Chapter 17: A Memory

Harry stared down at the scene before him. It was Faith. She sat on a couch writing a letter. Harry recognized the room as one in Grimmuald Palace. Harry could feel himself being pulled into the room and he stood in back of Faith and watched her write.

She had written:

Moony,

I saw Harry today. He seems well. No doubt that pig looking cousin of his will be his worst nightmare.

Please can you try and stop Sarah. I feel that she might do something drastic to avenge Lily and James. She talked of-

A knock at the door caused Harry to jump.Actually it was more like a pound at the door. Faith sighed and set down the letter. She got up and hurried over to the door. She opened the door and Sirius stood there. His hair was messy and in his face and he was breathing heavily and grasping onto the door frame.

"Sirius!" Faith shrieked. Sirius slipped and almost fell to the floor. Faith caught him around the middle.

"P-P-P-Peter." Sirius coughed.

"Sirius, you're talking crazy." Faith said.

"Peter. He b-b-betrayed Lily and James. I s-s-saw him in a muggle city. I tried to get him but he changed into a rat. They think he's dead. The Ministry thinks he's dead…and they think I betrayed Lily and James." Sirius managed to get out.

"But-" Faith said.

"He did it that night. Remember? When he said he had a meeting? He was meeting Lord Voldemort. He's made the Ministry believe it was I who betrayed them." Sirius said standing up.

"But we were all with you. We could prove your innocent." Faith said as there was a fierce pounding at the door.

"No! They won't believe you. They'll put you in Azkaban. You can't go there." Sirius said as they broke down the door. Sirius got up and ran down the hall. The Ministry was right behind him. Several wizards grabbed Faith and arrested her for housing a criminal.

Harry followed Faith as she was taken to the Ministry of Magic. They shoved her into a small room with a two chairs. Faith was chained to the chair and silenced. Sirius was drug in later and also chained to the chain. He was not silenced though.

"She has nothing to do with this! I broke into her house and threatened to kill her if she called the Ministry." Sirius shouted as soon as he noticed Faith. Faith tried to speak but no sound came out.

Everyone just stared at Faith with her mouth continuing to open and close.

"All right! Get her out of here!" Fudge screamed. Harry wasn't quite sure on who to follow, and decided to stay with Sirius.

"Where's Voldemort?" Fudge asked semi-calmly.

"I don't know" Sirius said shaking his head.

"Don't Lie! Your in alliance with Lord Voldemort! You told him the whereabouts of Mr. Potter and Mrs. Potter! NOW WHERE IS HE?!" Fudge roared.

"I don't know!" Sirius screamed back.

"Do you think that a baby could have really defeated him! He's hiding somewhere and your covering for him! Now Tell us!" Fudge said and grabbed the edges of Sirius's chair and stared right in his eyes. Fudge spun around and faced the wall in frustration.

"Life in Azkaban." He said calmly.

"What?! I don't even get a trial!" Sirius roared.

"Take him away." Fudge said waving at two wizards. The wizards carried Sirius out of the room. Harry closely followed and watched as they placed Sirius in a cell. Harry took a minute to survey the cell. It was cold and damp. Harry had to squint to be able to make out the items in the room. He could barely make out the shape of a bed. The bed appeared to be a metal frame with a mattress as thin as Harry's hand. The door was a think wooden one. Around the middle it had a row of bars about as tall as Harry's hand. On it it had a little door in which they could pass food into. The bars were the only source of light.

Sirius walked over to the bed and sat with his head in his hands. It seemed as if hours passed by of Sirius just sitting. A dementor walked up to the cell, right behind the dementor was Faith. The dementor walked a short distance away and Faith knelt down to the ground. Sirius lifted his head and hurried over to the door.

"Hi." He said flashing her a smile.

"Now is not the time to be charming." She said with a frown.

"Oh why not when I'm so good at it?" Sirius said and giving her a charming smile. Faith gave a slight smile but then quickly frowned again.

"Why wouldn't you let me help you?" She asked.

"I couldn't let you end up here. We'd never be able to help Lily and James." He explained. Faith just looked at him with sad eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll be out of here in a week." He said waving it off.

"Just try and hold onto happy thoughts." Faith said grabbing his hand.

"Ohh I've got a lot of those." He said with a devilish grin.

"You're a wicked thing.Yet your one of the few people that can make me laugh." Faith said laughing.

"I try"

"Not hard enough." Faith said with a small wink.

"Listen…I was thinking about your plan…I think you should go ahead and do it without anyone. As soon as I break out of here I'll join you." Sirius said with a more serious tone, Faith nodded.

"Don't let Serverus make you laugh." Sirius said, Harry couldn't tell if he was being serious or making another joke. Faith again nodded as the dementor ushered her out. Sirius sighed and hung his hands outside the bars.