To Walk Through Fire
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Harry Potter and the characters associated with him. They belong to J.K. Rowling. I am not making money off of this story. So please don't sue.
This chapter is set during the same day the article came out.
Chapter IV: Friends and Foes
It was an old book. An ancient book that had been passed down through many generations of people. Its yellowed pages smelled of dust and age. How she had found it, she had no idea. It could have been a worthless piece of junk according to its cover, which was a faded black, almost gray colour, with no words to tell the book's title. But what it held inside was worth more than its weight in gold.
Hermione slowly flipped the page, staring intently at the handwritten words. She had found it in Flourish and Blotts when she had convinced her parents to take her to Diagon Alley at the beginning of summer. The little book had been stashed away, hidden between books on Quidditch. She had just been snooping around, seeing if they had any new books on Quidditch that Harry might like for his birthday.
Instead she had found this.
The plain cover and the faded spine had intrigued her. Most of the books in Flourish and Blotts were new, unless you went to the used section. She had wondered how the book had been placed there. In opening the book, she had found a single name written on the inside of the cover: Sirius Black. That had mystified her even more. She had flipped the yellowed page. And upon the next page lay the simple title: Animagus. Hermione had bothered investigating the book further. She bought the book without a second thought.
And now days later, she had finally found time to look at the book. She did not bother reading it word for word; she would have plenty of time for that later. For now she just flipped through it slowly, scanning the contents of each page. It had everything about an animagus transformation that a wizard or witch would ever need to know if they wanted to become one. This must have been what the Marauders used to become animagi. Every once and a while she would read little comments written in black ink in the margin, most of them correcting an assumption that the book made.
She smiled. Now Harry would be able to follow in his father's footsteps and learn how to be animagus too. Along with Ron and herself. Of course they would become legal animagi, unlike the Marauders. Well . . .eventually they would. She wondered what animal she would be when she became an animagus. And she wondered what Harry and Ron would become. Would Harry be a stag like his father?
It would be really interesting to find out. She wondered if there was anything in the library at school about animagus. Maybe she could owl Sirius later and ask him about it. Yes, she would do that. He would –
"Hermione!" her father broke into her thoughts. "There's an owl here for you."
"Coming." She called, quickly stashing the book away under her blankets. She had told her parents about animagus one night over supper, and they knew that it was illegal and dangerous. They would be astounded that she would actually think of becoming one, much less reading a book whose last owner was supposedly a dangerous murderer.
Hermione ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where an owl clung firmly to a wooden chair that stood before a simple wooden table. A newspaper was tied to its foot. She untied its burden, and scratched it on the head before it leap into flight out the window. She had renewed her subscription to the Daily Prophet, telling her parents that it would help her studies if she knew the current issues going on the wizarding world. Well . . . it did in an odd sort of way, and her parents liked the fact that she also read something other than textbooks. And it was the only way she could know how bad things actually were, even with Ron owling her with confidential information about the Ministry.
However the articles seemed to have become wilder than she had ever seen them before. One journalist even dared to write, in yesterday's newspaper, that Sirius Black was gathering the Death Eaters together and was Voldemort's place as the Dark Lord. The journalist had then even dared to go far enough to blame Sirius for the deaths of several muggles and the disappearance of a few wizards. They had not even founded this on any evidence, just suspicions.
She unrolled the paper, curious what she would read today. Her hands shook a little as she unrolled it. A strange feeling told her that what was contained within this newspaper was something to dread. That it was something terrible, something sinister.
But it really couldn't be worse than anything else she had read, could it?
She was wrong.
She read the headline on the first page. It was worse. Definitely worse than anything that she had read. Her best friend was in Azkaban! Hermione started to shake as she read the article further. It was the Death Eater who had killed Harry's relatives, she was certain of that. Harry would never hurt anything, not even his relatives, no matter how mean they were to him. She had seen him torn up over Cedric's death. Poor Harry. There had to be some way to get him out of that place. There had to be. But how?
She knew what she needed to do. She needed to find out exactly what happened. And the only way to do that was to owl Ron.
Hermione ran up to her room, ignoring her parents as she raced up the stairs. Only one thing was on her mind. Harry, one of her best friends, sitting in Azkaban.
Even as she wrote the letter, she could feel her hands shaking in fear for her friend.
***************
Ron yawned and stretched his arms out, trying to get the kinks out of them. He looked around his room. Something did not seem right. But what was it? He sat there thinking for a minute. His mother hadn't come to wake him up. Yes, that must be it. He was never up before his mother came into his room to get him out of bed. He was able to sleep through the constant noises that plagued the Burrow, and would have slept long past noon if he was allowed. So why did he wake up before Molly had come in to get him up? And why did he feel so refreshed? Maybe his mother was right, maybe it was better to wake up earlier. Then again he had never felt so rested at Hogwarts when they had to get up really early so that they could eat breakfast. He shrugged it off. It really didn't matter anyway, did it?
The redhead looked over to his window, as he did every morning. That was strange. The sun was higher than it usually was, noticeably higher. He blinked, thinking that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He looked at the clock on his night table. It was a muggle invention that all witches and wizards used. '11:57' it read. Ron blinked. And blinked again. It did not change. He knew that it hadn't stopped, for it had been charmed to continue without any muggle devices. Fred and George couldn't have cursed it, that was not possible, they had tried once long ago.
Suddenly the unease, that had plagued him since he woke up, increased tenfold. Panic rose in his throat. What if something had happened to his family? His mother would never allow him to sleep this late. Not in a million years. He had never slept in this late. What was going on?
Ron quickly stumbled out of bed, trying to detangle the sheets that had wrapped themselves around him. He tripped and fell to the floor with a bang. His hands moved in jerky frantic movements as he pulled the sheets off his legs. He stood up, grabbing his wand from beside his clock. With long strides he raced down the crooked stairs. His bare feet pounded on the ground loudly. He skipped over the last two stairs and raced into the kitchen. Only to find . . .
His mother sitting on a chair staring at a newspaper. He watched his mother for a few minutes, she just sat motionlessly on her chair, her hair was down around her face as if she hadn't bothered to brush it this morning. That was odd. Molly had always had her hair up some way; she had never left it down. What was going on? What was so important about the news this morning? What ludicrous story had they created now? And why was his mother reacting this way?
Molly turned her head towards him and Ron caught the tears in her eyes. What had made her cry? He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he couldn't think of what to say. Something was definitely wrong.
"Ron," she whispered softly to him, putting the article on her lap. "Come, sit down. We need to talk."
Ron Weasley, a boy who was never at a loss for words – unless he was furious at Malfoy – just stared at his mother. He slowly walked towards the table, knowing fully well that whatever she had to tell him would turn his world upside down. It took all his Gryffindor courage to traverse the short distance from the door to the table.
He carefully sat on his seat, ready to jump up in an instant.
"What is it?" He croaked out.
His mother did not say anything for an instant. They stared at each other silently. Ron waited patiently for his mother to answer, but it seemed that she had lost the courage to tell him the news. He was about to get up and go find one of his siblings to tell him, when his mother spoke.
"Ron, sweetie, I want you to know that we are doing everything to help him. That we are all looking for a way to get him out of that . . .that place. Even Professor Dumbledore is helping. Your father is risking his job trying to convince others that it's not true, that it was set up." She said tearfully in a rush of words.
Ron stared at his mother in bewilderment. She was talking nonsense. Or was she? Who could the Ministry have caught that everyone knew was innocent? Sirius. That was it, Sirius had been put into prison, had been sent to Azkaban to receive the Dementor's Kiss. They couldn't do that. He was an innocent man. Poor Harry, he would be heartbroken if they did not win Sirius' freedom. Ron was about to stand up and demand what he could do to help, but Molly stopped him.
"Ron, I know this is unfair," Yeah, he agreed with that wholeheartedly. It was unfair that an innocent man might die because his friend had betrayed him almost fifteen years ago. "But we need to convince Fudge that he was wrong that it wasn't his fault. That he did not blow up that house, that he did not murder anyone, that is he not a Death Eater. We need to prove to the world that he is just an innocent boy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sirius and Remus are doing everything they can for him, everyone is."
Ron stared at his mother in amazement. His mouth open in astonishment. She wasn't talking about Sirius? Who on earth would she be talking about other than Sirius? If the article did not say that Sirius was caught, then what was she trying to say? What was his mother trying to tell him? There was only one person who he knew was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but who on earth would call Harry a Death Eater? Unless . . .No he refused to believe that. He needed answers and needed them now.
"What on earth are you talking about mom?!" He exclaimed in exasperation, unable to stand the suspense any more. Despite his desperation, his voice came out in hoarsely. He winced at the sound of it, but he didn't care. He needed to know who she was talking about, what she was talking about.
"Harry," She sniffed, blinking her eyes as if she was trying not to cry. "Was sent to Azkaban."
Ron stared at his mother in amazement. How? How was such a thing possible? He felt his mouth go dry and his hands shake in both fear and anger. How?
"No!" He yelled at his mother, jumping out of the chair. "That's not true. Harry couldn't be sent to Azkaban. He's the Boy-Who-Lived!" He evaded her grasp shaking his head in denial. It was not possible; it was another ludicrous story that some part time journalist had created for extra cash.
"Ron, it's true, even Dumbledore agrees with that piece of information." She said pushing the newspaper farther under the table.
Ron stared at it. That had something about Harry on it, and he wanted to read it. He wanted to know what they had written there. He needed to know what was happening to his friend. If what his mother said was really true. That it was not just some ludicrous story made for the enjoyment of the wizarding world.
"Can I read the newspaper?" He asked softly in a sad voice, one he knew his mother could not resist saying no to.
Molly handed her son the newspaper slowly, as if she did not want him to read it. Ron took it out of his mother's hand slowly and froze as he read the headline.
'The Boy-Who-Lived Murders Relatives and Sent to Azkaban'
No!
That was not true!
Harry would never murder his relatives, never in a million years. His friend was one of the nicest people he knew. Harry would not hurt a single creature, not even one of Hagrid's many 'friends'. Harry had been so torn over Cedric's death. And the young Gryffindor did not even know Cedric that well. How could anyone believe that Harry would hurt his relatives? He had even lived through their torment for 15 years without much complaint.
Ron read the article and stared at the paper in disbelief. He felt anger and hate quickly growing inside him. His face turned bright red and his hands shook harder. He would not allow anyone to do that to his friend. Harry deserved a family who loved him, not a life sentence in Azkaban.
"Ron," his mother asked tentatively. Ron just glared, fury blazing in his eyes. And hidden behind the fury was desperation, a part of him knew that his friend would not survive a week in Azkaban. Harry had hardly been able to stand being near dementors, their constant attention would kill him.
***************
Severus Snape stalked down the empty hallways. His feet made no noise as they hit the smooth stone. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle swish of his robes. His mouth was set in a scowl, and his eyes stared forward coldly. Had any student seen him like that, they would have run the other way.
But to be honest, Severus Snape was not annoyed, nor mad. He just felt cold inside, especially after the raid three nights ago. He could still hear the happy young couples' screams as they were tortured. The young boy had been trying to protect his young wife from whatever damage he could. But he had failed miserably, and in the end both had died. Their voices would haunt him for the rest of his life, screaming in disharmony with the many others he had been unable to save. It was all his fault they died. He should have known about it earlier, should have been able to warn Albus about Voldemort's plan. However, he did not, and so the young couple had lost their lives.
It reminded him of Lily and James. The two of them had been so young, so naive. Lily had been a saint. She had become friends with him, even though her other friends had laughed at her for it. She had helped him through his charms class, as he had helped her with potions. They had been good friends, even after their graduation from Hogwarts. He had never been friends with James though. Maybe they could have been once, long ago, had the man not known Sirius Black. But the dice had fallen differently and in the end he and James had been on different sides of the board. And James had become the prefect role model for everyone, especially after his death. He had done everything right, no one remembered anything he did wrong. That bothered Severus. For James had never been a hero, in fact, as loathe as he was to admit it, Sirius had dragged in more Death Eaters than James had. And Lily had been the one who had saved Harry.
Harry Potter.
Now there was an interesting topic. The boy could have been James' identical twin, if it wasn't for his age. He was smart, or would be if he bothered to actually study, and he had a charisma that made people want to follow him, just like he had seen in James, and in Albus. The boy also had an excellent knack for finding trouble, and dabbling in situations that were not meant to be interfered with by a child. That is what he was, a child. And Severus found it enough work keeping the boy out of trouble. He had promised Lily that he would, long ago. Swore to her that he would watch over her son no matter what happened. Now he had to keep the boy, who reminded him of James his archenemy, safe. He did not hate the boy, Severus actually respected him for his courage, his loyalty and his dislike of fame. He actually felt empathy for the child. Potter had grown up without knowing the love of a parent, just as he had. Nevertheless Potter was James' child first and foremost, and for that Snape could never forgive the boy for being that. Even though, years ago, he had heard otherwise . . . And he could not tell anyone about his role as a protector, or he would loose his life.
What a thin line he walked.
With one wrong move he could end it all. Fudge hung on one side of the balance and Voldemort on the other. Any error and he would be dead.
But now was not the time to think about that. Albus had arranged for Severus to have lunch in his office that day. He had agreed, if hesitantly. Usually the headmaster would never arrange a lunch with one of the professors unless something important was going on. And usually that 'something' was not good. So Severus was going, if hesitantly, to see what the man wanted.
Severus stopped at the stone gargoyle, which would open to a passageway into the headmaster's office. He muttered the password under his breath and watched coldly as the stone gargoyle slowly swung forward revealing a set of ancient stairs. As quietly as ever he slowly ascended.
All too soon he arrived at the door into the office. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He really did not want to listen to anymore bad news; things were bad enough as it were. Voldemort was gaining power more quickly than anyone could have anticipated and they were unable to stop him. Especially when no one knew the truth.
Severus knocked before more thoughts could assail him.
"Come in," a voice called. Severus walked into the warm room, looking straight at the older man who sat behind the desk.
Albus had become old.
That was without doubt the first thing he noticed when he looked at the man. It seemed as if his age had suddenly caught up on the old man. He was half slumped over in his chair, as if he could no longer hold himself up, and wrinkle lines covered his face.
The second thing he noticed was that the old man's eyes were barely twinkling. That worried him more than anything else. What had happened that could put Albus Dumbledore in a state like this? What could take the merriment out of the man's eyes?
"It's nice to see you Severus, please have seat, there is much that needs to be discussed." Dumbledore motioned to one of the two formal chairs standing before his ancient desk.
Severus quickly took a seat in the chair, which despite all appearances, was comfortable.
"A terrible, terrible event has happened yesterday. We have only recently heard of it today in the Daily Prophet." Albus began, he did not even ask Severus if he wanted a candy, and this bothered the potions professor greatly. Whatever the man had to tell him, it was bad. The headmaster pulled out a crinkled newspaper and silently handed it to Severus. "The article can explain that event much better than I ever could." He took the rumpled newspaper cautiously, whatever it was written upon the wrinkled pages he did not want to know.
He looked down at the page, surprised to see how old it looked.
And froze.
He blinked.
And blinked again. And yet again, like so many others had done since reading the article. How could that be possible? The Potions Professor scanned the article silently not moving even a millimeter. How was it possible? It was a bunch of hogs wallop! Who would believe that Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was a Death Eater? Even Severus knew that Harry would never kill another living creature. The boy had been torn over Cedric Diggory's death, even Severus, a cold Potions Professor, could see that.
He looked up to Albus. "This is not true, is it?" The reporters had been telling lies for weeks now; it would not surprise him if this was another of their intricate plots to destroy the life of another wizard.
"I am afraid not." Albus looked at him sadly. "I wish it were."
The two men sat in silence for a moment, unable to say anything.
Professor Snape heard the man across from him move slightly. He looked up and met the headmaster's blue eyes.
"Severus did you know anything about this?" Albus' eyes hardened as he asked the question, as if the man was preparing himself to hear more bad news.
"No." Severus whispered softly, emotionlessly. "No, I did not. You suspect Voldemort?" It hurt him that Albus had felt the need to ask that question. He would never have let harm come to Harry, no matter how much he hated to boy's father.
Albus seemed to relax visibly as those words were spoken. "Yes, I do. Fudge would have no reason to set up an attack on Harry's relatives; he was already planning to send Harry to Azkaban on the basis that he killed Cedric Diggory. Voldemort, on the other hand, would have everything to gain in doing this. Everyone would look at Harry as if he were filth and no one would harbour him in their house, except for his very good friends. This means that even if he could escape Azkaban he would have nowhere to go. And if Harry has no relatives, the blood spells that we used are no longer able to function." The older man told him.
"If that was true," Severus began slowly, "Then how was it that myself and many of the others were never informed of this plot?" He looked directly at the headmaster. He already knew the answer, he just needed to say something before the rage that had been slowly enfolding him took over. What Albus had said was true, Fudge would have sent the child to Azkaban without a second thought. And that angered Severus. It angered him that someone would actually try to harm Harry. And in the back of his mind, he wondered when he had started to care about what happened to the boy.
"Voldemort does not yet trust you. He probably suspects a traitor in his midst, and you are probably high on his list. Walk carefully Severus, I do not want to lose you." Albus' concerned eyes met his blank ones. "What is he planning next?"
"He is planning a raid on a mysterious high security Ministry building, however no one knows where it is situated, or which building this is. No one knows when either." Severus confessed softly, it was not like him not to know more of Voldemort's plans, even if they were not revealed to him. But Voldemort had been very secretive since he came back. Hardly any of his minions knew his next actions, their next commands. And now Voldemort had condemned a fifteen-year-old boy to Azkaban secretly without any of his followers knowing of it.
"For now, Severus, I would ask that you go to this raid and do everything you can to make it successful. We need to keep you from being suspected. Keep your ears open for anything they say about Harry, we may need that information to rescue him." Albus declared tiredly, his words sounding forced. "Take care Severus."
And with that Severus left the office, thoughts swirling in his head in a maelstrom. He could feel fury rise out of his chest.
How could they have sent Harry to Azkaban? Even if they boy had murdered his relatives, how could they send a fifteen-year old boy to Azkaban? They had not even had a formal trial for the boy. Fudge had fallen right into Voldemort's hands. Fudge had sent the boy, who could possibly be their savior to Azkaban! The boy could be destroyed there. And not only that, the boy could possibly start to hate all the wizards after that and want nothing to do with them, sending them all to their doom. Or even worse he could become Voldemort's heir, his second in command. That man could have destroyed the only hope the wizarding world may have! Severus glared ahead of him.
And then a new thought rose into his mind. He had failed Lily. He had not been able to keep his promise to his friend. He had not been able to protect her son from Azkaban. In his mind's eye, he could see her glaring at him in disgust. He had failed her. She would never forgive him for that. Maybe she could forgive him for not protecting her, not saving her, but she could never forgive him for not keeping her son safe from harm.
But that was not the true reason he was so upset by this whole situation. Even if he would not admit it to himself, or anyone else for that matter, he liked Harry. Somewhere between the time that Harry had started his first year at Hogwarts and last year, Severus Snape had actually started to like the boy. For the first time in his life, Severus forgot that Harry might be James' son.
And now, the boy – no, Harry – was in Azkaban.
The look in the Potions Master's eyes would have sent even the bravest student running.
Fudge would pay for hurting Harry. That man would pay tenfold what harm was done to the boy. And Voldemort would pay one hundred fold. If it was the last thing he did, he would make sure of that.
He marched to the dungeons already thinking of a plan for revenge.
***************
Albus stared at the space his one-time pupil had occupied. He smiled sadly. He had not known how Severus would have reacted to his news, but he had never suspected that the man would have reacted in that way. He had seen the man's eyes go blank. A sure sign that the Potions Master was angry. The man had looked ready to go attack Fudge in an instant.
To be honest, Albus was too.
He wanted to go knock some sense into the Minister of Magic. He wanted to destroy Voldemort. He wanted to take Harry away from the horrors of Azkaban.
Things were happening too fast, and in the wrong directions. Harry was supposed to be safe at his relatives, he was supposed to be left alone there over the summer, that was the reason Albus had left him there. But instead, Harry had been dragged into the middle of everything. Like he always seemed to be. Albus wished that he had agreed to Sirius' request this summer and allowed Harry to stay with Remus and him. Then no one would have been able to hurt the boy. It was too late for wishes now though.
He needed to think of a plan to take Harry out of Azkaban. If Sirius and Remus could find the artifact used for the spell then he might be able to convince some people that Harry was truly not a murderer. He would not be able to convince those who mattered, though. Fudge had those people too far under his spell. He could raise a protest against Harry's imprisonment, if he had enough time that was. But he did not. Time was against them. They could not even break him out of Azkaban, Fudge had made sure of that.
How long would it be before Voldemort took over Azkaban? He would bet everything he owned that the Ministry building that the Death Eaters were going to raid Azkaban. But when? When were they going to attack?
Convincing Fudge that he was wrong was no longer an option, the man would not listen, even though the recent events had screamed the truth of Albus' words. It would take too long to convince the man that the Dementors needed to be removed from Azkaban. That the prisoners needed to be relocated.
He needed more time!
And Harry was going to suffer if he did nothing. The boy would not survive long in Azkaban, Albus had seen Harry's reactions to the Death Eaters. The boy was going to pay the price for the lack of options. For Fudge's stupid actions. For Albus' incompetence in protecting him. And even if they did manage to get him out of Azkaban would he survive. He had almost spent a day there. He had heard of people going mad long before a day was out. He desperately hoped that his student, that the boy he cared about, would have enough strength in him to live through this. That he would survive against all odds and live through this. It was not his promise to James that he would protect his son that drove Albus now, it was the fact that he had come to care for the boy like one of his own kin.
He pulled out a parchment and a quill, if nothing else he would talk to Fudge and hear what the man had to say about his actions. He could not sit and wait for the events to unfold. Actions were needed now, not patience.
***************
Ron stared at Hermione's letter. It had arrived shortly after his mother had managed to calm him down. Hedwig had delivered it to him, arriving at his house in record time. The letter had been written hurriedly, not in Hermione's small, neat scrawl, but in hurried, messy writing that looked as if the writer's hand had been shaking. He read it once more.
Ron,
I need to know more about what happened at the Dursleys. If we can piece the story together maybe we can free Harry. I think I have an idea but I need more information. Send a reply as soon as you know more. Don't get mad, we need to free Harry before any revenge is taken. You know how he is with Dementors.
Hermione.
That was it. He did not know any more than she did. No one did. Not even his father. He was sure that not even Professor Dumbledore knew anymore of what had happened. The only people who did know were either Death Eaters, Fudge's minions or Harry. And none of them could tell them what had happened. He wondered what idea Hermione had. The only way to find out would be to ask her. But it was best not to send plans by owl, he would have to ask her in person. And the only way that would happen is if Hermione came over for a visit.
Ron looked at his mother, who was mechanically going over her daily routine.
"Mom?" He asked softly.
"Yes dear?" She turned to face him.
"Would it be OK if Hermione came over for a visit?" He hoped that his mother would allow it. Normally she would be thrilled to have Hermione over, she liked having another girl in the house. But now . . . he did not know if his mother would want the company.
They stood there in silence looking at one another. Ron hoping that Hermione would be able to come over, that his mother would allow it. Together the two of them would be able to think up something to free Harry. And if not, they could think of something that would help Professor Dumbledore.
Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that he needed his friend's support now more than ever. Harry was his best friend, whose life was in danger at this very moment and he was helpless to help his friend.
"Yes." His mother's voice brought him out of his reverie. "Yes, I think it would be a good idea for her to come here, if her parents agree."
Ron gave her a small smile. Now he would have a friend to talk to. It was nice having brothers to talk to, but they did not understand him, not like his friends did. And Hermione would be able to think of some way to free Harry. He knew it.
He ran upstairs to his room. He started to search for a quill and parchment. After a few minutes of searching, he wished he had listened to his mother's advice and cleaned his room last night. It was a disaster. He could not find anything. He scanned the room. It would take hours to find a quill and parchment in that mess. Unless he had some hidden in his trunk. He quickly skipped over some dirty clothes and knelt down beside his trunk. Quickly he flung the parchments, books and clothes off of his trunk. He pushed it open. His trunk was a disaster too. He quickly stirred it around and came up with a quill and a ripped parchment. It was not what he was hoping for, but it would do.
He slammed the lid of his trunk down and quickly scrawled a note to Hermione, only dipping the quill in ink once.
Hermione,
Can you come over to my house? We can discuss everything better here. Write back as soon as possible.
Ron.
He ran down the stairs. His bare feet slammed down on the wood. The message he held in one hand and a string in the other. He would not use Pig for this errand, Hedwig was more reliable and probably faster too. He raced into the kitchen, which was currently empty, and found Hedwig eating a small bit of food Molly had left for her.
"Hedwig, I have an errand for you," He told the bird, feeling a little foolish for talking to her, even though Harry did it all the time. "I want you to take this to Hermione." He did not know if it was his imagination or not, but it seemed as if the bird had nodded. He tied the letter onto her leg and watched her fly through the kitchen window.
***************
End Chapter 4
A/N: I hope that you guys liked this chapter. I'm sorry that it's not that interesting, I just thought that it would be a good idea to show what is happening to everyone else and not ignore them. In the next chapter Harry will come back and Sirius does too. I hope this chapter isn't that bad, even though it is a little choppy. I'm sorry about that. I tried to fix it, but it didn't work.
A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter was out a little late. I never expected for the week to go as it did. I'm not sure when the next one will be out, I have several tests next week, so I am not sure if it will be out be Friday. But I will try anyways since next week shouldn't be as busy.
A/N: Thank you soo much to all who reviewed. And since you guys waited so patiently for this chapter, I decided to make it another 1000 words longer than I usually make my chapters. I was planning to stop after Albus wrote his letter, but I decided to be nice and make the chapter longer. That is my reward for all those reviews. Thank you guys soooo much for all those reviews, thank you, thank you thank you. I never thought that I would ever receive 59 reviews! It's astounding! No, it's shocking! *Author bows to all the reviewers* You guys all deserve awards for reviewing. Thank you again.
A/N: I'm sorry if I miss anyone.
Death: You read all four chapters at once? Thank must have taken a while, it's almost 40 pages long (in Times New Roman 9 point font). I'm glad that you liked it. You'll find out what happens next soon, I don't want to ruin any surprises for you. But if you try to guess what happens, then maybe I'll tell you whether it might happen or not. Thank you so much for your review. And please keep reviewing.
vmr: I am glad that you liked the last chapter. Thank you soo much for you review.
usa32: You like Alexander Brown? I do to, it is kind of nice writing about another character because then I don't have to guess what his reactions would be to everything. Even though I like Sirius and Harry better. He will be returning in the next chapter hopefully, if I follow my storyline.
phoenix353: It's getting better? Really? I thought it was getting worse. Something seems to be missing from the last chapter and this one too. I don't know what though. I hope you like this chapter alright. It really is more of a transition chapter than anything else, but I hope you like it alright. As to your questions, you will find out what Alexander does in the next chapter, so be patient. I don't think I can give you any hints without ruining what happens. *Author smiles secretively, she will not tell* Remus finds out about Sirius and Harry about the same time Dumbledore does, which is coming up soon. And as to your third question, I can answer completely. No, Albus does not know about Sirius and Harry, as to the reason why, you shall find out in later chapters. Thank you so much for your review.
Death Eater: A trophy? I actually received a trophy?! *Author stares in awe at the picture* I cannot accept it, I do not deserve the trophy, my fic isn't that good. Is it? So I didn't blow it on the last chapter? It really is not that bad? I'm glad that you liked it. *Author reads rest of review and cannot believe it* Your favorite fics spot? *Author drops in a dead faint from surprise* Thank you so much. You don't know how much that means to me. *Author quickly starts writing next chapter wondering what kind of reviews she'll receive on it* I hope that this chapter wasn't too bad . . .
Mitchell de Quevedo: Well, whether Sirius is related to Voldemort you'll find out *Author smiles, she does not wish to give away information and ruin the story* I am glad that you think this fic is interesting. I update as soon as I possibly can. Usually I update just after I finish looking through the chapter, which is just after I finish writing the story. Thank you so much for you review.
Nicky: I am glad that you liked this chapter. And thank you for correcting me on that, I just thought it would be good to add that in, but apparently not. I will correct it later if I have time, probably after this story is done. Thank you for that, I'll remember so that in later chapters I won't mess that up. Sorry about that. I am planning to get the books this weekend if possible – I have been given advice on where I could find the books for less and will hopefully be able to get them. Thank you for your review, and I do try to update as much as possible. Would it be better if I made the chapters shorter and updated more often?
Acacia Jules: I'm sorry to hear that you are sick. Hope you get better soon. Thank you for the review. I am glad that you like the story.
snowwy54: Do you want the chapters to be longer? If they were it would take a bit longer to get them out. I hope that you liked this chapter and that it was not that bad. I know what you mean though on how the chapters never come fast enough, there are several fics that I really would like to hear the ending of, but the chapters don't seem to come out fast enough. I try my best though *Author bows in apology, wishing her timetable was more open* Thank you so much for your review. Please keep reviewing.
SilverFang: I like your name. That would work, if Alexander did go to Dumbledore . . . *Authors smiles, and shakes her head, she refuses to tell if SilverFang's guess is right or wrong. SilverFang will just have to keep reading the story* I'm sorry, I know I'm cruel. You'll see what happens in the next couple of chapters, that should answer your questions.
Mrs. Moony: Did you write any stories? I think that I may have read one of them if you did. *Author thinks for a moment, but she can't remember if she did or not* The last chapter was good too? I'm glad you liked it. And no Dumbledore doesn't know that Harry is Sirius' son for reasons that will be revealed later. Hope you liked this chapter. Things should become more interesting in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reviewing.
Malena: I read your Dimelo, it was really good, I really liked it. Sorry I didn't write any reviews for it, but I am a horrible reviewer, I haven't really written any reviews. Actually Dimelo sort of inspired this story, especially the part where Harry goes to Azkaban. I hope you like the chapter coming up, it has Harry actually in Azkaban, I hope I'm not too far off of what his reaction should be. I've also read Bored Beyond Beliefs Never Alone, Never Again . . . and I think it's wonderful, even though I wish Bored Beyond Belief would update more quickly, can't wait to read what happens next. I would suggest that any who have not read it go read it now. And don't worry Malena, Harry will get out of Azkaban, I won't leave him there. Do you know of any other fics where Harry goes to Azkaban? Thank you so much for your review.
darkphoenix: I guess that it would be hard to portray Sirius. There aren't that many surprises in the story are there? I can think of two and a third one on its way, but I can't think of any others. Thank you so much for your review, and I'm glad that you don't think I destroyed the last chapter.
Charlie Girl: An evil fanfic writer? How can I be an evil fanfic writer? Alright I like to leave cliff hangers, I don't mean to, but it is kind of fun to watch every one's reactions. I am glad that you reviewed and I am so happy that you like my story. Why are you thanking me? I haven't done anything yet, just write a story in my spare time that I highly enjoyed. I thank you though for reviewing, and please keep doing so, it makes me want to write more.
mythtry: No, I'm not toying with you. At least I didn't think that I was. You actually think that I am writing this like a good suspense novel? Really? I can't believe it! Thank you! I know that this chapter isn't that fast moving, but the next one should be. I hope you liked this one OK though.
German Nobody: I'm glad you like my story so far. I hope this chapter didn't scare you away. That is so neat that you speak German. I would love to learn another language, I have a couple of language books that I am trying to learn from.
deadredsocks: Insane? I am not insane. Not yet. I am just unique. *Author smiles jokingly* More will be coming soon, I hope. Thanks for reviewing. And yes Sirius is Harry's father. However it has not been directly stated that Voldemort is Sirius' father.
Lady Python: You loved my last chapter? So it wasn't that bad? I am so glad.
FairyTale: Well that is true, that my Sirius is a little different from JK Rowling's Sirius, but I don't want him to act too OOC. You like my story? I am glad. I read part of your story, The Last Marauder, it is good – well as far as I got, there needs to be more time in a day, sorry I didn't review, I will try when I finish it and start on the sequel, but no promises. Remus will find out soon, within the next three chapters I think. And with Tom Riddle being someone's father there is another fic by Triskelion called No Higher Praise, where James is Voldemort's son. It's really good and I would recommend that you read it – it has Harry in it too, it takes place after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. That story also sort of inspired this one. Thank you so much for reviewing.
witchchild: Well I didn't mean for the confusing to suddenly become clear in this fic, however, that is how it turned out. I'm glad that you liked it that way. Thank you for reviewing.
Sara Minks: I think someone else told me about Remus saying Voldie's name. But thanks for telling me that, I'll be able to use it later in the story so I don't have Remus saying You-Know-who (which is a pain to type) all the time. I am glad that you enjoyed the story and I hope that this chapter wasn't that bad.
I: I'm glad that you liked my story.
Raven: Thank you so much for reviewing.
Kimmy: You'll see in the next chapter. Thank you for reviewing.
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, thank you soooooooooooooooooo much. Your reviews encouraged me to continue writing this chapter, it was not the most interesting to write and the characters weren't co-operating again. I hope that it is alright. Please keep reviewing. The more you review, the quicker I try to get my chapters out.
All reviews as of September 14, 2002