A/N: So that one did take a while. Finals suck for those of you who don't
know this already. Last week was honestly the week from hell! And I've
been writing all weekend so I could get this out. Okay, so I worked and
hung out with friends too. Luckily, I'm sick again, stomach thing, so I
was able to get this out today!
Rhiain: It was nice to see how you progressed through the story. Did I really make you cry? It's so cool to see that what I write actually affects people like that. And, I keep laughing at myself for that comment about Sirius in a towel, but seriously...lucky Harry, huh? LOL, keep reading!
Melissa Lupin: Yes, it's Moony, umm...yeah, you're not gonna like this chapter...but I loved writing it, and think it's written pretty nicely, I'm actually really happy with the way it turned out.
Feenamoon16: I kind of dropped the Weasley's off the face of the earth at the end of that chapter didn't I? I guess there will be a report on them soon enough, but you'll have to wait a bit. I tried to show that Ron wasn't exactly his usual self, but that he's better now that the funeral is over.
LeeLeePotter: I guess that is pretty sad...you cried at the birthday party? I tried not to make that part to sad...oh well, I'm glad you did, I guess it shows that I'm getting the right mood in the story.
Ella: I'm glad you like the puppy...it was so hard to think of a decent name, and I'm honestly not thrilled with my choice...James is just not a good name for a dog...but I wanted it to have some relation to Remus...and James is the only name I could think of...As to the rest of your review, you'll only get the answers you want if you keep reading!
Tiger Lily: Well...I'll be prepared. I think after this I'm going to get a lot of flames...that's all I'll say.
Aeryn Alexander: Oh, I see about the Snape thing...you actually have three? Well I guess I'm about the same. Every night that I work I find a new Remus...for me they come in different shapes and sizes...its insane really. But I haven't found a single Snape. Plenty of Sirius's and Remus's and even a few Harry's but never Snape. Anyways, the puppy is going to be the replacement Lupin for a while...you'll see why, and I hope you won't get mad at me. Keep reading!
Lamina Court: No, the guy who took Remus away plays no importance at all. He was just nice because he was one of the few ministry officials who actually had a heart. He knew Remus had done the right thing. I tried to explain that, but I wasn't very clear. And the reason it's a retriever is because my own dog, Goldie is one. She had two litters of puppies and they were absolutely adorable, so I had to write about them. It's the only kind of dog I really know the nature of...and as for a poodle, it just doesn't strike me as man's best friend, but maybe you can make it work, lol. And as to your review of the precious chapter...I know I have Harry crying way too much. But, I did purposefully characterize him as an emotional kid. I decided he had enough after the Dursley's and was no longer going to keep it inside...but I really let him go a bit too much.
Kanzer: Yes, it was sad, have you figured out yet that I like to write sad? Hehe, maybe I do it a bit too much. I'm glad you like the puppy.
Sirius-is-sexy: LOL, where were you when I asked the question about seeing Sirius in a towel??? Nice name! Thanks for the review, you're not going to like this chapter, but it was one of my personal favorites so far, so please read it and review!
Amy Potter 13: Thanks for the review, Remus is going to get...poorer.
Lucretio-del-alba: I'm not nice...I know, but it's only so you will stay interested in my story...if I made it all happily ever after...then it would be over...do you want that to happen? I hope not! Thanks for reviewing!
Moonlight: Sorry, but I'm rebelling against your review. I expect a flamer from you after this review, but please make it a gentle flamer, my little heart can't take too much. And you're right about Harry and Sirius never being happy without Remus...
Audierva: I honestly don't know what any of those reviews actually meant, but thank you. Did you call me a snob? Or was it supposed to be sob?
John: Yes Remus, YES! LOL...he definitely was aiding a criminal by the way, what would you call it if not that? And about the dog at Hogwarts...I may take that into consideration...but there's no way I'm getting rid of him...I think I'm going to have him play a crucial part later on.
Wonder: My heart breaks for him to when I re-read my chapters...I'm terrible to him aren't I? Seriously though sometimes my fingers just spew stuff off that I don't even remember. I was re-reading one chapter and I got to a point and said, aw I should have added this...and then I read some more and found that I did...I felt pretty insane at that point, but what can you do? And about what Remus goes through each month...it took me a while to figure it out. It always says Remus is gone for a few days...but the full moon is only one night, so I figured it must really take a lot out of him, so that's where I got that from...And my teachers did not by any means go easy on me...gah! I'm so glad it's over with now though. I'm done with physics forever!!! Or until I take it in college...Thanks for reviewing.
Katie: You didn't review this chapter, but as to your other one...I understand about homework, trust me. About Remus and Sorai...I don't want there to be a love connection, though I agree, it did appear that I was hinting towards one. I don't want to have any relationships in this story, but if I do it probably will be them. As for now though, I want Remus to be like a brother to her. I guess I was misleading there...but I didn't mean to be! I wish I could have seen what you thought of 17, but I understand how life can be...a pain in the butt! So thanks for reviewing, I really just wanted to make sure you hadn't died! You went from reviewing every chapter to not reviewing any...just had to check!
"Poor kid," Sirius said to Sorai as they sat in the living room after Harry had gone up with the dog. "I knew something like this would happen, I just knew it...why'd it have to be on his birthday, Sor? Why?"
Sorai put an arm over her brothers shoulder and said, "I don't know Sirius. I guess it's just the way the cookie crumbles. Harry's a strong kid though, I've already noticed that, he'll make it through."
"I hope so...God! Why didn't I do anything though? I knew they were going to try to pull this on Remus, I should have said something sooner, tried to talk them out of it."
"Sirius, there's nothing you could have done. The ministry's screwed up. You know that, you've seen it. Only time will tell what will happen to Remus, but you need to hold together until that time comes. This is not your fault Sirius, you need to stop blaming EVERYTHING on yourself. There's nothing you could have done to help Remus."
"If I had never come here he wouldn't be there. Do you understand this Sorai? He's going on trial because he HELPED me. If I had just stayed away nothing would have happened."
"Then what kind of a friend would Remus be? Friendship goes both ways and you don't seem to realize that Sirius. Remus couldn't have let you stay out there all alone, that would have killed him, you're his best friend."
Sirius laughed bitterly, "And look where that got him. This all goes back to my stupidity with Wormtail, you know that. If I hadn't done what I did that night..."
Sorai purposely fell off the couch looking exasperated and put a hand to her head dramatically. Sirius didn't look impressed at the mocking. "Sirius," she began leaning up on her elbows. "You need to stop blaming yourself for that one, it's really getting old. Anybody would have done exactly what you did in that position. Why can't you just let it go?"
"I know anyone else would have done the same thing! But they didn't...I did! And if I hadn't, so many things would be different...better!
"Yes, but you did what was right, and you've paid the consequences for it. And now its over...over! You need to move past it Sirius, get over it. This is only hurting you, holding you down. Do you want to be happy?"
"I am happy...or I was until they took Moony away. I was perfectly happy, here with Harry and Remus. Someone's up there, trying with all there might to make me unhappy. Why?"
"I'm so sorry Sirius, I know life hasn't always been the best for you...but holding all this blame on your shoulders isn't going to help you. You need to stop it, I don't know how many times I've told you that, and I imagine Remus and Harry have many times as well."
"I just can't help it Sorai, someone's always to blame and it's usually me."
"No, it's not...its Voldemort, Sirius."
Sirius grinned sheepishly at this, "That's exactly what I told Harry."
"Smart guy you are some times...Just need to learn to take your own words to heart, as I'm sure Harry did."
Sirius nodded, "I guess I'll have to try."
"Good, and I'm going to go to bed, I have to work early tomorrow."
"Night," Sirius said and hugged her.
"Night, don't stay up brooding, okay?"
Sirius nodded and watched her climb the stairs.
He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair before flopping tiredly down on the couch. Tears were in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He had had too many tragedies, and this wasn't one yet. The outcome of the upcoming trial will show whether or not it becomes one.
Sirius sat there, cross legged thinking about the past and the future when he heard a light patter on the stairs. He looked up to see the new puppy bounding down the steps. Upon seeing Sirius, James ran towards the couch and jumped onto Sirius's lap. Sirius grinned at the dog and said, "Hey you, why aren't you up there keeping Harry company? That's what Remus got you for you know?" James looked at Sirius like he was insane. Sirius laughed lightly and scratched the dog behind the ears, just where Sirius liked to be scratched when he was a dog. James seemed to like it as well, as he curled up in Sirius's lap and gave him a look as if to say, "continue."
Sirius just sat like that for an hour or so, stroking the tiny dog. He was nearly in a trance by then, when all of a sudden something came tumbling down the stairs.
"Holy Shit!" Sirius yelled, standing up quickly and letting James tumble to the floor with a yelp. Sirius ran towards the stairs as he saw Harry fly down the last few steps and land in a heap on the floor.
"Harry, Harry are you okay? What happened?" Sirius said kneeling down and trying to help Harry straighten out.
Once Harry was sitting up and had caught his breath he said, "I'm fine, I was just trying to see where James was and fell down the stairs...I guess my legs haven't strengthened like I had thought they had." Sirius pulled Harry to his feet.
"Are you sure you're okay Harry?" Harry nodded, but Sirius was skeptical.
"Let me see you walk," Sirius commanded.
Harry didn't look like he wanted to and said, "Really Sirius I'm fine, go sit back down I'll take James and get out of your hair."
"You're not in my hair Harry, now walk to the couch and sit down," Sirius said shortly. Harry wasn't going to argue. He hadn't seen Sirius mad, and didn't want to. He took a few steps towards the couch and then swayed, nearly falling over, but Sirius caught him before he could.
"What is it Harry, your legs?" Sirius asked concerned.
"No, I'm just kind of dizzy and my head hurts." He said, as Sirius threw his arm around his waist and guided him to the couch.
"Did you bump it?" Sirius asked kindly, all traces of the slight anger he had shown gone.
Harry nodded and Sirius began to lightly touch different spots on Harry's head. Harry flinched as Sirius got close to the part that hurt. He heard Sirius take in a sharp breath and pull his fingers back. Harry saw that they were covered in blood.
"Nothings wrong Harry? You're head is literally gushing blood." Sirius said worriedly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said timidly.
"Don't be sorry Harry, just tell me the truth next time." Sirius said as he began to examine the cut more closely. "This is really big Harry, I'm going to have to do a spell...sit tight, I'll be right back."
Harry leaned back against the couch and shut his eyes, then lost consciousness.
Sirius returned with his wand and found Harry passed out on the couch, blood beginning to trickle down the side of his face. "Shit!" Sirius yelled. He really didn't know what to do. "God, I wish Moony were here, he'd know what to do," Sirius thought to himself. He finally decided he would go the muggle way and take Harry to the hospital. He threw his wand onto the couch and scooped Harry into his arms, then headed for the kitchen. He found a clean rag and pressed it firmly against Harry's head, the hurried out to the car. Sirius didn't actually have a license to drive, but had learned when he was younger. He placed Harry on a seat carefully and then climbed in himself. He started the car quickly and backed down the road. Once they were on their way, Sirius pulled Harry against him and kept applying pressure to Harry's head. They arrived at the hospital much sooner than they should have. Sirius pulled up to the ER entrance and left the car running as he carried Harry into the waiting area. He propped Harry up in a chair and then went to the desk. "My...er...son over there fell down the stairs...he got a nasty head wound, and is bleeding really badly. I think he has a concussion too."
"The boy right there?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"He's lost consciousness then?"
Sirius nodded.
"Can you tell me if he was unconscious directly after he fell or not?"
"I helped him to the couch and checked out the cut before he lost it. He passed out when I went to get my...er...a cloth for his head."
The nurse nodded, "And how long ago was that?"
"About twenty minutes...are you going to help him or not?" Sirius nearly shouted.
"The doctor will be right out. Sit with him and make sure he keeps breathing."
Sirius looked downright panicked now. "He might stop breathing?"
The nurse looked at him kindly. "Don't worry sir, the doctor will be out very shortly for him. But if he does lose too much blood he could die. He'll be one of the fist patients I'll have the doctor see."
Sirius nodded and then went to sit with Harry, watching him closely.
The nurse was right and in no time the doctor was out to check on Harry. He brought a wheelchair with him and helped Harry into it. Then Harry, Sirius, and the doctor went to a small room where the doctor began examining the wound. "How did this happen?"
"He fell down the stairs."
The doctor looked at him suspiciously. "He looks rather old to be taking falls down stairs."
"Harry recently overcame temporary paralysis, he's been doing fine, but towards the end of the day he gets weak. He tried to walk down the stairs, and they gave out on him. Why, do you think I did this to him?"
"No, I don't, but it's standard procedure to be sure that abuse was not a factor, I believe your story. Are you his father?"
"Yes," Sirius said without a second thought.
"How was he paralyzed?"
Sirius wasn't sure what to say, so he went with the truth. "He used to live with his aunt and uncle, horrible people. They used to beat him. One night I guess it got pretty bad, and he just couldn't move from the waist down. That's the night I came to get him."
The doctor was stitching up Harry's head as they talked. "Why wasn't he with you to begin with."
"His parents died when he was a baby and he was put into their custody. That was a big mistake."
The doctor stopped what he was doing, "I thought you said you were his father."
Sirius looked the doctor square in the eye, "I consider myself to be. I'm actually his godfather. I was unable to take him in when he was a baby, so he was sent to live with his only relatives. I wish I could have been there for him."
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," the Doctor said finally as he cut the string from Harry's wound.
Sirius grinned gratefully at the doctor. "Is he alright then?"
The doctor nodded and sat Harry up. "He does have a concussion, but it's not severe so I'm going to send him home. I'll need you to return with him in a week to have the stitches removed."
"Alright, thank you doctor....How much do I owe you?"
"Do you or Harry have insurance."
Sirius had wizarding insurance but that of course would have done no good here. He shook his head.
"Then it will cost you about 50 pounds (don't have a clue about British currency, so I'm sorry if I'm way off here). And an additional 25 pounds for the removal of the stitches. You can pay it all when you bring him back, alright?"
"Yes, thank you," Sirius said as he picked the still unconscious Harry up. He carried him right out the door and then stopped dead in his tracks. The jeep had been moved. Sirius didn't know what to do at first, he had never been the most rational thinker. Then it occurred to him that someone was obviously going to move it. Other people needed to get through there. He carried Harry around a corner and saw an old man sitting on a bench. He approached the man and asked, "Do you by any chance know where they put cars that are in the way?"
The man slowly looked up at Sirius and nodded, "I take care of the cars that are left there," he mumbled. "Which one is yours?"
"It's a jeep...a black jeep," Sirius said in a strained voice. Harry had finally been getting up to the normal weight of a fifteen year old kid, which Sirius thought was great. However, it did make it difficult to carry him for such a long time.
The man thought for a few seconds and then nodded his head, "Yes, I remember your car...I'll just go get it for you."
"NO!" Sirius yelled, "Just tell me where it is and I'll get it myself." Sirius didn't want to even think what could happen if the old man fidgeted with the special controls Remus had on the car, and he didn't want to take the risk.
The man looked suspiciously at Sirius but told him where his car was anyways. He then reached into his pocket and extracted a handful of keys. "Which of these are yours?"
Sirius looked in the pile and then pulled out the ones that belonged to Remus. "Thank you," he said shortly and then broke off in the direction the old man had told him. He found the car in no time and began his drive home. Sirius had his arm securely around Harry as they drove. When they were half way there, Sirius hit a very large bump in the road, sending both Harry and Sirius flying off their seats. This brought Harry back to consciousness. He sat up looking delirious and then turned to Sirius.
"Where are we? What are we doing?" He mumbled.
"You lost consciousness after that big fall you took. You were bleeding terribly, Harry. I brought you to the emergency room, and they fixed you up. You got ten stitches bud, that's a lot." Harry reached up to touch the sore spot on his head and flinched. There was a bandage their, but the slightest bit of pressure caused sharp pain in the wound. "Don't touch it," Sirius said, laughing slightly at Harry's tired stupidity. It was clear the boy was exhausted. At being laughed at, Harry elbowed Sirius in the ribs. Causing Sirius to laugh more. He then put his arm back around Harry's shoulder and they drove the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence. When they got back in the house, Sirius helped Harry back onto the couch.
"Hey Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you use magic to heal me?"
"Well I was going to and then you passed out...I thought you might have had a concussion and I was right."
"Why didn't you just enervate me?"
Sirius looked at Harry dumbfounded. He hadn't even thought of that. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish until Harry started laughing at him.
"I was too worried about you to think clearly I guess," Sirius said before standing. "Lets get you to bed."
Harry yawned and then nodded. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Well let's just say it's not you birthday anymore."
Harry laughed lightly and then allowed Sirius to help him up the stairs. He felt capable of climbing the stairs on his own, but knew Sirius was too worried about his well being to let him try. When they reached Harry's room, they found James lying at the foot of Harry's bed. "Oh, so now you want to be here?" Harry said.
Sirius laughed and went over to the bed to pull back the blankets. Harry crawled under them and Sirius tucked him in like he was a little boy. Harry didn't seem to mind. Sirius then sat on the edge of the bed. "I was really scared there Harry."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"You could have died...then what would I have done? I would have lost both you and Remus."
"But I'm fine," Harry said, wanting Sirius to stop worrying so much.
"Harry, if anything happens to you..."
"It won't...I'll be more careful."
Sirius still looked very anxious. It then hit Harry just how much he meant to Sirius. He had known that he felt like without Sirius his world would end, but he didn't think Sirius felt the same way. Harry smiled reassuringly, trying to show that he was alright now, but was unsure of how to loosen Sirius's mood. He still didn't look happy though, so Harry yawned in hope that Sirius would move on.
"Alright, I'll let you go to sleep now, but first, do you need anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
Sirius gave him a look, "You said that before and you needed ten stitches."
"Yeah, but I'm fine now, I promise. Do you want to see me walk again?"
"No," Sirius said laughing, then turned serious, "what if I hadn't made you do that?"
"I would have passed out before I made it up the stairs...you would have known something was wrong either way."
Sirius again didn't look impressed. "Harry I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise when something is wrong you WILL tell me. Why didn't you earlier."
Harry looked down at his feet, "Well, it was kind of embarrassing falling down the stairs, I didn't want to make an even bigger deal out of it."
"You don't need to be embarrassed here, okay Harry."
Harry nodded seriously.
Sirius looked like he was going to leave when a thought popped into Harry's mind, and he voiced it. "What do you think Remus is doing right now?"
Sirius breathed out slowly. "Probably what I had to do. They probably have him in a holding cell all alone...and cold. Left with nothing but his own thoughts. And he has to stay there longer than I did. Thinking about what the next few days would hold. His trial's the day after tomorrow. We're going."
"Poor Remus...he doesn't deserve this."
"I know....Goodnight Harry, I love you," Sirius said pulling Harry into a tight hug.
"Love you too, night." Harry laid back on the pillows and watched Sirius walk to the door and shut off the light. Harry then fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next day flew by, though Sirius was highly protective of everything Harry did. He even insisted on watching every second of Harry practicing quidditch. Harry wasn't thrilled with the overprotective routine, but he didn't make a big deal about it. He liked knowing how much Sirius cared for him.
The day of the trial Sirius and Harry woke up early. They got dressed up nicely and headed straight to the ministry headquarters where they walked right past the cell where Remus was being held. "Sirius, Harry?"
They stepped up to the cell and Harry swallowed hard. Remus looked awful. He was wearing the same clothes he had the day of the birthday party, and his hair looked similar to Snape's. Sirius looked down at the ground, guilt written all over his face.
"Remus, are you okay," Harry croaked.
"I'll be fine Harry...what time is it?"
"It's ten," Sirius said solemnly. "Your trial's in half an hour. I brought you clean clothes."
"Thanks Sirius," he said quietly. Sirius passed the clothes through the bars and then whispered a quick cleaning spell, to make Remus look nicer. However, Remus still looked pale and sickly. Almost like he did when he came out of the basement after the full moon. "You should all go get seats," Remus said, sounding like he had already lost the trial. They obeyed and walked silently into the courtroom. In what seemed like no time at all the minister of magic walked into the courtroom and took a seat at the stand just like at Sirius's trial. Only this time he wasn't followed by a jury. This decision was going to be made solely by the minister. Harry looked around to see where Remus was, but found him no where in sight. Suddenly, however, a door in the side of the courtroom opened and Dumbledore came through, supporting Remus with his arm. He led Remus to a seat at the front of the court and then went to sit with Harry and Sirius.
"Why's Remus in such bad shape, Sirius?" Harry asked.
Sirius sighed. "He never got a chance to recover from the full moon. He needs time after that, time to relax, and they obviously didn't give him that."
"Will he be okay?"
"Depends on the outcome of the trial," Sirius said his voice as tense as a bungee cord, ready to snap. Sirius didn't say another word, he just stared unnervingly at Remus in the front of the church, who in turn stared just as unnervingly into nothingness at the back of the court.
Harry then turned to Dumbledore, "Do you think he even has a chance professor? I mean, Sirius really was innocent of all charges...but Remus actually did what they're accusing him of, what do you think is going to happen?"
Dumbledore looked intently into Harry's brilliant green eyes, which were currently filled to the brim with pain and worry. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, "Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Potter. You are right that Remus did indeed do what they are charging him with, but it's not always so simple. You see, Remus did break the law, but he did it for good. In a normal case, that alone would let him off of all charges. As you of course know Remus is a werewolf, and the man he was hiding is Sirius Black. Now you know as well as I do that despite his innocence Fudge and many other ministry officials do not trust Sirius at all, nor do they trust Remus as he's a werewolf. Fudge still believes Sirius is guilty. Thus, I am completely uncertain as to how this trial will play out. I just pray that for once Fudge does the right thing. He has a lot of trouble with that you know."
Harry nodded, the worry in his eyes now beginning to deepen. Clearly Harry hadn't thought along the same lines as Dumbledore. He had pictured it as a more clean cut decision.
Harry sat in silence, thinking for a few minutes when Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, my dear boy, what did you do to your head?"
Blushing, Harry lightly touched the white bandage on his head. "I...er...fell down the stairs last night. Sirius had to take me to the emergency room."
"Indeed, well then, you must be more careful around those stairs. Remember Mr. Potter, you're still healing, don't outdo yourself. You're not superman after all."
Harry smiled and marveled at the fact that Dumbledore knew who superman was at all. He shook his head and stared at Remus, like Sirius. The courtroom soon quieted down a little and Fudge stood up and began to speak. He then turned to Remus and started firing questions at him. They weren't why questions, they were what questions, a sure sign that Fudge already knew what the verdict would be. Harry did too, and he could barely breath as he tried not to cry. The end of the trial soon came and Dumbledore once again addressed the courtroom, "Mr. Lupin has stated that he did indeed know of Sirius Black's whereabouts for at least two full years. Lupin has also confessed to harboring the wanted convict in his home for at least one year. Lupin made no effort to inform the ministry of what he knew. Thus, I find Remus Lupin guilty of withholding information from the ministry and harboring an escaped convict. I have taken into account that Sirius Black has been proven innocent. Thus, I will lighten the sentence slightly. Remus Lupin will be held in the Azkaban fortress until December 15 of this year. Good day." With his final words, he stepped down from the bench and walked straight out of the court. Harry glanced with tear filled eyes at Sirius to see he was shaking violently, and looked otherwise catatonic. He put a hand over one of Sirius's and squeezed it tightly. Sirius showed no sign that he noticed. Harry then looked at Dumbledore whose head was down in defeat. "Of course," thought Harry, "It was Dumbledore who sent Sirius to stay with Remus in the first place."
Harry watched as another ministry official stood up to the podium and said, "The ministry will allot fifteen minutes for Lupin's family and friends to come forward and say their goodbye's." The official then stepped down and Harry stood up. He then realized that Sirius wasn't budging. He was still sitting, shaking, and gazing off into nowhere.
"Sirius," Harry said bending over Sirius. "Come on, we need to go say goodbye to Remus. Sirius, snap out of it." Harry's voice was breaking as he spoke the words. He was scared. One of the men he had grown to consider a parent was being taken to prison, the other was going insane. Harry didn't know what to do.
Dumbledore stepped up next to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "Go talk to Remus, I'll talk to Sirius."
Harry nodded and walked towards the front of the church. A few people Harry didn't know were speaking to Remus, but they cleared out when they saw Harry approach. Remus stared at him with glassy eyes and then spread his arms to hug Harry.
"I'm so sorry Harry," he muttered.
"Sorry, why should you be sorry? You're the one being taken away."
"Yes, but I'm leaving you. Sirius and I both swore that we would never leave you...and now I am."
"It's okay Remus, you'll be back...by Christmas. You'll be back and the three of us will have a great Christmas together."
"If I make it," Remus whispered.
"Don't say that," Harry said, a tear rolling down his cheek.
Remus hugged Harry to him tighter and rubbed his back as Harry cried into his shoulder. Harry recovered relatively quickly and they pulled a part.
"Now, I have to ask...what did you do to your head?"
Harry sighed and then grinned at Remus, "I fell down the stairs. Sirius had to bring me to the emergency room. He was in a panic I guess...I passed out so I don't really know."
"Gotta be more careful on those stairs then," Remus said strictly.
"That's what Dumbledore said."
"Well it's true, I don't think he could stand loosing us both."
Harry shook his head sadly.
Remus scanned the courtroom, "I take it Sirius isn't handling this well."
Harry shook his head and dried his eyes. "He's really scaring me. He's staring into nothing, and shaking like mad. He hasn't said a word. Dumbledore is trying to bring him out of it. Looks like it's working." They were both looking at Sirius, who was now looking directly at Dumbledore and nodding his head. After a few more minutes Sirius and Dumbledore stood and made there way to where Remus and Harry stood. Dumbledore first pulled Remus away slightly and spoke to him for a few moments. Sirius walked up to Harry and put his arm over his shoulders. "Sorry about that, Harry," he whispered.
"It's okay, I understand...just don't do it again, you had me pretty scared that I was about to lose both of you." Sirius pulled Harry into a hug and mumbled he was sorry. Harry just shook his head. The three of them, always took the blame for everything. They always felt guilty for everything.
Dumbledore and Remus were again approaching, so Sirius stepped away from Harry and pulled his best friend into a strong embrace. "I'm so sorry Moony, I'm so, so sorry."
"It's okay Padfoot, really, it's not your fault."
Sirius just shook his head. His whole body was trembling again.
"Sirius you need to stay calm. You're scaring the shit out of Harry, and me too. I'll be okay, it's only a fraction of the time you spent there, and you're fine now."
"Moony, you know as well as I do that I am far from fine. And Azkaban's going to be worse for you. You can't turn into an animal at will, Rem. That's the only reason I survived."
"Thanks for the encouragement Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.
Sirius shook his head, "I'm serious Remus...I have some advice though. Always think of something unhappy, never focus on what's good in your life. That's what drives people insane, they try to think of what was good...but the can't remember. Think about how you did what was right...and are now being punished for it...okay Moony. Don't let them take your mind."
Remus nodded seriously.
"I'm going to miss you buddy...what am I going to do without you?" Sirius asked with his voice tight as before, and so full of pain.
A tear ran down Remus's face at the sound of his voice, usually so happy and full of life. Remus shook his head and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. The last they would share for a while.
Remus then stepped back up to Harry and pulled him into another hug. "Harry, take care of Sirius for me, okay?" Remus felt more than saw Harry nod his head. "I love you Harry, bye." He kissed Harry quickly on the head and broke from the hug. Tears were again streaming down Harry's face and Remus's as well. A ministry official then put some kind of spell on Remus and steered him out of the courtroom, Dumbledore followed. That's when Harry fell apart. He sat down on the floor and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sirius squat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tears were streaming down his face as well. "Let's do this at home Harry."
Harry breathed deeply and tried to dry his eyes. Sirius did the same and they both stood and walked out the door. The moment they stepped outside, Harry heard a very unwelcome voice say, "Geez Potter, it's not like they gave the werewolf a death sentence."
Harry turned sharply in the direction of the voice and saw his rival Draco Malfoy leaning against the side of the building. He glared at him with all the anger he could muster through his sadness. "Can it Malfoy!"
Malfoy stepped away from the wall. "He won't last more than a week in there, Potter. A werewolf like him...the dementor's are going to rip him to shreds."
Harry couldn't think of any thing to say so he just kept glaring. "I hope the convict will be enough support for you Potter, imagine, a prisoner and a werewolf for parents."
"Shut up Malfoy!"
"Ooooh I'm scared now Potter,"
Sirius stepped up to Harry and put a hand on his back, "Let's go Harry." With that they both stepped away. Malfoy was yelling nasty things behind him, but with Sirius there, none of it mattered. Malfoy's hope had already come true, Sirius's support was enough for Harry.
A/N: There you have it, another chapter done! That one did take a while, but I had so much fun working on it! Next chapter or the chapter after Harry will be returning to Hogwarts...I'm actually dreading this part. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing to much Remus for a while, but trust me he'll be missed but never forgotten! I have the rest of the story all planned out, and it probably won't be more than thirty chapters. Which means I'm over half way done. I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Please tell me by reviewing!
Rhiain: It was nice to see how you progressed through the story. Did I really make you cry? It's so cool to see that what I write actually affects people like that. And, I keep laughing at myself for that comment about Sirius in a towel, but seriously...lucky Harry, huh? LOL, keep reading!
Melissa Lupin: Yes, it's Moony, umm...yeah, you're not gonna like this chapter...but I loved writing it, and think it's written pretty nicely, I'm actually really happy with the way it turned out.
Feenamoon16: I kind of dropped the Weasley's off the face of the earth at the end of that chapter didn't I? I guess there will be a report on them soon enough, but you'll have to wait a bit. I tried to show that Ron wasn't exactly his usual self, but that he's better now that the funeral is over.
LeeLeePotter: I guess that is pretty sad...you cried at the birthday party? I tried not to make that part to sad...oh well, I'm glad you did, I guess it shows that I'm getting the right mood in the story.
Ella: I'm glad you like the puppy...it was so hard to think of a decent name, and I'm honestly not thrilled with my choice...James is just not a good name for a dog...but I wanted it to have some relation to Remus...and James is the only name I could think of...As to the rest of your review, you'll only get the answers you want if you keep reading!
Tiger Lily: Well...I'll be prepared. I think after this I'm going to get a lot of flames...that's all I'll say.
Aeryn Alexander: Oh, I see about the Snape thing...you actually have three? Well I guess I'm about the same. Every night that I work I find a new Remus...for me they come in different shapes and sizes...its insane really. But I haven't found a single Snape. Plenty of Sirius's and Remus's and even a few Harry's but never Snape. Anyways, the puppy is going to be the replacement Lupin for a while...you'll see why, and I hope you won't get mad at me. Keep reading!
Lamina Court: No, the guy who took Remus away plays no importance at all. He was just nice because he was one of the few ministry officials who actually had a heart. He knew Remus had done the right thing. I tried to explain that, but I wasn't very clear. And the reason it's a retriever is because my own dog, Goldie is one. She had two litters of puppies and they were absolutely adorable, so I had to write about them. It's the only kind of dog I really know the nature of...and as for a poodle, it just doesn't strike me as man's best friend, but maybe you can make it work, lol. And as to your review of the precious chapter...I know I have Harry crying way too much. But, I did purposefully characterize him as an emotional kid. I decided he had enough after the Dursley's and was no longer going to keep it inside...but I really let him go a bit too much.
Kanzer: Yes, it was sad, have you figured out yet that I like to write sad? Hehe, maybe I do it a bit too much. I'm glad you like the puppy.
Sirius-is-sexy: LOL, where were you when I asked the question about seeing Sirius in a towel??? Nice name! Thanks for the review, you're not going to like this chapter, but it was one of my personal favorites so far, so please read it and review!
Amy Potter 13: Thanks for the review, Remus is going to get...poorer.
Lucretio-del-alba: I'm not nice...I know, but it's only so you will stay interested in my story...if I made it all happily ever after...then it would be over...do you want that to happen? I hope not! Thanks for reviewing!
Moonlight: Sorry, but I'm rebelling against your review. I expect a flamer from you after this review, but please make it a gentle flamer, my little heart can't take too much. And you're right about Harry and Sirius never being happy without Remus...
Audierva: I honestly don't know what any of those reviews actually meant, but thank you. Did you call me a snob? Or was it supposed to be sob?
John: Yes Remus, YES! LOL...he definitely was aiding a criminal by the way, what would you call it if not that? And about the dog at Hogwarts...I may take that into consideration...but there's no way I'm getting rid of him...I think I'm going to have him play a crucial part later on.
Wonder: My heart breaks for him to when I re-read my chapters...I'm terrible to him aren't I? Seriously though sometimes my fingers just spew stuff off that I don't even remember. I was re-reading one chapter and I got to a point and said, aw I should have added this...and then I read some more and found that I did...I felt pretty insane at that point, but what can you do? And about what Remus goes through each month...it took me a while to figure it out. It always says Remus is gone for a few days...but the full moon is only one night, so I figured it must really take a lot out of him, so that's where I got that from...And my teachers did not by any means go easy on me...gah! I'm so glad it's over with now though. I'm done with physics forever!!! Or until I take it in college...Thanks for reviewing.
Katie: You didn't review this chapter, but as to your other one...I understand about homework, trust me. About Remus and Sorai...I don't want there to be a love connection, though I agree, it did appear that I was hinting towards one. I don't want to have any relationships in this story, but if I do it probably will be them. As for now though, I want Remus to be like a brother to her. I guess I was misleading there...but I didn't mean to be! I wish I could have seen what you thought of 17, but I understand how life can be...a pain in the butt! So thanks for reviewing, I really just wanted to make sure you hadn't died! You went from reviewing every chapter to not reviewing any...just had to check!
"Poor kid," Sirius said to Sorai as they sat in the living room after Harry had gone up with the dog. "I knew something like this would happen, I just knew it...why'd it have to be on his birthday, Sor? Why?"
Sorai put an arm over her brothers shoulder and said, "I don't know Sirius. I guess it's just the way the cookie crumbles. Harry's a strong kid though, I've already noticed that, he'll make it through."
"I hope so...God! Why didn't I do anything though? I knew they were going to try to pull this on Remus, I should have said something sooner, tried to talk them out of it."
"Sirius, there's nothing you could have done. The ministry's screwed up. You know that, you've seen it. Only time will tell what will happen to Remus, but you need to hold together until that time comes. This is not your fault Sirius, you need to stop blaming EVERYTHING on yourself. There's nothing you could have done to help Remus."
"If I had never come here he wouldn't be there. Do you understand this Sorai? He's going on trial because he HELPED me. If I had just stayed away nothing would have happened."
"Then what kind of a friend would Remus be? Friendship goes both ways and you don't seem to realize that Sirius. Remus couldn't have let you stay out there all alone, that would have killed him, you're his best friend."
Sirius laughed bitterly, "And look where that got him. This all goes back to my stupidity with Wormtail, you know that. If I hadn't done what I did that night..."
Sorai purposely fell off the couch looking exasperated and put a hand to her head dramatically. Sirius didn't look impressed at the mocking. "Sirius," she began leaning up on her elbows. "You need to stop blaming yourself for that one, it's really getting old. Anybody would have done exactly what you did in that position. Why can't you just let it go?"
"I know anyone else would have done the same thing! But they didn't...I did! And if I hadn't, so many things would be different...better!
"Yes, but you did what was right, and you've paid the consequences for it. And now its over...over! You need to move past it Sirius, get over it. This is only hurting you, holding you down. Do you want to be happy?"
"I am happy...or I was until they took Moony away. I was perfectly happy, here with Harry and Remus. Someone's up there, trying with all there might to make me unhappy. Why?"
"I'm so sorry Sirius, I know life hasn't always been the best for you...but holding all this blame on your shoulders isn't going to help you. You need to stop it, I don't know how many times I've told you that, and I imagine Remus and Harry have many times as well."
"I just can't help it Sorai, someone's always to blame and it's usually me."
"No, it's not...its Voldemort, Sirius."
Sirius grinned sheepishly at this, "That's exactly what I told Harry."
"Smart guy you are some times...Just need to learn to take your own words to heart, as I'm sure Harry did."
Sirius nodded, "I guess I'll have to try."
"Good, and I'm going to go to bed, I have to work early tomorrow."
"Night," Sirius said and hugged her.
"Night, don't stay up brooding, okay?"
Sirius nodded and watched her climb the stairs.
He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair before flopping tiredly down on the couch. Tears were in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He had had too many tragedies, and this wasn't one yet. The outcome of the upcoming trial will show whether or not it becomes one.
Sirius sat there, cross legged thinking about the past and the future when he heard a light patter on the stairs. He looked up to see the new puppy bounding down the steps. Upon seeing Sirius, James ran towards the couch and jumped onto Sirius's lap. Sirius grinned at the dog and said, "Hey you, why aren't you up there keeping Harry company? That's what Remus got you for you know?" James looked at Sirius like he was insane. Sirius laughed lightly and scratched the dog behind the ears, just where Sirius liked to be scratched when he was a dog. James seemed to like it as well, as he curled up in Sirius's lap and gave him a look as if to say, "continue."
Sirius just sat like that for an hour or so, stroking the tiny dog. He was nearly in a trance by then, when all of a sudden something came tumbling down the stairs.
"Holy Shit!" Sirius yelled, standing up quickly and letting James tumble to the floor with a yelp. Sirius ran towards the stairs as he saw Harry fly down the last few steps and land in a heap on the floor.
"Harry, Harry are you okay? What happened?" Sirius said kneeling down and trying to help Harry straighten out.
Once Harry was sitting up and had caught his breath he said, "I'm fine, I was just trying to see where James was and fell down the stairs...I guess my legs haven't strengthened like I had thought they had." Sirius pulled Harry to his feet.
"Are you sure you're okay Harry?" Harry nodded, but Sirius was skeptical.
"Let me see you walk," Sirius commanded.
Harry didn't look like he wanted to and said, "Really Sirius I'm fine, go sit back down I'll take James and get out of your hair."
"You're not in my hair Harry, now walk to the couch and sit down," Sirius said shortly. Harry wasn't going to argue. He hadn't seen Sirius mad, and didn't want to. He took a few steps towards the couch and then swayed, nearly falling over, but Sirius caught him before he could.
"What is it Harry, your legs?" Sirius asked concerned.
"No, I'm just kind of dizzy and my head hurts." He said, as Sirius threw his arm around his waist and guided him to the couch.
"Did you bump it?" Sirius asked kindly, all traces of the slight anger he had shown gone.
Harry nodded and Sirius began to lightly touch different spots on Harry's head. Harry flinched as Sirius got close to the part that hurt. He heard Sirius take in a sharp breath and pull his fingers back. Harry saw that they were covered in blood.
"Nothings wrong Harry? You're head is literally gushing blood." Sirius said worriedly.
"I'm sorry," Harry said timidly.
"Don't be sorry Harry, just tell me the truth next time." Sirius said as he began to examine the cut more closely. "This is really big Harry, I'm going to have to do a spell...sit tight, I'll be right back."
Harry leaned back against the couch and shut his eyes, then lost consciousness.
Sirius returned with his wand and found Harry passed out on the couch, blood beginning to trickle down the side of his face. "Shit!" Sirius yelled. He really didn't know what to do. "God, I wish Moony were here, he'd know what to do," Sirius thought to himself. He finally decided he would go the muggle way and take Harry to the hospital. He threw his wand onto the couch and scooped Harry into his arms, then headed for the kitchen. He found a clean rag and pressed it firmly against Harry's head, the hurried out to the car. Sirius didn't actually have a license to drive, but had learned when he was younger. He placed Harry on a seat carefully and then climbed in himself. He started the car quickly and backed down the road. Once they were on their way, Sirius pulled Harry against him and kept applying pressure to Harry's head. They arrived at the hospital much sooner than they should have. Sirius pulled up to the ER entrance and left the car running as he carried Harry into the waiting area. He propped Harry up in a chair and then went to the desk. "My...er...son over there fell down the stairs...he got a nasty head wound, and is bleeding really badly. I think he has a concussion too."
"The boy right there?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"He's lost consciousness then?"
Sirius nodded.
"Can you tell me if he was unconscious directly after he fell or not?"
"I helped him to the couch and checked out the cut before he lost it. He passed out when I went to get my...er...a cloth for his head."
The nurse nodded, "And how long ago was that?"
"About twenty minutes...are you going to help him or not?" Sirius nearly shouted.
"The doctor will be right out. Sit with him and make sure he keeps breathing."
Sirius looked downright panicked now. "He might stop breathing?"
The nurse looked at him kindly. "Don't worry sir, the doctor will be out very shortly for him. But if he does lose too much blood he could die. He'll be one of the fist patients I'll have the doctor see."
Sirius nodded and then went to sit with Harry, watching him closely.
The nurse was right and in no time the doctor was out to check on Harry. He brought a wheelchair with him and helped Harry into it. Then Harry, Sirius, and the doctor went to a small room where the doctor began examining the wound. "How did this happen?"
"He fell down the stairs."
The doctor looked at him suspiciously. "He looks rather old to be taking falls down stairs."
"Harry recently overcame temporary paralysis, he's been doing fine, but towards the end of the day he gets weak. He tried to walk down the stairs, and they gave out on him. Why, do you think I did this to him?"
"No, I don't, but it's standard procedure to be sure that abuse was not a factor, I believe your story. Are you his father?"
"Yes," Sirius said without a second thought.
"How was he paralyzed?"
Sirius wasn't sure what to say, so he went with the truth. "He used to live with his aunt and uncle, horrible people. They used to beat him. One night I guess it got pretty bad, and he just couldn't move from the waist down. That's the night I came to get him."
The doctor was stitching up Harry's head as they talked. "Why wasn't he with you to begin with."
"His parents died when he was a baby and he was put into their custody. That was a big mistake."
The doctor stopped what he was doing, "I thought you said you were his father."
Sirius looked the doctor square in the eye, "I consider myself to be. I'm actually his godfather. I was unable to take him in when he was a baby, so he was sent to live with his only relatives. I wish I could have been there for him."
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," the Doctor said finally as he cut the string from Harry's wound.
Sirius grinned gratefully at the doctor. "Is he alright then?"
The doctor nodded and sat Harry up. "He does have a concussion, but it's not severe so I'm going to send him home. I'll need you to return with him in a week to have the stitches removed."
"Alright, thank you doctor....How much do I owe you?"
"Do you or Harry have insurance."
Sirius had wizarding insurance but that of course would have done no good here. He shook his head.
"Then it will cost you about 50 pounds (don't have a clue about British currency, so I'm sorry if I'm way off here). And an additional 25 pounds for the removal of the stitches. You can pay it all when you bring him back, alright?"
"Yes, thank you," Sirius said as he picked the still unconscious Harry up. He carried him right out the door and then stopped dead in his tracks. The jeep had been moved. Sirius didn't know what to do at first, he had never been the most rational thinker. Then it occurred to him that someone was obviously going to move it. Other people needed to get through there. He carried Harry around a corner and saw an old man sitting on a bench. He approached the man and asked, "Do you by any chance know where they put cars that are in the way?"
The man slowly looked up at Sirius and nodded, "I take care of the cars that are left there," he mumbled. "Which one is yours?"
"It's a jeep...a black jeep," Sirius said in a strained voice. Harry had finally been getting up to the normal weight of a fifteen year old kid, which Sirius thought was great. However, it did make it difficult to carry him for such a long time.
The man thought for a few seconds and then nodded his head, "Yes, I remember your car...I'll just go get it for you."
"NO!" Sirius yelled, "Just tell me where it is and I'll get it myself." Sirius didn't want to even think what could happen if the old man fidgeted with the special controls Remus had on the car, and he didn't want to take the risk.
The man looked suspiciously at Sirius but told him where his car was anyways. He then reached into his pocket and extracted a handful of keys. "Which of these are yours?"
Sirius looked in the pile and then pulled out the ones that belonged to Remus. "Thank you," he said shortly and then broke off in the direction the old man had told him. He found the car in no time and began his drive home. Sirius had his arm securely around Harry as they drove. When they were half way there, Sirius hit a very large bump in the road, sending both Harry and Sirius flying off their seats. This brought Harry back to consciousness. He sat up looking delirious and then turned to Sirius.
"Where are we? What are we doing?" He mumbled.
"You lost consciousness after that big fall you took. You were bleeding terribly, Harry. I brought you to the emergency room, and they fixed you up. You got ten stitches bud, that's a lot." Harry reached up to touch the sore spot on his head and flinched. There was a bandage their, but the slightest bit of pressure caused sharp pain in the wound. "Don't touch it," Sirius said, laughing slightly at Harry's tired stupidity. It was clear the boy was exhausted. At being laughed at, Harry elbowed Sirius in the ribs. Causing Sirius to laugh more. He then put his arm back around Harry's shoulder and they drove the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence. When they got back in the house, Sirius helped Harry back onto the couch.
"Hey Sirius?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you use magic to heal me?"
"Well I was going to and then you passed out...I thought you might have had a concussion and I was right."
"Why didn't you just enervate me?"
Sirius looked at Harry dumbfounded. He hadn't even thought of that. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish until Harry started laughing at him.
"I was too worried about you to think clearly I guess," Sirius said before standing. "Lets get you to bed."
Harry yawned and then nodded. "What time is it, anyway?"
"Well let's just say it's not you birthday anymore."
Harry laughed lightly and then allowed Sirius to help him up the stairs. He felt capable of climbing the stairs on his own, but knew Sirius was too worried about his well being to let him try. When they reached Harry's room, they found James lying at the foot of Harry's bed. "Oh, so now you want to be here?" Harry said.
Sirius laughed and went over to the bed to pull back the blankets. Harry crawled under them and Sirius tucked him in like he was a little boy. Harry didn't seem to mind. Sirius then sat on the edge of the bed. "I was really scared there Harry."
"I know, I'm sorry."
"You could have died...then what would I have done? I would have lost both you and Remus."
"But I'm fine," Harry said, wanting Sirius to stop worrying so much.
"Harry, if anything happens to you..."
"It won't...I'll be more careful."
Sirius still looked very anxious. It then hit Harry just how much he meant to Sirius. He had known that he felt like without Sirius his world would end, but he didn't think Sirius felt the same way. Harry smiled reassuringly, trying to show that he was alright now, but was unsure of how to loosen Sirius's mood. He still didn't look happy though, so Harry yawned in hope that Sirius would move on.
"Alright, I'll let you go to sleep now, but first, do you need anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
Sirius gave him a look, "You said that before and you needed ten stitches."
"Yeah, but I'm fine now, I promise. Do you want to see me walk again?"
"No," Sirius said laughing, then turned serious, "what if I hadn't made you do that?"
"I would have passed out before I made it up the stairs...you would have known something was wrong either way."
Sirius again didn't look impressed. "Harry I want you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Promise when something is wrong you WILL tell me. Why didn't you earlier."
Harry looked down at his feet, "Well, it was kind of embarrassing falling down the stairs, I didn't want to make an even bigger deal out of it."
"You don't need to be embarrassed here, okay Harry."
Harry nodded seriously.
Sirius looked like he was going to leave when a thought popped into Harry's mind, and he voiced it. "What do you think Remus is doing right now?"
Sirius breathed out slowly. "Probably what I had to do. They probably have him in a holding cell all alone...and cold. Left with nothing but his own thoughts. And he has to stay there longer than I did. Thinking about what the next few days would hold. His trial's the day after tomorrow. We're going."
"Poor Remus...he doesn't deserve this."
"I know....Goodnight Harry, I love you," Sirius said pulling Harry into a tight hug.
"Love you too, night." Harry laid back on the pillows and watched Sirius walk to the door and shut off the light. Harry then fell into a dreamless sleep.
The next day flew by, though Sirius was highly protective of everything Harry did. He even insisted on watching every second of Harry practicing quidditch. Harry wasn't thrilled with the overprotective routine, but he didn't make a big deal about it. He liked knowing how much Sirius cared for him.
The day of the trial Sirius and Harry woke up early. They got dressed up nicely and headed straight to the ministry headquarters where they walked right past the cell where Remus was being held. "Sirius, Harry?"
They stepped up to the cell and Harry swallowed hard. Remus looked awful. He was wearing the same clothes he had the day of the birthday party, and his hair looked similar to Snape's. Sirius looked down at the ground, guilt written all over his face.
"Remus, are you okay," Harry croaked.
"I'll be fine Harry...what time is it?"
"It's ten," Sirius said solemnly. "Your trial's in half an hour. I brought you clean clothes."
"Thanks Sirius," he said quietly. Sirius passed the clothes through the bars and then whispered a quick cleaning spell, to make Remus look nicer. However, Remus still looked pale and sickly. Almost like he did when he came out of the basement after the full moon. "You should all go get seats," Remus said, sounding like he had already lost the trial. They obeyed and walked silently into the courtroom. In what seemed like no time at all the minister of magic walked into the courtroom and took a seat at the stand just like at Sirius's trial. Only this time he wasn't followed by a jury. This decision was going to be made solely by the minister. Harry looked around to see where Remus was, but found him no where in sight. Suddenly, however, a door in the side of the courtroom opened and Dumbledore came through, supporting Remus with his arm. He led Remus to a seat at the front of the court and then went to sit with Harry and Sirius.
"Why's Remus in such bad shape, Sirius?" Harry asked.
Sirius sighed. "He never got a chance to recover from the full moon. He needs time after that, time to relax, and they obviously didn't give him that."
"Will he be okay?"
"Depends on the outcome of the trial," Sirius said his voice as tense as a bungee cord, ready to snap. Sirius didn't say another word, he just stared unnervingly at Remus in the front of the church, who in turn stared just as unnervingly into nothingness at the back of the court.
Harry then turned to Dumbledore, "Do you think he even has a chance professor? I mean, Sirius really was innocent of all charges...but Remus actually did what they're accusing him of, what do you think is going to happen?"
Dumbledore looked intently into Harry's brilliant green eyes, which were currently filled to the brim with pain and worry. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, "Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Potter. You are right that Remus did indeed do what they are charging him with, but it's not always so simple. You see, Remus did break the law, but he did it for good. In a normal case, that alone would let him off of all charges. As you of course know Remus is a werewolf, and the man he was hiding is Sirius Black. Now you know as well as I do that despite his innocence Fudge and many other ministry officials do not trust Sirius at all, nor do they trust Remus as he's a werewolf. Fudge still believes Sirius is guilty. Thus, I am completely uncertain as to how this trial will play out. I just pray that for once Fudge does the right thing. He has a lot of trouble with that you know."
Harry nodded, the worry in his eyes now beginning to deepen. Clearly Harry hadn't thought along the same lines as Dumbledore. He had pictured it as a more clean cut decision.
Harry sat in silence, thinking for a few minutes when Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, my dear boy, what did you do to your head?"
Blushing, Harry lightly touched the white bandage on his head. "I...er...fell down the stairs last night. Sirius had to take me to the emergency room."
"Indeed, well then, you must be more careful around those stairs. Remember Mr. Potter, you're still healing, don't outdo yourself. You're not superman after all."
Harry smiled and marveled at the fact that Dumbledore knew who superman was at all. He shook his head and stared at Remus, like Sirius. The courtroom soon quieted down a little and Fudge stood up and began to speak. He then turned to Remus and started firing questions at him. They weren't why questions, they were what questions, a sure sign that Fudge already knew what the verdict would be. Harry did too, and he could barely breath as he tried not to cry. The end of the trial soon came and Dumbledore once again addressed the courtroom, "Mr. Lupin has stated that he did indeed know of Sirius Black's whereabouts for at least two full years. Lupin has also confessed to harboring the wanted convict in his home for at least one year. Lupin made no effort to inform the ministry of what he knew. Thus, I find Remus Lupin guilty of withholding information from the ministry and harboring an escaped convict. I have taken into account that Sirius Black has been proven innocent. Thus, I will lighten the sentence slightly. Remus Lupin will be held in the Azkaban fortress until December 15 of this year. Good day." With his final words, he stepped down from the bench and walked straight out of the court. Harry glanced with tear filled eyes at Sirius to see he was shaking violently, and looked otherwise catatonic. He put a hand over one of Sirius's and squeezed it tightly. Sirius showed no sign that he noticed. Harry then looked at Dumbledore whose head was down in defeat. "Of course," thought Harry, "It was Dumbledore who sent Sirius to stay with Remus in the first place."
Harry watched as another ministry official stood up to the podium and said, "The ministry will allot fifteen minutes for Lupin's family and friends to come forward and say their goodbye's." The official then stepped down and Harry stood up. He then realized that Sirius wasn't budging. He was still sitting, shaking, and gazing off into nowhere.
"Sirius," Harry said bending over Sirius. "Come on, we need to go say goodbye to Remus. Sirius, snap out of it." Harry's voice was breaking as he spoke the words. He was scared. One of the men he had grown to consider a parent was being taken to prison, the other was going insane. Harry didn't know what to do.
Dumbledore stepped up next to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "Go talk to Remus, I'll talk to Sirius."
Harry nodded and walked towards the front of the church. A few people Harry didn't know were speaking to Remus, but they cleared out when they saw Harry approach. Remus stared at him with glassy eyes and then spread his arms to hug Harry.
"I'm so sorry Harry," he muttered.
"Sorry, why should you be sorry? You're the one being taken away."
"Yes, but I'm leaving you. Sirius and I both swore that we would never leave you...and now I am."
"It's okay Remus, you'll be back...by Christmas. You'll be back and the three of us will have a great Christmas together."
"If I make it," Remus whispered.
"Don't say that," Harry said, a tear rolling down his cheek.
Remus hugged Harry to him tighter and rubbed his back as Harry cried into his shoulder. Harry recovered relatively quickly and they pulled a part.
"Now, I have to ask...what did you do to your head?"
Harry sighed and then grinned at Remus, "I fell down the stairs. Sirius had to bring me to the emergency room. He was in a panic I guess...I passed out so I don't really know."
"Gotta be more careful on those stairs then," Remus said strictly.
"That's what Dumbledore said."
"Well it's true, I don't think he could stand loosing us both."
Harry shook his head sadly.
Remus scanned the courtroom, "I take it Sirius isn't handling this well."
Harry shook his head and dried his eyes. "He's really scaring me. He's staring into nothing, and shaking like mad. He hasn't said a word. Dumbledore is trying to bring him out of it. Looks like it's working." They were both looking at Sirius, who was now looking directly at Dumbledore and nodding his head. After a few more minutes Sirius and Dumbledore stood and made there way to where Remus and Harry stood. Dumbledore first pulled Remus away slightly and spoke to him for a few moments. Sirius walked up to Harry and put his arm over his shoulders. "Sorry about that, Harry," he whispered.
"It's okay, I understand...just don't do it again, you had me pretty scared that I was about to lose both of you." Sirius pulled Harry into a hug and mumbled he was sorry. Harry just shook his head. The three of them, always took the blame for everything. They always felt guilty for everything.
Dumbledore and Remus were again approaching, so Sirius stepped away from Harry and pulled his best friend into a strong embrace. "I'm so sorry Moony, I'm so, so sorry."
"It's okay Padfoot, really, it's not your fault."
Sirius just shook his head. His whole body was trembling again.
"Sirius you need to stay calm. You're scaring the shit out of Harry, and me too. I'll be okay, it's only a fraction of the time you spent there, and you're fine now."
"Moony, you know as well as I do that I am far from fine. And Azkaban's going to be worse for you. You can't turn into an animal at will, Rem. That's the only reason I survived."
"Thanks for the encouragement Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.
Sirius shook his head, "I'm serious Remus...I have some advice though. Always think of something unhappy, never focus on what's good in your life. That's what drives people insane, they try to think of what was good...but the can't remember. Think about how you did what was right...and are now being punished for it...okay Moony. Don't let them take your mind."
Remus nodded seriously.
"I'm going to miss you buddy...what am I going to do without you?" Sirius asked with his voice tight as before, and so full of pain.
A tear ran down Remus's face at the sound of his voice, usually so happy and full of life. Remus shook his head and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. The last they would share for a while.
Remus then stepped back up to Harry and pulled him into another hug. "Harry, take care of Sirius for me, okay?" Remus felt more than saw Harry nod his head. "I love you Harry, bye." He kissed Harry quickly on the head and broke from the hug. Tears were again streaming down Harry's face and Remus's as well. A ministry official then put some kind of spell on Remus and steered him out of the courtroom, Dumbledore followed. That's when Harry fell apart. He sat down on the floor and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sirius squat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tears were streaming down his face as well. "Let's do this at home Harry."
Harry breathed deeply and tried to dry his eyes. Sirius did the same and they both stood and walked out the door. The moment they stepped outside, Harry heard a very unwelcome voice say, "Geez Potter, it's not like they gave the werewolf a death sentence."
Harry turned sharply in the direction of the voice and saw his rival Draco Malfoy leaning against the side of the building. He glared at him with all the anger he could muster through his sadness. "Can it Malfoy!"
Malfoy stepped away from the wall. "He won't last more than a week in there, Potter. A werewolf like him...the dementor's are going to rip him to shreds."
Harry couldn't think of any thing to say so he just kept glaring. "I hope the convict will be enough support for you Potter, imagine, a prisoner and a werewolf for parents."
"Shut up Malfoy!"
"Ooooh I'm scared now Potter,"
Sirius stepped up to Harry and put a hand on his back, "Let's go Harry." With that they both stepped away. Malfoy was yelling nasty things behind him, but with Sirius there, none of it mattered. Malfoy's hope had already come true, Sirius's support was enough for Harry.
A/N: There you have it, another chapter done! That one did take a while, but I had so much fun working on it! Next chapter or the chapter after Harry will be returning to Hogwarts...I'm actually dreading this part. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing to much Remus for a while, but trust me he'll be missed but never forgotten! I have the rest of the story all planned out, and it probably won't be more than thirty chapters. Which means I'm over half way done. I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Please tell me by reviewing!