Hey people! I'm back from the dead! Well…New Orleans, but whatever. : ) I would've been updating while there (there were SO MANY wonderful, inspiring sights and experiences!) but since my siblings and I were staying with my grandparents out on the Irish Bayou, no technology what-so-ever. I didn't even have my cell phone. -_- But anyways! Thanks for all your amazing comments! I did my best to answer the ones I could, but I'm sorry if I missed you. I'll do better this chapter! Oh, and to Queen NekoChan, my 200th reviewer…a virtual salamander-shaped ice cream cake and a request.

I hope you love it! :D

Warning- I had a lot of difficulty with the flashback bit of this, so don't expect it to be fantastic. I also took some liberties with the timing and the place. Tell me if it's OOC, so I can go back and revise. Thanks!

"Speaking"

"Thoughts"

"Sounds"

"Flashbacks"

Sirius Black

Flashback Three

It was cold. Sirius closed his eyes, glad for the fur that covered his large form. Even in the shelter of the shrieking shack, the cold seeped through the cracked walls, rattling the windows and making his own paranoid self twitch uncomfortably. His stomach made a loud growling noise, and he ignored it. It was easy- after all, he'd been living with it for twelve years.

Sirius shifted his position on the worn old bed, making the broken frame groan in protest. He had been there, had seen them. Oh, God, Harry was beautiful. He looked exactly like James had at that age. All except for the eyes. Even in the dimly lit places he'd seen him, he could tell that the boy had Lily's eyes. A proud, parental smile lifted the corners of his mouth into a doggy-grin. He knew now what all those proud parents he had met over the years felt when they cooed and smiled at their children. Harry should have been his, when the Potters had….

His shaggy black head shook quickly, and he whimpered quietly at the terrible thoughts of what had happened to James and Lily. His best friend.

It was all that traitor's, Pettigrew's, fault. He had betrayed them. He had-

"CRASH!"

Sirius bolted to his four feet, eyes trained in the direction of the door. Quiet, angry mutterings came from the other side. The voice was that of someone young, and with a slight accent that he couldn't quite place. Sirius's eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape of some sort. Two windows, but they were covered by boards and probably magically sealed, and the secret passage was on the floor below him. Sirius panted quietly, mind racing and heart accelerating as he realized that there was no way out of the room except through the doors and past the stranger just beyond it. Sirius stood stiff and still, trying to be quiet and praying that the stranger would just leave already. It was quiet for a long moment, and he held his breath.

Sirius allowed himself to hope….

The door swung open, the rusty hinges protesting loudly, to reveal a hooded figure. The figure took a step into the room, not seeming to really notice Sirius at first. With a quiet sigh, he allowed his hood to fall away from his face. Sirius knew that, if he was human, his eyebrows would've been somewhere in his hairline at the scale covered face that was revealed.

Taking a cautious, quiet step backwards, Sirius hoped he could disappear into the shadows of the dimly lit room. As he did so, his back paw knocked against a stray piece of debris, creating a quiet scuffling noise as the trash skittered across the floor. The younger occupant of the room gasped and turned, simultaneously yanking his hood back up and over his face. As the boy's eyes finally settled on Sirius, he could see the other visibly relax. A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he muttered "Thank goodness. Just a dog."

Kneeling down, the strange scale covered boy extended a gloved hand towards the large black dog who was watching warily from his corner. "C' mere boy." He cooed quietly, reaching into his back pocket with the other hand. Sirius tensed, ready to dash if the boy pulled a wand. Instead, a small roundish package was taken from the pocket. "You look so skinny, I don't think even the Little People would want you." He chuckled quietly as he slowly removed the wrappings to reveal scraps of meat. "This was meant for someone else, but I think that you could use it more." He continued talking; using a slow and soothing voice as he slowly moved forward, the food extended towards Sirius.

Sirius stayed still, eyeing the snake boy uncertainly. His human instincts were warning him to stay away, but his animal instincts were telling him that the strange boy could be trusted. Cautiously, Sirius moved forward to accept the food. He was starving, and his animal instincts were usually more accurate than his human ones.

The snake boy stayed in the room with him long after Sirius was finished with the food. It was strange for the escaped convict to be in such close quarters with another human(?), and for said human not to be completely insane or homicidal. Not that there was much of a difference in Sirius's opinion. Evra, as Sirius soon learned, was searching for his missing friend. When Evra mentioned the friend's name-Darren- Sirius felt an odd sense of familiarity, although he wasn't sure why. He brushed it off.

"I'm usually with the Cirque, but when I heard that Mr. Crepsley was going to go and find Darren I had to go. He's my friend after all. Actually, it kind of makes me nervous to be out here with all the normal people." Evra admitted with a nervous kind of laugh. He seemed to be talking nonsense, but Sirius didn't mind. Although he wouldn't let the snake boy touch him, he did enjoy the company.

"I guess I'm talking your ear off." Evra sighed, reaching slowly in an attempt to rub the dog's enormous head. He wasn't surprised when it skittered out of his reach, hackles raised very slightly. He smiled and withdrew his hand. "I guess it's just because I haven't really had much of a chance to vent lately. Crepsley is always either out looking for Darren, and that's usually at night while I'm asleep, or he's asleep himself, and that is usually during the day when the roles are somewhat reversed." Another sad sigh. "I really hope that he's having more luck than I am."

"That I am." Came a quiet voice.

Evra jumped to his feet and whirled around, his hood falling to reveal the nervous face of a teenager who knows they've done something wrong.

Sirius felt his hackles rise slightly at the sight of a tall man with bright orange hair and a large scar marring the side of his face. The man smelled strange…different and threatening, and yet somehow…familiar….

"He smells kind of like that boy!" Sirius realized as the memory of the strange caged boy came back to him. He rose from his comfortable position on the ground, resisting the urge to growl at the other man.

"Evra, come here." He commanded, and Evra complied, sulking slightly at being ordered around.

"Why?" the young snake boy questioned, glancing back towards Sirius.

"Because that is not a mere dog." Crepsley answered simply, a humorless smirk on his features.

Harry Potter POV

"Have you noticed anything…different…about Darren lately?" came a quiet, airy voice.

It was lunch, and Harry, Ginny, Neville, Hermione, and Ron were seated together at their house table. Harry turned away from his frantic studying of an upcoming potions test to face Luna, who was standing directly behind him.

"Wha' d'ya mean?" Ron grunted while he simultaneously shoveled food into the gaping hole most humans call a mouth. Hermione and Neville exchanged a shocked look at the amount that their friend was capable of consuming before turning their gazes to the blond. Ginny ignored her elder brother entirely, and instead focused entirely on Luna.

"I think that perhaps that Nargals have ahold of him." She said gravely as she settled down beside Ginny. She was met with a thundering silence as the group waited patiently for her to continue explaining. "I was down at Professor Hagrid's, and I decided that it might be best if I went to pay our dear vampire friend a visit. When I went near him though, he seemed unusually cheerful and excitable, although at the same time rather nervous."

Hermione looked at the younger girl uncertainly. "That really doesn't mean much of anything…." She began, but trailed off as the headmaster rose slowly from his position. The entire hall fell slowly silent as they waited for the man to speak.

"I have an announcement." The headmaster stated. His soft voice was magically amplified so that the entire student body could hear. Harry noted with surprise how tired Dumbledore looked, and how old he sounded. It was certainly a strange thing. "This week, Ministry representatives will be coming to the school to retrieve the vampire from our grounds."

A choking sound was heard through the silence of the hall, and Harry quickly slapped Ron on the back to help him to breathe again, eyes never leaving Dumbledore's worn features.

The still of the hall was shattered when Hermione stood up, a quiet and angry cry coming from her mouth, and a distraught looking Professor McGonagall rose from her own seat and stormed out.

The five Gryffindors and the single Ravenclaw soon followed, accompanied by Hagrid, Lupin, and Snape. For once, none of the professors even acknowledged the students' presence and allowed them to follow. They found themselves in the headmaster's office, each one too lost within their own thoughts to really notice the quiet conversations and questions of the others and of the many portraits lining the walls. When Dumbledore strode through the large ornate door, he was attacked by loud, questioning voices. The old wizard held up one hand, silently asking for quiet. For a second, it was so. Then, in a quiet, horrified voice, Professor McGonagall asked "Why, Albus?" and the room was filled with noise again.

Dumbledore wisely waited for the other occupants to settle themselves down before he took his seat behind the enormous desk. He conjured up several more chairs, each of its' own varying style and color, and gestured for the other occupants to sit themselves down. Each did so, eyeing one another and the headmaster with emotion filled eyes. Dumbledore met each pair of eyes, never flinching away whether he was met with anger, sadness, or just simple confusion.

Finally he spoke, words aimed towards his staff. "I am sure that you are all curious as to why it is that you were not informed of this earlier." At the quiet noises of confirmation, he continued warily onwards. "It is because the simple fact of the matter is; no one can do anything about it, and I know a few people who might have hurt themselves trying."

Sparkling blue eyes locked momentarily with eight other pairs. Snape scoffed, and then spoke. "Are you quite certain that there is nothing that could be done? No way that a vampire could…escape…from such a thing?"

Everyone but Dumbledore turned wide, shocked eyes upon the hook nosed potions master. The man pretended like he didn't notice, focusing only on the headmaster. A small, sad smile pulled at the corners of the old man's mouth. He shook his head, white beard swaying gently with the motion. "I have considered many possibilities, Severus, but so far I have nothing." As he spoke, his eyes turned fierce, flashing around the room. Harry couldn't help but hope that the sudden change meant that an idea was forming in the headmaster's brilliant mind.

"I think that, whether Darren realizes it or not, he needs his friends to be with him at this point in time." Professor Lupin said softly, turning to gaze pointedly at the six youngest occupants of the large circular room. The students shifted uncomfortably at the sudden shift of attention.

"But Professor-" Neville began, but was cut off when Dumbledore rose from his seat.

"I agree with Professor Lupin. Go and visit him. The Ministry will be here the day after tomorrow."

A quiet sob escaped Ginny's throat as the group turned to go. Hermione was the last one to leave. She paused, one foot out the threshold and turned back toward the professors. "Sir…" she began timidly, one hand fumbling with something under her shirt. "what about-"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Let's not discuss that yet Ms. Granger. Go and visit your friend."

The young witch nodded, her lower lip trembling dangerously. "Yes sir."

As the door closed behind her, Dumbledore let a heavy sigh escape from between his lips. Snape glanced at the headmaster, a single flash of concern hidden in the inky black of his dark eyes. Lupin allowed himself to sink down into his chair, covering his face with one large hand.

"Albus, you aren't actually going to let them just take the boy, are you?" McGonagall whispered, sounding horrified.

"I'm afraid I have no choice, Minerva." He replied, eyes averted to stare out the window and across the grounds towards the hidden cage. "Perhaps, with a bit of luck, something can be worked out."

"Albus..." Lupin began quietly, wide eyes staring hopefully at the powerful wizard.

"I think that that is enough discussion for now." The headmaster said, turning back towards his friends. "Right now, don't you all have classes that need attending?"

The three professors didn't reply, only stood and headed for the door. Each one paused for a brief second before leaving, casting glances over their shoulder at the headmaster. He nodded to each in turn, and then they were gone.

"What a day." Dumbledore murmured, removing his half-moon spectacles and laying them gently on his desk. Popping a few lemon drops into his mouth, the great wizard steepled his hands and began to formulate an idea.