Chapter 2:

Choices

First thing, Sirius wasn't down for breakfast. Remus thought that maybe the man was sleeping late. Then when he went to look for him at noon he realized Sirius wasn't in his room. Nor was he with Buckbeak. Nor anywhere else in the house. Then when he tried to get out, the door wouldn't open. He was locked in.

'Sirius what have you done? Kretcher!'

The house elf appeared only when Remus yelled for him the 10th time.

'The half breed calls as if he were my master, but master said to only come when the clock struck one in the afternoon and not before, yes, Kretcher good elf he obeys even the worst master.'

'Kretcher, where is Sirius? Did, did he say anything to you? Did he leave any note?'

'Kretcher can only answer the questions when it is 6 o'clock.'

'Open the doors then! Let me out!'

'Kretcher can't, master said the doors will be locked, they will be locked until master is out of the country but no sooner than 6 o'clock.'

Remus was panicking now. He tried blasting his way out. It didn't work. He tried aparating, it didn't work. He tried contacting the order, it didn't work. The fireplace was down, the owls couldn't leave, and Kretcher was being a prick. Remus was going to kill Sirius when he came back. If he came back.

At 6 o'clock sharp the doors were open and Tonks, Sturgis and Daedalus Diggle busted in through them followed in a much more dignified manner by Moody and Kingsley.

'What the hell happened? Why couldn't we get in?' Tonks asked Remus who was trying to close the curtains around Walpurga Black who had, because of the ruckus, started to scream.

'It's Sirius. He's gone.' Remus said as he finally stopped the painting from screaming.

'What do you mean he's gone?' Moody asked.

'He, he just left and closed the house so that I couldn't get out and pursue him. He said he was going to find allies, someone only he could contact, from the time he was an Auror and on a mission in Europe undercover. He said, but I thought I could knock some sense into him, only he just left and locked me in before the night was done.'

'He left last night?' asked Kingsley

'That's what Kretcher said. Just after midnight ordered Kretcher to not say anything and keep the house closed to everyone until 6 o'clock this evening. He's likely out of the country by now.'

'Did he say who he was going to contact?' Asked Moody.

'He said he couldn't say. By the way he spoke, it was probably an oath or vow of silence in the middle.'

'There aren't many fractions that use something like that anymore.' Said Kingsley.

'But in 1980 it wouldn't have been uncommon. Voldemort wasn't the only evil in Europe back then. The vampire covenants in Austria were acting up. The Werewolves in Scandinavia were riding the tide of evil and there was a small witch covenant that was terrorising Turkey.' Explained Moody.

'But where had his undercover mission been?' Remus asked 'If we knew that, we could narrow the list down.'

'And do what?' Moody asked 'We can't go after him, we'll attract attention. And if those people are protected by a vow, we would just put him in danger by making them believe he broke it.'

'So what? We do nothing?' Tonks asked

'Black's on his own for now.' Said Kingsley 'I'll try to make it look like he's in Asia or South America, but I don't know if it will work, especially if he is seen.'

'Don't exaggerate with the assumptions. If he is found in Europe, you might be dragged out as either incompetent or accomplice.' Added Moody.

'So better not to say anything.' Sighed Kingsley

'For now.' Moody growled.

Sirius found her house incredibly fast. The fact that the Swiss nation both magical and muggle was a neutral country in any war made everyone have very lax security apparently. There were some wards around the house, but Sirius just decided to stake it out from a distance, at least that was what he was doing for the past two days. He was about to call it a night when a cloaked figure approached the front gate and stopped before turning and looking directly at where he was hiding.

Well, that was new. He was sure he hadn't run into any additional protection. So how did the person know he was here? He got out from his hiding place but only just and woofed once. The cloaked person seemed to ponder what to do about this. Was it Leila? He had no way of knowing from this far away. And he couldn't risk revealing himself to anyone else. Even with her he was taking a huge risk. They barely knew each other back in 1980 and all because of a mission he ruined for her. He did save her life however. That had to count for something. The person opened the gate and left it open.

'Well if that isn't an invitation in, he didn't know what was.' So Padfoot approached carefully. The opened gate meant the wards were down. And the house door was open too. This could be the bloody end for him. He contemplated whether a letter and a more public place would have been a better approach. But no, this way, he was one on one with her. If he had gone with that, he would have been one on 20, with her whole division to back her up. Not that she alone wasn't a threat, but he still had a chance against her if in the end she didn't believe him. He sighed and went all the way inside where he took a sitting position and waited.

'Show yourself!' a voice boomed through the house.

Sirius transformed back to his human form. 'I need your help. And before you call the Aurors here, please listen to what I have to say.'

'You've got some nerve showing up here Sirius Black.' A woman came forward, wand trained on him.

'I know, but you're the only one who can help me prove my innocence.'

'Innocence? You were never innocence you sack of dung!' she was pissed. Well, that was just great.

'I am prepared to swear an oath, I was wrongfully imprisoned. I didn't even get a trial. You can look it up. I had no trial, Leila.' This was why he wanted to talk to her. Her mother had been in a similar situation, locked up without a trial, the woman had died in prison when Leila was 5 and only when she became a battle mage could she learn the truth.

'How dare you say that? How dare you speak those words to me!?'

'It's the truth. Look, if you need time to investigate I can give you that. I can even let you keep me here until you do so. But I need you to listen to my story. Voldemort is back. The world will be plunged into another war. And I need your help.'

'Where is your wand?'

'Right sleeve.'

She summoned it from him.

'Walk.' She pointed at a room behind him. He went in and realized it was a kitchen. He sat down when she gestured him to and silver ropes bound him in place.

'Do you really think this is necessary? I gave you my wand.'

'Shut up. I decide what is necessary and what is not.' She took out something that looked like a notebook from her robes and tapped once. A voice came out of it.

'Headquarters, how may I help?'

'I want you to send me the files on Sirius Black. Priority Beta.'

'You're one restless lady Weinberg. Didn't you just come back from a mission?'

'Shut it Hughes. And get moving. I needed those files yesterday.'

'Yes, ma'am, one evil British douche coming up.' And the notebook closed.

'Evil British douche?' Sirius asked bemused.

'Hughes is American.'

'So I figured by the accent. I take it you're no longer Sargent.'

'I'm not the one with a story to tell Black.'

'Very well, how do you want to do this? Oath or Veritaserum?'

Leila frowned but took out a small vial and poured it into a cup before allowing the rope tying Sirius to free his right hand. Sirius drank it in one go.

'Tell me why you said you're innocent.'

'Because I am.' And Sirius plunged into the story. From the choice of Secret Keeper to his presence at her house. It took a couple of hours and by the time the Veritaserum ran out Sirius felt exhausted. Leila was looking at him with sad eyes.

'Was that to your satisfaction?' Sirius grinned trying to fight the nausea of the potion and his already tired body. He realized he was no longer bound to the chair and that his wand was in front of him on the table. He blinked 'You believe me then?'

'I gave you the strongest dose of Veritaserum I have, an illegal one that might have killed you, it is also known to bypass any memory alterations or spells that could circumvent the truth from coming out. Come on.'

'Where?'

'To bed. You're dead on your feet. And I'm not any better either.'

'Is it OK for me to stay here?'

'It is since you're telling the truth.' She opened a door to a guest room. 'There is but one bathroom and it is down the hall. We'll talk tomorrow.'

Sirius couldn't do anything but nod. He forced himself to take a shower before crashing down on the bed. He had a chance now. They had a chance now.

When Sirius woke up the next day it was already past 3 in the afternoon. He found Leila in the kitchen flipping through files.

'Good morning.'

'It's afternoon. Help yourself to some food if you want.' She flicked her wand and the fridge opened. Sirius made himself a sandwich and poured himself a huge mug of coffee before sitting down opposite her. She paid him no mind until he finished eating.

'What is your plan Sirius?'

'I came to ask the Swiss mages for help. The Ministry of Magic is run by idiots that don't want to accept the truth that Voldemort is back. I know, what they have been writing about Harry, but it's not true. The kid isn't deranged, he's a hero. He fought Voldemort and managed to escape alive. But they won't believe him, and Dumbledore's influence has suffered. We need allies or the war in Britain when it blows, it will come to Europe too.'

'And how did you think I could help in all of this?'

'Honestly, I thought you might be the only person outside of Remus, Harry and Dumbledore to give me the opportunity to tell my story. And I knew if you were still a battle mage, that you could get this information to the right people, and start tracking Voldemort and the Death Eaters.'

'So you want me to take over hunting Voldemort for you?'

'I just know I have to do something, Leila. I, I'm not sure what I can do. 12 years in Azkaban have taken their toll on me. I just, I can't stay on the side lines. I can't hide in my childhood home. Not when Harry needs me. But in my situation, I can't do much without help.'

Leila looked at him for a good long while.

'What would you be willing to give in exchange for a trial?'

'Anything.'

'I said a trial, not a pardon.'

'I know what you said. But you don't believe I can be found anything but innocent, do you?'

'It won't be a normal trial Sirius.'

At this Sirius frowned.

'I assume you've heard of the Cabal.'

Sirius's eyes went wide at the implications. She pushed the files in front of him. They were his files, the ones she requested the night before.

'Read through them. Take your time to decide, but don't take long. In the meantime I'll put out an unofficial warning. But it will be a warning, not the cadres hunting Voldemort. For us to intervene on British soil, there will need to be a formal request. And if I make it official I'll have to drag you out with me, which won't go down well, your people are narrow minded enough to believe you used dark magic to get your way. The relationship between Britain and the Swiss isn't a good one.'

'Thank you.' Sirius's voice cracked from the emotion. With another glance at him she left the room. Sirius looked through the files, they were complete, detailing everything from his school days to his escape. Of course they were also inaccurate, with the testimony of Albus Dumbledore that he was secret keeper to James and Lily, to the Muggle testimonies of him killing 12 of them and Peter. There was also no trial recorded, but there was a signed paper of his incarceration for life in Azkaban, signed by three people: Bagnauld, Crouch and Dumbledore. A testimony of the Aurors that got to him on the 2nd November was also attached. Scrimgeor and a recruit, some guy named Perkins. A slip of paper stated Perkins was killed three days after that by Bellatrix. He finished reading the report by Fudge that he was after Harry and closed his eyes to calm down the anger boiling inside him. This was not the time, nor the place to let emotions guide him.

The Cabal. Sirius shivered. The Wizards court was the highest authority in the magical world. Any verdict given by it would be effective immediately and overrule any and every court of law. But they didn't judge only facts, they judged motives and they judged magic itself. Even if he was innocent of all that the Ministry of Magic accused him of, he had no way of knowing what the Cabal would rule as a whole. He had done things he wasn't proud of. Even at Hogwarts, when he told Snape how to get to Moony, that decision haunted him day and night. Even though he knew at a subconscious level that it wasn't entirely his fault, Snape knew there was a Werewolf at the end of that tunnel. It still weighed on his soul and then there were the days spent with his family, and the days spent in service as an Auror. He didn't have a clean soul, he wasn't a bad person, but he wasn't good either. He left Azkaban with murder in his thoughts after all. If Harry hadn't stopped him -

Harry.

He looked so much like James it hurt him. It hurt that it was his fault the kid didn't know his parents. It hurt that he couldn't do anything for the boy. He was powerless. A useless escaped prisoner. Unless he chose the trial. A trial which might just as well doom him. But at least it would all come to light. Even if he was condemned, he would be condemned for his own crimes, not Peter's. And the world would know. And if he was proven innocent, then he would be able to help Harry. Give him a home, tell him about his parents. Help protect him from Voldemort. And if not…Harry would be left alone once again. He had to make sure that didn't happen. He had to arrange everything so that his godson was protected. He rose up and went to look for Leila.

So, that's it for the second chapter. Next one will be us going back to England. The OC Leila hasn't been based on any book, or at least not consciously based on anyone, Hughes also. You can tell me if they remind you of anyone as the story progresses (but they won't be the main focus). Let me know what you think and have a nice happy sunny Weekend.

PS: I won't update every day, more like once a week-ish.