A/N: Folks, gather 'round. P.A.R. has a confession to make. You see, in the last Q&A, I made a mistake. *People gasp in disbelief. Several faint.* I made the comment to purple water that Katlin would be perfectly suited to become the next dark lord and stated the reasons for this. These were that she is 'deceptive, intelligent, cunning, ruthless, and you couldn't have stuffed her conscience in the navel of a Barbie doll'. That last part should actually have read 'you could stuff her conscience in the navel of a Barbie doll'. A small matter, true. But it does sort of change the meaning.
Tried And Convicted
Chapter Eight: THE KISS
Sirius stared blankly ahead of him as the two guards flanking him led the complacent captive down the corridor of Azkaban.
Sirius had heard about Azkaban. Had helped send a great many Deatheaters here. But in his wildest and worst nightmares, he had never envisioned himself in this black pit. A coldness had gripped him as soon as he stepped within the prison walls. It settled into the material of his robes and insidiously worked its way through to his body, where it hung on his skin like a lead weight. It was as though already he could feel every good, pleasant, happy emotion being sucked out of his very soul.
He had heard the screams as soon as he entered the first corridor. A loud, horrified shriek had frozen him in his tracks. The guard to his left grabbed his arm and dragged him forward to get him moving again. But Sirius didn't remember anything of those next few minutes. He was frozen in the sound of that scream. He had never heard anything like it in his life. It was soul-less. A pitiful, wailing cry that tore through the air, carrying with it all the hopelessness, desperation, and despondency of the person it belonged to.
Sirius didn't break out of his trancelike state until he was taken past the first of a row of cells. He chanced a glance into the cell. A bleak, dirty, thin animal sat near the bars. It took Sirius a moment to realize, as the guards moved him on past the cell, that the creature he had seen was human. A fact only brought to light in the last seconds when the poor being had lifted it's head slightly and caught his stare.
Sirius had never seen eyes so dark. So utterly devoid of....anything. They were nothing more than two hollow pits staring out at him from a skeletal face.
As they past the cell, Sirius caught a whiff of something that nearly gagged him. As long as the creature had been in its cell, Sirius doubted one drop of water had touched it's body.
But as he tried to clear the smell from his senses, a sudden chill past through his body as a thought came to light for him.
That creature. That would be him in a few weeks.
Or something even worse.
Or better, depending on how you looked at it. He would be the same filthy, starved, stench-ridden creature huddled in a cell. But he would have no knowledge of it. It would just be his body sitting there. His soul and mind long departed.
Somehow the thought terrified him. His body sitting in a cell. Alone, filthy, and neglected. How often would someone come and check on him? Or try to feed him? Or clean him? Or see to any of his body's basic needs? Or would he be abandoned and left to suffer until someone remembered him and threw a piece of bread in his cell or dumped a bucket of water over him?
Sirius wondered if he could plead his case to the guards escorting him. Bargain something with them so that they would just put his body in a cell and let it peacefully starve to death. That way, he would know his body would only last in this cold pit for a few weeks at best. No more than a month more than likely before it finally died of its own accord. And there wouldn't be much pain for it. At least not endless days of it.
'How long am I to stay here?' Sirius wondered as they past another dark cell with another pitiful creature huddled about itself for some hope of warmth. 'How long before they send for the Dementors?'
The judges sentence had been that he was to be taken to Azkaban and turned over to the Dementors to administer the Kiss. But they hadn't said how long that wait would be.
Sirius was snapped out of his thoughts as they approached another cell. A sudden coldness seemed to permeate the very air around him suddenly. As though he had just been taken through a jet of freezing air that blew over his body from some unknown source.
But it didn't take Sirius long to identify the source.
The door to the cell they approached was open. Inside one of the poor, hopeless inhabitants of the prison was curled up in the back corner of his cell. Before him stood a tall, thin creature clothed in a black robe. But what struck Sirius the most was that the cell's inhabitant wasn't screaming. Instead he sat pressed as close as he could conform his body to that back wall of the cell, his body curled into a ball as he whimpered softly. His whole body shook violently and the grip his hands had on his arms was so tight that each nail was drawing blood.
Sirius staggered in his pace as he stared in mute horror at the scene. A part of him wanted to get as far from the Dementor as he could. But another part of him couldn't resist the need to see what awaited him in his own future.
"Move along!" One of the guards stated with a firm shove. "Your time will come soon enough."
Sirius turned to the guard. "When?" He asked quietly, trying not to sound to interested. "I mean, no one said how long it would be exactly."
The guard led him around the last corner of the corridor. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks. Before him was a small cell similar to the ones they had passed in the corridor. Standing within the stone cell was a Dementor.
"How is now?"
Sirius involuntarily took a step backwards. But a firm hand in the middle of his back shoved him forwards three steps.
"It wasn't really a question, Black." The guard informed him. "Orders were you were to be given to the Dementors as soon as you arrived at the prison."
Sirius stood stone still in the corridor before the door to the cell, staring at the creature inside. If there was a good side to it, Sirius told himself, at least he didn't have to spend a lot of time alone in a cell thinking about what was to come.
It was, after all, his punishment. He had caused the deaths of two of his friends. And nearly that of his godson. Circumstances no longer mattered to him really. For no matter how unintentional, or how innocent they had seemed at the time, it was his acts that had ultimately brought about James and Lily's deaths. And his punishment was only right. And he wasn't going to fight it. The sooner he was gone, the better for everyone. He had turned Harry's guardianship over to Dumbledore. At least with that one act, he had secured Harry away from Lily's relatives. His godson could have something of a normal life. Safe and protected just as Sirius himself would have done for him to the best of his ability. But Harry didn't belong with him. Not with the man who had caused his parents deaths. That would be a travesty.
No, Harry was better off with Dumbledore. And Remus would be there to, to help look out after the boy. To teach him how to be a wizard, and tell him stories about his parents so that he would remember them. And over time his image would fade from the child's memory. Soon Harry would be calling out for 'Moony' as easily as he called for 'Padfoot' now. After all, the kid already said Remus' nickname better than his. Yes, this was for the best. For everyone. For Harry.
And he was actually grateful in a way. At least it was quick and relatively painless. That was certainly more than he deserved. In five minutes or less, it would all be over. Sirius thought of the poor creature in the first cell. How long had he been here? Condemned to relive the worst moments in his memory for the rest of his life.
But for him, he wouldn't even spend a day in the Dementors company that he would be aware of it. Why, this hardly seemed like punishment at all. A quick, painless, easy death. That was certainly more than he deserved.
The least he could do was face it without causing anymore trouble. Just step into the cell, he told himself sternly, and it'll all be over in a few moments. Then peaceful oblivion.
Yes, it was best to face it nobly. For Harry. The one decent thing he could do in his godson's parents memory was face his punishment and accept it.
Sirius pulled himself up as best he could and took a step forward. There, that wasn't so hard to do. Eleven....twelve more.
Sirius was never more conscious of walking in his life. He fervently felt every stone under his feet as he walked. Pausing just slightly with each step as he committed it to memory. What it felt like. Where it took him. What he was thinking about at that moment.
From somewhere in the darkness that seemed to already be closing in around him, Sirius thought he heard Harry's all too familiar cry. He took it as a good sign. He was doing the right thing. And so he was being rewarded in an odd sort of way that the last thing he would remember hearing was his godson's cry.
Distracted by the cry as he continued to walk, Sirius suddenly found himself standing right in front of the Dementor. Strange, he thought. People were suppose to be reduced to crying, whimpering masses standing this close to a Dementor. But likely, he reasoned, the Dementors had control over their effect on human's, and could turn the effect off when they choose to. And with the guards having to escort him, it was likely that was what they did.
Sirius looked up into the black hollow of the hood. He had heard what Dementors looked like from other Aurors when he worked for the Department. But he had never seen it for himself. Now he was going to get a good look. First hand.
Sirius drew in a sharp breath a the Dementor lowered it's hood. Again he found himself taking an involuntary step back. And again a hand in the small of his back shoved him back forward. But this time something was waiting as he stumbled forward. Two hands seized hold of him as the Dementor caught him in its cold, icy grip.
A twisted mass of flesh faced him. No true form gave any indication where a nose or a mouth might be. But Sirius was sure he saw two small red shining eyes glaring back at him from within the cavernous folds of skin that made up that nightmare of a face. It was all he could do to keep himself from screaming in horror at the sight before him. But the sound froze in his throat as he felt the effect of the Dementor wash over him.
Slowly, Sirius felt the two cold hands slowly release their grip from his arms. He concentrated on every movement as he registered them move up his arms and slide up to cup his face on either side. He found it strange, how the act seemed almost kind. Almost loving.
He heard the rattle of breath, and smelled it as the creature exhaled; like something that had been dead for a very long time and had been left to the elements. He felt a slight tremble pass through the Dementor's fingers that held his face. Felt the cold breath caress his skin. Felt the first sting of the icy flesh as it barely brushed his lips.
And then he felt nothing at all.
Q&A
UnrepentantReader: Wow! Number one this time! Congratulations!
By the way, Dear, have you ever thought of repenting?
Well, you'll have to forgive me if I don't hold out too much sympathy to Trennerson. He sort of got himself into his present situation. He's currently very dangerous to a lot of people. A lot of the 'wrong' people.
Actually, there's a small joke behind Sirius' middle name, but it's written into Family Relations, so I won't explain it here.
And 'no', it is not the reason Sirius and his brother do not get along.
Mayleesa: I wouldn't worry too much about Snape being hurt by Trennerson. Now Trennerson being hurt by Snape? That could hold some promise.
Ohhhhhh! I'm someone's hero. Thank you, Dear. *Hugs back.*
Dark Whispers: Trust me, Dear. Enjoy school while it lasts. Because the real world is a lot harder.
Nicky: Chances are Trennerson was so eager to get Sirius to start answering questions, he skipped a lot of steps along the way. And obviously thinking whether or not Sirius might be allergic to Veritaserum was one of them.
I would think, like muggle medicine, that witches and wizards have to be aware of what they might be allergic to when taking potions.
Nagini: Yeah, yeah. Everybody's got an excuse.
Yes, Dear. The important part (as far as I'm concerned) is that you are reviewing.
Ummmmm, am I missing something here? Are they now using 'muffins' to denote something else? Or are you honestly just really fond of muffins? Kind of a strange obsession.
Silverfox: The problem is, you see, they just haven't seen Alan Rickman portraying him yet!
Indeed, with Fudge in charge, just flip a coin to see what happens. Anything is possible. But I don't think even Fudge would want to risk making Dumbledore mad.
purple water: Actually, I would love to comment on the 'can't prove what he was taking' part. But the story's not over, so I can't.
So easily? He spent a good part of the morning running tests. I wouldn't say it was easy.
I looked into The Things That Weren't. It looks very good and I am eager to give it a serious read perhaps over the weekend or so. I am really tickled silly that you took my advice and incorporated your ideas into a story of your own. They were truly excellent ideas. Your writing style looks very good as well, and I look forward to critiquing your story.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! Goody! Someone's opinion on Katlin! I look forward to that.
Katlin is rapidly emerging as one of my favorite OC's. She's a tremendous amount of fun to write. She's currently holding her ground in three separate stories; Enemies, Runaway, and Family Relations. I do hope she is well received, as that she will likely be a returning character.
Sailor Sol: I wish I could 'recommend' a book. Wouldn't hurt sales any. Oh, well.
Well, good for you, Dear! You can always take classes in college, but friends you never know how long you'll have near you.
Ohhhh. Nuts! You were looking for something to cheer you up? Oh, dear. P.A.R. is very sorry about this chapter, Sailor Sol. Maybe you could go find a nice humorous story and read that.
Storyspindler: Oh, dear. What can I say?
weirdo: Ohhhhhh! Thank you. Such nice praise. And a new reviewer to boot!
RavenLady: I hope you liked this one.
Me: Me? Did I miss you somewhere? P.A.R. is very sorry! I try not to miss people.
But that is very kind of you to review anyway. Thank you.
I went through Veracity a few times at least. Audiaa2's stories do tend to be a little complicated. But she has a good writing style and I enjoy her. I recommend her for a good read.
I don't think they made the exception because he was THE Harry Potter. I think it was more because he was THE defendant's godson.
No! No! No! Don't keep theories to yourself! P.A.R. LOVES theories! They're FUN!
Everyone jumped on Trennerson, by the way. I thought I was being subtle with him. Apparently not.
sweets: Yes, but your mosquitoes all come to Florida for the winter, you see.
Yes, Tried And Convicted is an AU story. And it is not related to Family Life or any of my other stories in anyway, EXCEPT The Bonds That Tie, which it is the sequel to.
I didn't think making him allergic had been done yet. And I do strive to be original whenever possible. But you gotta know with so many stories up and more coming every day, it gets harder and harder to find that one original plot.
Karla: O.K.. Yes, Severus found out Sirius is allergic to Veritaserum, and by that they might be able to save his life. Right.
You do not apparate into Azkaban. Right.
The rest of what you brought up is covered more or less in the following chapters.
Is Severus going to check for what Sirius was really given? That's covered in up-coming chapters. As for his motivation, Severus isn't really concerned about Trennerson right now for the reasons stated in the last chapter. Sort of a 'problem taking care of itself' thing going on there.
You gotta admit though, it's kind of fun to try and write when you're really, really, reallllly tired, then read it the next day.
How dare I threaten Sirius with The Kiss? I refer you back to the sentence you wrote three sentences before that one.
Oh, dear. You're not a very happy little reader right now, are you? P.A.R. is sorry.
Reviews are as of 09042002, unless you came in late.
And remember,
don't judge a book by it's movie.
I think we can all relate to this one.