Chapter 34: Breakout
Octavia appeared at the Burrow. She had a plan to check on Ginny before going and checking on Harry. She feared as to what would have happened to the two of them down in the Chamber and how they were both coping with what happened.
She walked through the back door and found Molly standing there staring over the sink, fretting about something.
"Molly?" she questioned, startling the older witch. "Sorry didn't mean to startle you."
"It's fine dear, what are you doing here?" Molly questioned.
"Came to check on Ginny to see how she is doing," Octavia explained, and Molly nodded. "How is Ginny doing?"
Molly's somewhat calm expression faltered, and a set of sobs broke through. Octavia walked over to help console her.
"She's not my little girl anymore, whatever happened to her, she's gone," Molly explained.
Octavia urged her to take a seat at the table before she began making tea. "Where are the boys?"
"Arthur took Fred, George, and Ron to the Quidditch Match that you gave them the tickets for, Percy is off studying with his friends," Molly explained, accepting the cup of tea.
"I heard Arthur won the Ministry lottery," Octavia pointed out.
Molly nodded, "yes it will be handy, Ron needs a new wand, Fred and George need new robes since they've happened to grow during the year."
Octavia was silent for a moment; she knew how much the Weasley family hated accepting money. "Why don't you let me pay for those things?"
"You know we can't do that," Molly spoke, interrupting Octavia.
"I know but hear me out. Use the money you won and take the whole family to Egypt, be together as a family. Ginny adores Bill and Charlie and having them away at a time when she needs them will be hard on her. Charlie will Apparate in an instance if he hears something is seriously wrong with Ginny and the fact that neither of them is here lets me believe that you haven't told them. If you suspect something is wrong with Ginny, get her checked out by the Curse Breakers, make sure there are no lingering effects of what that disgusting Horcrux did to her." Octavia suggested, she had been thinking this for a while, maybe even getting Regulus out here to check on her if the family couldn't get to Egypt where most of the Curse Breakers were at the moment after some great discovery.
"You think there is something wrong with her?" Molly sobbed.
"No, but you would rather be safe than sorry. Use the money to visit Bill, none of the boys has seen their brothers since they left. It will be good for all of them after this past year. Use the money, and I will pay for the new robes and wand, and I will ask Regulus if he can make a stop in Egypt before continuing on to Australia."
"What if this was Emerson or Willa, what would you do?" Molly questioned softly.
Octavia took a deep breath; she didn't want to think about either of the girls going through what Ginny did.
"I would already be wherever Regulus is. I would have gone straight there after picking them up from the station. But I also have an advantage because I know Regulus and Bridgette's area of expertise amongst the Curse Breakers is dark objects, including Horcrux's."
"They've all been raised to be careful around magical objects. I don't know why Ginny thought it was a good idea to write in a diary that was responding to her."
"She felt alone Molly. She had no friends amongst the other girls. She grew up around boys and girls pretending to be boys, remember Emerson and Willa aren't exactly the girliest of girls. Both Willa and Emerson are annoyed with themselves for not realising that something was wrong with Ginny and I'm sure if you talk to the boys they will be thinking the same thing. Hell I'm annoyed at myself for not realising it, and I was a Professor, I don't know why she didn't think she could come to me."
"I'll talk to Arthur and then get in contact with Bill and Charlie, can you speak to Regulus?"
"Of course Molly, anything for family."
Octavia went upstairs and knocked on Ginny's door, but when she heard no response she carefully pushed it open hoping not to startle the young witch, but she found that Ginny was sound asleep on her bed.
She withdrew quickly downstairs and said goodbye to Molly, truly hoping that Molly took her advice and took the family to Egypt.
.oOo.
Sirius had been only able to get through the last few years because he knew he was innocent because he knew the family he left behind would be together again, be happy together.
He knew it was odd to ask Fudge for the Daily Prophet that he always had tucked under his arm every day, everyone else around him was crazed because of the Dementors, but Sirius needed to make sure his family was okay.
He kept telling himself that seeing nothing of them in the Daily Prophet meant that they were okay, surely if something happened to Octavia they would mention it, they would report the death of the current Dreamer, wouldn't they?
Even Harry, Sirius remembered reading the articles from so long ago, the beginning of his time in Azkaban when the Daily Prophet was plastered with stories about the boy who lived, how he saved the magical community. It was when the stories turned to where his where-a-bouts were that he knew it was Octavia hiding him, hiding him away from the magical community, giving him a normal childhood, the one they wished they had themselves.
Again confirming his theory that they were all together, Octavia, Willa, Harry, Remus, Lilith, and Emerson.
Sirius' head snapped up at the sound of the footsteps. It was time for Fudge's next visit.
Sirius stayed on his bed, knowing if he were standing by the bars, it would be too obvious that he was eager for Fudge's arrival. As much as he enjoyed the Daily Prophet in hopes of seeing something of his family's lives on the outside, he had to play out that he just wanted the crossword puzzle.
"Black," Fudge's voice rang out, and Sirius' body creaked as he climbed off his bed and stood up.
"Minister," Sirius' voice croaked as he nodded his head at the older man. "The Daily Prophet?" he questioned, knowing he couldn't speak much these days without hurting his throat more. They were only giving him enough food and water to keep him alive, not enough to make him comfortable.
"The crossword puzzle, of course." Fudge responded as he held out the Daily Prophet through the bars, careful to not put his hand or arm in as well just in case Sirius got any ideas.
Sirius grabbed the paper and walked back to his bed, quickly opening it to the crossword puzzle knowing that Fudge was still watching.
He looked through the questions before looking back up at Fudge, "Minister, do you happen to know who won the 1990 Quidditch World Cup?" Sirius asked, wincing when his throat hurt.
"No, I do not," Fudge hesitantly responded, this was the first time Sirius had said so many words to him since he began requesting the Daily Prophet.
"Canada," one of the Aurors with Fudge responded and Sirius nodded his head in thanks before looking back down, attempting to scratch the word in with his nail.
"Good day Black," Fudge spoke once more, and Sirius nodded his head, refusing to look and waited until the footsteps were gone.
It wasn't until the steps faded away that Sirius began to urgently flick through the paper looking for something, anything that would give word on his family.
Frustration set in as he threw it against the wall, twelve years and he had no word on his family, and it was killing him.
He brought his knees up to his chest and lowered his head. He wanted to know that they were okay, that Octavia and Willa were perfectly fine, that they didn't get hurt in the months surrounding Halloween when they were rounding up the last of the Death Eaters. He remembered Bellatrix yelling out that she got them as she was carried in by the Aurors and he wanted to know who but there was nothing in the Prophet about an attack, and he convinced himself they were nobodies.
He tilted his head to where his hair had fallen, and he caught sight of the white gold band, his wedding ring.
He refused to let them take it, so when he had a moment alone before being brought to Azkaban, he knotted it into his hair, making it so they couldn't find it. He wouldn't lose the only connection he had to his family.
He lifted his head and caught sight of the Daily Prophet spread out on the floor of his cell, and a picture caught his eye. He crawled over and picked it up, smiling at the sight of a large family.
He and Octavia may never have wanted children when they were younger, but after having Willa, their ideas were changing. He wondered if they would have had a large family like this or would they only have had Willa?
It wasn't until he got a better look at the photo that he noticed something strange, the pet rat sitting on top of the youngest boy's shoulders.
"The bloody rat," Sirius muttered to himself before he read the description of the photo, hoping that family knew nothing of his.
Sirius vaguely remembered a conversation he had with Octavia about getting in contact with Molly Weasley with hopes of reintroducing Willa with Fred and George, and he believed that Octavia would have continued to do so once the war was over.
It also mentioned that the youngest boy was going into his third year at Hogwarts. It took Sirius a couple of moments to work the math out, but it was when he realised that Harry was also going into his third year that Sirius lost it. He thought that Willa would be safe in her dorm, but Harry, Harry potentially shared a dorm with that rat.
Peter Pettigrew was living as a rat within a wizarding family, one that was potentially incredibly close to his own family. He wanted to finish what he started all those years ago, what he was charged with. If he was going to be stuck in this hell hole away from his family, he wanted to be guilty of at least something.
.oOo.
Sirius had spent days monitoring how the Dementors did their guard work, how they patrolled the corridor outside his cell, how often the Aurors came by, everything.
He turned into Padfoot and curled up in the corner, waiting for the Dementor to come past before he made a run for it, knowing his dog form would be thin enough to fit through the bars.
He kept going, straight past the Dementors so glad that they didn't notice him, couldn't reach his thoughts as a dog and continued to run.
He had no idea how long it would take until they noticed he was gone, but Sirius needed to use the time he had to make sure he got far enough away from this place as he could.
.oOo.
Octavia was woken up by the sound of an owl tapping on her bedroom window, it was still dark outside, and she honestly wondered what was going on for her to be bothered so early. She walked over and let the owl in and grabbed the letter from it.
She quickly read through it and noticed that she was requested at the Ministry by Moody, she was unsure as to what was going on but did as he requested.
If the others were awake before she returned they would just assume she had gone to Hogwarts for something and Octavia would decide if she would inform the others of what was going on depending on what Moody told her.
She entered the Auror department and found it in chaos; she hadn't seen them this busy since the war ended.
"What is going on?" she questioned as soon as she entered Moody's office, for once the door was open.
She still couldn't believe that despite Moody having decided to retire from active duty he was still working in an office of all places having taken Nymphadora on as his protégée. But she was grateful that her niece was getting the best training.
Moody looked up and noticed her standing there before he stood up and hobbled out of the office. "Grayson I need that paperwork now!" Moody yelled across the room before looking at Octavia.
"It seems as though your husband is an escape artist," Moody spoke, and Octavia's eyes went wide.
"Are you trying to tell me that Sirius has escaped from Azkaban? He would be the first person to manage to do so. How?" she questioned, and Moody didn't respond, he made his way past the string of desks belonging to the younger Aurors, and she had no choice but to follow him.
"I'm assuming Remus can account for your whereabouts last night and you will allow the Aurors to check your house. I'm sure you understand the reasons as to why?" Moody spoke.
"Of course," was all she said in response.
With Sirius breaking out from Azkaban she would be the number one suspect as to who helped him since she spent years knocking on Aurors' doors hoping to get someone to believe her story about him being innocent.
She just didn't understand why Sirius would do something like this. Yes, it had been twelve years but wouldn't he trust her to do everything she could to get him out, and she couldn't do anything until Willa turned seventeen, she truly hoped he could wait that long, but it seemed as though he had other plans.
"I called you here out of courtesy, to give you fair warning of what happened. We have no reason to believe he has used magic yet, so we doubt he has reached London since he escaped last night but the Aurors will pay you a visit eventually. Now if you excuse me, I have to handle some of this before heading home. I was meant to be starting my retirement today, but your husband had other ideas, all these years later and he is still a thorn in my side." Moody muttered as he walked off and Octavia let him.
She was still in shock of what happened but needed to get home, needed to tell Remus of the information and work out what they were going to tell Willa.
.oOo.
Willa let out a groan of annoyance as she felt someone jump onto her bed, she didn't care if it was her birthday, she just wanted to sleep in because it wouldn't be the same without Fred and George.
"Come on, get up," Emerson whined as she shook Willa's body, ignoring the string of curses that came from her. "And you question why dad is displeased with Snow, your language would be one reason."
"We both know that Moony adores both mum and me, accepts our language and all," Willa spoke, earning a laugh from Emerson before she rolled over and faced her best friend.
"I know Fred and George aren't here but it's still your birthday, we can still celebrate it," Emerson murmured, shifting down the bed so the two laid side by side.
"They've always been here for our birthdays; ever since the war ended, they've always been there when we wanted or needed them, and now they're not."
"It's not like they are gone forever. Merlin Willa, you think you could process the fact that the Weasleys just went on a family holiday with that brain of yours. They'll be back in time to return to Hogwarts," Emerson remarked. A scowl appeared on Willa's face as she climbed off her bed and left the room, heading towards the bathroom.
Willa entered the kitchen after a quick shower and quickly spotted her mother and Remus sitting at the small table in there whispering among themselves.
"Morning," Willa chirped, and they both looked up and gave her large smiles.
"Happy birthday baby," Octavia spoke with a smile as Willa grabbed a piece of toast from the table.
"Happy birthday Willa," Remus spoke as well, and Willa nodded. She avoided speaking because her mouth was full of food and she didn't want a speech about talking with her mouth full to start her birthday off.
"Where do you think you are going?" Octavia questioned, noticing her daughter heading towards the living room, now taking quick observation of the fact that she was fully dressed.
"Are you forgetting that I made plans to spend the day with the girls, Emerson is currently in her room getting dressed and then we're meeting them at the Leaky Cauldron," Willa responded, sounding a little displeased.
"Not today, we need to talk."
"If this is the whole boys are boys, and they lead to sex talk, don't bother," Willa snapped, entering the lounge room causing Octavia to jump up from her seat and rush after her daughter.
"No, not that talk, although we do need to have it at some stage, no, this is more important."
"Really? Something more important? What could be more important than preventing me from getting knocked up at seventeen? I would have thought you wouldn't want me to make your mistakes!" Willa yelled with so much venom in her voice, and Octavia stared at her daughter, unsure as to where all this hostility was coming from.
"Let her go, Snow, we can talk with her at dinner. Be home in time for dinner Willa," Remus spoke, dismissing Willa and waited until the flames disappeared along with her before turning and looking at Octavia, noticing the pain in her eyes. "She's never liked her birthday; we know this. Surely you pushing for a talk on her birthday would have pushed her. She's a smart girl Snow. We raised her to know better."
"She needs to know that Sirius escaped, she's walking into the Leaky Cauldron and spending the day in Diagon Alley."
"It isn't public knowledge yet, Sirius escaped two nights ago they are hoping to track him down before the information is widespread. She should be fine, we will tell her tonight."
"She's never been this hostile to us on her birthday before."
"And she doesn't like change, she's been in a mood all summer without Fred and George around, she was exactly the same when you began teaching at Hogwarts. She will come around Snow," Remus spoke.
It was then they noticed Emerson enter the living room and they both hoped that she didn't hear anything about Sirius' escape, they gave Emerson a smile before she disappeared in the fireplace.
"I've never seen her that angry with me. I don't understand what has caused this sudden change in her. She was fine yesterday." Octavia spoke.
"She's never liked her birthday, despite us always celebrating it in some way and as such Fred and George have always been there since they are her best friends. She will be fine once we give her a day." Remus explained, and Octavia nodded.
"We give her a day, and we explain to her at dinner what happened, both of them."
"Snow, I don't want to accuse you of anything, but you didn't have anything to do with his breakout?" Octavia turned to look at him.
"I'm not going to go breaking the law to get my husband out, I was desperately waiting for the moment Willa turned seventeen for that to happen." Octavia snapped as she retreated upstairs.
Remus brushed a hand through his hair, he knew the summer before Emerson's first year was tense but this summer was going to make that one look like paradise. He just knew it.
.oOo.
Willa stepped through the fireplace, having come home a little later than Emerson as she had left to go and see Cedric. He had sent her an owl earlier in the week wanting to see her at some point during the day. She didn't even tell the girls where she was going, just planned it so she was the last one to go through the Floo network before meeting with Cedric.
She was surprised that Octavia and Remus weren't waiting for her to return home, to yell at her for not informing them of where she was going, but then again all Remus stated this morning was to be home in time for dinner and dinner wasn't for another hour still.
She walked through the lower level of the house in search of her mother, knowing she had to apologise for what was said this morning. She didn't mean to lose it like she did, she just didn't want her mother to take away the one thing that might make her enjoy her birthday that little bit more.
Not finding Octavia she went upstairs hoping she was in her room hiding from them all.
"Mum?" Willa questioned as she slowly pushed open the door to Octavia's room.
"In here baby," Octavia responded. Willa pushed the door open completely before walking over to place herself on her mother's bed while Octavia sat in a chair by the window. "How was your day?"
"Good I had fun with the girls," Willa looked at her mother, "mum listen, about what I said today."
Octavia turned and looked at Willa, seeing the guilty look on her daughter's face. "Surely you know I don't view you as a mistake, I don't regret having you for one moment."
"Sure, say that again the next time the windows blow up, and Mrs. Bakersfield loses it." Willa joked, and Octavia gave her a smile, but it didn't last very long. "What's going on mum, what did you and Moony want to talk about so urgently?"
"It seems as though your father has broken out of Azkaban. I hadn't seen the latest copy of the Daily Prophet yet and was unsure as to if the news of his escape broke, I just didn't want you to go to Diagon Alley in case it had." Octavia explained.
Willa didn't know what to feel; she had always wanted her father home, wanted him back in her life but with his escape what would happen now? And why would an innocent man escape from Azkaban after all this time?
"Baby?" Octavia questioned but Willa didn't respond, she just shook her head and stood up.
"I just need a minute. I'll be down for dinner soon." She replied softly before leaving the room and heading to her own.
She needed to be alone to process the information she had just heard.
.oOo.
Sirius laid there on Mrs. Bakerfield's porch. It allowed him the perfect view through the window into the house that his family lived in and since he saw her leave for the day he knew he would not be disturbed.
He saw a flash of bright red hair and didn't know if it was Willa or Octavia, he moved closer to the edge, hoping to get a closer view at either his wife or daughter.
He sat there all day watching his family and confusion grew through him as he didn't see Harry or Lilith. Happiness filled him as he saw both Octavia and Willa, joined by Remus and Emerson but he didn't once spot the missing two.
He climbed off the porch and made his way to the back yard of Mrs. Bakersfield, hoping he could hear the conversation that his family was having while they had lunch outside.
"Mum, tell me again why we can't just go and get Harry from the Dursleys?"
"Because that's where he lives, how do you think they will react if he all of a sudden disappeared?"
"Why do you think they would care, he left last summer."
"I can assure you; you will not be turning up in the middle of the night to kidnap him like they did."
Sirius lifted his head at the word kidnap, he surely hoped Harry was okay, but he was confused as to why Harry was living with the Dursleys and not his family.
"Come on Snow, we all know that Harry hates living with the muggles."
"Emerson what did I tell you about using that word."
"What dad, there is nothing wrong with the word muggle."
"I never said that, but saying that word in the back yard when we are surrounded by them isn't a good idea."
"But dad."
Nothing else was said for a moment, and Sirius hated that he wasn't involved in the little moment his family was having without him.
"Why can't we just go get him from Privet Drive, it's not that far from here?"
Sirius didn't stay after that, he ran back through the gate, ignoring the shrieks of Mrs. Bakersfield as he went. He had been seen, and it wouldn't be long until Octavia and Remus hear of the black dog in the neighbourhood and then hear of his break out and put two and two together.
.oOo.
Willa walked down the stairs for breakfast, but she stopped halfway down, hearing the voices belonging to Octavia and Remus.
"He was here Moony. You heard Mrs. Bakersfield just like I did. She saw a large black dog in her yard if he's escaped it could have been him."
"I know Snow but do you honestly believe he will risk coming here? The Aurors thought he would and even checked the house." Remus responded.
Willa continued along into the kitchen. "Are you talking about dad?" she questioned, and they both looked at her startled.
"Yes, Mrs. Bakersfield was going on about a rabid black dog in her yard yesterday," Octavia responded.
Willa hadn't asked too many questions regarding her father and the breakout, she didn't know where to begin, but she finally had her thoughts in order.
"I want to know everything; I want to know why Moony fully believes that dad was guilty, but yet mum maintains he was innocent. I know you said when I'm seventeen I could help, but he broke out, even if he gets caught I won't be able to have him pulled from Azkaban because he broke the law when he escaped." Willa demanded, she wanted to know everything now.
Remus turned and looked at Octavia. "It's your choice, Snow."
"Come sit baby," Octavia spoke gently, and Willa joined them at the table.
Willa sat there and listened to both Remus and Octavia explain the missing pieces of the story regarding the events that happened all those years ago.
"So he's the reason that James and Lily are dead, that Harry is living with the Dursleys?" Willa snapped, she was furious.
"Yes." Said Remus.
"No." Said Octavia.
They both spoke at the same time and shared a look.
Octavia let out a sigh before looking at her daughter. "Baby I have always claimed that your father could never betray James and Lily that something had to be missing from the story."
"No!" Willa yelled as she slammed her hands down on the table. "No. He is the reason for everything going to hell. This is insane. He deserves to rot in that place," Willa snapped before she stormed into the living room and entered the Fireplace, she didn't want to stay here one moment longer.
.oOo.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who continues to read, set alerts and review my story it means a lot to me but reviews mean even more as they let me know what you enjoy.
I just couldn't wait to post this chapter.
And this chapter marks the start of Prisoner of Azkaban and Sirius is now out of Azkaban and something it seems as though everyone is looking forward too.
Thank you EmilinLove for being my Beta.
Thank you to Raven that flies at night, bookdragonslayer and Paulies1994 for reviewing, it means a lot to me.