Lies

By Neurotica

Six

Remus walked out of the backdoor on the last day of July, butterbeer in hand, and smiled widely. Over the years, Harry's birthday parties had grown from simple afternoons with Remus, Sirius, and Harry to full out bashes. The backyard was now full of people laughing, joking, and eating.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were listening closely as Fred and George explained something they had been working on. George (or maybe it was Fred—even when he was a professor, Remus couldn't tell the difference) kept sending paranoid glances at Molly and Arthur as they spoke with Sirius, Hestia, and Kingsley at the food table. Hagrid was sitting with Nymphadora and her parents and McGonagall.

"Having a good time, Remus?" said a quiet voice to Remus' right.

He started a bit and looked into the smiling face of Dumbledore. "Hello, Albus. Yes, I'm having a wonderful time. How about yourself?" he said.

"I find myself looking forward to this more and more as the years pass." Dumbledore smiled. "I wonder if it would be possible for you to come to the castle later this week? I would like to discuss a few things with you."

Remus was a bit taken a back. "Certainly, sir, of course. We can talk now if you'd like..." He gestured to the house.

"No, no. I wouldn't want to ruin a glorious afternoon such as this with business," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Okay, I think I am free on Thursday, how's that?" Remus asked, trying to figure out what Dumbledore could possibly want to talk to him about.

"Perfect," the Headmaster said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Remus, I am quite anxious to taste Molly's pie."

Remus laughed. "Of course, sir, help yourself."

Dumbledore inclined his head slightly and moved towards the food table. Sirius sent Remus a questioning glance before he excused himself from Kingsley and Hestia's conversation, and headed for Remus.

"What's up?" Sirius asked, sipping his butterbeer.

"Not sure, actually. Dumbledore wants to talk to me. At Hogwarts," Remus said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Really? Think he's going to try and get you to come back?"

Remus shook his head. "No, he told me earlier he's got Mad-Eye Moody taking over for the year."

Sirius nearly choked on his drink. "Mad-Eye? Are you serious?"

Remus grinned. "No, you are."

"Har har," Sirius replied flatly. "Really, though, Mad-Eye Moody? As in my old boss Mad-Eye?"

"Unless there is someone else running around, calling themselves Mad-Eye. That's what Dumbledore said." Remus shrugged.

"That should be interesting."

Remus nodded. "Absolutely." He looked over to where Hestia was now speaking with Harry about something obviously very humorous; both were red in the face from laughing. "So what's really going on with you and Hestia, Sirius?"

Sirius looked sideways at Remus as he took an extra long sip from his bottle to avoid the question. "Honestly? I have no idea. We're more friends than anything," Sirius said. Remus raised his eyebrows, his eyes shining with humor. "I mean, yeah, we've spent a couple of nights together, but..."

"When's the wedding?" Remus asked, grinning.

"It's not like that," Sirius said firmly. "We're just... friends..."

"With benefits," Remus added.

Sirius grinned. "So when are we going to eat this cake?"

Remus could only laugh as Sirius walked across the yard, gave Harry a one-armed hug, and dragged him over to the cake. Is he blushing? Remus wondered to himself. He continued laughing the rest of the afternoon at the very thought of Sirius Black blushing over anything. Sirius' involvement with Hestia Jones would remain a mystery for yet another afternoon.


Presents had been opened, cake had been devoured, and a large part of the guests had headed home. All that remained besides those who lived in the cottage were Ron, Hermione, Kingsley, Hestia, and Tonks. The kids had gone off to Harry's bedroom to test out the birthday boy's new wizard wireless system; Remus cast a silencing charm around his bedroom early in the evening to keep their eardrums fully intact.

The adults sat comfortably in the living room discussing Quidditch, the Ministry, and other things in their lives. Remus was quick to notice Sirius and Hestia had strategically sat themselves next to each other on the sofa. Kingsley sat in Sirius' favorite armchair while Tonks had chosen a spot in front of the empty fireplace on the floor.

Just as Remus sat down next to Sirius, an owl flew through the window and landed on Sirius' knee. The Head Auror raised an eyebrow at the bird, but took the scroll that was tied around its leg. He read it silently to himself, then muttered, "Bloody hell," before burning the parchment with his wand.

"What?" the others asked promptly.

Sirius sighed. "Kingsley, Tonks, we've got to go to the Ministry. Bones wants us in for an emergency meeting." He stood and looked around. "Moony, tell Harry I'm sorry. I'll make it up to him this weekend. Hestia, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

The black-haired witch smiled and nodded in understanding as the wizard kissed her cheek. Sirius turned to the other Aurors and nodded. "See you, then," he said before the three of them Disapparated from the cottage.

Remus stared at the spot the Aurors had disappeared from with a thoughtful frown for a moment before turning to Hestia. "Wonder what that was all about," she said with the same quizzical look Remus surely had on his face.

"No idea. Hope everything's all right," Remus replied.

"Yeah..." Hestia said. She studied Remus for a moment. "Can I ask you something, Remus?"

"The boxers you found in the bathroom with the little yellow duckies on them belong to Sirius," Remus said with a grin.

Hestia laughed. "No, that's not it. But I will keep that in mind." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, now, this might just be a rumor, I don't know, my source isn't too reliable." She gave a shaky laugh. "But well, is it true that you're a... well... a..."

"A werewolf?" Remus finished calmly for her.

Hestia nodded.

"Yes, that is true," Remus said, watching Hestia for her reaction.

"Oh," she replied awkwardly.

A tense silence fell between them. "You don't... have a problem with that?" Remus asked when he realized Hestia was still sitting next to him.

Hestia looked over at him with a thoughtful expression. "You know, I thought I would have a problem, but no, I don't." She smiled.

Remus smiled back in relief. "Well, that's good," he replied.

"I've asked Sirius before, but he always changes the subject on me," Hestia said.

Remus laughed. "Yes, he's getting quite good about changing subjects on people."

"He thinks quite highly about you, you know," Hestia said suddenly. "More than once he's referred to you as his brother."

"The feeling's mutual," Remus said. "I honestly can't think of my life without him or Harry. They may get on my nerves sometimes, but they are my family."

Hestia smiled. "You're good for him. You and Harry both. It's amazing how much Sirius has changed since I first met him. I mean, I think a lot of it was my first perception of him, you know, after Azkaban."

Remus nodded. "Yes, he's definitely changed. Not just in appearance, but his personality. When we first got back to Hogwarts that day, he had this dark aura about him. It's mostly faded now, but I still prefer to keep on his good side."

Hestia laughed. "Definitely," she agreed, looking at her watch. "Well, I better head home. I've got an early shift at St. Mungo's tomorrow."

Remus nodded and stood. "Thank you for coming today. I'm sure Harry, and Sirius, of course, appreciated it."

"Well, thanks for inviting me," Hestia said. "See you later, Remus."

Remus smiled and waved as Hestia Disapparated.


"Run that by me again, please," Sirius said, staring at Bones in disbelief.

The Minister sighed heavily. "Lucius Malfoy was sighted at Azkaban. Before anyone could apprehend him, he Disapparated."

"But that's impossible," Kingsley said. "You can't Apparate or Disapparate in or out of Azkaban. It's like Hogwarts."

"This is why I called you three in. I need to know how and why he was able to get on the island. I need to know what he was doing there," Bones said. "I know it's late, but we need these answers."

Sirius rubbed his face with his hands and glanced sideways at Tonks. "We'll take care of it, Minister. I'll get Magical Forensics out there, and someone to go to Azkaban to question the guards," he said.

"Thank you, Black. That will be all. I expect a full report by Monday." The three Aurors stood and began to leave.

"Oh, and Black, try and keep this low-key as possible for the time being. Rita Skeeter's back from holiday."

Sirius assured the Minister he would keep Skeeter and other reporters from the scene, and led Tonks and Kingsley from the office.

"What's the game plan, Boss?" Kingsley asked once they reached Auror Headquarters.

Sirius sighed; it was nearly one a.m. and all he wanted to do was sleep. "Get Dawlish, Harris, and Markson out to Azkaban. Call Jensen from Forensics and Booker from the Apparition squad; get them out there, too. Tell them not to talk to reporters. If they do, they're answering to me," Sirius said.

Kingsley nodded and went to his office to use the small fireplace used only for Floo calls.

"What do you want me to do?" Tonks asked determinedly.

Sirius held back the urge to raise an eyebrow. "Go home and sleep," he said dryly.

"No! I can help, Sirius," Tonks insisted.

Sirius eyed her wearily. He was impressed with her eagerness to be on such an important case, but worried about her experience. Or lack thereof. "All right," he said after a few minutes. "Go to Azkaban and hold off any reporters that show. Don't answer any questions about why you're there. Talk to nobody that doesn't have a Ministry badge."

"Okay," Tonks said.

"And be careful. Can you conjure a patronus?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Sirius," Tonks said, rolling her eyes.

"You look like Harry when you do that. Okay, off you go. I'll be there in a bit."

Tonks nodded and Disapparated.

Kingsley returned from his office a few minutes later. "Everyone's there. Want me to supervise?"

"Yeah. I've got Tonks on reporter duty. They try and get past her it might just end humorously for us. That girl has a hell of a temper when she's tested." Sirius chuckled.

"Sounds just like her cousin," Kingsley muttered.

"Shut up and get going. I'll be there later," Sirius said.

Kingsley Disapparated.

Sirius sat on a desk in one of the cubicles and frowned deeply. He could only think of a few reasons a Death Eater, Malfoy specifically, would be at Azkaban: the dementors and the prisoners. Both were equally bad to think about, but which was it?

Was Malfoy trying to get the dementors on Voldemort's side once again? Was he trying to figure out the best way to break the prisoners out?

After looking over numerous reports on the prison, its prisoners, and Malfoy, Sirius Disapparated to the edge of the seacoast. The Muggle boat was waiting and he stepped in; it took off immediately. It was now four in the morning—dawn would be coming soon—and Sirius could not wait to climb into his bed and sleep. As the boat hit the other coast, and Sirius stepped onto land, he was ambushed by a large group of reporters.

"Black, what's going on here?"

"Have the dementors revolted?"

"Is it true that Peter Pettigrew has recovered from the Dementor's Kiss and has escaped?"

"What?" Sirius yelled, turning to the reporters after he tripped on a rock. "No. Get out of here. A statement will be made when we are ready to make it and not a millisecond sooner." Sirius rolled his eyes as he approached Tonks looking triumphant. "What are you smirking about?" he asked cautiously. He knew that smirk. He invented that smirk.

Tonks only nodded at the group of reporters. "Watch," she said.

The reporters slowly, cautiously even, approached. They stopped fifty feet from where Sirius and Tonks stood. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

The group parted as the unmistakable figure of Rita Skeeter approached the front. She smiled at Sirius, showing off her gold tooth. She passed the invisible line the reporters stopped at, and Sirius watched her stop abruptly, stumble a bit, her smile fading. Skeeter was thrown back over the reporters, nearly landing in the water. It was as if she had been catapulted by giant rubber band.

Sirius laughed loudly and patted Tonks on the back. "Not bad, Nymphy. I'll have to remember that one!" Tonks glared, but allowed her cousin to turn her towards Kingsley and Dawlish.

"Anything?" Sirius asked quietly when they got closer, his amusement completely gone.

"Not really," Kingsley said regretfully. "The guard said he'd been doing perimeter checks. Malfoy was climbing the rock on the north side. The guard attempted a stunner, missed, and Malfoy Disapparated. We've checked all the charms twice; nothing's been tampered with. They're just as strong as ever and haven't been taken down once. No idea how he got here or left. Forensics found one footprint, but when they tested it, it wasn't Malfoy's. Dead end. Again."

Sirius swore so loudly and colorfully that his fellow Aurors jumped back, and the reporters two hundred feet away had no trouble hearing. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't publish such language.

"Wow," Dawlish said, clearly impressed by Sirius' extensive vocabulary.

"Where're the dementors?" Sirius asked once he had calmed down.

"East side of the prison," Kingsley said, gesturing opposite them.

Sirius nodded. "Have the prisoners been questioned?"

"Prisoners?" Kingsley asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why would we question the prisoners?"

Sirius sighed impatiently. "Do you know what's on the north side? What ward?" The other three shook their heads.

"Maximum security prisoners. And I'll bet you anything they were what brought Malfoy out," Sirius explained. "Show me where Malfoy was when he Disapparated."

Kingsley led Sirius and Tonks around the prison, and pointed to a spot that had been roped off by Ministry tape. Sirius examined the spot, then turned to look back at the prison.

A pair of dull grey eyes, so much like his own, stared out at him from the small prison cell window. "Kingsley," Sirius said, still looking at the eyes. "I want them all questioned. Use Veritaserum if you have to. Question the Lestranges thoroughly and get back to me. I'm going to fill Bones in. Tonks, come with me."

As they walked back to the Muggle boat, warding off reporters as they went, Sirius glanced over at Tonks. His cousin's neon pink hair only brought out her pale face even more. Sirius reached into his robes and pulled out two chocolate frogs, giving one to Tonks. She smiled gratefully, and began to eat.

The quietly rode back to the other coast, and Sirius nudged Tonks. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded gravely. "I've never been there."

Sirius sighed. "I know. But trust me, it's worse on the inside."

"Do you think Malfoy was there for the others?" Tonks asked.

Sirius did not have to ask what "others" she was referring to. "That was my second thought. His being on their side of the prison is highly significant. Security will be increased. Bones has been losing faith in the dementors for years; they can't be trusted."

"Because they're dark creatures." Tonks nodded.

"No, that's not it at all," Sirius said patiently. "Just because something is labeled 'dark' doesn't mean they're untrustworthy. No. The dementors' loyalty has never been high with the Ministry. And Bones is afraid that if Voldemort comes back, they won't hesitate in joining him." Sirius looked at Tonks with an odd expression. "You didn't flinch," he observed.

"Why? It's just a name," Tonks said.

Sirius smiled. "Good girl."

Tonks rolled her eyes.


Remus sat on the sofa, a roaring fire in the fireplace across from him, with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. Sirius hadn't returned since he had left for the Ministry the night before (it was now ten o'clock), but he had contacted Remus via the two-way mirrors. He probably wouldn't get back home until early the next morning, he'd said, and he didn't want Remus going "all girly with worry," he'd added with a grin. Harry had gone to the Burrow for the night at the Weasleys insistence, leaving Remus to a rare quiet night alone. While he loved Sirius and Harry more than anything, it was good to have a few hours of peace.

Remus drained the last of his wine, stood, and headed for the kitchen for another glass. He filled his glass and opened the refrigerator to find something to quiet his growling stomach. Deciding on leftover spaghetti, Remus took his food and drink back to the living room.

He sat back on the sofa with a sigh. Just as he started to eat, all of the lights in the cottage went out, leaving him in darkness, save the suddenly eerie orange glow from the fire. Remus listened hard for any sounds in the house and reached for his wand on the end table. It wasn't there. Trying not to panic, he stood and walked towards his bedroom for his spare wand.

Before he could get all the way down the hall, however, Remus spotted a tall figure in his way.

"Hello, Lupin," Lucius Malfoy said softly. "Miss me?"