Lies
By Neurotica
Three
Sirius Black—
I would first like to congratulate you on your appointment as Head Auror at the Ministry. I am sure you have worked hard to achieve that status. I hear distant word that you have devoted your days to the search for me, and I must commend you on your efforts and determination. However, I think you will find in the coming months that your goal will not be achieved. You will not find me, Black, but I will find you.
On another note, I also hear that my son is attending school with your godson, and I do hope, for my son's sake, that they have not met common ground; I cannot have my son running around with half-breeds and Mudbloods like you yourself have done in the past.
Speaking of young Harry Potter, Black, regardless of the "protections" you, your werewolf, and the Muggle-loving fool Dumbledore have placed upon him, I will find him again. I am certain you have realized how very easy it was for an insolent like Pettigrew to take him from Hogwarts—under your very nose, I might add—and I hope you can imagine how much worse it will be for someone with a higher intelligence.
The Dark Lord remains determined to seek revenge, Black, and Potter is at the top of his list, followed closely by you. My master is growing stronger as I write, and it is only a matter of time before you and your miserable excuse of a family pays the ultimate price.
Consider this a warning, Black. Perhaps we will see one another before your end comes; we are family, after all.
—Lucius Malfoy
Minister Amelia Bones placed the parchment back on her desk and looked at Sirius and Kingsley who were sitting across from her. She rubbed her eyes under her glasses and sighed. "And Magical Forensics has found nothing?"
Sirius sat up further in his chair. "No, ma'am. No fingerprints, no ink residue. They're not even sure how this letter was written; there aren't even any quill indents on the parchment. They've got nothing."
"I see," Bones read the letter again with a frown. "Have you spoken with Dumbledore yet?"
"Not yet. I'm going to Hogwarts on Saturday for Harry's match, so I'll speak with him then," Sirius replied.
Bones nodded and handed him the letter. "Very well. I will initiate a deeper investigation into this letter, and get back with you soon." Sirius and Kingsley made to stand. "Before you two leave, I have a favor to ask of you." The Aurors nodded for her to continue. "I have to conduct an inspection of Azkaban tomorrow afternoon, and I know it's Friday, but I would like the two of you—being high-ranking Aurors—to accompany me."
Sirius exchanged a glance with Kingsley, but Bones didn't normally request things—this was an order posed in the most non-threatening way possible; they had no choice but to accept.
"What did we just agree to?" Sirius asked Kingsley as they walked back to Auror Headquarters.
"You know exactly what we agreed to," Kingsley replied darkly.
Sirius sighed. A day in Azkaban was not how he wanted to spend a Friday—or any other day for that matter. "Right. Guess we'd better stock up on chocolate then, eh?"
Remus knocked on the Headmaster's door and was immediately granted entrance. He walked in quickly and found six of his colleagues, including Dumbledore, gathered around Dumbledore's desk.
"Sorry I'm late, Headmaster," Remus said, taking a seat between Flitwick and McGonagall. "I had to intervene between Filch and a couple of students before said students ended up hanging from their ankles in Filch's office."
"Would these students happen to have flaming red hair and no visible difference between the two of them?" McGonagall asked dully.
"They would actually," Remus answered, trying not to smile.
McGonagall sighed and rubbed her temples as though she was getting a rather horrible migraine.
"No worries, Remus," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now that we are all here, we can begin. Before the school term ends this year, I would like you all to, er, check up on the protections you have placed around the object we have been guarding. If need be, I would like everything strengthened, or fed," Dumbledore smiled at a beaming Hagrid, "and be sure that there is no way around them. You have all done a miraculous job, but I just want to make completely certain it is safe." The five professors nodded in understanding. "We will, of course, need to wait until night whilst the students are in bed; it would not do to have them discovering us. Therefore, I think it best to do it this Wednesday night at midnight. Are there any objections to this? No? Wonderful. Now, I am sure you are all quite anxious to finish preparing your exams. Remus, how are yours coming along this year? I found the idea quite intriguing."
"It's coming along very well, sir. I have yet to find another Boggart, though. If you have any suggestions, that would be wonderful," Remus replied, missing Snape's glare.
"I will speak with Mr. Filch about it in the morning." Dumbledore smiled. "I shall let you all go, then, and I will see you at breakfast tomorrow."
Remus stood and made to stop Snape, but the Potions Master had left the office before Remus could even call his name. Frowning, Remus followed McGonagall and Flitwick out the door; Hagrid had remained behind.
Bidding his fellow teachers a good night, Remus started towards the kitchens for a late dinner. He had been in the Forest during the regular dinnertime putting the finishing touches on the obstacle course exams he had prepared. He turned a corner and stopped at the sound of raised voices.
"Shut up, Malfoy," he heard Harry say.
"What are you going to do, Potter, run to Lupin? Go ahead, I don't think the moon's full just yet. You know, I really never understood why Dumbledore hired him; one good disarming spell would easily finish him off," Malfoy replied.
Remus crept slowly around the corner. He wanted to see how Harry would react. Not surprisingly, Harry drew his wand in an instant and pointed it sharply into Malfoy's chest. But before he could utter a spell, Remus made his presence known.
"Is there a problem here?" he asked evenly, looking at Malfoy. Had Remus not heard the previous conversation, the situation would have looked very bad indeed for Harry: his wand was still pointed at Malfoy and he was red with anger. Malfoy was unarmed.
"Potter cornered me, Professor!" Malfoy cried immediately, excitement shining in his eyes at the prospect of getting Harry into trouble.
"I see," Remus replied coolly, glancing at Harry out of the corner of his eye. "Put your wand away, Harry. I think another night's detention is in order for you. And," he said louder as Harry began to protest, "and for you Draco, you are out of bounds and it is past curfew. Back to your dormitory—I will be having a chat with Professor Snape tomorrow. Harry, come with me."
Malfoy glared at the pair of them before stalking away to the Slytherin dungeons.
Harry stared at Remus, his mouth wide open until Malfoy turned a corner. "Didn't you hear what he was saying?" he practically yelled.
"Keep your voice down. Yes, I heard him, but you'll notice I didn't pull my wand on him."
"But—"
"But nothing, Harry," Remus said calmly. "I'll walk you back to the common room." Before Harry could utter one word, Remus turned and made his way to Gryffindor Tower.
Harry stared angrily at Remus' retreating back before finally following. The pair walked silently until they reached a deserted corridor. "Why do you let people talk about you like that?" Harry muttered, glancing at his guardian.
Without looking at Harry, Remus answered, "Because I'm used to it, Harry. I've been hearing comments like that since before I started Hogwarts. It hasn't bothered me since I was your age."
"But still..." Harry trailed off. He remained silent for a few moments before quietly stating, "I think Malfoy knows about—you know—your issue."
Remus chuckled at the choice of words. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did," he said casually. "His father somehow knows, and Sirius is sure he's been keeping in touch with his family..."
Before Harry could reply, they had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Fortuna Major," Harry muttered. "Well, see you in detention."
Remus watched Harry thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace. When they released each other, Remus smiled at Harry. "Thank you for sticking up for me."
Harry smiled back. "Anytime, Moony. Night."
"Good night."
Though it was a warm morning, Sirius sat next to Kingsley, behind Minister Bones, shivering.
"You all right?" Kingsley asked, staring straight ahead at the nearing fortress of Azkaban.
"Yeah," Sirius lied croakily. He could feel the Dementors as their wooden Muggle boat approached the shore.
After a few minutes, the boat gently hit rock. Kingsley stepped forward onto the shore and helped Bones out of the boat. He stretched out a hand to assist Sirius, but the Head Auror shook his head and climbed up on the rock.
This would be the first time Sirius had been to Azkaban since witnessing Wormtail receive the Dementor's Kiss. He shivered even harder at the memory, nearly losing his balance. The three of them walked slowly to the front doors of the prison and saw to Sirius' immense relief, that a wizard guard was meeting them instead of a dementor. After Bones' appointment to Minister, she began to send more wizards to guard the prison along with dementors. Her hope was to eventually replace the dark creatures. The problem was nobody wanted a job in such close proximity with dementors. There were now eight wizards employed at the prison, where as there were only three during Sirius' stay. And they generally stayed far from the dementors in offices.
This wizard, if Sirius remembered correctly, had been an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries before volunteering for the transfer. Why anyone would actually volunteer for this job was beyond Sirius—Unspeakables were very strange people…
"Good morning, Ledlam," Minister Bones greeted the guard.
"Morning, Minister," Ledlam responded, looking at the three of them in turn.
"These are Aurors Black and Shacklebolt; they will be accompanying me today."
Sirius believed it pointless to introduce him to anyone working at Azkaban. After all, he was the very first innocent prisoner with a life sentence to receive a full pardon in the history of the prison. Sirius remained silent, nodding his hello to the guard.
Ledlam led them inside the prison. "The dementors have been instructed to stay of the opposite side of wherever you go today."
"Very good, Ledlam," Bones said, trying to conceal her slightly shaking voice. "We'll let you know when we have finished."
Ledlam nodded and went to his office.
Bones led them through the prison just a little too slowly for Sirius' liking. Even though the dementors were on the other side of the prison, he could feel them, and they were hungry.
By mid-afternoon, the inspection brought them to the last location for the day: the maximum security ward. Sirius sucked in a sharp breath without realizing he was doing so—he had tried hard to remain professional throughout the day. He was failing.
Bones noticed Sirius change in mood; it had been happening all day. "You can stay out here if you like," she said quietly, almost maternally.
Sirius sighed and shook his head, entering the door Kingsley held open.
The ward was silent, something Sirius could not remember ever happening while he was there. Some of his former fellow inmates stared through their cell bars with dead eyes as the Ministry employees passed.
"The Dark Lord will return," whispered a hollow voice Sirius had no trouble recognizing. The other two didn't seem to notice Bellatrix Lestrange's comment, so Sirius turned away from his cousin. Instead, he found himself facing cell 382—his old cell. He stared at the empty cell for long minutes, long forgotten nightmares returning to him in full force.
A rough hand on his arm startled Sirius, and he turned to face Kingsley's concerned expression. Sirius tried to smile weakly at his friend, but his lips didn't want to seem to move. Kingsley began to lead him from the cell, towards the door, when something caught Sirius' eye.
Though the ward was practically dark, and the cells even darker, Sirius could make out the form of a short, bald man sitting at the head of his makeshift cot. The man's knees were pulled to his chest, his arms wrapped loosely around them, and he was rocking back and forth, staring at nothing.
"What's he doing in here? I thought they had a special ward for them..." Sirius said to Kingsley, without taking his eyes off of Wormtail.
"They do, but Moody wanted him here for some reason; you know how he is. Bones can probably move him if you want..."
"No. This is where he deserves to be—soul or no soul," Sirius said coldly. He felt absolutely no sympathy for the traitor before him.
Sirius turned away from the cell and strode purposefully to the door of the ward, holding it open for his colleagues. Without a backwards glance, Sirius shut the door, locked it, and followed Kingsley and Bones from Azkaban, stuffing chocolate into his mouth as he walked.
Remus shook his head and sat back down in the stands just after Katie Bell scored a penalty shot for Gryffindor. He glanced up and noticed Harry searching, not for the snitch, but for his godfather. Remus shook his head and smiled apologetically at the disappointed Seeker.
Sirius was supposed to have been there three hours ago; he was going to meet Remus for breakfast and wish Harry good luck in the game.
Remus sighed just as a panting voice next to him said, "What'd I miss?" Sirius was out of breath as if he had run all the way to Hogwarts.
"Where have you been?" Remus asked, taking in his friend's disheveled appearance.
"I was up late last night. Nightmares," he added in a mutter. He was searching the sky for Harry, and finally spotting him he waved.
Remus raised an eyebrow at Sirius' comment, then remembered he was at Azkaban the day before.
"What's the score?" Sirius asked.
"Forty to ten, Gryffindor."
"No sign of the snitch?"
"Not even a shimmer. But this has got to be the dirtiest game I have seen since your Beater days," Remus replied, wincing as Harry flew straight up on his Firebolt, causing the two Slytherin Beaters to collide into each other.
"Nice move." Sirius grinned.
The game had gotten worse from there and Remus was forced to retract his previous statement. "This is worse than your days." Draco Malfoy had just tried holding onto Harry's broom as he made to catch the snitch.
Sirius nodded in agreement, cursing loudly at the Slytherin Seeker, and receiving sniggers from a group of seventh year Gryffindor boys seated behind them. The score was eighty to twenty when Sirius suddenly jumped from his seat. "GO HARRY!" he shouted.
Remus stood and spotted Harry streaking through the sky just behind Malfoy. He knocked Malfoy out of the way and pulled out of the dive. He had caught the snitch. Three-quarters of the stadium exploded in cheers and applause. The other Gryffindors on the team collided into Harry in mid-air.
"C'mon, Moony!" Sirius called, grinning widely as he made his way to congratulate Harry.
Later that night, two a.m. to be exact, after enjoying Gryffindor's triumph at the Quidditch Cup, Sirius followed Remus to his office.
"I don't think I've ever seen that kind of party in Gryffindor Tower," Sirius commented. "I mean, that even out did the graduation party we threw in seventh."
Remus chuckled. "I know. Fred and George must have been planning that one for months."
Sirius nodded as they reached the Defense classroom. Remus unlocked the door with his wand and lit a few lamps while Sirius had a look around.
"That dragon's still here, eh?" he asked, pointing to the large skeleton hanging above the desks.
"Don't get any ideas, Padfoot," Remus said dryly, remembering James and Sirius' attempts to charm the skeleton to fly through the school.
"I won't," Sirius grinned, secretly reminding himself to mention the idea to Harry.
"And don't give Harry any ideas either," Remus said, digging through his desk drawer.
"Damn."
"Come on," Remus said, walking to his private quarters. He conjured an extra bed for Sirius and went to change out of his robes. When he reentered the room, he found Sirius still fully dressed, sitting on the edge of his conjured bed, a piece of parchment in hand, with a rarely seen grave expression on his face.
"What?" Remus asked, eyeing the parchment suspiciously.
Sirius hesitated and held the letter out. "I think you should read this."
Remus walked over slowly and took the parchment. Sirius watched his expression as he read; it never changed—the mask was back. Once he had finished the letter, Remus folded the parchment carefully and handed it back to his friend. "Well, I guess we'd better talk to Dumbledore in the morning," he said casually, though Sirius thought he heard his best friend's voice catch.
Sirius nodded and went to change into a pair of pajamas Remus lent him. When he walked back into the room, Remus was turned away from him, "asleep" by the sounds of it, so Sirius went to his bed and turned out the lights without another word.
Over the next week, many things occurred. Dumbledore suggested strengthening the wards and charms around their home before Harry came back, but didn't have much to say on the subject of Malfoy. Remus thought the Headmaster had been waiting for something like this to happen. Sirius said he would take care of the charms when he got home.
Exams had taken place at Hogwarts and Remus couldn't have been prouder of his students. Many of them received full marks—Harry included—and the rest didn't do too poorly either.
Currently, Remus was heading back to his study to wait the coming full moon and Snape's potion.
As much as he loved Hogwarts, he was quite looking forward to going home for the summer. And of course, the Quidditch World Cup, though he wouldn't tell Sirius that. Remus sat at his desk grading last minute papers for his sixth years when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in," Remus called to the visitor. Snape walked in carrying a smoking goblet with the usual nasty look upon his face.
Would it kill him to smile every so often? his own voice asked in his mind.
Hopefully, said a voice that sounded a lot like Sirius. "Ah, Severus, thank you," Remus said aloud, attempting to smile instead of laugh at the Potions Master.
Snape said nothing but stood in front of Remus' desk, holding the Wolfsbane Potion.
Remus raised an eyebrow; usually Snape gave him the potion and left as quickly as his little potion-making legs could carry him. "Is there a problem, Severus?"
"Have you spoken to Potter?" Snape asked crisply.
"Yes, I have. Last week, actually. In fact, I wanted to speak with you about that," Remus said, setting his quill on the desk.
"Oh?" Snape said with his own raised eyebrow.
"Yes. Harry's told me before, not just on this occasion, that you've goaded him in class. He says you regularly speak ill of Sirius and James, and we would both like that to cease," Remus said in a pleasant tone with an authority only he could pull off.
"I see," Snape said, his mouth forming a pale line. "Well, as I am sure you very well know since you have the pleasure of living with him, Potter is much like Black and his father—"
"I have noticed," Remus interrupted, knowing exactly where Snape was taking this conversation and wanting it ended before it got ugly.
"Then you've realized, Lupin, that Potter is just as arrogant, if not more so, than the two of them? Meaning, anything I say to him goes in one ear and out the other without so much as sticking in what ever little brain he possesses," Snape said, his lip curling.
Remus sighed, standing, but tried to keep his temper in check. "Look, Harry is nothing like his father or Sirius were at that age. He may get into a bit of trouble, but if I remember correctly, we all did at that age."
"A bit of trouble?" Snape repeated quietly, still holding the Wolfsbane. "Potter has no respect for authority, whatsoever, and if his poor behavior and test results do not improve, I will be forced to speak with the Headmaster."
"Perhaps Harry would respect the authority in your classroom, and as a result have better test results, if his teacher would get over things that happened twenty years ago and grow up! Don't hold a grudge against Harry; the boy wasn't even born then!" Remus said, his voice rising. He was still trying to keep his temper under control, but it was proving hard with Snape in the vicinity.
Snape, however, tried no such thing. "Grow up, Lupin?" he said in a deadly soft voice. "You and your little friends nearly killed me. I think that's quite a reasonable grudge, as you say."
"Fine, you want to hate Sirius, James, and myself? Go right ahead. But keep Harry out of it; he's done nothing to you," Remus growled.
Snape's hands began to shake as his anger with Remus grew. "You will not tell me how I am to treat my students, Lupin, or you will find yourself in a most awkward position."
Remus almost laughed. Almost. "Are you threatening me?"
"Take it as you will," Snape snapped, turning on his heel and striding to the door.
"The potion, Severus?" Remus called as Snape opened the door.
Snape turned and Remus saw a small smirk on his lips before he dropped the goblet to the floor, shattering it and spilling the Wolfsbane all over.
Remus stared expressionless at its remains. It was going to be a long night.
The next morning, Remus indeed found himself in an awkward position. Instead of being on the floor of his warm office, he was lying on what felt like a pile of rocks. When he looked down, he found he wasn't too far off on this assumption—it was a pile of bones, the bones of the dragon skeleton that just last night was hanging above the desks in the classroom.
He felt a sharp pain in his side, and found himself to be bleeding. He wasn't sure if the large wound was self-induced, or caused by something else.
What he was sure of, however, was the door to his office had been completely destroyed, as was the majority of the classroom. The metal door leading to the rest of the school had deep claw marks on it. Remus sat up on the skeleton and buried his face in his hands.
Once he had patched himself, his office, and classroom up, Remus headed for Dumbledore's office.
"Ah, Remus," the headmaster greeted with a smile. The smile turned to a frown once Dumbledore set eyes on Remus. "What is it, my boy?"
Before Dumbledore could do any questioning, Remus handed him his letter of resignation with a sad sigh.
