Daughter of Darkness
by Author of Doom: Storm
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K.Rowling does. But if I did,
Sirius would be alive and well. And because this is my fic, Sirius will be
alive.
Prologue
The air was cold and damp, and thin slots of light filtered into the stone
cell coming from between the bars. The prisoners were all still there,
huddled in their cages. Some raved, some screamed, some were quiet. They
all went silent eventually. From beyond the door, they heard footsteps.
The prisoners stopped short. Voices, a familiar one - Stephen Harkley, the
keeper of this section of Azkaban, the section where all who were sentenced
to life lived, if you could this living. The other voice was that of a
young woman. The cellar door opened. Harkley led the beautiful lady down
the steps and into the dark row, past the cells, stopping at the last one,
hidden in shadow. Some of the more sane prisoners watched her pass,
curious. Who was she? Despite the heavy presence of the Dementors, she
held her head up, but the look on her face was one of shock. Who was she
visiting?
"Miss Lune, this is the one."
"Thank you." She peered into the stone cage through the thick bars, her
hands curling around two. After a while her eyes adjusted to the dim
light. She turned to Harkley,"You call this a prison? It's more like a
tomb! Do you feed them at all?" Harkley sighed,
"Ma'am, it's not up to me how much they're fed. And even if I could, I
wouldn't give them much. They deserve it." She looked away, back into the
cell.
"No human being deserves this." She was quiet for a moment, "Sirius?" No
response. "Sirius, can you hear me?" He looked up, staring with deadened,
crazed eyes.
"Who...?" Came his query, sounding like a lost little boy.
"It's Selene."
"Selene?" A hint of sanity appeared in his ice blue eyes.
"Yes. I'm here." He got up shakily and walked over to the bars. She
could see he had lost a lot of weight. His frame had once been strong and
muscular; the physique of a Beater, but now it was gaunt and skinny. He
had lost his tan, skin now pale and sallow.
"Why?"
"To see you again."
"It wasn't me. It was him."
"Who?"
"Peter." She frowned,
"Sirius, Peter's dead. You killed him."
"No, he killed them all!" He insisted, "If I had kept the Secret, then
they wouldn't have died. But I didn't, so now they're gone."
"I don't follow you."
"It was my fault, because I trusted him, but he killed them."
"So you didn't betray Lily and James?"
"Shh!" He hushed her, putting a finger to his parched lips. "If you say
their names again I'll see them again."
"You see them?"
"Yes. I didn't kill them. Peter did." They were quiet for a long
moment. "You don't... believe me, do you...?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore." She paused, "What do they say?"
"They blame me."
"I brought food and water." He stared hungrily. "Do they feed you?"
"Sometimes," He said quietly, rubbing his head as if he had a headache.
Selene noticed deep scars on his wrists that had been concealed by the
shabby prison robes. They were bite marks.
"What did you do to yourself?!" She whispered in disbelief. The Sirius
she knew would never have tried to kill himself! Just a single glance had
told her he had changed quite a bit in the year and a half since she had
seen him last, before she had gone into hiding without him. But she didn't
think he could have changed this much! She knew the man she had loved was
in there somewhere. He shrugged,
"Tried to kill myself, it's really the only way out of this hell-hole.
I've lost count of how many times I've tried to escape. 'S close to
impossible to get out of here alive." Catching her querying look, he
rushed to explain. "You try living with Dementors twenty-four seven." Her
storm grey eyes grew soft, and she nodded,
"I understand. Just... don't do it again, okay? I don't want to lose
you." Sirius chuckled wearily,
"I'll make no promises, but I'll do my best." It wasn't good enough for
her, but it would have to do. She took his thin hand in hers.
"Come here." He obeyed. "I still love you, whether you're innocent or
guilty." They were nose to nose, though separated by the bars. She leaned
forward into them, and their lips met. His kiss was that of a desperate
man, who had found something he had thought lost forever. Finally, they
parted. Harkley coughed loudly.
"Ma'am, your time's almost up." She sighed, eye regretful.
"I have to go." Selene told him,
"Why? Can't you stay just a little longer?" He pleaded, and she looked
down, biting her lip.
"Sirius, I have a daughter. I have to go back to her."
"Miss Lune... You need to leave now." Harkley insisted, and she threw one
last longing look at Sirius.
"Goodbye. Don't forget me."
"Never." She turned, and Harkley led her out. Before she reached the top
of the steps, she heard him whisper softly in wonder,
"A daughter..."
Yes Sirius, she thought, a daughter. Our daughter...
by Author of Doom: Storm
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K.Rowling does. But if I did,
Sirius would be alive and well. And because this is my fic, Sirius will be
alive.
Prologue
The air was cold and damp, and thin slots of light filtered into the stone
cell coming from between the bars. The prisoners were all still there,
huddled in their cages. Some raved, some screamed, some were quiet. They
all went silent eventually. From beyond the door, they heard footsteps.
The prisoners stopped short. Voices, a familiar one - Stephen Harkley, the
keeper of this section of Azkaban, the section where all who were sentenced
to life lived, if you could this living. The other voice was that of a
young woman. The cellar door opened. Harkley led the beautiful lady down
the steps and into the dark row, past the cells, stopping at the last one,
hidden in shadow. Some of the more sane prisoners watched her pass,
curious. Who was she? Despite the heavy presence of the Dementors, she
held her head up, but the look on her face was one of shock. Who was she
visiting?
"Miss Lune, this is the one."
"Thank you." She peered into the stone cage through the thick bars, her
hands curling around two. After a while her eyes adjusted to the dim
light. She turned to Harkley,"You call this a prison? It's more like a
tomb! Do you feed them at all?" Harkley sighed,
"Ma'am, it's not up to me how much they're fed. And even if I could, I
wouldn't give them much. They deserve it." She looked away, back into the
cell.
"No human being deserves this." She was quiet for a moment, "Sirius?" No
response. "Sirius, can you hear me?" He looked up, staring with deadened,
crazed eyes.
"Who...?" Came his query, sounding like a lost little boy.
"It's Selene."
"Selene?" A hint of sanity appeared in his ice blue eyes.
"Yes. I'm here." He got up shakily and walked over to the bars. She
could see he had lost a lot of weight. His frame had once been strong and
muscular; the physique of a Beater, but now it was gaunt and skinny. He
had lost his tan, skin now pale and sallow.
"Why?"
"To see you again."
"It wasn't me. It was him."
"Who?"
"Peter." She frowned,
"Sirius, Peter's dead. You killed him."
"No, he killed them all!" He insisted, "If I had kept the Secret, then
they wouldn't have died. But I didn't, so now they're gone."
"I don't follow you."
"It was my fault, because I trusted him, but he killed them."
"So you didn't betray Lily and James?"
"Shh!" He hushed her, putting a finger to his parched lips. "If you say
their names again I'll see them again."
"You see them?"
"Yes. I didn't kill them. Peter did." They were quiet for a long
moment. "You don't... believe me, do you...?"
"I don't know what to believe anymore." She paused, "What do they say?"
"They blame me."
"I brought food and water." He stared hungrily. "Do they feed you?"
"Sometimes," He said quietly, rubbing his head as if he had a headache.
Selene noticed deep scars on his wrists that had been concealed by the
shabby prison robes. They were bite marks.
"What did you do to yourself?!" She whispered in disbelief. The Sirius
she knew would never have tried to kill himself! Just a single glance had
told her he had changed quite a bit in the year and a half since she had
seen him last, before she had gone into hiding without him. But she didn't
think he could have changed this much! She knew the man she had loved was
in there somewhere. He shrugged,
"Tried to kill myself, it's really the only way out of this hell-hole.
I've lost count of how many times I've tried to escape. 'S close to
impossible to get out of here alive." Catching her querying look, he
rushed to explain. "You try living with Dementors twenty-four seven." Her
storm grey eyes grew soft, and she nodded,
"I understand. Just... don't do it again, okay? I don't want to lose
you." Sirius chuckled wearily,
"I'll make no promises, but I'll do my best." It wasn't good enough for
her, but it would have to do. She took his thin hand in hers.
"Come here." He obeyed. "I still love you, whether you're innocent or
guilty." They were nose to nose, though separated by the bars. She leaned
forward into them, and their lips met. His kiss was that of a desperate
man, who had found something he had thought lost forever. Finally, they
parted. Harkley coughed loudly.
"Ma'am, your time's almost up." She sighed, eye regretful.
"I have to go." Selene told him,
"Why? Can't you stay just a little longer?" He pleaded, and she looked
down, biting her lip.
"Sirius, I have a daughter. I have to go back to her."
"Miss Lune... You need to leave now." Harkley insisted, and she threw one
last longing look at Sirius.
"Goodbye. Don't forget me."
"Never." She turned, and Harkley led her out. Before she reached the top
of the steps, she heard him whisper softly in wonder,
"A daughter..."
Yes Sirius, she thought, a daughter. Our daughter...