He hated to see magical blood spilled, but then again, did a werewolf count? It's for the greater good. I'm sure the Wizengamot would understand my position. He is dangerous, after all. He hoped Lupin had his affairs in order.

Sirius swore as he landed in his childhood, blood pouring from his missing finger. "Shit, Kre-" his cry was cut off by a violent coughing fit, having swallowed a large lungful of dust that billowed out from his landing on top of his antique bedsheets. Struggling to breathe and dizzy from the effort of apparition and blood loss, Sirius fell to his knees, wheezing, and sending up another cloud of years old debris. Gasping and spluttering, Sirius rolled off the bed and landed hard on the floor, splattering blood onto the dark varnish and dislocating his shoulder from the impact. Just my shitting luck.

"Kreacher!" He finally croaked out, his vision going blurry.

He could hear a loud shrieking from downstairs, "Traitor! Traitor in my house! My poor Regulus, my poor dutiful son having to deal with the blood traitor. Don't help him Kreacher! Let him die like he deserves! Kill him Regulus!"

Sirius heard quick footsteps on the stairs before a figure appeared in the doorway, looming over him. He fought his shock at hearing his mother's voice, who the last time he saw her was frail and half-mad and surely should be six foot under by now. Sirius prepared his answer as carefully as he could in his half-dead state to her shriekings, knowing it was probably his final few minutes before the old witch killed him. "Fucking hell Mother, I thought you were dead. You might as well finish me off now you old bat, for as much as I'd love to see your head in the hallway with the old house elves I don't have the energy to fight you. Do your worst." He sneered at the blurry shadow person, hoping he looked as snarky and unbothered as he used to when arguing with her. However, before he heard a reply he felt his vision go black and a ringing began in his sensitive ears. Sirius Black felt smug vindication that he'd managed to die of his own volition before the old hag had laid a finger on him. Good.

"There you are, Hedwig! Come on, girl, I have a letter for Remus for you from me and Theo." The owl blinked at him in assent, and stuck her leg out elegantly for Harry to attach the messy scrawl to. The owl had been a wonderful gift from Hagrid, and Harry had to admit she was one of the nicest presents he had ever received, especially as she allowed him to easily keep in contact with Moony. He had included several things in this missive at Theo's insistence, so as not to draw attention to one of the things he has asked for in particular.

The biggest distraction in the letter was the fact that Hagrid was undoubtedly harbouring a dragon. Harry had actually been a little too distracted hiding the rock cakes in his pockets surreptitiously to notice, but Hermione had pointed it out to him and timidly enquired as to what on earth Hagrid was planning to do with it. The giant's lukewarm denial had only cemented it in the children's minds that he did indeed have a dragon egg and he did indeed live in a wooden house. He had told Tracey about it who thought it was the height of excitement, but as the man had been kind to them both they and Theo decided to not tell an adult about it, but also not try and help Hagrid hide the dragon, either. They were only eleven and twelve year olds, after all.

The second biggest distraction was the face Dumbledore had, out of the blue, contacted Harry and told him it was imperative he stayed over the Christmas holidays due to safety concerns. As all of his housemates and even his friends Hermione and Neville were going home, Harry was not inclined to agree with the man. He was looking forward to spending Christmas with Moony and didn't know why he wouldn't be able to.

The real reason Harry was writing was he needed a vial of copper sulphate. Hermione had surprised him by dismissing his ideas of introducing impressive muggles to the purebloods in the hopes that they would accept the people as worthy of praise. Instead, she had formulated two plans. The first, and more complex test in Harry's opinion was to put a drop of blood into a vial with some copper sulphate and count the haemoglobin, whatever that was. He wasn't entirely sure he understood, but Hermione seemed to. After asking very nicely and offering to do her History of Magic homework for a week, Hermione had charmed Tracey into giving her some magical stasis vials to take home with her over the holidays. She was going to put some of her parents blood in vials, as well as a vial of her own. She would then take a vial of Harry's blood, and somehow persuade a pureblood to do the same, probably with Neville. Then, by adding the copper sulphate, she was going to compare the blood and see if the blood makeup was any different for muggles, muggleborns, and purebloods. Her plans to obtain the blood sounded positively Slytherin, and even Theo was impressed. He had even agreed to give some of his own blood once it was proven to be harmless using everyone else's. Her only flaw was that her parents had refused to provide the copper sulphate, saying that she shouldn't have to prove herself to others, so that left the task down to Harry.

If Hermione's first plan failed, their plan was to find a television and make them all watch Star Wars.

After sending Hedwig out into the chilly December air, the two boys returned to their common room only to find a rather strained-looking Professor Snape stood by the fireplace. Harry could see a letter clutched in the Potionmaster's hand, and the boy paled visibly when he caught sight of the initials RJL. Had something happened to Moony?

"Potter, come with us. His escape concerns you also."

With that, the man billowed his was out of the room, leaving no room for argument. Also? Harry wondered who else it concerned, as he didn't think anyone else in his house even knew Moony, save for Theo saying hello now and then via owl. Harry looked at his friends with apprehension, making eye contact with Draco Malfoy who was also following Snape. Malfoy gave a shrug and followed. Harry hurried after them, struggling to keep up and wondering what on earth had happened.

Remus Lupin sat at his breakfast table when an owl flew through the open window and dropped The Daily Prophet into his porridge. Casting a quick scourgify, Remus shook out the newspaper and scanned it quickly, his eyes growing wide at the glaring letters emblazoned across the front page.

DEATH EATER SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES AZKABAN

Sirius Black, 32, was found missing from his cell early this morning by Auror John Dawlish during his daily rounds. Dawlish, 45, claimed the man had been acting strange for years, but never showed any desire for escape before last week. "He'd gotten quiet over the past few years, kept himself to himself n all that. His wand's still in lockup so he must have had help, you can't just swim for it out here. Probably drowned himself, miserable b*****d." Dawlish had a lot more to add, but they were all words that this reporter won't print in a family newspaper.

As this reporter wrote about in yesterday's issue, Sirius Black was pardoned early yesterday morning for his crimes of betrayal against Lily and James Potter, with evidence coming straight from their Will at Gringotts. With Black due to be released tomorrow for his reparations trial and veritaserum verification, what purpose did his escape serve? Perhaps he knew the truth serum would confirm his guilt, and so fled to his alleged Death Eater brother for protection. Perhaps he has escaped in order to kill the Boy-Who-Lived and finish what he started all those years ago. Or perhaps Black has simply gone mad, like many other Death Eater inmates have before him.

When asked for a comment, Chief Warlock Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had a lot to say on the matter, dear readers. "It was only a matter of time before Black was going to try something like this. His relationship with the werewolf Remus Lupin was strong before Azkaban, with both men likely in league with V*******t long before Black's imprisonment. I can only apologise for not seeing it sooner, especially after Lupin's kidnapping of poor Harry Potter this summer, at the mistaken wishes of his parents, which I have been working tirelessly to prevent. Black and Lupin are a danger to wizarding society, and they must be stopped at all costs."

You have heard it here first, dear readers. Remus Lupin is in face a werewolf in league with He-who-must-not-be-named, and has helped known Death Eater Sirius Black to escape! Will he finally be brought to justice? This reporter thinks so. More details of Black's betrayals on page 5. List of Regulus Black's alleged crimes on page 12.

Another two owls flew through the window in the short time it took for Remus to read the paper. The first was a ministry summons to stand and testify in front of the Wizengamot for his 'crimes.' The second was a note scribbled from Regulus Black. SOBis safe. SS has HP away from APWBD. Go to the MoM. I will meet you there at 10am sharp. Don't do anything stupid. R.A.B.

Glancing at the clock, it was already 9:50am. Remus hurriedly put on his least shabby robes, picked up his wand, and flooed to the Ministry of Magic with dread weighting down his every step.

When Sirius woke up, he was in his old bed at Grimmauld place, although it seemed a lot cleaner than it had when he arrived. If this is the afterlife, I'm going to re-kill myself. Staring up at the Muggle pin-up girls plastered to the ceiling of his room, he smiled a little at the scorch marks from his mother's failed attempts to remove them. Vindictive old bat. His hand was whole again, he noted, although a thin white line marked the place where his finger had been regrown. His mother would never have taken care of his injuries, and most likely would have taken great pleasure in making them a lot worse. She obviously knew he was here from the voracious shouting he'd heard upon his arrival. Maybe she was lulling him into a false sense of security and would torture him to death the second Regulus left the house. After all, she wouldn't want to upset her perfect little son. Like Cissa, Regulus never did have the stomach for violence. He was quieter, more delicate, almost.

As he took note of the gentle sunlight filtering in through the Georgian windows, Sirius realised he was no longer alone. Someone was stood in the doorway to his room, smirking at him.

"You went to quite a lot of effort there if your only plans were to die, Siri."

There was a hint of amusement in the velvety voice. Regulus. Nobody else, save for Bella who was definitely still in Azkaban, ever called him Siri. He'd always hated the nickname. Looking up, he saw his brother in full Wizengamot robes and short, perfectly styled hair, giving him a look that was half-exasperation and half-pity. Sirius hated pity.

"If it was a choice of survival only to be killed by Walburga, or dying before she had the chance to touch me, it was no contest at all, Reggie." Regulus only smiled sadly, as if it pained him, before stepping into the room and settling himself elegantly into a high-backed armchair next to the bed. A cup and saucer with what smelled to Sirius like calming draught in it appeared in his hands, and Regulus took a measured sip. He seemed to be choosing his next words carefully, the quirk at the corner of his mouth that betrayed his troubled thoughts flickering across his handsome features. In the end, he gave Sirius a deploring look the man didn't understand and slouched back against the stiff leather with a sigh.

"Could you not have waited another two days, Siri? Was it really that difficult for you to just let me do my job? You knew I was coming for you, I sent you all those letters, every week. Did you really think you'd get away with breaking out, pardon on the way or not? I knew I was always the smarter of us two, but really? You're your own worst enemy, Siri."

Sirius stared at him. "What?"

"What?" Regulus laughed. A short, sharp sound, almost a bark. "What do you mean, what? I bloody told you last week for Merlin's sake I had the documents and I was working on it! Do you not read all these letters I've been bothering to send for the past decade? Augusta Longbottom and your pet werewolf managed to find enough evidence of your innocence that the pardon I've been working towards for, oh, I don't know, ten years was finally taken seriously. And now you've gone and escaped and Dumbledore has stuck his wrinkly old nose in as usual and is trying to get both you and Lupin murdered or something ridiculous. I always knew you were too stupid to really be a spy for the Dark Lord, you wouldn't have lasted a week." He shook his head, looking more infuriated than Sirius had even seen him. "A fine fucking mess you've made, Sirius. Now half the wizarding world is looking for you and I'll probably be carted off to fill your cell for harbouring a fugitive."

"Moony knows I didn't do it?"

Regulus really did laugh this time, but the sound was cruel, and more than a little pained. "I tell you about your fucking pardon, and all the work I've been doing for years for you, and you focus on Moony? What am I to you, a bloody house elf? Merlin and Morgana help me. Why didn't you read my letters?"

Sirius stared at him, fat tears rolling down his emaciated cheeks. It was a very small voice that left his throat. "I never got the letters, Reggie. I never got-" A sob broke through, thickening his throat until it was painful to breathe. "The gua- the- the guards told m-me you hated m-me. They ne-never gave me any d-damn letters."

"Well fuck. I have to go now, but just... Fuck. Fuck! Merlin help me. Fuck."

Regulus flung himself into his brothers snotty embrace for the smallest of moments, forced his face into a blank mask, and then swept out of the room, leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts once more.