AN: Hi all, Chapter 10 is up! This chapter is really concentrating on Sirius's recovery from Azkaban and deeply into the work that is required to mend a mind that has not only been exposed to Dementors, but also one that has been tampered with at a young stage of the brains development. I always wanted to believe that Sirius really was able to be the father figure Harry needed when he got out, but logically - after that many years (even if its only 4 in this fic) it would really screw someone up and it wouldn't just be a quick in and out fix for a Mind Healer. We are also going to get to know my OC Andrew Duncan better as he delves deeper into Sirius's mind and starts to find the depth of the tampering and compulsion charms needed to completely force someones personality to alter and the problems that its cause. Chapters 10- 15 most likely will focus on Siri's rehab and prep for trial although our dear Potions Master will be making an appearance and we will have some H/L parts to keep you going. Sorry for the long AN~! Enjoy!

Senior Healer Maxwell Forbes walked out of his office and headed for the lift, his hand reaching and pushing the button for the 10th floor (which was hardly ever used unless it was by the Minister or requested by a celebrity that wanted to make sure no reporters could find them). The floor only had one large room towards the end, as well as a standard nurse's station, bathroom and a staff room, which was currently serving as a rest room for the rotation of Aurors assigned to watch his patient. His body walked on autopilot while his thoughts wandered - he was happily letting his feet take him where he needed to be, his body conditioned by walking the same corridors and paths for at least 7 years now. Today was different to his usual rounds and he thanked Merlin that he could trust his instincts to get him to his destination without too much conscious thought. He had too much to think about right now to worry about keeping up appearances. Usually, he wasn't so quiet or unfriendly to those around him. He was hardly ever as antisocial as he had been the last few days - always happy to greet people passing by or stop for a quick catch up chat with other Healers on their rounds, but today he couldn't afford any distractions. As the lift bell rang he looked up and noticed he still had 4 more floors to go and again - he let his mind drift to the past few days.

It had been 4 days now since he had gotten a memo for a meeting with the Chief Healer of the Hospital. Of course he'd been surprised when he had been assigned this particular case - that of one Sirius Orion Black: Mass murder and supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named - Betrayer of the Potters and all round Evil Incarnate. He had thought that there was some prank being pulled when he was informed that starting the following Monday (which was today) he would have a total of five days to evaluate the prisoner of Azkaban, and get him as trial ready as possible with with the help of two junior healers that had been specifically selected for this task - One with whom he had worked with before, Amanda Kent, who he knew was a hard worker, currently in her final year or training and had a bright future ahead of her. The other assistant that had been selected was a quiet young man whom he had heard much about from the other department heads, but he had barley heard the boy speak besides when giving his reports to a supervisor. Both junior healers, otherwise known simply as apprentices, were considered prodigies in their respective fields and great things were expected of them from all their Professors and colleagues. Max felt honored as well as a little nervous to be their Supervisor for this case and was still having trouble speaking so he just nodded instead.

Of course when the shock had worn off and he had finally had the presence of mind to actually talk, his first question had been to ask why the Ministry was giving Black a second trial at all? Was there new evidence of some kind to connect him to another crime? Max shook himself as he head the elevator doors open and walked out of the lift, down the long corridor which seemed to go on forever. He vividly remembered how dumbfounded he had been to learn that the supposed convicted criminal he was supposed to heal had never gotten the chance of a trial, even though all the other Death Eaters had gotten their day in court. Regardless of what crimes he accused of, the Ministry had never give him the chance to defend himself or explain his actions to the people who knew him. He had just been shipped off to hell on Earth without any actual proof of his guilt. Sure, everyone had read the paper after he had been arrested. Everyone had heard that Sirius Black was found screaming about it being his fault the Potters were dead, laughing like a lunatic on the floor, right in the middle of the destruction he had caused by blowing up all those poor muggles and yet another ex-housemate and friend with just one spell!

Forbes himself had been only two years ahead of the Marauders,(though he was from Hufflepuff), and it had sickened him to think about that little naughty second year who he had lectured and given detentions to so often - had betrayed the other trouble maker who was always with him - they were basically attached at the hip most of the time! The two Gryffindor's who were best friends and brothers all thought their schooling years, the two of them and those other two as well who were inseparable in their devotion to their little group. The entirety of Hufflepuff had thought that their loyalty to each other was beyond reproach and something to be admired. The type of friendship to strive for.

Forbes paused and shook his head again, pulling himself out of his thoughts as he reached his patients room before clearing his throat softly and striding confidently into the room, nodding at his two assistants who were already running there individual scans.

"Healer Kent, what are your findings so far?" He asked, his head down and quill ready to record the junior healers findings.

"Well Sir," Healer Kent began, she looked up at her supervisor and then back down to the man she was scanning, her wand constantly moving, its tip a bright blue, "we asked permission from the patient to put him to sleep for the first sets of examinations as it might take a while, especially Junior Healer Duncan's part, to which he agreed. I have been scanning the rest of his body from his neck down to his feet to check his general well being and overall health for any irregularities, while Healer Duncan has begun his mapping of the patients mindscape for viewing and diagnosis at a later state."

Healer Forbes nodded and jotted down the tasks the healers had assigned themselves, "And your findings and suggestions at this current point?"

The woman blew out a breath of air and wiped her forehead before lifting her chart and making her own notes as well as removing a Potions receipt form and handing it to the Supervisor.

"All I can say is that besides being severely malnourished, and I mean dangerously so, I have noted a few bones that have been broken badly and not set properly, as well as one or two cuts that look to be infected on his back. Other than that Mr Black is in unexpectedly good shape. I believe a regiment of Level 16 Nutrient potions, three times per day for now, as well as a daily dose of magic replenisher and Immune System booster, followed by a Vitamin bath once per day just to be on the safe side. These steps should bring him back to a normal, healthy stage, at least physically within a few months. Although within the 5 days we have with him, he should be strong enough to be escorted to the Courtroom and participate in the questioning, as long as the Wizengamot agrees to at least a 3 hour recess half way through so that he can rest and take his potions. If not he will overtax his system and could go into shock. He will need to sleep a lot with such a high level nutrient potion working its way into his system to restore the damage."

Kent paused and looked up from her parchment for slight moment, as if she was listening to something and then answered the unasked question Max was about to ask. "And not to worry Healer Forbes, the potions he will be given will not interfere with the Veritaserum in any way. I have checked the calculations and the ingredients twice over. It is safe."

Max nodded for her to continue her report, and she nodded slightly before continuing,

"Moving forward, I will need to either re-break, and then set the bones that healed incorrectly or perhaps remove them completely and regrow them from scratch, but we will have to ask the patients opinion and give him his options when he is awake. As to his mental stability after 4 years at Max level with those disgusting creatures, well, I guess we will know what we are dealing with as soon as Andrew is finished mapping and evaluating from the inside - although they might be a while by the looks of things. I am going to get the first schedule of potions brewed for Mr Black unless you have any objections Sir?" Kent waited patiently while Forbes reviewed her notes and did a few calculations of his own before he nodded and signed the potions slip that would allow her to access the restricted level potions ingredients. Handing it back to her, she excused herself and headed for the door.

He watched her leave before taking a seat at the small table near the window as he knew that he could possibly end up waiting for a few hours before Kent completed the potions that were needed and that had to be fresh, and most of the time in extreme cases such as this, Mind Healing sessions could take up to four hours before the healer had to remove himself from the patients mind or risk causing themselves or there charges harm. That in mind, Maxwell Forbes turned and began to watch his younger assistant, as he thought back to what he had learned of the young man working silently in front of him.

Healer Andrew Duncan, Ravenclaw, aged 18 years, was spoken of in hushed whispers at St. Mungos. Occasionally, Max had heard small snippets about a prodigy of Mental Healing at the Academy whenever he was passing by the Head of Mind Healers office. There were always rumors around the hospital about something or another, but even he was interested in some of the boys supposed abilities. Although he had only just finished Hogwarts last year and had just finished his first year at the Healers Academy, Andrew Duncan was said to have blown his Professors away with what he could accomplish within the mindscapes of his test patients and even within the mind of the teacher testing his abilities. His control was said to be incredibly impressive for his age. Of course, Max had taken the liberty of finding out as much as he could about the two assistants he had been assigned for this case before today, so that he had some background history to work with and some idea of how to handle them.

Given that he knew quite a bit about Amanda Kent already, he spent most of the time looking into Andrew's credentials.

With only snippets of information and rumors to go on from the hospital, Max had traveled to the Academy over the weekend and had spoken with the staff, especially Duncan's Professors. They all spoke his praises in most areas, but also reported that despite his admittedly extremely high level of intelligence, Duncan seemed to have an extremely low Emotional Intelligence or EQ, which seemed to cause some issues his colleagues and test patients. While he was able to pass 90% of his classes without even trying, Andrew was pretty much useless when it came to his PAFC (Patient and Family Care) class and so was now taking extra classes for IBSM (Introduction to Bed Side Manners). According to his Professors, Andrew was a completely different person when they conversed with him while he was inside their minds or them in his. They stated that he flourished within the inner mind and became charming, outgoing and extremely confident - a complete contrast to how he behaved on a day to day basis, in which he only spoke if asked a question directly from a Professor and was only interested in how the mindscapes of different patients with different ailments worked or how to break through certain mental blocks, and of course, his personal project, which, according to the Headmaster was at a high enough level in its theory to be used as a final thesis essay or perhaps even to be published in the 'Mind Healers Monthly' periodical.

Max also learned that due to his advancement in most areas, which were much higher about his year level, the Professors, along with the support of , instructed Andrew to begin working rounds and cases at the hospital 2 years early in the hopes that constant interaction with other Healers and patients could help develop the social skills he needed in order to become a qualified Healer. When it came to practical healing, Andrew was cleared to consult and perform pretty much any procedure necessary when it came to Mind Arts, but when it came to speaking to the patients and informing them of new developments or problems, he was to step back and watch how Amanda Kent handled the situation. She excelled at comforting patients and keeping them calm while still performing top level procedures and Andrews Professors hoped that he would learn from her.

The more he thought about it, the more Max agreed. Andrew and Amanda would work wonderfully together.

Coming back to the present, Max returned to full healer mode and quickly made his way to the other side of the room when he saw Jr Healer Duncan fall back roughly into a chair next to the patient's bed, his forehead sweaty and his breath coming in shallow gulps.

"Duncan, are you alright? Can you hear me? Can I get you anything?" He lifted his wand, the tip glowing in a soft yellow hue as he moved it horizontally in front of his assistant's eyes and watched his eyes react properly. Satisfied that Andrew was not in pain or in any immediate danger, he knelt down to eye level.

"Junior Healer Duncan, Report your finding on Sirius Black."

The light seemed to flood back into the boys eyes at the sound of his Official title and he took a deep breath before beginning.

"Senior Healer Forbes, after the first time I did a light surface scan of Mr Blacks mind which resulted in finding the traces of residual magic's, I believed it would be a simple task to remove and repair the damage as I would with any other patient who has had a memory charm go wrong or had a mental block placed for whatever reason. However, with the deeper examination I just completed, I believe that it is going to take a lot longer than 5 days to erase, remove or undo the damage that has been caused to this mans mind. Not only due to the Dementors, but also because the oldest residue I found is over a decade old. The left over compulsions, while weakened, still have a hold on him and the parts of his mind that seem to have been Oblivated were incredibly precise and accurate." The exhausted apprentice took a sip of water before continuing, but Max could tell that the young healer in front of him was having a hard time maintaining his calm exterior.

"They had to be cast by a powerful, fully grown witch or wizard who had a strong grasp of the Mental Arts, enough so that he was able to slip into the child's mind undetected and remove as well as edit parts of his personality make up without anyone realizing! To cause such a radical change in personality, the attacker would have had to have cast these spells when Mr Black was no older than 11 years old! He was just a first year when he was violated in one of the worst ways possible and no-one even realized it Sir! No parent would have given permission or forced their child to have this procedure, regardless of their beliefs, simply due to the damage that it causes the developing brain and in turn, the child's magic. In conclusion, if...no, not if, WHEN we find the person who is responsible for this, this perversion of the mind arts which was used to desecrate the mind of an innocent child - they should be charged with everything we can possibly throw at them."

Max looked into Duncan's eyes and could see his resolve. The boys eyes were hard and cold, like blackened steel as he handed Healer Forbes his report to check and file,before he excused himself to work through his thoughts and get started on sorting the memories from Sirius's mind for viewing at a later stage when he needed to check his progress. He was dismissed by his Superior and left the room, his mind running through scenarios and working through countless solutions and alternative routes he could try to heal Sirius Black.

He knew the layout and aspects of Mindscapes better than he knew his own house. He spent all his time studying, learning and developing his ability from a young age and he knew he was considered one of the best Mind Healers to date, even without his qualification. It wasn't ego, it was fact. He had worked hard to get to were he was. He also knew what was considered 'normal' for a mind to look like and how it should react and what the different signs and signals from the subconscious meant and how it indicated that there was a problem and his help was needed. He could trace back memories that were so faint that they could be mistaken for a dream thread and could help his patients in ways that his Professors had never even considered before; he took great pride in the level of healing he could provide...but after spending time in the mind of Sirius Black...Sirius Black who has spent 4 years in Azkaban with the Dementors... It was not easy. He spent over 4 hours attempting to talk to the mental projections that ran amok in Black's head yet not once finding the main aspect who controlled the mindscape. There is always a main aspect, sometimes battered or bruised or shy or locked away somehow but there is always some part of the conscious mind that is in control of the rest, yet after 4 hours he found none who were not just echos of memories lost to the chaos that festered everywhere.

This mind was like no other he had ever been in. There was no order anymore, no structure, no basic rules to follow - the mind had been nipped and tucked and pushed,pulled and prodded so badly and for so long that all that was left was an almost animal-like desire to protect a small area that surely would contain those memories that were the most treasured. All around, random snippets of memories would surface and play out scenes and then disappear like ghosts into the fog. The memories were without order and without any contexts, timelines or triggers as was normal. It was as if with his last coherent though, Sirius consciously decided to lock himself and a precious few memories away from his own mind before releasing his control and welcoming oblivion.

Andrew looked up shocked for a moment when he realized that he was already on the bottom floor of the hospital, he didn't even realize he had taken the lifts, so preoccupied were his thoughts. He nodded politely to one of the Senior Healers he passed and quickly made his way to his locker to collect his notebooks. Once he had them, he sent a memo to Healer Forbes and Junior Healer Kent that he was a bit overwhelmed from the session and would be sorting through the memories and deciding on a treatment course for Mr Black for the rest of the day from his apartment so that he could concentrate properly and use his invention to help. He only had to wait a few minutes until he received his permission and a note of luck from Kent, with an offer to come over to his place later to discuss treatments. He sent her a quick note telling her he would let her know before shouting his address and vanishing into the flames.

AN: From here on out we are going to go further into the mind arts. They always fascinated me and I really wish it was real :(