Sirius Black, as it turned out, was not at all what Harry imagined. Harry had pictured an old, dirty man with dark, vacant eyes and a long, bushy beard. But Sirius Black wasn't like that at all. The only word that came to mind when Harry saw him was 'classy'. True, he lived in a cave, but it wasn't an ordinary cave. It was quite a nice home built on the inside of a cave, with elegant lanterns hanging along the walls and a plush red carpet on the floor.
Harry stood, shifting from one foot to the other, between Ron and Ginny as they watched the man pour himself a glass of wine and look up at them. "Really gave me a start, Harry," Sirius said, "I really thought you were James for a minute there, come back to haunt me."
Harry was immediately still. "Haunt you? Is he dead?"
Sirius smiled, though he did not seem happy. "No. As far as I know, he's not dead yet. At least not dead in the sense that you and I think of. Mentally… emotionally… he's been dead for years."
Harry didn't really understand, but he wanted to hear more. "My father… I heard you were his friend."
Sirius sat down his glass on a nearby table. "Yeah… a very long time ago, we were friends."
Harry looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to go on. But he didn't. He simply stared at the ground, as if he'd forgotten that Harry was even there. Harry looked at Ron, and then at Ginny. Both of them shrugged.
Harry cleared his throat. "So… er… what was he like?"
Sirius looked up sharply. "Oh… James was a good man. Too good. Way too good."
Harry sighed. He was getting nowhere. Now he knew what Snape meant when he said Harry would be lucky to get anything coherent out of the man. Sirius Black was a little more… off… than Harry expected. Could this man really tell him how to get into Azkaban?
"Okay, I'll just get right down to it. I need you to tell me how to get into Azkaban."
Sirius's eyes went wide, and he stared at Harry as if he had no clue who the boy was. "Azkaban?! Why the hell would you want to go there?!"
"I want to see my father."
Sirius laughed. "You can't get into Azkaban. And even if you did, talking to James would be like talking to a brick wall. He hasn't spoken in eighteen years."
Harry blinked. Eighteen years? What could have caused him to go silent like that? What had happened to him? "Why?" was all Harry could manage to ask.
"They broke him. They broke him like they'd snap a stick over their knee. Quick and with all their might."
"What did they do to him? Why was he sent there? What about my mother?!" Harry yelled these questions at Sirius, annoyed and frustrated at the man for not giving him any straight answers.
"I can't answer those questions for you, Harry," Sirius said quietly, taking another sip of wine.
"Then who can?!" Harry cried.
Sirius was quiet for a moment, then he stood up and went to stand near his fireplace. "I can only tell you that James was sent to Azkaban because of Lily Evans, your mother. And he's still there because of me."
Harry said nothing, but waited for Sirius to continue.
"You see… I did escape from Azkaban. And your father could have escaped too. But he chose not to. He chose to stay because he felt that he deserved to be there and serve out his time."
"What did he do to deserve that?" Harry asked, knowing he wouldn't get the answer.
Sirius ignored the question and continued the story. "After I escaped, I was put on the wanted lists… I was always being hunted down. A couple of months passed, and suddenly no one was searching for me anymore. Suddenly I was a lawfully free man. Then I got word that James offered to serve out both our sentences."
Harry drew in a sharp breath. "So… he's rotting away in Azkaban… for you?"
Sirius nodded. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm the reason you didn't have a father."
Harry clenched his right first. He wanted to punch Sirius. "And you… why didn't you find me? Why didn't you take me in? I grew up on the streets! You owed more than that to my dad!"
Sirius turned to look at Harry, and his eyes were large and sad. "You don't have to believe this if you don't want to, but I thought you were dead. Everyone did. Even James. Up until you showed up here today, I had no idea you were alive. In fact… if you didn't look so much like James, I never would have believed you were really his son."
Harry swallowed. He didn't know what to think now. He had always imagined that his father was somewhere, waiting for him. He just knew that his father was fighting to get back to him, to come get him so that they could be a family. And in all his dreams, his mother was with them.
"Wait," Harry said suddenly, "my mother… is she still alive?"
Sirius shook his head. "No… she died not long after you were born."
Harry looked down. "How? Who killed her?"
"Even I don't know exactly what happened. The only person who knows the whole truth is James."
Harry looked back at Sirius. "Okay… one more question… I read that my mother was 'registered' to my father. What does that mean?"
Sirius sat back down in his chair, looking as if he knew the question would arise but had been dreading it the entire time. "You see, Harry… your mother was Muggle-born…"
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out. Me being a Half-blood and all."
Sirius cleared his throat and went on. "Well… your mother… she was your father's… slave."
Ginny and Ron looked at each other, then to Harry, unable to imagine how he could feel after hearing that. But Harry looked expressionless. "To be honest," he said, "I sort of expected that. So I was just a product of some Pure-blood's forbidden lust for a Mudblood. What was it, an experiment for James? Did he even bother trying to seduce her, or did he just fucking rape her?"
Ginny put her hand over her mouth, slightly shocked by what Harry had said. Ron said nothing, but the color had drained from his face. This situation was getting too intense.
Sirius frowned. "That's not what happened, Harry. I know how it sounds. But James loved Lily."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying it was completely mutual? Mum just up and volunteered to be his slave?!"
"No… I can't say that… but James didn't rape her. He may have been brash and arrogant and yes, sometimes even forceful, but he would never do something like that. Not to Lily."
Harry flopped down into a chair. "I don't understand. How could she want to have sex with someone who made her into a slave?"
"Harry, your father didn't make her into a slave. The Ministry of Magic made her into a slave, as they did all Muggle-borns at that time."
Harry took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll give my father the chance to explain himself. Now, will you help me get into Azkaban?"
Sirius walked over to a desk in the corner of the room and pulled a role of parchment out of a drawer. He unrolled it and picked up a quill. "I haven't left this cave in six years, Harry. I'm not going to lead you into Azkaban. But I can draw you a map."
Harry sat up. "A map? Will that help?"
Sirius grinned. "I'll be sure to label all the secret passageways and hidden entrances. You think that'll help?"
Harry grinned too, and for a moment Sirius seemed fixated on Harry's face, as if an old, forgotten memory was replaying in his mind for the first time in ages.
Ron and Ginny sat down on either side of Harry. "This is great, Harry," Ginny said with a smile, "I'm sure we can get in and out safely now."
Ron was quiet. He seemed to be feeling awkward.
Harry turned to him. "Something wrong?"
Ron looked up at him and smiled uneasily. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about what you said… about your parents… Do you really think it's impossible for Pure-bloods and Muggle-borns, or even Half-bloods, to love each other? I mean… isn't it possible that your parents did love each other?"
Harry blinked, and suddenly had a very strange look on his face. "I… that's not exactly what I meant… at least… that's not how I wanted it to sound…"
Ginny smiled and took his hand. "I never thought I'd see you stumbling over a response, Harry."
"I just now realized how it sounded… what I said earlier. I wasn't even thinking of the two of you when I said it."
Ginny laughed. "It's all right, Harry. We know. But Ron was trying to make you see that there are exceptions to everything. Aren't the three of us living proof of that?"
Harry looked to Ron, who was nodding. "I guess you're right. I hadn't thought of it like that. Thanks, guys."
Ginny suddenly leaned over and wrapped her arms around Harry. "Oh Harry, I know you're busy with this whole situation right now, and I respect that… but after this is all over… maybe we could…"
Harry patted her head. "Ginny, after this is all over, we'll have plenty of time to get to now each other better." Harry glanced back at Ron, who was staring at the two of them with wide eyes. He didn't know what to say to him. Harry had developed very strong feelings for the both of them, and he really had no preference of one over the other. Ron was more fun to tease, but Ginny was more fun to chat with. Ron was awkward and naïve, which made him funny and humorous. Ginny was gentle and kind, but strong enough to stand up for what she thought was right. In Harry's mind, the two of them came as a package deal. He really couldn't imagine being with one without the other. They were his best and only friends.
Harry withdrew carefully from Ginny, and looked at Ron. "What? You're too good to hug me?"
Ron went a little red, but he smiled. "I'm not as mushy as Ginny."
Harry reached over and gripped Ron's arm, jerking him closer to him. He wrapped his arms around him. "We're friends, right Ron?" Harry said.
Ron sighed, returning the hug. "Right, Harry. We're best friends."
Ginny smiled at the two of them, and Harry pulled her over to them as well. The three of them embraced for a moment, and they all suddenly felt like this was perfect. The three of them, caring for each other and helping each other, it was simply meant to be.
They separated when they heard Sirius scoot his chair back from his desk. He stood up, holding the map in his hand. "Finished," he said, reaching it to Harry.
Harry stood up too and took the map. He tucked it into his robes. "Thanks, Sirius."
Sirius smiled. "It's the least I can do. I'm still getting used to the fact that you're alive. I'm sure James… if he can even understand who you are… he'll be happy."
Harry reached into the inside of his shirt, beneath the edge of his robes, and pulled his pendant out. He pulled it over his head and reached it to Sirius. "I've had this around my neck since I can remember. I suppose my father gave it to Snape to give to me. It has his name on it, and mother's. I figured you might know what it means… if it means anything at all… you can keep it."
Sirius took the pendant and examined it. It was in the shape of a cylinder tube, and the names James Potter and Lily Evans were written in very small print across it. Sirius held it between his thumb and index finger, and pressed hard on the opposite edges. Suddenly the pendant made a clicking sound and a tiny copper key fell out. Sirius held it in his hands.
Harry was surprised. "I didn't know it did that. What's that key?"
Sirius held it out in the palm of his hand so that Harry could get a better look at it. "Harry… please don't misunderstand what I tell you. This key went to the shackles your mother wore around her wrists while she was your father's slave."
Harry suddenly felt very weak, as if he were about to pass out. Those words had hit him like a metal rod to the head. "You mean he kept her chained up like an animal?!"
Sirius shook his head. "It's too complicated to explain, Harry. But I can tell you that she didn't remain shackled the entire time. Your father… he used to carry this key around his neck, in this pendant. He called it the key to Lily's heart. I think that's why he left it to you."
Harry numbly pushed Sirius's hand away. "Keep it," he told him, "I don't want something like that hanging from my neck. I don't want a reminder of what he did to my mother."
Sirius pressed the key, along with the pendant, into his pocket. "I understand. I'll keep it safe for you here. After you talk to your father, and after you understand the circumstances, I think you'll want it back."
Harry looked at him thoughtfully. "Okay. I'll come back. I promise."
Sirius watched as Harry, Ron, and Ginny picked up their bags and headed for the door. Harry turned back at the last second. "Sirius… I really wish you would've known that I was alive. I think you would've been a good father. Probably better than James."
Sirius smiled sadly. "And I wish I could've been your father, Harry."
The three of them left, exited the cave, and began the trip to Azkaban.
Note: Well, lookie here! Another chapter so soon! I really want to finish this story fairly soon because I'm eager to write the James/Lily part. I know I still have to do the next Dra/Herm part first… but I may start writing some chapters to the James/Lily story anyway. I know things sound kind of bad, things between James and Lily I mean, but trust me, it'll all be explained when it comes time for me to write their story. And of course, that story will explain exactly how this world ended up like it is. But if you decide to review, perhaps you could answer a few questions for me? These are for my own use, when writing future stories (or finishing this one…). Please answer honestly!
What are your top three favorite HP Pairings?
Do you prefer AU (Alternate Universe, like this one) or regular universe stories?
Are you offended by sex scenes that involve some… ahem dominating activities?
And finally, for this story alone, do you hope for the pairing to be HarryxRon, HarryxGinny, or RonxGinny? Thanks, and please review with more than just your answers! Please let me know what you think of the story/chapter as well! Feel free to share your speculations/ideas/suggestions. :D