Disclaimer: So, I frogot the disclaimer last time 'round (baaaad, Carly), but mainly, everything original was mine, all characters and places were JKR's, except for one line I stole from "Batman Begings" (the one about the Devil and pactice). Disclaimer for this time: Characters/places are JKR's, everything else is allll mine

It was many hours before Remus was able to bring himself to leave Azkaban. He wanted to be sure that Sirius had read the journal, but he couldn't bring himself to go back to the cellblock and find out. Instead her lingered just outside of the door, listening for any noise that would serve as confirmation, but the door was thick, and finally Remus gave up and left.

As for Sirius, he had read the journal and was succumbing to the grief that came with the knowledge of what he had done.

The knowledge of who he had killed.

How he'd betrayed Lily and James to their deaths, and then killed, no, slaughtered Peter and twelve innocent Muggles when Peter had tried to capture Sirius.

The part that Sirius found the worst was that he didn't understand why he'd done it. Hadn't James been his best friend, and Lily and Peter also his friends? Hadn't he told Dumbledore he would be willing to die to see James and Lily safe? Why then, would he turn his back on all that and join forces with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Why had he become as evil as he felt his brother was? Would he ever remember?

Or, would those secrets remain locked in a forgotten part of his mind forever?

After Remus' visit, Sirius spend more time swelling on what he did now than he had before, which meant he spent much less time sleeping, something that wasn't particularly bad, as when he did manage to sleep he always had the same haunting dream.

In the dream, he stood back to Hagrid, both of them standing in a pile of rubble. He was standing quite still, while Hagrid paced about in an anxious manner, asking him how he could have done it, saying they'd make sure he got what he deserved for his betrayal.

Then, he'd talk. It was always the same words, always in the same flat, heartless tone. "And so will the Dark Lord, He'll make sure I get what I deserve."

Then he would turn around and Hagrid would gasp, "Yer no' yerself, Sirius."

And then Sirius would laugh. A cold, maniacal laugh which chilled the prisoner Sirius to the bone, even in his sleep. Then, amidst the peals of insane laughter he would call into the night, "Sirius Black is dead! Now only the Dark Lord lives!" And his features would begin to contort until he was no longer himself, but a pale man with snake like red eyes.

At this point, the prisoner Sirius always shot awake, grabbing at his face in desperation to make certain that it was, indeed, still his own.

He couldn't make heads or tails of the dream, but the thought was pushed from his mind one day when the cell block door was pushed open and in entered a man with a lime-green bowler hat, several Dementors, and the last person Sirius ever expected to see again, Dumbledore.

The man in the hat was chatting away about the prison, but he stopped cold when he caught sight of Sirius. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed him with great distaste.

"And you say this one's the only one left in the building?" Then, without waiting for a reply, he pushed on, "But his crimes are great, no one would care if he were, that is to say, well, you know, what I mean is, so to speak, accidentally left here when the building was demolished."

"You're more than likely right, Cornelius, but, as I'm sure the Ministry will agree, we do not have the Death Penalty for good reasons. Sirius Black may yet prove useful. He'll have to be moved, Cornelius."

Through this, Sirius had said nothing, but in the silence after Dumbledore had finished speaking, he, whose breeding and upbringing had taught him that manners mattered, rose and walked towards Dumbledore and Cornelius. Cornelius jumped back several feet in fear, but Dumbledore made no movement.

"If you're going to talk about me in front of me, you should at least have the decency to introduce yourself."

Cornelius merely blinked, staring dumfounded at the prisoner. "Is the some sort of a joke, Albus? There's no witch or wizard in the British Isles who doesn't know who I am, particularly those who've had unpleasant dealings with the Ministry, such as Black here."

Dumbledore blinked. "It's not a joke, Minister. As I have already informed you, Mr. Black has no memory of his past before Azkaban, even who you are." Dumbledore looked at Sirius, and almost at once Sirius could tell that Dumbledore didn't know of Remus' visit.

"Well, that fails to be my fault, and it's hardly in me to go conversing with common criminals such as he. He'll have to live with the fact that I'm important and he's not. Now, bring along a Dementor and we'll get this business finished." Cornelius gloated pompously.

Dumbledore rounded on him angrily. "What business is that, Cornelius?" He simply seethed.

"Well, the, the Kiss, of course." Cornelius spoke, faltering at first, but gaining more courage with every word. "I'm the Minister of Magic, I make decisions such as the-"

Dumbledore swiftly cut him off. "You're only the Minister because I've turned the position down, twice, Cornelius. This man may be a criminal, but I highly doubt that he is, in any way, common. As I've already said, we don't have the Death Penalty, as you well know. This man will not receive the Kiss."

Sirius, who expected that Dumbledore had more power over the Minister than he (Cornelius) would let on, dropped back in his cell, content for the time being to watch the two men, Headmaster and Minister, bicker like an old married couple.

"The Kiss doesn't kill them, Dumbledore, it just-"

But again, Dumbledore was quick to cut him off, "I know well enough what it does, Cornelius!"

"Then why not? It would be one less we'd have to worry about escaping. Besides, you said yourself; the man remembers nothing. He's as empty as shell now as he'll be after the Kiss."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at the Minister. "He's still a human. He's capable of speech and emotions. He is still driven by curiosity, as all men are. And memories can return, souls cannot. If this prisoner regains his memories, he may well be able to tell us others who have joined Voldemort. He'll be able to help us. Cornelius, just think of the glory you'd receive…" Dumbledore trailed off.

Cornelius struggled with himself for several moments before he agreed not to let the Dementors Kiss Sirius. As he started to leave the cellblock, Dumbledore cleared his throat. Cornelius whipped about, "Yes, Dumbledore?"

"The prisoner still needs to be moved before the building can be demolished, Minister."

"Yes, well, you can do it, since you've got the better good of this criminal in your interest. The Dementors will assist you. God day, Dumbledore."

As the tails of Cornelius' robes billowed past, and the cellblock door slammed shut, Dumbledore turned to Sirius, "I've just saved your soul, only you can save your life. Regain use of your memories, Sirius."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, "But why, sir?"

"As I said to Cornelius, you may yet prove useful, Sirius. And no matter what he thinks, you're not a common criminal. Now, close your eyes, Sirius."

When Sirius awoke, there was bright sunlight streaming down on to his face. He squinted, groaned at the unexpected luminance and rolled unto his stomach.

That was when he realized, sunlight, and definitely not that much, ever reached the bottom of his cell. He blinked, and once he was able to focus his eyes, he realized that this indeed wasn't he cell. In his sleep, he had obviously been moved. He groaned at the light again.

"It's a bit different, isn't it, than your old cell, Sirius?"

Sirius looked around and saw Dumbledore standing outside his new cell door. "I quite expect that you had grown quite tired of counting the same 3,751 cracks over and over again?"

Sirius blinked, still trying to understand. Finally, he shook his head as a wet dog would, "It was 3,151 cracks, sir."

"Ah, well, yes, your sevens and ones did always looks remarkably alike."

"You read my journal?"

"Bits of it." Dumbledore smiled, "I just wanted to se how far along you were with remembering. I've only got through a few entries."

"I see." Sirius regarded Dumbledore, trying to make out if the Headmaster had found the message left by Remus, but found that he could read no sign of anything on Dumbledore's face. He thought it best to change the subjects completely.

"Why the move, Dumbledore?"

"There are two buildings of Azkaban. The oldest, the original, in which you were previously housed is dilapidated, it had to be destroyed, so this new one was built and all prisoners moved here, yourself included."

"You should have let me stay in the old building, it's what Cornelius wanted."

"The Minister, Sirius, is a proud man, quick to assure everyone that he is in charge. But it's not up to him to decide when or where you die, Sirius. You make your own fate."

Sirius sank down on the stone floor, "You truly believe that, do you, Sir?"

Dumbledore looked shocked. "Don't you, Sirius? You who wrote one of the best essays on fate that Hogwarts has ever seen? Has Azkaban changed you so much already?"

"I don't remember, sir."

"Then why do you scorn my belief of fate?"

Sirius took a long moment before he answered. "Because no one can control their own fate when it is Voldemort who drives what everyone does."

"Wisely spoken, Sirius. But I was under the impression that you remember nothing of Voldemort."

Sirius knew that he could no longer avoid the subject. "I don't, but-"

Dumbledore was swift to cut him off, "I know."

"That Remus has been here? He's been to see you since?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I've not seen him since before he came to see you. I told him not to come, that it would only upset him, but he came. And since no one has seen him since, I assume that whatever passed between the two of you upset him so much that he has gone underground…"

Sirius looked around guiltily. "I didn't ask for him to come. And I didn't… I… He…" Sirius closed his eyes so as not to see the hurt Dumbledore was about to experience. "He told me what I did," he finished in a whisper.

At these words Dumbledore shut his own eyes and sighed, "That was another reason I wished him not to come…" He trailed off and shook his head, "I'm sorry, Sirius, I must go." And with that, he swept from the front of Sirius' cell and down a long corridor lined with cells.

Sirius stared after him for a long while, wondering if he'd left because he had to, or if it was because he didn't have it in him to face the man who now knew he was a murderer.

When Dumbledore was finally out of sight, Sirius looked to the cell directly across from his. He found himself staring in to the heavy-lidded eyes of a fairly attractive woman who sneered at him.

But Sirius ignored the sneer; instead he was focusing only on the memory that had surfaced when he saw the woman prisoner.