for that."

The auror grinned nastily. "Any time you want to fight me, Black, you come find me." His grin widened. "Of course that's going to be a problem, isn't it? You'll be locked in this hell for life."

Sirius said nothing, just climbed to his feet. At a gesture from the auror, he began walking towards the prison. As he approached the grate, a tear ran down his face. 'I'm so sorry, Lily, I've failed.'

XXX

Lily lay quietly on her cot when she heard footsteps coming towards her cell. She sat up, staring at the iron grate. Who was coming? Had they found out what she'd done to the warden? The feet stopped right outside her cell. The cell was unlocked and the door opened. "Hey, Evans," a hoarse voice called. "We got something for you?" Lily looked at the fat auror entering her cell. He was cradling something in his arms. What was it? She saw the bundle move, and a tiny hand appeared. She leapt to her feet and took a step towards the auror. "What is it?"

The auror grinned. "Catch," he said as he threw the bundle to her.

Lily lunged and snatched the bundle out of the air. At the sudden movement, the unmistakable cry of a baby filled the cell. Pulling him out of the bundle, Lily rocked him gently, soothing him. She looked up at the auror, her eyes filled with hate. "You will die for that?"

The auror sneered, waving his hand around the cell. "Those runes on your cell say otherwise. Besides, you caught him. What's the big deal?"

Lily stared at this fat man. He looked like a pig that had learned to wear clothes and talk with his flushed pink skin, beady little eyes, and quivering jowls. She looked down at Harry, whose cries had reduced to sniffles. "Why is he here?"

"The auror shrugged. "Dunno, minister just wanted him brought here. Ask me, she's probably afraid of him. After all, the little tike did roast the dark lord alive."

Lily looked down at her son, smiling with pride. "That's my boy," she cooed quietly.

Obviously hearing her, the auror gaped. "Didn't you hear me? He roasted him alive. I mean I wanted the bastard dead, but burned alive? That's just inhumane, even for him."

Lily looked up at him. "Will I get more rations?"

The auror looked at her as if she'd asked if dirt tasted good. "What?"

Lily looked down at the baby in her arms. "He'll need feeding."

The auror chuckled. "That's funny that is. No you won't be getting extra rations. You'll just have to make do with what we give you. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do."

Lily watched him leave and lock the door behind him, before looking down at Harry. "Well love," she said to the sleeping baby. "I'm glad to see you again, but I wish it hadn't been in this place."

She looked around at the suppression runes on her cell. They'd continued to fade over the past few months until they were a mere shadow etched into the walls and furniture. With the weakening of the runes, a lot of her magic had come back to her. So long as they gave her food, she should be able to increase the amount they gave her, so she could produce the milk Harry would need. Obviously they'd been bottle feeding him since he was born, but she didn't have bottles here. She stroked his silver hair and kissed his forehead. "Mummy's here. Mummy won't let anything happen to you."

XXX

Sirius looked around his cell. He let out a slow breath. There were no magical runes on this cell. At least he'd be able to make this cell more comfortable. He could teleport out of here any time he wanted, but he wasn't leaving Lily or Harry behind. With a thought, Sirius resumed his true form and got to work.

Half an hour later, the cell floor was covered in a soft blue carpet, the cot had been changed into a large four-poster bed, and a small fireplace burned merrily in the corner. He frowned at the iron grate. He wished he could change that into something more appealing, but elven magic did not work directly on iron. Besides, the guards would undoubtedly notice if the door to his cell suddenly changed. With a wave of his hand, Puck cast an illusion that would hide everything he'd done to his cell. Sitting down on his new bed, he leaned back against the wall, staring at the door. He could wait. It may be a few days, but the first auror that came through his door was going to answer a few questions.

XXX

Dumbledore stumbled into his office and collapsed into his chair. Making sure that the public never found out what they'd done was proving difficult. The papers would need to be watched closely and the aurors that took the child to Azkaban would need to have their memories modified. They could not risk one of them telling about the baby they'd put in Azkaban. As he leaned back in his chair, his eyes fell on a small phoenix figurine sitting upon his desk. Curiously, he picked it up. He'd just enough time for a startled look before he felt a hook jerk behind his naval and he vanished in a flash of blue light.

XXX

Dumbledore landed on his feet and looked around. Where was he? As far as he could see, there was naught but darkness around him.

"Hello Albus." The voice was low, and as harsh as sandpaper on stone.

Dumbledore jumped. "Who's there? What do you want with me? Why have you kidnapped me?"

The voice chuckled. "Ask a lot of questions, don't you?" His wand flew out of his hand and he was lifted into the air. He struggled, kicking his feet reflexively, but to no avail. "Recant," the voice growled. "Remove the child and his Mother from prison, or face my wrath."

"You hide in the darkness," Dumbledore growled. "You are a coward. Why should I do anything you say?"

He screamed as his spine snapped. Instantly, all feeling below his waist was gone. He was dropped unceremoniously on to the hard ground. "That is just a small taste of what I will do to you if you do not heed me."

The pain in his spine faded, and feeling slowly crept back into his legs. "I am not a monster. I do not wish to harm you, but I will if I have to. Free my apprentice and her child or die. Those are your only options."

XXX

Dumbledore found himself sitting back in his office chair, but he was not alone. A man sat on the other side of his desk, staring at him with glowing red eyes. "Ready to talk, Albus?" He said pleasantly.

Dumbledore swallowed. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, twirling Dumbledore's wand between his fingers. "I have had many names, but you can call me Merlin."