Chapter 6: Nonsentirus
It was like a dream....no, a nightmare for Harry. He could not believe what he saw unfolding before his eyes. Sirius's limb body floated through the streets as all around him, people shouted and pointed.
"Is that really Sirius Black?"
"They caught him!"
"He's not so scary in person."
"Now he'll pay for his crimes."
Hermione could only cry into her robes as Harry stood there dumbfounded and the growing crowd swarmed around Margerite and Sirius.
"Everyone gather around! We're leaving immediately!" Prof. McGonagall commanded.
She and Prof. Flitwick began rounded the students up quickly and herded them towards the path back to Hogwarts. However, the teachers had little luck of getting the student's attention amongst the chaos. Everyone wanted a closer look at Sirius but the teachers were standing in their way.
"Severus! Help gather the students immediately." Said McGonagall.
Snape, who had been enjoying the chaotic scene from the shadows of an alleyway, scowled at her for barking such commands at him but he did as he was told. He gave one glance at Harry before walking hastily down the main road, searching for stragglers in any of the shops.
Finally, all the students had gathered and were being shoved off back to school despite their itching curiosity to get one last look at Sirius Black. Harry and Hermione were caught in the crowd but did their best to linger as far behind as they could. Before he was pushed by the crowd too far from the scene to see what was happening to Sirius, Harry saw the people gathering around The Three Broomsticks.
"We've got to get back to Hogsmeade, Hermione." Harry whispered.
Hermione nodded in agreement. Her tears were now replaced with determination as she grabbed Harry's hand for comfort.
"Harry Potter!" Prof. Snape called into the crowd of students who were being hurried along by Prof. McGonagall. He spotted Harry and rushed towards him. "You stay with me, Potter. They've finally caught Black and I'm going to make sure you don't mess this up. You too Ms. Granger. I'll be keeping my eyes on both of you." He snarled with satisfaction as he looked down at both of them.
It was a long track back to Hogwarts. They were met by Prof. Dumbledore at the main gates. By the look on his face, he already knew about what had happened.
"Thank you for acting so quickly, Minerva." Prof. Dumbledore said quietly to her.
"I doubt quickly enough. I'll instruct all the students to wait in their designated houses until you give the word."
Dumbledore nodded and looked to Prof. Snape who stood guarding Harry and Hermione with a watchful eye.
"Severus, I see you've found Harry and kept him safe." Snape scowled and opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore continued. "Ms. Granger, you better hurry back to your dormitory. Severus, keep watch with Minerva and finally Harry, we're off to Hogsmeade."
"Potter shouldn't be allowed back! We don't want to risk Sirius Black escaping again!" Snape protested loudly.
"It's out of my hands Severus. Ms. Adler has sent for both Harry and I. And I would never keep a lady waiting so we must be off." Dumbledore looked at Harry with his twinkling eyes and motioned for him to enter the horseless carriage that had just arrived at the gates.
Prof. Dumbledore and Harry sat in the carriage quietly. Harry had so many things to say but didn't know how to break the silence. It was Dumbledore who spoke first.
"You look like you have a few questions for me, Harry. And to answer then truthfully, I really don't know how this will end."
"So, what do you think is going to happen to Sirius?"
"I'm not sure. Some how Ms. Adler has found out that Sirius was here. Now that she has him."
"Will he be sent back to Azkaban?"
"I'm afraid Sirius will be given the dementor's kiss as soon as they arrive. Ms. Adler has already sent for the dementors. In less then five hours Sirius's sentence will be carried out. She explained it all in a letter she sent me as soon as she captured Sirius."
"No! You've got to stop it! If she knows the truth there's no way she could kill an innocent man."
"Harry, it's not that easy. It's no simple matter dealing with Ms. Adler. It's like reasoning with a dementor."
"Is that what she is? A dementor?"
"Yes and no. Not too long ago she was a student of mine. About the time of your mother and father."
"She knew my mum and dad?"
"Possibly. She was a few years behind them. She was a wonderful student and a gentle person. But now, I don't know if I could call her human."
"What happened to her?"
"During those dark times, she fought along side some of the most powerful wizards. She was Mr. Crouch's right hand witch, if I remember correctly. Margerite Adler was head of Magical Law Enforcement Squad at that time."
"I don't understand. Did she switch sides? Did she work for Voldemort?"
"Quite the opposite. Margerite Adler was hated by the Death Eaters. She devoted her life to bringing about a peaceful future, especially for her family."
"She has a family?"
"Had." Dumbledore sighed. The twinkle flickered out of his eyes as he continued. "Times had grown desperate and dangerous. The story goes that Margerite returned one day to find the Dark Mark hovering above her home. Inside, her husband and two daughters lay, taken by the Unforgivable Curse."
At this news, Harry fell silent for a moment but his curiosity got the better of him.
"So, what did she do then?"
"The Margerite I knew died at that moment she walked into her home. She was so heart broken and destroyed by what she had seen that Margerite did something to herself that I would wish on no human being."
"What did she do?"
"In the blind mist of her sorrow, she cast the Nonsentirus Curse upon herself."
"What's that?"
"It destroys any emotion or feeling a person has, it's as if they die inside. Feelings, the ability to register happiness, sadness, anger, love, it's what makes us human beings, and without it, well, we become nothing more then."
".dementors." Harry finished.
"Yes, Harry. Dementors were all once humans."
"So the Nonsentirus Curse changes wizards into dementors?"
"Not quite. This curse can only be preformed upon one's self. And it takes a very powerful wizard to have it work. The curse will make the wizard or witch age very slowly, causing them to live for many hundreds of years. Since their insides are dead, their body slowly follows, leaving nothing but a soulless fiend that preys upon the one thing that they do not have." Dumbledore cleared his throat before continuing. "And so, Margerite became as lifeless as a stone statue. She was dangerous, cold, and merciless when it came to prisoners. Knowing what she would become, the Ministry of Magic sent her to warden Azkaban. Now that you know what we are up against, Harry, you must understand that this will be a difficult situation and you must be strong."
The carriage stopped just as Dumbledore finished. The door opened and Harry got out to find himself standing in front of The Three Broomsticks.
"It seems Margerite has secured Sirius in one of the back rooms here. We are to go in and answer some questions for her report on the matter. Then we shall stand as witness to Sirius's sentence." Dumbledore motioned for the carriage to wait a little bit down the road before entering.
The place had been closed and heavily guarded since the apprehension of Sirius and Harry felt the stares of wizards all around him as he followed Dumbledore through the front door.
"One thing Harry." Dumbledore said in a hushed tone. "I have yet to hear from Remus. Did he escape safely?" He said as he climbed the stares from the empty bar to the rooms upstairs.
"I don't know. When Margerite found us, Sirius and I had gone out the back and Remus had stayed to cause a diversion."
"I see." He nodded as he gently knocked on a large oak door.
"Enter." Called an icy voice from the room within.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped inside.
a/n: first I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking so long for me to write, it's just with everything going on right now, I didn't think I would write anything ever again. But thank you everyone for your kind reviews and please keep reading. It does get better and now that I've finally revealed what Margerite Adler is, writing the chapters will a lot easier for me. (I did have a slight case of writer's block too) but the final chapters should be flying out of my head and onto the computer now over the next two weeks. It's gonna go fast and I hope you enjoy!! PLEASE REVIEW!! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!
It was like a dream....no, a nightmare for Harry. He could not believe what he saw unfolding before his eyes. Sirius's limb body floated through the streets as all around him, people shouted and pointed.
"Is that really Sirius Black?"
"They caught him!"
"He's not so scary in person."
"Now he'll pay for his crimes."
Hermione could only cry into her robes as Harry stood there dumbfounded and the growing crowd swarmed around Margerite and Sirius.
"Everyone gather around! We're leaving immediately!" Prof. McGonagall commanded.
She and Prof. Flitwick began rounded the students up quickly and herded them towards the path back to Hogwarts. However, the teachers had little luck of getting the student's attention amongst the chaos. Everyone wanted a closer look at Sirius but the teachers were standing in their way.
"Severus! Help gather the students immediately." Said McGonagall.
Snape, who had been enjoying the chaotic scene from the shadows of an alleyway, scowled at her for barking such commands at him but he did as he was told. He gave one glance at Harry before walking hastily down the main road, searching for stragglers in any of the shops.
Finally, all the students had gathered and were being shoved off back to school despite their itching curiosity to get one last look at Sirius Black. Harry and Hermione were caught in the crowd but did their best to linger as far behind as they could. Before he was pushed by the crowd too far from the scene to see what was happening to Sirius, Harry saw the people gathering around The Three Broomsticks.
"We've got to get back to Hogsmeade, Hermione." Harry whispered.
Hermione nodded in agreement. Her tears were now replaced with determination as she grabbed Harry's hand for comfort.
"Harry Potter!" Prof. Snape called into the crowd of students who were being hurried along by Prof. McGonagall. He spotted Harry and rushed towards him. "You stay with me, Potter. They've finally caught Black and I'm going to make sure you don't mess this up. You too Ms. Granger. I'll be keeping my eyes on both of you." He snarled with satisfaction as he looked down at both of them.
It was a long track back to Hogwarts. They were met by Prof. Dumbledore at the main gates. By the look on his face, he already knew about what had happened.
"Thank you for acting so quickly, Minerva." Prof. Dumbledore said quietly to her.
"I doubt quickly enough. I'll instruct all the students to wait in their designated houses until you give the word."
Dumbledore nodded and looked to Prof. Snape who stood guarding Harry and Hermione with a watchful eye.
"Severus, I see you've found Harry and kept him safe." Snape scowled and opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore continued. "Ms. Granger, you better hurry back to your dormitory. Severus, keep watch with Minerva and finally Harry, we're off to Hogsmeade."
"Potter shouldn't be allowed back! We don't want to risk Sirius Black escaping again!" Snape protested loudly.
"It's out of my hands Severus. Ms. Adler has sent for both Harry and I. And I would never keep a lady waiting so we must be off." Dumbledore looked at Harry with his twinkling eyes and motioned for him to enter the horseless carriage that had just arrived at the gates.
Prof. Dumbledore and Harry sat in the carriage quietly. Harry had so many things to say but didn't know how to break the silence. It was Dumbledore who spoke first.
"You look like you have a few questions for me, Harry. And to answer then truthfully, I really don't know how this will end."
"So, what do you think is going to happen to Sirius?"
"I'm not sure. Some how Ms. Adler has found out that Sirius was here. Now that she has him."
"Will he be sent back to Azkaban?"
"I'm afraid Sirius will be given the dementor's kiss as soon as they arrive. Ms. Adler has already sent for the dementors. In less then five hours Sirius's sentence will be carried out. She explained it all in a letter she sent me as soon as she captured Sirius."
"No! You've got to stop it! If she knows the truth there's no way she could kill an innocent man."
"Harry, it's not that easy. It's no simple matter dealing with Ms. Adler. It's like reasoning with a dementor."
"Is that what she is? A dementor?"
"Yes and no. Not too long ago she was a student of mine. About the time of your mother and father."
"She knew my mum and dad?"
"Possibly. She was a few years behind them. She was a wonderful student and a gentle person. But now, I don't know if I could call her human."
"What happened to her?"
"During those dark times, she fought along side some of the most powerful wizards. She was Mr. Crouch's right hand witch, if I remember correctly. Margerite Adler was head of Magical Law Enforcement Squad at that time."
"I don't understand. Did she switch sides? Did she work for Voldemort?"
"Quite the opposite. Margerite Adler was hated by the Death Eaters. She devoted her life to bringing about a peaceful future, especially for her family."
"She has a family?"
"Had." Dumbledore sighed. The twinkle flickered out of his eyes as he continued. "Times had grown desperate and dangerous. The story goes that Margerite returned one day to find the Dark Mark hovering above her home. Inside, her husband and two daughters lay, taken by the Unforgivable Curse."
At this news, Harry fell silent for a moment but his curiosity got the better of him.
"So, what did she do then?"
"The Margerite I knew died at that moment she walked into her home. She was so heart broken and destroyed by what she had seen that Margerite did something to herself that I would wish on no human being."
"What did she do?"
"In the blind mist of her sorrow, she cast the Nonsentirus Curse upon herself."
"What's that?"
"It destroys any emotion or feeling a person has, it's as if they die inside. Feelings, the ability to register happiness, sadness, anger, love, it's what makes us human beings, and without it, well, we become nothing more then."
".dementors." Harry finished.
"Yes, Harry. Dementors were all once humans."
"So the Nonsentirus Curse changes wizards into dementors?"
"Not quite. This curse can only be preformed upon one's self. And it takes a very powerful wizard to have it work. The curse will make the wizard or witch age very slowly, causing them to live for many hundreds of years. Since their insides are dead, their body slowly follows, leaving nothing but a soulless fiend that preys upon the one thing that they do not have." Dumbledore cleared his throat before continuing. "And so, Margerite became as lifeless as a stone statue. She was dangerous, cold, and merciless when it came to prisoners. Knowing what she would become, the Ministry of Magic sent her to warden Azkaban. Now that you know what we are up against, Harry, you must understand that this will be a difficult situation and you must be strong."
The carriage stopped just as Dumbledore finished. The door opened and Harry got out to find himself standing in front of The Three Broomsticks.
"It seems Margerite has secured Sirius in one of the back rooms here. We are to go in and answer some questions for her report on the matter. Then we shall stand as witness to Sirius's sentence." Dumbledore motioned for the carriage to wait a little bit down the road before entering.
The place had been closed and heavily guarded since the apprehension of Sirius and Harry felt the stares of wizards all around him as he followed Dumbledore through the front door.
"One thing Harry." Dumbledore said in a hushed tone. "I have yet to hear from Remus. Did he escape safely?" He said as he climbed the stares from the empty bar to the rooms upstairs.
"I don't know. When Margerite found us, Sirius and I had gone out the back and Remus had stayed to cause a diversion."
"I see." He nodded as he gently knocked on a large oak door.
"Enter." Called an icy voice from the room within.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped inside.
a/n: first I'd like to apologize for this chapter taking so long for me to write, it's just with everything going on right now, I didn't think I would write anything ever again. But thank you everyone for your kind reviews and please keep reading. It does get better and now that I've finally revealed what Margerite Adler is, writing the chapters will a lot easier for me. (I did have a slight case of writer's block too) but the final chapters should be flying out of my head and onto the computer now over the next two weeks. It's gonna go fast and I hope you enjoy!! PLEASE REVIEW!! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!