CHAPTER 23:

THE WILL TO CARRY ON

Dear Harry,

I am so glad to hear of you being alive and well, and, if what you said in your prior letter was true, in better condition than I hoped. I will have to confirm that the soul fragment of Voldemort is gone, if and when we meet, but to even hear it is cause to give me hope. The soul fragment was foul magic known as a horcrux, I believe, and I was all but sure that Voldemort accidentally created one when he tried to murder you. How he created one accidentally, however, is a question I am still trying to answer, and not something for this letter.

As to your being angry with me, this I can understand. I only ask that you forgive this old fool. But perhaps forgiveness will be some time coming.

I was going to write to you about Hogwarts, but a rather serious matter came up. Sirius Black, who I mentioned in my previous letter, has vanished from his imprisonment at Azkaban. On a hunch, I brought in the man who identified the Goddess' Gate, and he confirmed that somehow, Sirius was able to use it. I should warn you to be careful. There have been doubts in my mind regarding Black's crimes, but I have been unable to confirm them(1), and in any case, long-term inmates of Azkaban suffer from mental issues. I have included a picture of him. Be careful.

Then again, your adventures sound rather hazardous. I am glad, though, that you have a stalwart defender in Miss Gainsborough, at least. But perhaps adventure is in your blood. Your parents were both in Gryffindor, the house of the valiant and the brave.

Ah, yes. Perhaps now is the time to talk to you about Hogwarts. Hogwarts is situated in a castle in Scotland, and is the premiere magic school in Britain. We teach our students about the magic they will use in their lives, and may encounter. I have included a summary of the various subjects taught at Hogwarts. The core electives are compulsory throughout your seven years at the school, while you may take electives, starting from third year. I am discussing with my contact whether I can send you a copy of Hogwarts: A History, as that may be more informative than my rambling.

Your parents were amongst the best students of their time: they were Head Boy and Head Girl, and your father was a Quidditch prodigy (Quidditch being a game wizards and witches play on broomsticks, not unlike football in many regards). Your mother was one of the brightest witches of her generation, and there are many who mourn her death at Voldemort's hands.

In Hogwarts, there are Houses, where you will be Sorted based on your personal attributes. Gryffindor, as I mentioned, is the home of the brave and valorous. Its Head is Professor Minerva McGonagall, who is also the main teacher of Transfiguration, and dedicated to her teaching. Ravenclaw is the home of those who study and thirst for knowledge. Professor Filius Flitwick is its Head, along with being the Charms teacher. Hufflepuff is the home of the loyal and hard-working. Unfortunately, it is seen, rather unfairly, as the home of those who don't fit anywhere else, which is something of a disservice. Its Head is Professor Pomona Sprout, the Herbology teacher. And then, there is Slytherin, the home of the ambitious and the cunning. Its reputation of late, however, has taken a hit, partly due to its adherence to Pureblood ideology, and partly because Voldemort used it to recruit many of his followers. Professor Severus Snape, who knew your parents at school, is the current Head, as well as the Potions teacher.

I wish to say more, but I don't think you wish to listen to much more of an old man's ramblings. But please, feel free to keep me up to date on your adventure. And keep an eye out for Black.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Albus Dumbledore


When he read the letter, Sirius barked a bitter laugh. "He had his doubts?!" he sneered. "Fat lot of good it did me. He's Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he should have been able to ask for a re-trial. And he left you with the Dursleys. Petunia hated Lily."

Aerith smirked. "So why not write him a letter? We have the envelopes to send it back to him."

Sirius looked at her, before barking his laugh again, only with genuine mirth. "Aerith, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a Marauder."

"Well, there was that time in the slums when I had to get Cloud dressed up as…"

"Aerith!" Cloud yelled, blushing furiously, but Sirius caught on.

The older man chuckled. "Ah, don't worry about it, Cloud. I remember the one time I managed to convince Prongs to wear a girl's uniform and make-up at Hogwarts. Lily used bubotuber pus on him in revenge, if I recall. Nasty stuff."

"Nastier than Malboro breath?" Tifa asked. "That stuff's nasty."

Harry shuddered at the memory. They had encountered a Malboro while climbing Gaea's Cliffs, and its breath was one of the worst things he had ever had happen to him. It felt like he was suffering from the worst possible illness, suffering from a profound feverish delirium. Only Remedies helped cure him and the others affected by it.

"Never heard of a Malboro, and frankly, I'm not sure I want to, judging by the looks on your faces," Sirius said. After a brief pause, he asked, "Any way we can send a vial of that stuff to Dumbledore?"

Aerith pursed her lips before shaking her head. "That…would be going too far. That stuff can actually kill you. Anyway, I don't know whether the Goddess' Gate would allow it."

"Bugger."


Dumbledore was surprised to get a reply so swiftly, though when he first read the letter and its Blackly familiar handwriting, his initial reaction was to fear for Harry's life. But as he read further into the letter, he found himself wondering how badly he had messed up nearly ten years ago…

Dear Dumbles,

I have Harry. And there's nothing you can do to stop that. We are on another world, after all, and beyond your reach.

Hopefully, the above statement has given you a near-heart attack. If not, I'm a little disappointed. You were a good man once, Dumbles. And you're still trying to be. But you've failed on more than a couple of counts.

The first is me. Okay, I can understand you believing me to be the traitor. I spread the word about me being James and Lily's Secret Keeper. That was because I wanted to bluff the Death Munchers. I was the obvious choice, but we decided to go with a less-obvious choice in reality. Peter Pettigrew was the real Secret Keeper. It was my idea, and unfortunately, my fault in the end. I didn't know he was the traitor, believing, stupidly, that Remus was more likely. Anyway, you know what happened: the Potters were betrayed, they got killed, along with Voldemort, though your mentioning a horcrux in the previous letter suggests that old Snake Face may come back.

You know part of the story about Pettigrew. After I stupidly handed Harry to Hagrid and lent him my motorbike, I tracked Pettigrew down. Now, I know what the eyewitnesses, the survivors, said. I was on the verge of killing him, in revenge for betraying James and Lily. He shouted some malarkey about me betraying them, he sliced off his finger, and then shot a blasting curse at the ground behind him. The little shit transformed into a rat (or rather, became the rat he really was) and scurried off. Yes, he's an Animagus. I guess I should confess that all the Marauders were, barring Remus, of course.

I was laughing when the Aurors got me, but that was out of surprise, and despair. Peter, the least of the Marauders, had bested me. He had bested all of us.

Now, I got shipped off to Azkaban without trial. I mean, it did look pretty bad, but even cousin Bella got a trial. I didn't. I never did. You, being Chief Warlock, could have applied pressure for a trial. You didn't. You must've believed it, that a Black would always stay Black. I'm…pretty angry about that. I wanted to put all sorts of jinxes and curses on this letter, as well as send something called 'Malboro breath' to you, but Aerith (that's Harry's new sister) is a forgiving sort, and thought that the shock of me being near Harry would be enough punishment for you. That, and knowing your mistakes.

And then, you sent Harry to Petunia Dursley. Petunia bloody Dursley. Blood wards, I can understand, but from what Harry told me, the Dursleys were basically a toned-down Muggle version of my own family. You traded a life of happiness, for one of misery, so that he could have protection. Maybe that's why you didn't try to get me a trial. Maybe you didn't want his godfather objecting. I don't know anymore.

And finally, you made Snivellous the Potions teacher? What's the world coming to? Or have you gone senile?

Anyway, I'm free now. And on another world. I don't think the Aurors can get me. I'm determined to make up for lost time with Harry. I've already told him a lot of what you've put in your letter, about Hogwarts. Dumbles…it's been an effort to write so restrained, when I have so much anger and bitterness within from my wrongful imprisonment. But I'm making an effort, for Harry's sake.

I want you to promise me one thing: track down Peter. Look for a rat with a missing toe. I know Peter, he won't want to scavenge for long. Being a pet would be ideal for him.

Say hello to Professor McGonagall and Remus for me. Tell them about what was in this letter.

I solemnly swear I am up to no good,

Sirius Black

Sirius was with Harry? And he was claiming innocence? Dumbledore would have laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it, but Sirius' story was all too plausible. Was he making up the story to misdirect Dumbledore while he tortured and murdered Harry?

No…from his discussions with Croaker about the Goddess' Gate, the Goddess would only grant passage to the worthy. He hadn't wanted to listen to Croaker, as it meant that perhaps one of the Death Eaters could have crossed over. But perhaps he was wrong.

He would wait until Harry replied before he tried sending another letter. He could only hope that he was wrong about Sirius, that the past near-decade in Azkaban was a horrible, horrible mistake.

He had made far too many of those already…though Severus was not one of them. Sirius would never understand that.


After a stop to pick up Reeve, the members of AVALANCHE and what was being nicknamed Rufus' Remnant were now standing in the conference room. The nine members of AVALANCHE, plus Harry and Sirius. Rufus Shinra, the three Turks, and Reeve. Elmyra Gainsborough, and Marlene Wallace. And, of course, Jenova. Nineteen people in all, not counting an attendant who stood guard in the corner.

For a moment, it seemed like Rufus, Cloud, and Barrett were on the verge of fighting over who would address them. Well, Barrett and Rufus were on the verge of fighting, while Cloud looked to be itching to have his say. Which was why Aerith took the helm, so to speak. Sighing in irritation, muttering "Boys," under her breath, she walked up to the commanding position of the room, in front of the screen.

"Now, you all know why you're here. We're here because…we're committed to fighting Sephiroth, as well as Scarlet. Friends, family, enemies even…but we're here. Everyone here now knows the odds are against us, and what the price of failure is. I said before we weren't going to give up. Minerva isn't against us, but the Weapons are now our enemy, almost as much as Sephiroth or Scarlet are. But we each have our reasons to fight. Many of them are right here in this room," she said, looking at Marlene, who was perched on Barrett's shoulder, and Elmyra, who was looking at her adopted daughter with both fear (for her safety, naturally) and pride. And Harry. Her younger brother in all but blood.

"Some of you are fighting for vengeance, others to protect family, and others to expunge a dark past," she said. "Perhaps some of us will go back to fighting each other once this is over. But now is not the time for that. Now is the time to save the Planet. That is all that matters now."

"Yeah, 'cause there's no stoppin' this train we're on!" Barrett yelled. Marlene cheered.

A pretty good end to the speech, even if Aerith rankled a little at the interruption. But that wasn't what mattered. All of those present were ready to fight.

CHAPTER 23 ANNOTATIONS:

Another 'letters to and from Dumbledore' chapter. I guess Dumbledore got notified about Black's disappearance, and persuaded Fudge and/or Amelia Bones to have Croaker take a look at the scene.

1. Keep in mind that Dumbledore, while he had his doubts about Sirius' guilt, was all too ready to believe that he had betrayed the Potters. Dumbledore knew nothing about Pettigrew, so his doubts arise from inconsistencies in the facts rather than any true belief in Black's innocence. That being said, when presented with the facts, he will take them into consideration.

CHAPTER 23 SOUNDTRACK:

Sirius' Letter: Auron's Theme, from Final Fantasy X Remastered, originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu, remixed by Junya Nakano.

Can't Stop This Train We're On!: What else, but The Highwind Takes to the Skies (FTG)?