Broken Trust – chapter 3
His human mind jumped at every noise, wanted to cower beneath a pile leaves at every strange shadow, and wished to run as fast as possible through the forest. His dog instincts found the location slightly familiar from the days of the marauders, exciting and enjoyable. His human mind was not impressed with the dog instincts.
He knew that he had to go slowly, or risk running into some obstacle. Getting out of the forest a few hours early was not worth the grisly death it might cost him. He walked on and on, wondering if the forest ever ended, worrying that he might not be going the right direction. His dog instincts told his human mind to shut the hell up; they were definitely going in the right direction.
Sirius moved steadily onwards without pausing to sleep or attempt to find food. He didn't think he could sleep anyway, no matter how tired he got. A sudden crashing in the brush in front of him caused him to stand frozen. The crashing calmed to a rustling, and then was silent. He crept forward, then around the spot, altering his path of travel slightly. He wondered how much of his journey was left now. The canine instincts had no answer.
As though part of a story, he reached the edge of the forest at dawn; the towers of the castle silhouetted magnificently against the rosy sky. He remained frozen in spot for several moments, taking in the scene in all of its beauty. Finally, when the sky settled on a pale blue, he crept back into the forest for sleep.
The sky was changing again when Sirius woke up. It was dusk. He got to his feet…then realized he had no idea of what he was about to do. He couldn't exactly walk into the castle. Well, he could. But the results probably wouldn't wonderful. Then again, if he managed to make someone come out to the forest, that probably wouldn't be great either. Not that he could get anyone to come out to the forest anyway. He lay back down to consider his situation. Darkness fell and still he did not move.
Stars appeared. The sliver of moon hung in the sky. Sirius wished his brain was working. He still did not know what he was going to do. At some point he fell back asleep, only to be woken by a foot nearly tramping on his ear. The dog side of him reacted first: he yelped and leaped to his feet. The person attached to the foot screamed and jumped backwards.
"Hermione, what is it?" A voice yelled. People were crashing through the underbrush.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream-" The girl was panting. Beams of light made their way through the scrub. Sirius shrank back, not wanting to move but not wanting to stay put.
"What was it?" The voice asked. The voice was slightly familiar, but Sirius didn't focus on it.
"I stepped on something and there was a noise and it jumped and it startled me, I'm sorry, really, we should go-"
"Did you see what it was?" A different voice.
"Did it run away?" A fourth voice.
"I don't know-"
Sirius slowly moved backwards, away from them. His foot hit a dry twig and it snapped, causing the human part of him to jump. A lantern was suddenly being held over his head.
"Oh, it's just a dog." There was relief in the voice.
"A dog? Here? Let me see." The authoritative voice came closer, and so did the lantern. There was a sharp intake of breath.
"What is it, Remus?" Someone asked.
"Don't move." Remus Lupin spoke directly to Sirius. His wand was suddenly out of his pocket and pointed directly at him.
"What-"
"I don't have time to explain now." Remus nearly snapped. "Sirius, I want you to come out of the brush. Now."
Sirius walked calmly out into the slightly cleared patch where everyone was standing.
"What is that if it isn't a dog?" Harry asked.
"It's an animagus, Harry." Lupin answered tensely.
"An-wait, did you say Sirius? Sirius BLACK?" Harry yelled.
"Yes. Harry, go to the castle. Take Ron. Tell Dumbledore what's going on and tell him that we'll be up shortly. Hermione, I'm going to need help here."
"Right." The girl nodded, lips pressed firmly together.
"I'm going to tell you about a few spells that you won't have time to practice because we need them right now. I hold trust in your advanced magic." Remus was cut off from saying any more as Sirius transformed back into a human and held his hands up.
Hermione gasped, and Remus seemed startled. They obviously hadn't been expecting the transfer. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Remus spoke first, uttering a spell that Sirius couldn't place. Then the forest floor rushed to meet the back of his head as he fell, motionless, like a piece of granite, to the ground. It was then that he remembered the spell – a full body-bind. He heard Remus and Hermione move away from him, and he hoped that they weren't just leaving him here in the forest. He didn't want to stay.
"All right, it looks as though this is going to be easier then I had thought, but I'd still prefer it if we were both prepared…" Remus was telling the girl about some spell in case Sirius broke through the body- bind.
If Sirius had been able to move, he would have smiled grimly. He had no desire to break free, seeing as how only hours before he had been wracking his brains for a way into the castle. Now he had one, even if it was as a prisoner.
"I'm simply going to levitate him. There shouldn't be anyone out in the corridors, considering that it's two o'clock in the morning."
"What if there is somebody?" The girl asked nervously.
"Then we figure out a way around them." Lupin answered with grim determination. "Let's go."
Sirius felt his stiff form rise from the ground, and begin to move slowly. He really wished that he could move on his own accord. He was fairly sure that he could trust Lupin not to snap and kill him right then and there, but he would have liked to have more control.
They moved quickly across the grounds. Sirius was looking directly at the sky, but he could see the castle, growing steadily larger in his peripheral vision. It wasn't long before Remus and Hermione were climbing the steps to the large front doors. Remus motioned Hermione to go in ahead of him.
"Now what are you going to do?" Remus asked.
"I'm going to check around corners and such before you go around them, in case anyone is wandering in the halls."
"And if you see someone?"
"Warn you quietly and then move back myself, unless they see me, in which case I lie convincingly to get us all out of a mess."
"Very good."
Although Sirius mostly set eyes upon the ceilings of Hogwarts that night, memories were slamming into him so hard he was dizzy with them. How many times had he and the other marauders moved down these hallways in the early hours of the mornings?
Their strange little group moved up staircases and down corridors without problems. Sirius was just beginning to believe that they would reach Dumbledore's office without interference when they stopped suddenly. From what he could see, Hermione was flapping a frantic hand in Lupin's direction, and moving silently back from the corner she had just gone around.
"Hermione? Hermione Granger? No, Miss Granger, I see you there, come back here please. I'm sure you have a brilliant explanation as to why you are roaming the halls of Hogwarts, fully dressed, at a quarter past two in the morning."
"Er, well, Professor McGonagall, it really is quite simple. Do you remember when Professor Dumbledore was talking about the centaurs and saying that he wanted to meet with them?"
"Yes, Miss Granger, but I don't believe you were present at that meeting."
"Er, no, but that's a different story entirely. Um, anyway, he spoke with me, Harry, and Ron this morning, as well as Professor Lupin, and we volunteered to speak with them because we've been in the forest before and the centaurs sort of know us and everything…"
"They what?"
"Um, anyway," Hermione continued hurriedly, "that's why I'm up and that's why I'm fully dressed. We went to see the centaurs, but we couldn't find them, so we're coming back."
"Well, I suppose that does make sense…except for one thing."
"Oh?" Hermione asked faintly.
"Where are Misters Weasley and Potter? And where is Remus Lupin? Didn't you say they were with you?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Good evening professor McGonagall. I suppose you're going to find out at some point anyway." Lupin said, stepping around the corner.
"Those words…fill me with such…fear." Professor McGonagall said hesitantly. "Seeing as how they are most often heard by Fred and George Weasley, and they used to be used by you and your friends when you attended school here."
"And speaking of my friends…" Remus stressed the last word in such a way that Sirius, had he been able to move, would have winced.
"Good Heavens! Is that…what…Sirius Black?"
"We found him in the woods, on our way out to meet with the centaurs. He was in dog form."
"Dog form?"
"It can all be explained later, I assure you. But right now, we really should be getting him to Professor Dumbledore's office, before we have to explain ourselves to someone else."
"You're right."
They moved swiftly down the corridor to the stone gargoyle, and then onto Professor Dumbledore's spiraling staircase.
A/N: I'm very sorry about the long wait. Writer's block, coupled with this need to sleep all extra hours of the day didn't leave me with great writing abilities…I sincerely hope that the next chapter will be up shortly. Most of this chapter was deleted about half an hour ago when my computer freaked out, so I really wrote this twice…I need some credit for that, right? Once again, thank you to everyone who is reviewing, especially those of you who are coming back to read new chapters.
Purty freak – thank you so much for your compliments, both on this story and on golden monkey. (Yes, I do write that one.) Keep reading!
Brittanie – I'm glad you liked this chapter as well, and yes, I'll send a reminder again. Thanks for reviewing!
Kit Cloudkicker – Love the name! Where on earth did you get it? I'm glad you think my story is interesting, I'll try to keep it that way…
Heath and sar – well, it's not lots more, but it is another one, hope you enjoyed it! :o)
Rykatu*L – I solemnly swear that I will do everything in my power not to leave the story hanging. It bugs me when other authors do that, so I really do try hard to keep writing…unfortunately, I have a few unanswered questions about my own story, but if I told you what they were I'd have to kill you…
Nicky – well, it appears that my list idea is out…*growls at ffn* they make me so mad. Think about it anyway, there are other easy/fun things to write. So you want to see Sirius meeting Dumbledore, hmm? Looks like you'll have to wait for the next chapter!
Tarcollowen – The way I see things, Sirius escaping didn't have an great deal to do with the rise of Voldemort. I figure that Peter, being the wuss that he is, could have been easily scared off by something else…if I get an inspiration, I could throw something in that twists up my plot and explains it all a lot more thoroughly, but don't count on it…inspiration is something I seem to be lacking these days. Maybe if we had a 5th book…*glares at Nancy Stouffer* Oh well, thanks for the review!
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His human mind jumped at every noise, wanted to cower beneath a pile leaves at every strange shadow, and wished to run as fast as possible through the forest. His dog instincts found the location slightly familiar from the days of the marauders, exciting and enjoyable. His human mind was not impressed with the dog instincts.
He knew that he had to go slowly, or risk running into some obstacle. Getting out of the forest a few hours early was not worth the grisly death it might cost him. He walked on and on, wondering if the forest ever ended, worrying that he might not be going the right direction. His dog instincts told his human mind to shut the hell up; they were definitely going in the right direction.
Sirius moved steadily onwards without pausing to sleep or attempt to find food. He didn't think he could sleep anyway, no matter how tired he got. A sudden crashing in the brush in front of him caused him to stand frozen. The crashing calmed to a rustling, and then was silent. He crept forward, then around the spot, altering his path of travel slightly. He wondered how much of his journey was left now. The canine instincts had no answer.
As though part of a story, he reached the edge of the forest at dawn; the towers of the castle silhouetted magnificently against the rosy sky. He remained frozen in spot for several moments, taking in the scene in all of its beauty. Finally, when the sky settled on a pale blue, he crept back into the forest for sleep.
The sky was changing again when Sirius woke up. It was dusk. He got to his feet…then realized he had no idea of what he was about to do. He couldn't exactly walk into the castle. Well, he could. But the results probably wouldn't wonderful. Then again, if he managed to make someone come out to the forest, that probably wouldn't be great either. Not that he could get anyone to come out to the forest anyway. He lay back down to consider his situation. Darkness fell and still he did not move.
Stars appeared. The sliver of moon hung in the sky. Sirius wished his brain was working. He still did not know what he was going to do. At some point he fell back asleep, only to be woken by a foot nearly tramping on his ear. The dog side of him reacted first: he yelped and leaped to his feet. The person attached to the foot screamed and jumped backwards.
"Hermione, what is it?" A voice yelled. People were crashing through the underbrush.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scream-" The girl was panting. Beams of light made their way through the scrub. Sirius shrank back, not wanting to move but not wanting to stay put.
"What was it?" The voice asked. The voice was slightly familiar, but Sirius didn't focus on it.
"I stepped on something and there was a noise and it jumped and it startled me, I'm sorry, really, we should go-"
"Did you see what it was?" A different voice.
"Did it run away?" A fourth voice.
"I don't know-"
Sirius slowly moved backwards, away from them. His foot hit a dry twig and it snapped, causing the human part of him to jump. A lantern was suddenly being held over his head.
"Oh, it's just a dog." There was relief in the voice.
"A dog? Here? Let me see." The authoritative voice came closer, and so did the lantern. There was a sharp intake of breath.
"What is it, Remus?" Someone asked.
"Don't move." Remus Lupin spoke directly to Sirius. His wand was suddenly out of his pocket and pointed directly at him.
"What-"
"I don't have time to explain now." Remus nearly snapped. "Sirius, I want you to come out of the brush. Now."
Sirius walked calmly out into the slightly cleared patch where everyone was standing.
"What is that if it isn't a dog?" Harry asked.
"It's an animagus, Harry." Lupin answered tensely.
"An-wait, did you say Sirius? Sirius BLACK?" Harry yelled.
"Yes. Harry, go to the castle. Take Ron. Tell Dumbledore what's going on and tell him that we'll be up shortly. Hermione, I'm going to need help here."
"Right." The girl nodded, lips pressed firmly together.
"I'm going to tell you about a few spells that you won't have time to practice because we need them right now. I hold trust in your advanced magic." Remus was cut off from saying any more as Sirius transformed back into a human and held his hands up.
Hermione gasped, and Remus seemed startled. They obviously hadn't been expecting the transfer. Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Remus spoke first, uttering a spell that Sirius couldn't place. Then the forest floor rushed to meet the back of his head as he fell, motionless, like a piece of granite, to the ground. It was then that he remembered the spell – a full body-bind. He heard Remus and Hermione move away from him, and he hoped that they weren't just leaving him here in the forest. He didn't want to stay.
"All right, it looks as though this is going to be easier then I had thought, but I'd still prefer it if we were both prepared…" Remus was telling the girl about some spell in case Sirius broke through the body- bind.
If Sirius had been able to move, he would have smiled grimly. He had no desire to break free, seeing as how only hours before he had been wracking his brains for a way into the castle. Now he had one, even if it was as a prisoner.
"I'm simply going to levitate him. There shouldn't be anyone out in the corridors, considering that it's two o'clock in the morning."
"What if there is somebody?" The girl asked nervously.
"Then we figure out a way around them." Lupin answered with grim determination. "Let's go."
Sirius felt his stiff form rise from the ground, and begin to move slowly. He really wished that he could move on his own accord. He was fairly sure that he could trust Lupin not to snap and kill him right then and there, but he would have liked to have more control.
They moved quickly across the grounds. Sirius was looking directly at the sky, but he could see the castle, growing steadily larger in his peripheral vision. It wasn't long before Remus and Hermione were climbing the steps to the large front doors. Remus motioned Hermione to go in ahead of him.
"Now what are you going to do?" Remus asked.
"I'm going to check around corners and such before you go around them, in case anyone is wandering in the halls."
"And if you see someone?"
"Warn you quietly and then move back myself, unless they see me, in which case I lie convincingly to get us all out of a mess."
"Very good."
Although Sirius mostly set eyes upon the ceilings of Hogwarts that night, memories were slamming into him so hard he was dizzy with them. How many times had he and the other marauders moved down these hallways in the early hours of the mornings?
Their strange little group moved up staircases and down corridors without problems. Sirius was just beginning to believe that they would reach Dumbledore's office without interference when they stopped suddenly. From what he could see, Hermione was flapping a frantic hand in Lupin's direction, and moving silently back from the corner she had just gone around.
"Hermione? Hermione Granger? No, Miss Granger, I see you there, come back here please. I'm sure you have a brilliant explanation as to why you are roaming the halls of Hogwarts, fully dressed, at a quarter past two in the morning."
"Er, well, Professor McGonagall, it really is quite simple. Do you remember when Professor Dumbledore was talking about the centaurs and saying that he wanted to meet with them?"
"Yes, Miss Granger, but I don't believe you were present at that meeting."
"Er, no, but that's a different story entirely. Um, anyway, he spoke with me, Harry, and Ron this morning, as well as Professor Lupin, and we volunteered to speak with them because we've been in the forest before and the centaurs sort of know us and everything…"
"They what?"
"Um, anyway," Hermione continued hurriedly, "that's why I'm up and that's why I'm fully dressed. We went to see the centaurs, but we couldn't find them, so we're coming back."
"Well, I suppose that does make sense…except for one thing."
"Oh?" Hermione asked faintly.
"Where are Misters Weasley and Potter? And where is Remus Lupin? Didn't you say they were with you?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"Good evening professor McGonagall. I suppose you're going to find out at some point anyway." Lupin said, stepping around the corner.
"Those words…fill me with such…fear." Professor McGonagall said hesitantly. "Seeing as how they are most often heard by Fred and George Weasley, and they used to be used by you and your friends when you attended school here."
"And speaking of my friends…" Remus stressed the last word in such a way that Sirius, had he been able to move, would have winced.
"Good Heavens! Is that…what…Sirius Black?"
"We found him in the woods, on our way out to meet with the centaurs. He was in dog form."
"Dog form?"
"It can all be explained later, I assure you. But right now, we really should be getting him to Professor Dumbledore's office, before we have to explain ourselves to someone else."
"You're right."
They moved swiftly down the corridor to the stone gargoyle, and then onto Professor Dumbledore's spiraling staircase.
A/N: I'm very sorry about the long wait. Writer's block, coupled with this need to sleep all extra hours of the day didn't leave me with great writing abilities…I sincerely hope that the next chapter will be up shortly. Most of this chapter was deleted about half an hour ago when my computer freaked out, so I really wrote this twice…I need some credit for that, right? Once again, thank you to everyone who is reviewing, especially those of you who are coming back to read new chapters.
Purty freak – thank you so much for your compliments, both on this story and on golden monkey. (Yes, I do write that one.) Keep reading!
Brittanie – I'm glad you liked this chapter as well, and yes, I'll send a reminder again. Thanks for reviewing!
Kit Cloudkicker – Love the name! Where on earth did you get it? I'm glad you think my story is interesting, I'll try to keep it that way…
Heath and sar – well, it's not lots more, but it is another one, hope you enjoyed it! :o)
Rykatu*L – I solemnly swear that I will do everything in my power not to leave the story hanging. It bugs me when other authors do that, so I really do try hard to keep writing…unfortunately, I have a few unanswered questions about my own story, but if I told you what they were I'd have to kill you…
Nicky – well, it appears that my list idea is out…*growls at ffn* they make me so mad. Think about it anyway, there are other easy/fun things to write. So you want to see Sirius meeting Dumbledore, hmm? Looks like you'll have to wait for the next chapter!
Tarcollowen – The way I see things, Sirius escaping didn't have an great deal to do with the rise of Voldemort. I figure that Peter, being the wuss that he is, could have been easily scared off by something else…if I get an inspiration, I could throw something in that twists up my plot and explains it all a lot more thoroughly, but don't count on it…inspiration is something I seem to be lacking these days. Maybe if we had a 5th book…*glares at Nancy Stouffer* Oh well, thanks for the review!
1