Sirius Black didn't reply immediately. He stared intently at Lupin, his eyes burning into him. Lupin stared back at him, an invisible understanding passing between them. Then Black walked over and embraced Lupin. They pulled back after a minute, each looking over the other carefully as if trying to memorize every part of them.

"Moony," Black grinned, and a flicker of youth crossed his face, which had previously seemed almost ancient.

Aziraphale and Crowley stood awkwardly, unsure what to do. They didn't want to disrupt the tender meeting of the two friends. But Lupin had not forgotten them.

"These are my friends, Professors Crowley and Fell," Lupin explained, "they work at Hogwarts with me."

Aziraphale and Crowley shook hands with Black. It was a strange, formal gesture, considering they were meeting in an abandoned shack with a man on the run. Crowley was rather flattered at being called Lupin's friend. He didn't have many friends, and something about it felt good. He stood back, waiting…

"Do they know about…" Black gestured to Lupin, and the shack. He was asking if they knew Lupin was a werewolf.

"Yes."

Black's shoulders slumped, "that makes explaining everything a bit easier."

"So…Mr Black?" Aziraphale seized the opportunity. They didn't have long.

"Call me Sirius. I haven't really been a Black for years now."

"Alright," Aziraphale knew all about that Blacks, and could see why Sirius wouldn't want to count himself among them. He opened his mouth to ask his first question. But what to ask first? How did you escape Azkaban? Why are you here? Did you really betray the Potters?

Sirius stood up a little straighter, as if readying himself for what was to come, "It's a long story," he said.

"I can help," Lupin gave him a half-smile. It seemed as if no time had passed. There was no awkwardness between them at all.

They all sat down on the dusty floor, which creaked gently as Sirius began to tell his story.

"I suppose it all started at Hogwarts really. There were four of us. James, Remus, Peter and I were friends since first year."

"Peter Pettigrew," put in Remus.

"So, we couldn't help noticing that Moony here would disappear every full moon…" Sirius continued.

"They very quickly discovered about me," Lupin sighed, "and decided to help."

"Help?" Aziraphale squeaked. Lupin's tone was ominous.

"We became animagi," Sirius explained.

"All of you?" Crowley asked. Harry would be amazed to discover that his father had been an Animagus.

Lupin chuckled, shaking his head "they broke about fifty laws in the process."

Crowley was rather put out that Lupin hadn't told them all this before. It would have saved a lot of time.

"And then we would accompany Moony when the full moon came," Sirius said, "Prongs and I could keep him in check, as we could transform into large animals."

"Transformations were actually fun," Lupin tried not to smile at the memory. Sirius gave a grin. It was easy to imagine the two of them in their school days, before everything had changed. Aziraphale's gut wrenched at the thought of the four friends, being ripped apart by the war.

"Prongs?" Crowley asked.

"James," Lupin explained, "he could turn into a stag," suddenly he turned to Black, grasping his arm, "its Harry's Patronus Padfoot. It's the same as his father's."

Sirius' expression was bittersweet. Happy with a sort of nostalgia, yet so full of pain that Aziraphale and Crowley looked away.

"Anyway," he continued, his voice slightly choked, "that's how we became animagi. After Hogwarts, we joined the Order of the Phoenix, and James and Lily got married, and Harry was born. That was when Voldemort went after James and Lily. We never knew exactly why. There was a prophecy, concerning Harry, and Voldemort wanted him dead."

"And the Potters asked you to be their secret keeper," Aziraphale said.

"Yes," and now Sirius' eyes, which had been bright with the memories of days long past, dimmed, "but I said no."

"What?" Lupin turned on him.

"It was Peter, Moony."

"Peter?" Lupin's face was painful to look at. Shocked, betrayed.

"I thought everyone would know if I was secret keeper. I thought no one would suspect Peter. And I was right, but no good came of it," Sirius stared at the floor, "I as good as killed them Moony."

Aziraphale shifted uncomfortable, unsure what to do.

"You did what you thought was best," Lupin's eyes were blazing with a new energy, "you tried to save them."

They were silent. The wind tore at the walls of the shack, whistling through the windows, and under the crack of the door. Crowley shivered.

"But what about everything that happened in London?" Aziraphale asked, completely absorbed in the story "with the…the muggles."

"I went to corner him," Sirius explained, "after I found out what had happened."

"Why Padfoot?" Lupin ran a hand through his hair exasperated, "you should have gone to tell Dumbledore, to tell somebody. You always underestimated Peter."

"I know it was reckless, stupid. But Hagrid said Harry was safe, and I…I…"

"Thought it was worth the risk, if nobody but you got hurt?"

Sirius' face was unreadable, but Lupin sighed, clearly knowing what he said to be true. Aziraphale intervened, thinking that their first meeting in twelve years shouldn't dissolve into an argument.

"But how did you escape Azkaban?"

"I started changing into my dog form, because it helped with…with the dementors," Sirius shuddered at the memory, "as a dog, I realised the dementors couldn't sense me as much. Animals just don't have the same consciousness as humans. Finally, I managed to slip through the door of the cell as a dog and leave the prison."

"But why now?" Aziraphale pressed on.

"I saw Pettigrew. He's still alive."

There was an astonished silence, and the three Professors tried not to nervously exchange looks. It all seemed incredible. And Black really did look mad, standing tall in the abandoned shack, his hair wild, face gaunt, eyes glittering from his paper white face. Aziraphale remembered that the Blacks were an old, pureblood wizarding family. Sirius Black had an aristocratic air about him, even in his current state. It made him seem powerful, dangerous. They all took a step backward. Black sighed.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me," he said, head still held high, "so I bought proof."

He reached into a pocket of his threadbare grey robes and pulled out a newspaper cutting. He showed it to Lupin first, his face tense and apprehensive. Not the face of a murderer, but a man who has the proof to clear his name.

Lupin looked where Sirius pointed on the paper, then flinched backward, his face white.

"He's missing a toe," he whispered.

Black nodded, "he tricked everyone."

He walked over to show Aziraphale and Crowley. The article was one Aziraphale had seen before (he always read the Daily Prophet cover to cover). It showed Ron and his family on holiday in Egypt after Mr Weasley had won some money in a ministry competition that summer. Sirius' skeletal finger pointed to the rat perched on Ron's shoulder.

"Pettigrew."

"So, his animagi form was a rat?" Crowley seemed to find this slightly amusing, "and he's been living with a wizarding family?"

"Yes," Sirius seemed to think it was quite funny too.

"But Ron sleeps with that rat!" Aziraphale burst out, scandalised, and Sirius and Crowley sniggered.

"But Sirius you can't come into the castle to find Peter," Lupin turned to his friend, "it's too dangerous. You'll get sent back to Azkaban. Or worse…" he trailed off, but they all knew what he meant. The dementor's kiss.

"What else can we do?" Sirius looked very grave, "I met a lot of Dark wizards in Azkaban, and after I escaped. They all agree on one thing. He's going to come back. But Peter may try to join him and considering the damage he did last time; I'm not willing to take that chance."

But Lupin held his ground, "I'm not letting you go in there. Especially not with the dementors around. We'll track down Peter, and let you know when we do."

Sirius sighed, angrily, but even he could see this was a good plan. He rummaged in the pocket of his robes again.

"You'd better take this," he passed something small and round to Lupin, "we can use them to talk. That cat is clever, probably part Kneazle, but it takes too long."

Lupin stared at the mirror.

"It's not?"

"Took it from the wreckage of the house," Sirius explained, "I've got the other."

"It's a mirror that you can contact people with," Lupin told Aziraphale and Crowley, "I'll be able to tell Sirius when we can meet him here," he suddenly turned to Sirius, looking anxious, "Where are you staying?" he asked.

"In a cave, outside Hogsmeade," Sirius waved an absent-minded hand, "don't worry about me Moony, I can take care of myself."

Lupin looked at his ragged robes and prominent bones and refrained from answering. It wasn't like he could offer Sirius anything better.

Crowley was aware that time was running out, but he still had one more thing to say. he stepped forward.

"What about Harry?" he asked, "do you want to see him?"

Sirius was silent for a minute, shocked. When he finally spoke, his voice was slightly husky.

"Yes," he cleared his throat, "yes I would. I came to watch him play Quidditch. He looks just like James."

"He's got Lily's eyes," Lupin told him, "you'd like him Padfoot. And I reckon he'd like you."

"But he thinks I killed his parents," Sirius said.

"No, he doesn't," Crowley shot a triumphant look at Aziraphale, "I told him you're innocent. He wants to meet you."

Azkaban completely left the face of Sirius Black at this piece of good news, "Really?"

"Yes."

"We'll organise it over the mirror," Lupin said, glancing out the window, where the world was beginning to turn brighter.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Sirius grinned again, "Professor Lupin."

Lupin rolled his eyes, then grabbed Sirius by the shoulders and hugged him hard.

"I've missed you."

"Me too, now go."

Sirius resumed the shape of a Black dog and wagged his tail happily before slipping out of a hole in the door of the shack.

The others hurried back along the passageway, until they could hear the swish and thump of the whomping willows branches ahead. The sky was definitely lighter as they reached the castle lawn, and they started to run toward the castle. But they didn't get very far, before they were stopped.

A swarm of black shapes floated toward them across the lawn. There were so many that the rising sun was blotted out by the thick black cloud. All three of them raised their wands instinctively. There were so many dementors that even Crowley and Aziraphale were affected. Aziraphale stumbled back, his face white with terror. Lupin started shouting, waving his wand, but nothing happened, and now Crowley couldn't hear him, his ears seemed stuffed with cotton wool.

The black shapes drew closer. They were surrounded. Lupin shouted again, then collapsed. Aziraphale ran to him, pointing is wand at the descending creatures. Nothing happened. Crowley watched helplessly, his mind racing. It was up to him, and he didn't know what to do.

Happy memories, he needed happy memories. He shut his eyes, blocking out the dementors. They couldn't hurt him. He was the same as them, fundamentally. They could hurt his friends though. His friends. Aziraphale.

The first rain fell on the garden of Eden. An angel, conspicuously missing his flaming sword, and a demon, who had just bought about the fall of mankind stood on the wall of the garden, watching the desert stretching out in front of them.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver serpent coiled through the air, it's glowing tail sending the dementors flying. They fled as it sped toward them, unstoppable.

The black cloud left, and morning rain began to fall, as though it was that first day once again.

I am worried that this chapter doesn't read very well, I think it's a bit clunky. Still, let me know what you think…