Quoth the Raven, Nevermore
Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Reviews are welcomed, flames aren't. We had thought to combine 25 and 26 to make the chapter longer but Phil hadn't had a chance to look it over. So please excuse the shortness. -GF and The Frau.
Chapter 25: Beguiling My Sad Fancy
Sirius Black mused as he searched for his godson, Harry James Potter in his animagus form of a large black dog. Albus Dumbledore, in Sirius' opinion, had proven he wasn't to be trusted. How else could he have let them place him in Azkaban for twelve years without a trial? The aged wizard always did play his hand very close to his chest and manipulated his pawns for what he considered 'the greater good.'
So far, no one was looking for him as a huge black dog. Guess Moony hadn't betrayed his trust, after all. How long that would last remained up in the air. The black dog growled. Just wait until he could sink his teeth into the old coot. 'He'd probably taste like those confounded lemon drops!'
Sirius wondered if that also meant Albus went against James and Lily's Will as well? It made a macabre sort of sense when dealing with Albus' twisted logic. If so, did that mean that Harry might be at Lily's sister's house? What was her name? Toony? Petra? It was some flower name. Wait! Petunia!
He vaguely remembered that Lily's sister lived somewhere in Surrey. She was married to that walrus of a man, Dunse, Dum-nut. . .No, Dursley! He turned his face in the direction of Surrey and made his weary way.
It was a hot July day when he reached Surrey. As he lay hidding in a park, he watched an elderly man throw away a Muggle newspaper. When the coast was clear, he snatched the discarded rag and dashed back into his hiding place. The headline and bold picture caught his eye.
Sirius stiffened. The front page featured him, Sirius Black, escaped convict! But instead of the expected article saying that he was wanted for murder, attempted murder, and betrayal of his best friend, a notice was posted stating that if Sirius Black presented himself to Number 10 Downing Street by July 31st, a Royal Reprieve was to be given. He would be allowed to state his case before the Prime Minister and a representative of the Crown Prosecution Service. This offer was only good until July 31st; after that, he would be found guilty by default and hunted down.
Sirius was no fool. The Muggles had a saying: fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. However, it was published in The Times. It couldn't be that much of a hoax. Could it?
His nosing around Surrey came to naught. No sign of his godson, Harry. No scent marks of either him or Lily's sister, which was very strange. He couldn't turn anything up in his present form and he certainly couldn't shift back and ask questions.
So, he had no choice but to go back to London. He was sure his mother's townhouse would be staked out by both Aurors and the Muggle police. Well, if what he read was true, then he should head over to Number 10 Downing Street. He had two weeks left. Time enough to check out the offer; if it was bogus, then he was no worse off.
0o0o0o0
Because of Black's escape, Wolf felt it would be best to take John out of the country for a few weeks. Of course, they could only stay 28 days because of John's protection; however, that should be enough time to clear things up. One way or the other.
After John and Wolf had left for their little 'holiday,' Amanda stopped by the Tower. Over a cup of tea, she gave Ben and Maggie a quick rundown of Fudge's traumatic meeting with the Queen.
She gleefully told them that Fudge had been given a dressing down as only Her Majesty could. He had to explain to Her supreme displeasure as to why a Peer of the Realm was denied his basic rights under the law. Did this Black have the Dark Mark? Was he even questioned? Was he represented by due counsel? Her Majesty had grilled him for a solid hour.
"I swear that the man sweated about 5 pounds off that pudgy frame of his," She laughed. "I thought at one point he was going to embarrass himself with an accident! I was ever so thankful that Her Majesty's ire wasn't directed at me! She may not have any magic, but She was bloody scary!"
"Merlin!" Maggie exclaimed with a chuckle. "I wish I'd been there to see it."
Amanda looked over at Maggie and smirked. "I have been trying for years to get Black's records, and Fudge just up and gave them to me to get the Muggles off his back." She shook her head. "Merlin, but did it backfire on him! All that spin he placed on how dangerous Black was in the Daily Prophet, however the most dangerous person Fudge had to deal with was Her Majesty."
"And you, Amanda? Fudge will be coming after you for this," Ben commented, looking over the rim of his teacup.
"He can try, but no pure-blood wants to be head of my department. I also pointed out to him that I've been dealing with the Prime Minister and the Muggle courts for the last ten years. Does he think I could train a pure-blood to take my place? They have no clue how to deal with Muggles. He didn't say anything to that," Amanda explained. "I think he finally realized there are people in the Muggle World with real power."
Then she got a smug look in her eyes. "Besides, he doesn't have time to deal with me. Elections are coming up and he needs to look good for the voters. This will not look good on his record."
Maggie chuckled. "So who do you think will be the next Minister?"
"If Black gets a trial and is found innocent, what does that mean for John? The Morrigan has made it plain that he is to remain hidden. Black can't come here. The Tower Wards will not allow it," Ben interrupted with some concern.
"When will Wolf be bringing John back?" Amanda asked.
"Next week," Maggie said. "We're meeting up at Lawrence's on John's birthday. John should be back under the wards that night."
0o0o0o0
Sirius Black had been hanging around the back of Number 10 as Padfoot, listening to the gossip and bits of news for a few days. Time was running out.
He couldn't find anything against the reprieve. It was confusing. There were no wizards hanging around as far as he could tell. It had all the feel of a trap and yet, it didn't. He had to decide soon. Harry's birthday was tomorrow and his time would be up. He had to make a move before then.
The cook had taken to feeding him scraps - very tasty scraps. He was also good at ear scratches. So far, Padfoot couldn't smell any wizards around, only a couple of Squibs among the security guards.
The last day had arrived. He couldn't put it off any longer. 'So, here goes nothing.' He quietly crept into the kitchen and past the cooking staff. For a big dog, he could still manage to remain unnoticed when he wanted. How else did he get out of Azkaban? Checking the cleared hallway, he smirked. 'So far, so good.'
He noted the wizard portrait was sleeping for the moment. 'Excellent. Dogs Rule, Wizards Drool! This was way too easy. Don't these people believe in security? Wait, why am I complaining here?' With a doggy snort he hurried on his way.
Sirius crept towards the office of the man that could free him, or kill him. It didn't matter any more. Harry was all that mattered now and Sirius wanted to see him once more - see what kind of man he was turning into.
"Hey! How did you get in here!"
"Who let this dog in?"
"Get him!"
Padfoot let out a "woof!" and barreled into the Prime Minister's office, knocking a security guard and a secretary off their feet. He dove under a table, knocking it over spilling papers, files and tea cups, and skidded to a stop at the feet of very shocked and dismayed man who could only be John Major. Padfoot looked up panting, and changed.
"Prime Minister, I assume?" Sirius said, cheekily looking up at him.
"Lord Sirius Black, I presume?"
"That's me. Sorry about that." He looked around at the mess he had made and shrugged.
"Freeze!" shouted one of the security guards, gun in hand. "On the floor, hands where we can see them!"
Sirius, sitting on the floor in dirty, ragged clothes, unkempt and haggard, just looked at them. "Hey! What do you mean, 'on the floor'? I'm already on the floor! You said I could come and give myself up! Well! Here I am!" He raised his dirty hands to show he had nothing in them.
The guards made a thorough search of Sirius, poking and running their hands all over him, much to his displeasure. Once they were satisfied he wasn't a threat, they allowed him into a chair.
"I take it you are the stray my cooks have been feeding for the past few days?" John Major asked as his staff set right his office.
Sirius nodded. "James and I became Animagi while we were at Hogwarts. You do know about the magical world?"
The PM nodded. "Yes. It is one of the many things I was briefed about. However, my sources failed to tell me about this ability. So, Lord Black, how did you end up in this mess?"
Sirius looked around the office before commenting as the PM's secretary and an aide stepped into the conference room.
"I have contacted Ms. Kensington and she is on her way,' informed the PM's secretary. "She will inform the necessary people on her end."
Another aide brought in a tea service with a few sandwiches. "I have arranged for a shower and clean clothes for Lord Black as well," the aide said, giving Sirius a sniff. "I am sure he has time before the meeting, don't you agree, sir?"
0o0o0o0
We want to thank everyone that has been reviewing. We really appreciate you.
Until next time. -GF and the Frau