Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters of the books. They belong to J.K. Rowling.
As Remus began his descent down the staircase, he saw Snape leaning against the wall, half-hidden in the shadows. "What are you doing here, skulking around?" Remus snapped scathingly.
Snape straightened. "I teach here, Lupin. I am the Potions Master as of this year."
"Good for you, you greasy git," Remus sniped. "Congratulations. Now, instead of tormenting us, you can spend your time destroying whatever moral there is to poor innocent children who've done nothing at all. And I hope you enjoy yourself with that."
"I will," Snape said, without missing a beat, and then added, "Not that there's many left of you to torment, is there? Just you."
"Sod off, Snape," Remus snapped.
"I think not. I teach here. You do not."
Remus rounded on him. "Dumbledore may trust you," he hissed, "But I don't. I'm not stupid, you know."
"You are doing a fairly good impression of it, then." Remus felt like an angry child about to throw a tantrum. Instead, he threw Snape a look of deepest loathing and proceeded to hurl himself down the stairwell.
At least, until Snape's voice called him back. "Is going to see Black at Azkaban wise?"
"Is there an echo for Dumbledore around here?" Remus asked in irritation, turning to scowl up at him. "Besides, that was a private conversation. You weren't supposed to be eavesdropping."
"Pretend I care, Lupin. I do what I want."
"Stupid, obnoxious git."
"I could call you many worse things, but fortunately, I'm far too refined to do so."
"Aren't refined people suppose to wash their hair occasionally?"
They scowled at one another with darkness. "It is not wise to go to Azkaban, Lupin," Snape snapped abruptly, "because, for one thing, you are a werewolf, and therefore a Dark Magical Creature. The Dementors won't welcome you. And you may not like seeing Black. He was your friend once, but you may not be able to keep yourself from attacking him after knowing he has killed three of your other friends."
"I'm touched by your concern," Remus said flatly. "But I frankly don't care much for it at all. I'm going to see Sirius, and you can't stop me. And besides, I won't attack him. And even if I do, that's what bars are for."
Snape shrugged. "This is the last time I ever offer you my help again, Lupin."
Remus scowled at him. "Good. Go back to torturing little Gryffindors and brewing your smelly potions, Snape."
Snape sneered arrogantly. "I do not torture Gryffindors." He smirked. "I torture Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs."
Remus rolled his eyes in disbelief – Snape was such a prat sometimes – and then stalked out of the staircase into the stairwell.
X-X-X-X-X
When Remus first set foot in Azkaban, he was immediately swamped with the cold. He shivered, looking around. There was no one within sight. All there was a simply counter, devoid of any sort of bell or implication that someone would be working there. On the stone was an embedded clipboard, with a slip of parchment attached, marked: VISTORS. A quill lay to the side.
Picking up the quill, he glanced at the parchment. The last visitor had been four years ago, and judging by the sign out time, they had only stayed for about six or seven minutes.
Signing in delicately, he checked his watch, and set the quill down. Ten minutes should be more than enough to see Sirius.
He walked down the halls, suppressing his shudders at the cold. He couldn't see the Dementors, but he could certainly feel their presence. Biting back a gulp of panic, he forced himself to walk down the hall.
He noticed that each cell was labeled with an ID number, and then the prisoner's name. Sirius's cell was at the very end, at the very darkest corner of Azkaban. The cells surrounding him were completely empty.
He peered into the cell. He could see the dark outline of Sirius leaning against the wall. His hair – which he had recently grown out quite a bit – fell over his face, covering it. One knee was drawn up to his chest, and the other was stretched out in front of him. His hands, chained together, hung limply in his lap.
Taking a deep breath, Remus spoke. "Padfoot?" he asked quietly. There was no response. "I… I just wanted to see you," he continued, feeling stupid – it wasn't as though Sirius could hear him, anyway. "Just to find out… why you did what he did." Remus thought he heard the faint clink of the chains, but he was certain he imagined it – not that he'd know. He was looking at his shoes, unable to look at his old friend anymore. "I can't believe you'd ever do this. I don't want to believe it."
Remus sighed in disgust. "I'm so stupid. It's not like you're listening. Hell, you're probably mad in there already."
There was a hoarse laugh. "I've only been in here half a day, Moony. I'm not quite mad yet."
Remus's head snapped up. Sirius was sitting closer to the bars now, gripping them as he stared out at Remus. His eyes, Remus recalled, had once been a very clear, blue color. Now they were darker, more haunted, more desperate. And yet… there was something else beneath all that. There was… amusement?!
"Aren't you sad at all?" Remus burst out. "You killed them, Sirius!"
Sirius jerked backwards from the bars. "I am sad," he whispered hoarsely. "I'm miserable, Moony."
"Of course you are," Remus said scathingly, feeling fury rising in him. This is why Snape told you not to come, he thought, and bit that thought down. "After all, your Master's gone, isn't he? Defeated by a one-year-old. Your godson. Only defeated, though, after he killed his parents. Lily and James, Sirius. Your best friends!" he burst out bitterly.
"I know who they are," Sirius whispered. "I would never have hurt them – believe me, Moony, I never would have."
"Don't call me that," Remus snapped. "I only let my friends call me 'Moony,' and from the looks of it, thanks to you, three of them are already gone. Four if you count yourself. Of course, you must have been gone for about a year before Lily and James were killed. And Peter."
"I didn't kill them!" Sirius said furiously, his whisper abandoned. "I – I couldn't do that! I would have died before I betrayed them, you know that! It was Peter, he was the Secret-Keeper-"
"Bloody hell, Sirius, you sound like a raving lunatic," Remus said coldly. "A murdering, raving lunatic. Peter, the Secret-Keeper? Give me one good reason to believe you."
Sirius scowled. "Dumbledore kept telling us there was a traitor in our midst. We… we believed it was you. And-"
"Enough," Remus snapped. "I don't want to hear any more of this. No more at all. This is stupidity. I shouldn't have come. I'm off."
"Remus!" Sirius cried. "I didn't kill them – Remus, don't go, please-"
He sounded so pitying, so pathetic, that Remus almost apologized. Almost. Instead, he whirled. "I saw it in your eyes, Sirius. Amusement. Admit it. You're not sorry they're dead. How could you be? You were working for Voldemort all along."
"I wasn't!" Sirius broke out desperately. "I – I could never do that! Remus, you have to believe me, it's the insanity getting to me, of the day, you heard I was laughing when they found me, but I wasn't happy, it was like this big, gaping hole inside of me-"
"You," Remus said tightly, "are a fool. Goodbye, Sirius Black." And he turned and walked, glancing back once only to see Sirius's hand fall lightly through the bars.
Once outside the Prison-fortress, Remus took calming breaths, feeling his anger being replaced by the terror of the place. He looked out at Azkaban again, shivered, and then fled the island.
X-X-X-X-X
A/N: Well, that's it for Chapter 2! Review, please! ~Peaches
