MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.*

"Jesus fucking Christ-"

As she turned to Minerva who sat on her left, she suddenly noticed the babbling in the Great Hall had turned to whispers. The students that ordered The Daily Prophet were learning about the news at the same time they were. Minerva, who had taken the paper from her and was now coming to the end of the article turned to pass it to Pomona on her other side. "Merlin," Minerva said in a worried voice. "Albus will have to call a meeting tonight."

"I must go to the French ambassador," Serena said quietly, "and… but of course…"

Minerva raised her eyebrows questioningly and Serena lifted a glass of pumpkin juice to her lips to avoid any lip readers. "Sev was summoned last night…"

Minerva's eyes widened. "Do you think-"

"A celebration, I suppose. He isn't back yet, but he has class at ten today…"

Minerva swallowed and stood up. "I will go and see Albus. Be careful, act normally, we-know-who is watching you."

Serena very slowly turned to look down the table where Dolores Umbridge sat with a sick smile on her face, trying to pretend that everything was just fine.

She took another sip of her juice and looked out unseeingly over the mass of students. Ten prisoners. Ten Death Eaters, from their high security prison… how was it possible? When the prisoner Dracona Kelly had escaped two years ago, they had all been worried, it had been the first time anyone had ever escaped, and now this… What was going on? When she had finished her juice, she left the hall. She had to write immediately to the French embassy and she would have to go to their Ministry that weekend. Dark Wizards were not only British and held in UK prisons, and she had to make sure the Dark Lord would not try and repeat the same breakout elsewhere.

Surprisingly, when she arrived at her living quarters, Severus was waiting inside. She looked at him, slightly alarmed. He looked exhausted, and there were two deep purple circles under his eyes. The Death Eaters had clearly partied all night.

Her eyes then found her mirror over the fireplace, smashed and shattered, before sliding down to Severus' fist, cut and bleeding.

"Did you see The Prophet?" he said immediately, his voice almost shaking with anger.

"Of course, the whole school has seen it," she said calmly, "It's true then?"

"They were there when I arrived last night… Ten of them… just like it said… The Dark Lord had been planning the fucking breakout for months and I didn't fucking have a clue!" He kicked out and his leather boot hit a stack of books which crashed to the floor, pages tearing and spines bending across the rug. "I couldn't fucking stop it! Couldn't warn anyone! He doesn't trust me enough! What's the use in being a spy if I'm the last to find out everything of importance!"

It was his hand that reached out now and his fist clenched around her mantel piece clock which he launched across the room where it hit the doorway to the kitchen and smashed into a hundred tiny pieces.

"Ten of them!" he roared, making her flinch, "ten of them! How do you expect us to win this war when he has so many more soldiers than we do! So many more!"

Her cactus went flying next and she couldn't help the fright building up within her. Severus rarely raised his voice, and when he did, it could be terrifying. But, she realised, he had saved it all for her, unable to express it in front of Albus, unwilling to share it in front of anyone else, and so she let him shout and roar and smash up her belongings and when he stood, panting and glaring at her in the middle of the room, she pushed him over the edge.

"You're right," she said quietly, forcing her face to keep it's neutral expression, "what use are you? You were summoned to celebrate and not to plan? What use is that to us? We need better."

She was frightened for a moment that she was going to be the next thing he broke, but his shoulders finally slumped and he stared at her with such a lost and failing expression that she almost lost her nerve.

"What would you have me do?" he said quietly, his eyes like long black tunnels.

"Whatever it takes," she said shortly, taking a step closer to him and placing her fist on his chest. "Whatever. It. Takes." She looked up into his pained and tired eyes and gave him a look of firm conviction. "Now, if you don't mind clearing up this mess and repairing my belongings, I have a class to teach."

She swept out of the room in such a Severus-like manner, she wondered how the roles had reversed so quickly. She hoped that she had been right, pushing him in such a way, but she knew that he always blamed himself personally for every step the Dark Lord took towards victory. If she gave him another push, she hoped he would recentre his thoughts on progress and a plan, rather than on regrets and missed opportunities.

As expected, her classes that morning were difficult. She found herself answering questions about the Azkaban breakout and the mix of fear and excitement in the air did not make for concentrated pupils.

She reassured them that they were safe at Hogwarts, she explained that this pointed towards what Headmaster Dumbledore had been saying all year about the Dark Lord and that they should all be aware and take their studies seriously. She reassured them and comforted them and tried to clarify as many facts as possible about the security at the prison and around the castle, but when Lee Jordan asked her if there would be dementors stationed around the castle like two years ago, she had to admit she was a little stumped.

No, she had thought inside her head. Probably not. For ten prisoners to have escaped Azkaban the only possibility was that the dementors were no longer under the Ministry's control… wasn't it? She wondered whether Umbridge and Fudge were still turning a blind eye. Or were they starting to feel a creeping fear of unease and regret as all the signs point towards the Dark Lord's return…

She had swapped corridor duties with Professor Vector to be able to sneak off to Headquarters for the meeting that evening, and found herself walking down the driveway with Minerva, under the pretence of going for a drink together. She pulled her scarf tightly around her neck and breathed in the crisp air. It was only seven o' clock but the sky was pitch black and full of twinkling stars shining down on them.

"Is Severus not walking with us?" Minerva asked, looking back at the castle.

"That man has his own secret ways of getting in and out of this castle," Serena smiled. "He'll meet us there."

"Does he have any information?"

Serena looked around the dark grounds carefully.

"I'm not sure. He was furious this morning when he got back… I'm hoping he'll explain more later."

Minerva nodded and soon they were apparating together to Grimmauld Place.

"Come to aunty Serena you gorgeous girl!" Serena took little Lavinia into her hands and held her up in the air before pulling her into her arms. "Woopsee! Anddd… woopsee!"

She laughed as the baby chuckled happily and gave Remus a kiss on the cheek. "I think I'm going to be spending a lot more time here than usual," she smirked.

"You could at least pretend it was us you wanted to see," Sirius butted in, joining them and kissing Serena and then Lavinia on the forehead. "You two look adorable together, I've got one of those cameras upstairs, I'll have to take a picture of you later."

"How is she doing?" Serena asked, bouncing her up and down gently in her arms.

"She's settled in well," Remus smiled, "Not great at night, but we've been taking it in turns. She's quite regular with feeds, Max even gave her a bottle this morning, it was so cute wasn't it?"

Sirius smiled widely and Serena thought he looked ten years younger suddenly.

"We've been using those No-change nappies, they're quite good but they only tend to last about ten hours, then the scourgify charm wears off, but it's good to change them anyway, otherwise her tiny bottom will get all red."

"Aw bless her," Serena sighed, kissing her soft curls and breathing in that wonderful smell only babies have.

"Miss Lake." She looked up quickly at the sharp voice that called her name and found Severus staring at her with narrowed eyes. "If you've quite finished playing with the baby, I must speak with you before the meeting starts."

The kitchen was starting to fill up now and Serena spotted Albus' pointed silver hat on the opposite side of the room.

"Here," she said reluctantly, handing Lavinia over to Remus, before following Severus out of the room. He led her into the living room where he locked and warded the door before casting several silencing charms.

He didn't speak for several seconds, so she took the opportunity to talk first.

"I know you're dreading this meeting," she said quietly, "but I want you to know, I'll be standing by your side every second. They'll see that. They'll know that I believe in you."

He sneered. "And you think that will make the tiniest jolt of difference, do you? You think anyone actually cares about what you think?"

She raised her eyebrows, "perhaps not, but they'll know you're not alone, and that matters."

He gave her a disgusted look and turned towards the fireplace, his back to her. "I took lunch with Lucius today."

"Oh?"

"He had some information… more than he has been letting on, but I deduced that Bellatrix was behind the breakout… along with someone else… someone who knows Azkaban prison quite well. Someone who could have told the Dark Lord where the cells of the Death Eaters were located…"

Serena felt her blood run cold and she sank into the sofa slowly. "You're not talking about-"

"Your father," Severus said grimly. "I should have seen it. I dismissed his introduction this summer as nothing but a fanatic. He had nothing to offer the Dark Lord but his loyalty, and I brushed it aside, more focussed on his threat to you rather than his threat to society… But of course… he had very valuable information… very valuable indeed…"

"I should have let you kill him," she whispered, her head in her hands. "This is all my fault."

"No," Severus said quietly, and she felt him kneel down in front of her and place a hand on her knee. "It is not."

"How can it not be?" she said quietly, looking up at him with desperate eyes. "I let him leave that beach, I let them release him, I let them-"

"It was out of your power," he said quietly. "If anyone is to blame it is I. I underestimated him. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Gosh, you were right," she said weakly, "no one is going to care about anything I say or think now… You're the spy that didn't see this coming, and I'm the one whose father orchestrated it… If they didn't trust us before, they're not going to now…"

"Albus will see that they have to," he said quietly. "The information I have will be shared with the inner Order members only, in the second half of the meeting. Fear not, little one."

She couldn't help but give a small smile as he tried to comfort her quietly.

She squeezed his hand and sighed. "Well what's done is done… Are you feeling okay? I can just about see the glamour around your eyes."

"Fine," he said shortly.

"Hmm," she said, tucking a lock of black hair behind his ear and caressing his cheek with her knuckle tenderly. "But then again, I'd feel a lot better if I smashed up someone else's belongings to get my frustration out. My clock had better be working again or you'll have me to answer to."

He smirked and helped her to her feet. "How terrifying."

"It is," she assured him, her eyes twinkling. "Right come on, let's get on with it."

The meeting went as badly as they expected. Mad-Eye Moody bellowed that Severus was clearly keeping information from them because he wanted the Dark side to win, Molly Weasley shrieked when Albus announced there was no extra security at the school, Sirius called Severus a traitor, silenced reigned when they learnt it was Serena's father that had helped the prisoners escape, and Mundungus Fletcher suggested the couple be excluded from inner circle meetings, which only led to more shouting as people stuck up for Serena whilst others shouted hatred for Severus.

Albus tried to calm them down, Lavinia started crying, Molly shouted at Remus for not taking her out of the room and Serena felt her patience snap.

"Right, that's it, we're leaving, get your coat," she snapped to Severus, summoning her own.

"Serena wait-"

"Serena, please-"

"No!" she cried loudly, causing most people to stop talking immediately. "I will not stand here and be judged like this, and even less so for the actions of someone in my family that I am no longer associated with. I'd like to remind you that the majority of us all have someone in our family who is connected with the Dark Lord, and yet you don't get judged for it." She looked hard at Sirius and then at Tonks who had the decency to look away.

"And I won't have you hating on Severus because he doesn't know absolutely fucking everything the Dark Lord is thinking every second of the day. Do you all know what Albus is planning and doing? Or do you just follow orders? No, I thought not. Come on." She picked up her hat and marched out of the room, pushing past Tonks and Mad-Eye and scowling all the way up to the front door. She reached back, took Severus' arm and apparated them both away.

He stumbled slightly when they landed and frowned. "A warning, next time, if you will?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, aware at how uncomfortable side-apparition was without notice.

"And where are we?"

She shrugged and looked around. "Camden. Muggle London. I couldn't bare going back to the castle. I need a drink."

Severus frowned at her again and then looked around them carefully. "We haven't checked the area. It's not safe."

She sighed and rubbed her face. "I know, I know, I wasn't thinking straight."

He sighed and looked around again. "Wait here. Eyes sharp."

Her hand found her wand in her pocket and she walked slowly to sit on a nearby bench as Severus disappeared out of sight. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself and then realised that her full witch garb wouldn't quite do the trick.

With a subtle flick of her wand she transformed the cloak into a coat, and her robes into a more comfortable dress with thick tights. It wasn't the sexiest look she could have gone for, but it would do.

Five minutes later she sensed someone approaching and found Severus in a muggle suit and tie with a black coat.

"Come with me."

He led her around the corner to a small jazz bar that had people spilling out onto the pavement. "It's safe in here," he said quietly, placing a hand on her lower back and guiding her inside.

"We'll never find a table-"

She cut off as a couple in the corner stood up and left, leaving their drinks half touched.

"It looks like someone has just remembered they left the cooker on," he smirked in her ear as he helped her slip off her coat and they sat down in the noisy pub.

She felt charms go up around them and watched as he vanished the drinks and called over a barman.

"A Scottish single malt whiskey on the rocks and…"

"…a pint of blonde beer, please," she finished.

They sat in silence until their drinks arrived, watching the parties around them. They clinked glasses and Severus raised his eyebrows. "Quite the little lioness in there, putting them all back in their places. Perhaps you would have made Gryffindor after all…"

She snorted. "Oh please, I simply reminded them of their own predicaments and told them things they've had coming for a long time now. I mean, honestly, who do they think they are! Not one of them could do the job you do! Not one! And they're all too cowardly and narrow-minded to see it! It just gets to me," she said angrily, feeling her chest tightening. "How they are all so ready to judge, without ever knowing the truth."

Severus raised an eyebrow and his long fingers played with his glass delicately. "after all this time I don't expect anything less anymore," he said dryly. "And I'd advise you to feel the same "

She sighed. "sometimes I forget that you've known them for so many years. I feel like they don't know you at all."

"They don't," he said darkly.

"No one does," she said quietly.

He looked at her intently and narrowed his eyes. "You do."

She pulled a face. "Sometimes I'm not so sure."

He snorted. "Believe me, you do. This morning I... I didn't... I was having some trouble..."

" I know," she said softly, " sometimes the dark and the light fight inside of you and you need some help straightening everything out, that's all."

He grunted. "It sounds so simple coming from your lips."

"Nothing is simple anymore," she corrected him.

Severus sighed and looked away from her gaze.

"What?" She said, spotting how he clearly wanted to say something but didn't.

"It is if no importance."

"It is," she said quietly. "I can see the thought behind your eyes. What is it?

There was a long pause, and he turned his glass around and around in his hand. "Nothing is simple," he repeated heavily. "Not the present, and not the future..."

She waited.

"Do you know how it makes me feel to see you with that baby?"

She was surprised and worried by the anger in his voice and she thought hard before replying.

"I am very young, and we are in the middle of a war," she said quietly. "Don't think I'm getting ideas, I'm not stupid Severus. In our positions, having a child is just not possible. "

"And nor will it ever be."

She shrugged, trying to calm the tension and show him that she wasn't too invested in the question. "Probably not. We've both known that from the very start. Nothing is simple, and right now I am very happy being aunty to that little girl and being your wife. I definitely don't want anything else."

"It's not a question of want," he snapped.

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm agreeing with you," she said quietly. "stop looking for an argument, we have enough people to argue with without bickering between ourselves. I am on your side, I agree completely with everything you've said, end of discussion. We need not talking about it any longer."

Severus frowned but nodded and she kept her fingers linked in his.

"Dare I ask how your lessons with Potter are going?"

Severus stiffened and withdrew his hand.

"Badly."

She grimaced.

"As though being at the school could be any more of a ballache... An hour a week with that boy... He doesn't practise. I believe he enjoys the attention, enjoys having this connection with the Dark Lord... I ask him to do exercises he doesn't do, and he is constantly talking back..."

"I'm told he dreads the hour as much as you do."

"Who told you that?"

"Sirius."

Severus snorted. "Well that makes it slightly less disgusting."

She laughed. "ah yes I'm sure it's worth your while as long as you're terrifying students along the way."

"I hear it's the teachers that are terrified in the castle this year."

"Oh don't," she said sadly, "I'm so worried for Sybil, any day now and she'll be gone, Minerva is sure of it. And now Hagrid is back he won't be far behind. You heard how she spoke about him. Calling him a half-breed and all the rest."

Severus didn't say anything.

"Don't you feel that Albus could be doing more?" Serena asked.

Severus contemplated the question and then shrugged. "the school doesn't quite seem his priority this year."

"Hmm."

"Are you in France this weekend?"

"I am," she said tiredly. "I wrote to the embassy, but I need to go to the Ministry, make sure they are taking this seriously abroad. We all know that other countries always criticised out dementors. France don't understand why we don't use mortal wards, Croatia want us to use dragons, America, well, let's not talk about America..."

"It seems the dementors have been running wild since this summer, if we are to believe Potter "

"Gosh yes I'd almost forgotten about that, two of them in Little Whinging, yes you're right."

"As always."

She snorted, "sometimes."

"Have you calmed down now? Can we go back to the castle?"

"I feel calmer, yes," she smiled, "but I feel like the tiniest thing will just blow me back up again."

"God forbid," Severus muttered, standing up. "Come on woman."

She couldn't help but smile as he ushered her out, leaving the money on the table. How contradictory it was having Severus practically insult her and wind her up but all it resulted in was her laughter and feeling more relaxed.

"You really are impossible, you know that?" She said quietly as they headed towards the apparition point.

"I've been told," he said dryly.

...

The * indicates JK's words not mine.

Hope you're enjoying the story. Thanks for your reviews and messages as always!