Chapter 7: What? Why? How?
Silently Remus led Harry and Sirius to an empty stair well. The walls were damp and dreary, the wallpaper coming off in big sheets, and the tiled floor and ceilings grey with cigarette smoke. He held out a fridge magnet, shrugged, and said hoarsely, "Dumbledore."
Sirius merely nodded and pulled Harry into his arms and placed a finger on the Port Key. Harry buried his head into Sirius' t-shirt and closed his eyes. Remus cleared his throat, "Er ... Sirius ..."
"Leave it Moony. We can talk later. We need to go and see Dumbledore first," Sirius said, slightly stiffly.
Remus nodded slightly and opened his mouth again. Then re thought and closed it. Then re thought again and said, "Harry needs to put a finger on the Port Key."
Sirius nodded and whispered something to Harry. Harry slowly turned around and cast his big green eyes on Remus, and put a finger silently on the Port Key.
"Erm... it's on activation coding. So, I'll say it and we'll be taken, OK?" Remus said, almost shyly.
Sirius nodded, and waited as Remus said, "The Boy Who Lived."
The Port Key swung into action, and they each felt a tugging motion behind their navels, and the Port Key transported the three of them straight to Dumbledores office. Sirius stumbled slightly as they landed and Remus held his stomach momentarily before shaking himself and looking to Dumbledore, who had his wand trained on Sirius.
"Albus, no," Remus said quickly, "He didn't do it..."
"What?" Dumbledore said sharply, still not wavering in his stance.
"He... he... didn't do it... he didn't do it..." Remus fell back into a chair and held his head in his hands.
"Explain," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at Sirius again. Sirius sighed, and hitched Harry up on his hip, as he was falling. He was going to have to tell this story a lot in the next few weeks. Crap.
"Give Remus the boy." Dumbledore demanded.
Sirius was shocked but he didn't show it. He sighed and gave Harry, who whined in protest to Remus, who was muttering to himself. God, what would he give to tell him that talking to yourself was one of the first signs of madness. No. Their relationship was too fragile, on too rocky grounds to even attempt to joke with him. They seriously needed to talk. Alone.
Sirius looked warily at the end of Dumbledores wand, and gulped, "Where... do I start?"
"The beginning." Dumbledore said harshly.
Sirius sighed and nodded, "I wasn't the Secret Keeper – "
"Wait," Remus said, "This is all true. We gave him Veritaserum at the flat. He will still be under the effects, it's barely been an hour."
Sirius smiled gratefully at Remus, who didn't make any facial expression.
"Oh..." Dumbledore said, "Fine. Good. Speak. Tell me what happened with the Potters."
"I wasn't the Secret Keeper. We changed at the very last minute, as we thought that I wasn't inconspicuous enough. Every one knew they were going into hiding, and I was their best friend. No one would have ever suspected they switched Secret Keeper's. But they did. I insisted they used Pettigrew. But Peter was working for Voldemort, and only hours later, they were dead. I was on my way to check on Peter, he wasn't in his hiding place, and it just didn't feel right. So I went to James and Lily's and when I got there, and the house was in ruins. I scrambled through the rubble and found the bodies. Then I heard Harry. He was behind Lily, in the cot and he was fine. Except for the cut on his forehead. I took him, the Hagrid turned up. I gave him Harry and my motorbike and they left. Then I went to find Pettigrew, he was going to pay. I fully intended killing him. I found him and confronted him. He yelled for the whole street to hear I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within 20 feet of himself – and transformed into his Animagus form a rat with the rest of the rats... Not before chopping his finger off. A last piece of evidence against me."
"He didn't do it." Remus said, as if clarifying it.
Dumbledore lowered his wand and sat down, his head in his hands, "I put an innocent man in Azkaban?"
"Er – "Remus said.
"Yes." Said Sirius. The Truth Potion was still working.
Harry sniffed, and Dumbledore looked at him, as if just remembering he was there, "What about Harry? Why did you take him?"
"I got the paper off Fudge in Azkaban, and there was a picture of Harry on the front. I kept watching it and eventually I saw a man come into the picture. He was abusing him, it was Harry's Uncle. I couldn't leave my Godson there, so I decided I'd get out. I tried my Animagus form, a Grim, and it worked. When the Dementors bought my dinner, I left. They can't sense animals.
I arrived in Surrey, and found Harry, I showed my self to him, and he decided he wanted to come with me. He was being abused, I saw the marks. We went to a homeless shelter, and well, we kept moving on. I changed my appearance and my name, and we moved to Newcastle, met people, I got a job, and Harry got settled in school. It was all good. Erm... then you lot came." Sirius finished.
Dumbledore nodded sombrely, "Sirius, my boy, I am truly sorry for my mistake, I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive an old mans mistakes."
Sirius sighed and nodded, "On day maybe Sir. Now I just want a trial and my name cleared."
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Understandable. How to do this though? I believe the best solution will be for me to turn you in, and demand a trial. I will be listened to. Harry here can stay with Remus for a time."
Sirius nodded, and took Harry from Remus' still shaky arms, "Harry, sweetie, I'll see you soon. Your gonna stay with Moony yeah? I'll see you really, really soon."
Harry shot Sirius a serious look, "Promise?"
"I promise," Sirius said, and he placed Harry on Remus' knee, and said, "Take good care of him OK?"
Remus nodded, "Of course."
Sirius nodded again and turned to Dumbledore, "Ready to go?"
"Yes Sirius. Remus, you stay at Hogwarts with Harry I'll be back soon. We'll be back soon. Introduce him to the teachers, but let no one out of the castle know he's here. By the way where is Severus?" Dumbledore decided.
Remus smirked, "Long story. Me and ... Sirius will explain soon. When he's back. Severus will be gone a while I should think."
Sirius nodded, "Yeah. Later. Let's go. Bye Harry ... Remus."
"Bye." Remus said, Harry said nothing. He was asleep. Sirius and Dumbledore disappeared through the Floo connection and Remus and Harry were alone.
"What a mess." Remus muttered to Harry's unconscious form, "What a fucking mess."
* * *
(Don't know if ya wanted Severus/Kayla, but we needed summat that wasn't so ... intense.)
Severus sat heavily on the sofa. Lupin, Black and Potter had left now, and he and Kayla... and Stacie were alone. Lee had been put to bed only moments ago, but the baby required a feed. They were going to have to talk.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
Severus looked up, for once, his throat dry. He had no scathing remarks, no sarcastic come back. He was truly sorry. And he didn't know how to handle it, "Kayla... "
"What?" she said desperately, "Why? God I sound desperate, but I need to know. Why did you leave? Why did you never call?"
"I... "Severus said, "I don't know. I couldn't carry on. It... our relationship, I didn't know how to tell you, about me. I couldn't handle it. So ... I left."
"That's it?" Kayla snapped, "You left me, alone with a baby because you didn't know what to do. "
"I didn't know you were pregnant. I would never have left, without leaving an address or anything. When I left I needed to be back at my job. When I started to see you it was the holidays... I work at a school. A magic school. Where the child will go." Severus said.
"The child? She has a name, her name is Stacie. You haven't changed at all. Are you always so icy ... and mean?"
Severus inwardly smirked 'Yes.' "I know... I'm bad at this. Terrible in fact."
"True," she said icily.
"I'm sorry...." He whispered. God that phrase felt foreign on his lips. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had uttered that horrible sentence. Snapes never apologised.
Kayla's head flew up. She'd never heard him say that before, "Are you?"
Severus simply nodded, "Very. I shouldn't have left. With out an explanation. I regret leaving all together."
"I don't know if I want to get back with you Sev. I need time to think." Kayla said abruptly.
He nodded. He expected that. What were they going to do? He couldn't give up his job. He was needed there. Dumbledore was the only one who had previously kept him from prison. If this was going to work, they would have to live at Hogwarts ... no. The boy, Lee, he wasn't magical. At least probably not. Maybe they could live together, he could go to Hogwarts in the mornings... more of a 9 – 5 job? Was that possible? Damn, he'd have to talk to Dumbledore.
"Stay on the couch?" she suggested, "I'll tell you in the morning."
Severus nodded, "You wouldn't mind if I did magic would you? Conjure a bed?"
Kayla shook her head, "No Sev. Good night." She said softly.
TBC..
I'll update soon, promise!!
Silently Remus led Harry and Sirius to an empty stair well. The walls were damp and dreary, the wallpaper coming off in big sheets, and the tiled floor and ceilings grey with cigarette smoke. He held out a fridge magnet, shrugged, and said hoarsely, "Dumbledore."
Sirius merely nodded and pulled Harry into his arms and placed a finger on the Port Key. Harry buried his head into Sirius' t-shirt and closed his eyes. Remus cleared his throat, "Er ... Sirius ..."
"Leave it Moony. We can talk later. We need to go and see Dumbledore first," Sirius said, slightly stiffly.
Remus nodded slightly and opened his mouth again. Then re thought and closed it. Then re thought again and said, "Harry needs to put a finger on the Port Key."
Sirius nodded and whispered something to Harry. Harry slowly turned around and cast his big green eyes on Remus, and put a finger silently on the Port Key.
"Erm... it's on activation coding. So, I'll say it and we'll be taken, OK?" Remus said, almost shyly.
Sirius nodded, and waited as Remus said, "The Boy Who Lived."
The Port Key swung into action, and they each felt a tugging motion behind their navels, and the Port Key transported the three of them straight to Dumbledores office. Sirius stumbled slightly as they landed and Remus held his stomach momentarily before shaking himself and looking to Dumbledore, who had his wand trained on Sirius.
"Albus, no," Remus said quickly, "He didn't do it..."
"What?" Dumbledore said sharply, still not wavering in his stance.
"He... he... didn't do it... he didn't do it..." Remus fell back into a chair and held his head in his hands.
"Explain," Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at Sirius again. Sirius sighed, and hitched Harry up on his hip, as he was falling. He was going to have to tell this story a lot in the next few weeks. Crap.
"Give Remus the boy." Dumbledore demanded.
Sirius was shocked but he didn't show it. He sighed and gave Harry, who whined in protest to Remus, who was muttering to himself. God, what would he give to tell him that talking to yourself was one of the first signs of madness. No. Their relationship was too fragile, on too rocky grounds to even attempt to joke with him. They seriously needed to talk. Alone.
Sirius looked warily at the end of Dumbledores wand, and gulped, "Where... do I start?"
"The beginning." Dumbledore said harshly.
Sirius sighed and nodded, "I wasn't the Secret Keeper – "
"Wait," Remus said, "This is all true. We gave him Veritaserum at the flat. He will still be under the effects, it's barely been an hour."
Sirius smiled gratefully at Remus, who didn't make any facial expression.
"Oh..." Dumbledore said, "Fine. Good. Speak. Tell me what happened with the Potters."
"I wasn't the Secret Keeper. We changed at the very last minute, as we thought that I wasn't inconspicuous enough. Every one knew they were going into hiding, and I was their best friend. No one would have ever suspected they switched Secret Keeper's. But they did. I insisted they used Pettigrew. But Peter was working for Voldemort, and only hours later, they were dead. I was on my way to check on Peter, he wasn't in his hiding place, and it just didn't feel right. So I went to James and Lily's and when I got there, and the house was in ruins. I scrambled through the rubble and found the bodies. Then I heard Harry. He was behind Lily, in the cot and he was fine. Except for the cut on his forehead. I took him, the Hagrid turned up. I gave him Harry and my motorbike and they left. Then I went to find Pettigrew, he was going to pay. I fully intended killing him. I found him and confronted him. He yelled for the whole street to hear I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within 20 feet of himself – and transformed into his Animagus form a rat with the rest of the rats... Not before chopping his finger off. A last piece of evidence against me."
"He didn't do it." Remus said, as if clarifying it.
Dumbledore lowered his wand and sat down, his head in his hands, "I put an innocent man in Azkaban?"
"Er – "Remus said.
"Yes." Said Sirius. The Truth Potion was still working.
Harry sniffed, and Dumbledore looked at him, as if just remembering he was there, "What about Harry? Why did you take him?"
"I got the paper off Fudge in Azkaban, and there was a picture of Harry on the front. I kept watching it and eventually I saw a man come into the picture. He was abusing him, it was Harry's Uncle. I couldn't leave my Godson there, so I decided I'd get out. I tried my Animagus form, a Grim, and it worked. When the Dementors bought my dinner, I left. They can't sense animals.
I arrived in Surrey, and found Harry, I showed my self to him, and he decided he wanted to come with me. He was being abused, I saw the marks. We went to a homeless shelter, and well, we kept moving on. I changed my appearance and my name, and we moved to Newcastle, met people, I got a job, and Harry got settled in school. It was all good. Erm... then you lot came." Sirius finished.
Dumbledore nodded sombrely, "Sirius, my boy, I am truly sorry for my mistake, I hope that one day you will find it in your heart to forgive an old mans mistakes."
Sirius sighed and nodded, "On day maybe Sir. Now I just want a trial and my name cleared."
Dumbledore nodded and said, "Understandable. How to do this though? I believe the best solution will be for me to turn you in, and demand a trial. I will be listened to. Harry here can stay with Remus for a time."
Sirius nodded, and took Harry from Remus' still shaky arms, "Harry, sweetie, I'll see you soon. Your gonna stay with Moony yeah? I'll see you really, really soon."
Harry shot Sirius a serious look, "Promise?"
"I promise," Sirius said, and he placed Harry on Remus' knee, and said, "Take good care of him OK?"
Remus nodded, "Of course."
Sirius nodded again and turned to Dumbledore, "Ready to go?"
"Yes Sirius. Remus, you stay at Hogwarts with Harry I'll be back soon. We'll be back soon. Introduce him to the teachers, but let no one out of the castle know he's here. By the way where is Severus?" Dumbledore decided.
Remus smirked, "Long story. Me and ... Sirius will explain soon. When he's back. Severus will be gone a while I should think."
Sirius nodded, "Yeah. Later. Let's go. Bye Harry ... Remus."
"Bye." Remus said, Harry said nothing. He was asleep. Sirius and Dumbledore disappeared through the Floo connection and Remus and Harry were alone.
"What a mess." Remus muttered to Harry's unconscious form, "What a fucking mess."
* * *
(Don't know if ya wanted Severus/Kayla, but we needed summat that wasn't so ... intense.)
Severus sat heavily on the sofa. Lupin, Black and Potter had left now, and he and Kayla... and Stacie were alone. Lee had been put to bed only moments ago, but the baby required a feed. They were going to have to talk.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.
Severus looked up, for once, his throat dry. He had no scathing remarks, no sarcastic come back. He was truly sorry. And he didn't know how to handle it, "Kayla... "
"What?" she said desperately, "Why? God I sound desperate, but I need to know. Why did you leave? Why did you never call?"
"I... "Severus said, "I don't know. I couldn't carry on. It... our relationship, I didn't know how to tell you, about me. I couldn't handle it. So ... I left."
"That's it?" Kayla snapped, "You left me, alone with a baby because you didn't know what to do. "
"I didn't know you were pregnant. I would never have left, without leaving an address or anything. When I left I needed to be back at my job. When I started to see you it was the holidays... I work at a school. A magic school. Where the child will go." Severus said.
"The child? She has a name, her name is Stacie. You haven't changed at all. Are you always so icy ... and mean?"
Severus inwardly smirked 'Yes.' "I know... I'm bad at this. Terrible in fact."
"True," she said icily.
"I'm sorry...." He whispered. God that phrase felt foreign on his lips. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had uttered that horrible sentence. Snapes never apologised.
Kayla's head flew up. She'd never heard him say that before, "Are you?"
Severus simply nodded, "Very. I shouldn't have left. With out an explanation. I regret leaving all together."
"I don't know if I want to get back with you Sev. I need time to think." Kayla said abruptly.
He nodded. He expected that. What were they going to do? He couldn't give up his job. He was needed there. Dumbledore was the only one who had previously kept him from prison. If this was going to work, they would have to live at Hogwarts ... no. The boy, Lee, he wasn't magical. At least probably not. Maybe they could live together, he could go to Hogwarts in the mornings... more of a 9 – 5 job? Was that possible? Damn, he'd have to talk to Dumbledore.
"Stay on the couch?" she suggested, "I'll tell you in the morning."
Severus nodded, "You wouldn't mind if I did magic would you? Conjure a bed?"
Kayla shook her head, "No Sev. Good night." She said softly.
TBC..
I'll update soon, promise!!