Disclaimer: See Chapter One!
Uploaded: 3rd January 2005

"Black Light"

By Dante Lewis

Chapter Six: Breaking Point

In another, less hospitable (if you could believe that) part of the prison, a man paced, mind awash with emotion.

"James! Lily! No!" He cried, the Dementors replaying the memories of what he had uncovered in the ruins of his friend's home earlier that night.

"My fault… my fault" He sobbed.

Sinking further and further into despair and insanity, Sirius began to hallucinate. He remembered Hagrid taking Harry from him and instructing him that the child was to be taken to Dumbledore. Given his incarceration and the hospitalisation of Harry's Godmother, Alice Longbottom, he knew the old man would have no choice but to place the toddler with his Muggle relatives.

Fighting back tears, Sirius fought against an invisible barrier as he saw in his mind's eye, Dumbledore abandoning his Godson in the worst situation possible. Lily's sister… Sirius remembered her well. Even as a teenager, the stone-faced cow of a woman made his blood curdle. He could take her on any day, but to think of sweet innocent Harry in her care and the viscous, malevolent things she would do to the child's impressionable body and mind made his blood boil.

"No!" he cried out in despair.

The images of Harry being left defenceless on the doorstep of his close-minded and ignorant Muggle relatives merged to reveal his beloved wife, and their unborn daughter. A daughter who will never see him, both staring at him with cold, hating eyes. They all hate him. They all think he did it.

"Oh Gods! Sussy… Missy… I didn't…."

His manic ramblings were interrupted by a sharp tapping of wand to bars.

"Tisk Tisk Black, bit late now to go for a insanity defence." The Auror sneered maliciously at the broken man before him and spat at his feet. "You don't deserve to be the Godfather to the saviour of the Wizarding World. For Shame!"

Sirius lunged fruitlessly at the bars, only serving to injure himself on the unforgiving cold steel as the Auror took a step back, taunting him,

"Ah, there's that infamous Black temper! What, so Pettigrew ticked you off when he exposed you for the fraud you are that you just had to blow him up, hey?" The Auror jibed.

Sirius schooled his features and struggled to retain control of himself. Seeing no reaction, the Auror grinned malevolently and conjured something in his hand, which he then tossed to Sirius, whose Quidditch-honed reflexes caught automatically; revealing a… cigar?

Casting a puzzled look at the Auror, the Auror smiled falsely and said mockingly. "Congratulations, it's a girl."

Sirius' face lit up. Then fell again in suspicion.

"Oh yes, don't you worry Sirius. You'll likely be seeing plenty of your little murdering bitch when she gets packed off to the Asylum tomorrow. Honestly, what idiot makes a werewolf Godfather?"

Sirius was astonished. What did he mean his daughter was being sent to the Asylum? What about being a murderer? And how did he know Remus was Godfather? A sick feeling of dread began to rise in his gut. 'No…'

"That's right Black, you heard me. Seems daughter dearest is following in Daddy's footsteps. Giving birth to your evil little spawn went and made that wretched wife of yours bleed out. God-awful mess it was. Some stains just don't come out!" The Auror taunted before stalking off, his mission complete.

Sirius slumped to the floor, the wind taken out of him. His wife, his beautiful, beautiful wife: dead. His daughter will never know her mother's love for her, doomed to rot alongside him on this hell of an island. Yet he would likely never set his eyes upon her. He didn't even so much as know her name.

Or even if she had one.

Curling into the foetal position against the furthermost corner of the cell, Sirius blended into the shadows and transformed into his animagus form.

'Innocent. I'm innocent.' He repeated to himself over and over like a mantra, tears coursing down his short face. 'One day they will see it. One day I will be set free. Missy I promise you, love. Daddy's coming… Daddy's coming…'

As Sirius entered the realm between sleep and wake, he could have sworn he heard his daughter's cries.

End Chapter: Breaking Point