CHAPTER 4
FORTRESS ON AN ISLAND
The news had spread like wild fire across the wizarding world. The story began, on the night of October 31, 1981 in the neighborhood of Godric's Hollow. The story began with the Potters: James, Lily, and their baby boy, Harry. It was around 10:30 P.M., so they say, when it happened. Voldemort, or "You-Know-Who" as they called him in the story, came strolling up the drive-way in the Potter's front yard. James tried to buy Lily time to get Harry out of the house and to safety by dueling the dark lord. James, they had said, fought bravely but was quickly dispatched by the evil wizard. He then went after Lily and Harry. After Lily pleaded with Voldemort to spare Harry and kill her instead, Lily was indeed murdered by Voldemort and then came the most shocking part of the story. Voldemort rounded on the one year old boy and muttered the same curse that had killed his mother and father before him. But the curse had rebounded off of Harry Potter and had instead hit Voldemort with full force.
Voldemort was then destoryed. That's how the story went anyway. No one knew the details and many people would hardly ever learn them. But the reason for the Potter's death all originated from a traitor, and all who knew the side story thought that it was Sirius Black. And yet Black had pleaded innocent since he had arrived at the Ministry of Magic. But that was not enough. Before their memories were erased, the survivors of that curse that had blown the street apart from up under Sirius Black swore that they heard Peter Pettigrew shout out to the street that Black had betrayed the Potters and then proceeded to kill Pettigrew.
After only two days of being held by the ministry Black was ordered into an armored ministry truck and began his trek to Azkaban fortress. Azkaban had been been built in 705 A.D. and was used as a Muggle torture chamber at first, but after the defeat of the dark wizard that ran the place, the fortress was converted into a prison for him and his followers. Now it was a fully-fledged Wizarding Prison. Black could not remember the ride to the port where which he would begin his final leg of the journey to Azkaban, because he was afraid beyond his whits. He could not see how this could turn out all right for him. The only thing that he could take satisfaction in is that they had the wrong man. He was innocent, but he had noo proof.
The armored truck stopped and the back door was opened. Two aurors pulled him out into the open air. He looked out to the west and saw the outline of an enormous castle just barely seen upon the horizon.
"Is that-" he began.
"Azkaban." one of the aurors finished for him, grinning maliously at him.
A shiver of fear ran through his body at the very mention of the name.
"Fifteen miles out to sea, impossible to break out." The auror said again, breaking the short silence. "If you'll just follow us, we'll take you to hell."
They led him to a small row boat. Upon entering, the boat began to row on its own. Sirius had no chance of escaping, he was under the full body bind.
"Oh, Mr. Black, the fun times you have in store for you," the second auror began, "See you in about fifty years....at your first parole hearing."
The other auror laughed, but Black didn't hear them, he was too busy thinking about the past events to even pay attention to their put downs and laughs about his time that he was about to serve in Azkaban.
"They don't even need bars to keep you locked up in there, Black. Within a few days you will be too insane to even think about what you did the day before." The second auror continued.
With each passing minute they became closer and closer to Azkaban. Sirius began to feel a little on edge. The fortress was now right there in front of them. It was huge. Even from a mile out he could hear the screams of the prisoners that were locked up in side.
They passed under an arch and pulled up to a landing underneath the arch. They led him out of the boat and into a damp, and slimmy hallway. At the end of this dark and damp hall was a desk with a man sitting behind it. He was busy writing something and did not look up when Black and the two aurors stopped in front of him.
He finally looked up and upon seeing these new faces let out a small gasp of surpirse.
"Ah," the warden said, looking from the aurors to Sirius, "I see we have a new prisoner."
"Yes," Said the first Auror, "This is Sirius Black and I expect he's being put in the Maximum Security Wing?"
"Yes," the warden said, looking down at his log, "That is correct, cell 323 as a matter of fact. And precautions have been put in place, he will be the most guarded prisoner in this entire castle."
"Good." the first auror said simply.
"So," the Warden continued, "If you'll just sign on the dotted line this Black fella will be out of your custody and into mine."
They didn't need telling twice. They wanted out of the castle. They quickly signed and, with one evil smile to Black, left the building.
"So," the Warden said, "Sirius Black, the most infamous traitor of the Great War is now here to serve his life long sentence in Azkaban." And turning his head to his right he shouted, "GUARDS."
And then he saw him, two hooded creatures with scabby hands, glided across the stone floor and over to Black. They were dementors and with rattling breath, they attempted to suck the happiness out of his mind. But for some reason it wasn't as bad as most people said it was. Although they were horrible, he did not feel sad thoughts and he did not realize why. The Dementors did not seem to notice this and neither did the Warden. But, with out hesitation, Sirius followed the Dementors down the long corridor toward his cell.
It was unbelievable. The amount of noise that was being uttered all around him.
"Mommy!"
"I hate flies, get those flies away from me."
"PLEASE DON'T--DON'T KILL HER!!"
"I WANT TO DIE, GET IT OVER WITH, KILL ME!!!"
"BLOOD!!!! I AM BLEEDING!!!!! AAAHH!!!!
Wherever Sirius turned there was insanity. The living conditions for the prisoners were horrible. He could not comprehend the filth that he saw lingering in the dungeons of Azkaban. The Dementors stopped infront of the cell that had the number 323 over it. The cell opened by itself and Sirius was pushed into it. The cell quickly sealed itself and now Sirius was trapped. If the dementors weren't driving him insane, then it was the noise from the other prisoners. They would not shut up. And as he leaned up against the wall on the first night of his life long stay in Azkaban, the events of the past few days flashed through his head. Sirius refusing to be the Potter's Secret Keeper, Peter taking up the position instead, the betrayal of his best friends, the suicide of Peter Pettigrew, his own arrest, and now his first day in Azkaban.
He could not go to sleep for the noise from the prisoners was too much. He placed his hands over his ears, closed his eyes, and then began to cry. His life was over. If only he had rope, if only he had some sort of weapon he could just end it right now. As he closed his eyes and wept, hoping that the nightmare would end, he began to realize that this was a nightmare that he was stuck in, and it was a nightmare that would never end. He was friendless, and everyone that he was close to him that wasn't dead thought him to be a murderer. He was in a way, THE reason for the death of his best friend and his best friend's wife.
FORTRESS ON AN ISLAND
The news had spread like wild fire across the wizarding world. The story began, on the night of October 31, 1981 in the neighborhood of Godric's Hollow. The story began with the Potters: James, Lily, and their baby boy, Harry. It was around 10:30 P.M., so they say, when it happened. Voldemort, or "You-Know-Who" as they called him in the story, came strolling up the drive-way in the Potter's front yard. James tried to buy Lily time to get Harry out of the house and to safety by dueling the dark lord. James, they had said, fought bravely but was quickly dispatched by the evil wizard. He then went after Lily and Harry. After Lily pleaded with Voldemort to spare Harry and kill her instead, Lily was indeed murdered by Voldemort and then came the most shocking part of the story. Voldemort rounded on the one year old boy and muttered the same curse that had killed his mother and father before him. But the curse had rebounded off of Harry Potter and had instead hit Voldemort with full force.
Voldemort was then destoryed. That's how the story went anyway. No one knew the details and many people would hardly ever learn them. But the reason for the Potter's death all originated from a traitor, and all who knew the side story thought that it was Sirius Black. And yet Black had pleaded innocent since he had arrived at the Ministry of Magic. But that was not enough. Before their memories were erased, the survivors of that curse that had blown the street apart from up under Sirius Black swore that they heard Peter Pettigrew shout out to the street that Black had betrayed the Potters and then proceeded to kill Pettigrew.
After only two days of being held by the ministry Black was ordered into an armored ministry truck and began his trek to Azkaban fortress. Azkaban had been been built in 705 A.D. and was used as a Muggle torture chamber at first, but after the defeat of the dark wizard that ran the place, the fortress was converted into a prison for him and his followers. Now it was a fully-fledged Wizarding Prison. Black could not remember the ride to the port where which he would begin his final leg of the journey to Azkaban, because he was afraid beyond his whits. He could not see how this could turn out all right for him. The only thing that he could take satisfaction in is that they had the wrong man. He was innocent, but he had noo proof.
The armored truck stopped and the back door was opened. Two aurors pulled him out into the open air. He looked out to the west and saw the outline of an enormous castle just barely seen upon the horizon.
"Is that-" he began.
"Azkaban." one of the aurors finished for him, grinning maliously at him.
A shiver of fear ran through his body at the very mention of the name.
"Fifteen miles out to sea, impossible to break out." The auror said again, breaking the short silence. "If you'll just follow us, we'll take you to hell."
They led him to a small row boat. Upon entering, the boat began to row on its own. Sirius had no chance of escaping, he was under the full body bind.
"Oh, Mr. Black, the fun times you have in store for you," the second auror began, "See you in about fifty years....at your first parole hearing."
The other auror laughed, but Black didn't hear them, he was too busy thinking about the past events to even pay attention to their put downs and laughs about his time that he was about to serve in Azkaban.
"They don't even need bars to keep you locked up in there, Black. Within a few days you will be too insane to even think about what you did the day before." The second auror continued.
With each passing minute they became closer and closer to Azkaban. Sirius began to feel a little on edge. The fortress was now right there in front of them. It was huge. Even from a mile out he could hear the screams of the prisoners that were locked up in side.
They passed under an arch and pulled up to a landing underneath the arch. They led him out of the boat and into a damp, and slimmy hallway. At the end of this dark and damp hall was a desk with a man sitting behind it. He was busy writing something and did not look up when Black and the two aurors stopped in front of him.
He finally looked up and upon seeing these new faces let out a small gasp of surpirse.
"Ah," the warden said, looking from the aurors to Sirius, "I see we have a new prisoner."
"Yes," Said the first Auror, "This is Sirius Black and I expect he's being put in the Maximum Security Wing?"
"Yes," the warden said, looking down at his log, "That is correct, cell 323 as a matter of fact. And precautions have been put in place, he will be the most guarded prisoner in this entire castle."
"Good." the first auror said simply.
"So," the Warden continued, "If you'll just sign on the dotted line this Black fella will be out of your custody and into mine."
They didn't need telling twice. They wanted out of the castle. They quickly signed and, with one evil smile to Black, left the building.
"So," the Warden said, "Sirius Black, the most infamous traitor of the Great War is now here to serve his life long sentence in Azkaban." And turning his head to his right he shouted, "GUARDS."
And then he saw him, two hooded creatures with scabby hands, glided across the stone floor and over to Black. They were dementors and with rattling breath, they attempted to suck the happiness out of his mind. But for some reason it wasn't as bad as most people said it was. Although they were horrible, he did not feel sad thoughts and he did not realize why. The Dementors did not seem to notice this and neither did the Warden. But, with out hesitation, Sirius followed the Dementors down the long corridor toward his cell.
It was unbelievable. The amount of noise that was being uttered all around him.
"Mommy!"
"I hate flies, get those flies away from me."
"PLEASE DON'T--DON'T KILL HER!!"
"I WANT TO DIE, GET IT OVER WITH, KILL ME!!!"
"BLOOD!!!! I AM BLEEDING!!!!! AAAHH!!!!
Wherever Sirius turned there was insanity. The living conditions for the prisoners were horrible. He could not comprehend the filth that he saw lingering in the dungeons of Azkaban. The Dementors stopped infront of the cell that had the number 323 over it. The cell opened by itself and Sirius was pushed into it. The cell quickly sealed itself and now Sirius was trapped. If the dementors weren't driving him insane, then it was the noise from the other prisoners. They would not shut up. And as he leaned up against the wall on the first night of his life long stay in Azkaban, the events of the past few days flashed through his head. Sirius refusing to be the Potter's Secret Keeper, Peter taking up the position instead, the betrayal of his best friends, the suicide of Peter Pettigrew, his own arrest, and now his first day in Azkaban.
He could not go to sleep for the noise from the prisoners was too much. He placed his hands over his ears, closed his eyes, and then began to cry. His life was over. If only he had rope, if only he had some sort of weapon he could just end it right now. As he closed his eyes and wept, hoping that the nightmare would end, he began to realize that this was a nightmare that he was stuck in, and it was a nightmare that would never end. He was friendless, and everyone that he was close to him that wasn't dead thought him to be a murderer. He was in a way, THE reason for the death of his best friend and his best friend's wife.