DISCLAIMER: If you could see me, you'd understand that I'm not the wonderful JK Rowling, and I don't own anything from the Potter universe. Please don't sue.
AN: Wow, I got this out sooner than I though I would. Fifteen pages, this time. I hope everybody likes it. Finally, we get to visit Azkaban!
-does a dance-
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, on with the story!
Ginny stepped out of the fireplace, her head spinning.
'I really, really don't like using Floo powder,' she reminded Lily.
'Yeah,' Lily replied, 'I know you don't.'
Regaining her composure, Ginny wondered, 'Where are we?'
'Hogwarts.'
'I know that. I meant; where in Hogwarts are we?'
'Oh. Of course,' Lily examined their surroundings carefully, but she knew right away, 'Hasn't changed much. Dumbledore's office, this is. Actually, I don't think it's changed at all.'
'So, where's Remus, d'you think?'
'I've really no idea. We should probably leave , though, since he's not here.'
Lily directed Ginny down a set of spiral stairs, but before they got any farther, they bumped into Dumbledore. Not literally, for Dumbledore moved out of the way, only a brief raise of his eyebrows indicated any surprise from the old man.
"Hello, Miss Weasley. May I enquire as to why you were in my office? Or at Hogwarts at all?" Dumbledore's calm voice was soft and kind. Lily was blown away by a rush of memories, while Ginny was comforted by the paternal presence.
"Hello," Ginny said.
Albus watched as Ginny's face was cleared of all emotion. She seemed to go into an extremely brief meditation state. When she looked up at him again, she said, "I have to relay an exceedingly important message to you. And could we please step into your office?"
Her face slackened again, but she appeared to be listening still, so Albus answered.
"That is quite fine, Miss Weasley. After you."
Ginny walked back up the stairs and Albus Dumbledore followed a few steps after her.
When they were both seated comfortably, (and Lemon Drops had been offered) Albus asked, "What is this important message? Is it from your mother?"
"Oh, no," Ginny said, "No, not from her."
"Does she know you're here? Or your father?"
Ginny turned red around the edges. Quietly, she mumbled, "No."
Albus waited patiently until Ginny was ready to speak.
"No, I was sent by someone else."
"Who?" Dumbledore asked the child, softly.
"Er... you'll probably not believe me," Ginny whispered, looking up at him.
"Who is it? Who sent you?"
"She's kind of... she's sorta... er... you won't believe me... 'cause she's... dead," Ginny finished lamely.
"Dead?" repeated Albus.
"Yes. And Mum wouldn't believe me, so she told me to come to work with Dad and find the file on a werewolf, but he wasn't home, he was here, so she told me to Floo here. We ended up in your office, but before we found him we found you so..." Ginny trailed off.
"Who is 'She'?" Albus asked the girl.
"Oh," Ginny turned red again, "Just a minute."
Ginny's face slackened again, her mouth hanging open a little and her eyes blank.
Her face cleared up, "She thinks it'd be easier if she took over for a moment."
For the fourth time, Ginny's body became limp. This time was more so, however. She ceased everything. Her head lolled forward onto her chest, and she even stopped breathing.
Albus was a tad flustered, but before he could so much as pull out his wand, Ginny had taken a deep breath (in a strangely unnatural way) and was smiling at him.
"Hello!" she said brightly.
Albus didn't know what to think. They had already greeted. A while ago, now.
"Hello again, Miss Weasley."
Ginny's hand met her head with a small "thwack".
"Miss Weasley I am not, Headmaster," Ginny's body told him.
"You are 'She'?"
"I am She. It is so odd to see you confused, Albus," Ginny's body grinned, "But it is so bloody good to see you!"
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Albus found a pair of small arms wrapped around his midriff. He was silently stunned.
"You've taken over young Ginevra Weasley's body?"
"Oh, only temporarily. And I asked first, don't worry," she assured him, backing away, and sitting down.
"You are dead." Albus stated, more of a question, really.
"Of course I'm d-" Ginny's body trailed off and then whacked herself on the head again, "You still don't know who I am. Bloody careless of me. Oops." Ginny's face turned red and she covered her mouth with a hand, "Forgive my language, Albus. I suppose I've been around the Marauders too much."
"The Marauders?"
"Yes. One would think that being married would calm him and his friends down a bit, but such is not the case, unfortunately."
"Married?"
"Yes, married," She said.
"Who are you?" Albus asked.
She smiled, "Lily Potter. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Albus' face was impassive, "Forgive me if I don't believe you right away. Do you have any proof to offer?"
"What kind of proof? You are free to ask any questions you want."
"Something only a few people know of, would be adequate."
A look of pleased understanding crossed Ginny's face, "Oh, I know exactly what your talking about! She grinned happily, "The Order, of course. How is everyone doing? Alice is alright? How is baby Neville?"
Albus was mildly surprised, "Yes. The Order. I'm sorry to say that Frank and Alice are not alright, but Neville is doing quite well. He was sorted into Gryffindor earlier this year."
"Oh, I'd forgotten how much time has passed," the girl said, frowning, "Frank and Alice are...?"
"No, they're not dead. Not long after Voldemort's death, however, they were caught by some Death Eaters. They seemed to think that they knew what had happened to their lord. Both Frank and Alice are now in St Mungos mental ward. They don't even recognize their own son."
"Was it Crucio? They were tortured to insanity with the Cruciatus Curse?"
"Yes, I'm afraid it was," Albus answered.
Ginny's face turned grave, "Did the catch the... people... who did it?"
"Yes. They were put into Azkaban."
"Good," She looked relieved, "Now, I suppose, you want more proof of who I am. Alright, here goes: My name is Lily Potter, but my maiden name was Lily Evans. I was born to muggle parents and have one muggle sister (Petunia). I was in the top of my class in all of the subjects, during school. I was the top in Charms. The subjects other than Charms, I was competing with James, Sirius, Remus and Severus.
"I was a Prefect ((AN: I'm not sure about that... was she a Prefect? I think so)) along with Remus Lupin, and I was Head Girl in my seventh year. James Potter was Head Boy. We got married not too long after school, even though I had despised him up until the end of our schooling. We both joined the Order of the Phoenix along with three of James' friends."
Albus nodded in confirmation of the information given.
"Do you have any questions?" she wondered, "About whether or not I'm Lily Evans-Potter?"
"Only one," Albus replied, "Who betrayed you and James to your deaths?"
'Lily's' face closed off. Albus almost expected her to growl her answer at him, but instead, her would-be-calm voice told him, "Peter Pettigrew."
Albus nodded, gravely, "I was almost sure that would be your answer. A Death Eater would have played to everyone else's belief and say Sirius Black."
"Sirius?!" Lily yelped, "Why would anyone suspect Sirius?"
Dumbledore's face held an even more distressing appearance after Lily asked. In fact, it was the most regretful that Lily had ever seen her headmaster.
"The public would suspect Sirius because of his involvement with the Death Eaters, the murdering of 12 muggles and one wizard. He was convicted and sentenced to life in Azkaban for the murders of 13 people, including one of the Potter's dearest and most loyal friends; Peter Pettigrew."
Lily's borrowed mouth was hanging open, "M-mur-murder? D-did he...? He didn't do it, though, did he, headmaster? Sirius would never... never ever do that. He may be a bit... a bit reckless, but he's not a m-murderer."
"I'm afraid I did think he'd done all of those things for ten long years. Your recent appearance has proved me wrong. Sirius is... innocent. Convicted and sentenced to ten years and counting. And, yet, he's innocent."
"T-t-te-ten years? Sirius has been locked up for ten years?! In AZKABAN?!"
"I am truly sorry, Lily. I couldn't have made a worse mistake," and he looked it. There was no twinkle in the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. He was human. He'd made a mistake.
"Is he... is he insane, Albus? Tell me he's not insane!"
"Not that I am aware of, no. In fact, everyone who's spoken to him was surprised at how rational he was."
"A-and Harry? He's... he's been...?"
"He's been with his aunt and uncle. He's safe there."
"PETUNIA?! ALBUS, SHE HATES MAGIC! THERE COULDN'T BE A WORSE PLACE TO PUT A BABY. TELL ME HE'S NOT GOING TO STAY THERE FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE?!"
There was something about being scolded by a red-head half your size and too young to go to your school that stunned the great wizard, Albus Dumbledore. He had no choice but to watch Lily bellow at him until her little face was as red as her hair, and her eyes blazed green.
Until her eyes blazed green.
"Wake up, Padfoot! Things are happening!"
Sirius Black stirred at the sound of his now-dead-best-friend, but didn't awaken.
"Don't make me splash you," James' voice warned.
"Mmmuh rraagh," Sirius answered.
"I swear I'll do it, Padfoot!"
This didn't get a response.
"Even Remus woke up before you! And he was hit with a troll!"
"Go'way, James," Sirius replied, "I'm tired."
"Honestly, Sirius."
"Nuh uh."
"SIRIUS BLACK, WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" roared James, ripples covering the surface of his puddle.
James barely heard a reply. A growl, a dog being disturbed during his nap, came from Sirius.
James sighed. Water always did the job, but he hated being the one doing it. Oh, well. Nothing for it now.
SPLASH!
"AAAAAARGH!" A high-pitched shriek tore through the air. James was fairly sure they could hear it on the mainland. And most certainly all throughout the prison.
"Sirius, you scream like a girl."
"YOUWOULDTOOAFTERBEINGWOKENLIKETHAT!" Sirius' walked over to the puddle and slapped his foot against it, spraying water everywhere. His pale face was tinged with red and pink and his eyes were as large as Galleons, "THAT WATER IS COLD!"
"Sorry, mate, but you know it's the only way to wake you up," James apologized, "And stuff is happening."
"Stuff. 'Stuff is happening.' Stuff," Sirius muttered, grumpily.
"Yes," James repeated, "Stuff is happening."
"What kind of stuff, may I ask?"
"Remus woke up. And then I tried to wake you up. And, let me tell you, Padfoot, you are the most difficult person I have ever..."
"Shut up, James," Sirius snapped, "Let's see him, then."
While James obliged, Sirius realized something, "That was the only time, since I've been here that I've slept deeply. I wonder..." he stopped and his eyes grew even more round, "The dementors!"
"What about them?" came James' voice.
"I can't feel them. They..." Sirius stood up straight and took the half-step that was necessary to reach the door and looked out, "They're still out there, but I can't feel a thing. Nothing! I'm not cold or sad or... or anything."
"Hmm, well that's strange. Look here, Sirius, I've found them."
Sirius sat down, cross-legged, facing the pool of water and asked, "What are they doing? Where are they?"
"Looks to me like their boarding the Knight Bus," said James, "and it looks like Hogsmede that they're boarding from."
"What in Merlin's name are they doing out of school?" asked Sirius, gesturing towards Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"I'm not sure about that, but it's a Saturday. Therefore, they aren't missing any classes, if that's what your worried about," Sirius could tell that if James had had a body, he would have been flashing his horrid You-Know-I'm-Right-So-Don't-Deny-It grin at him, and raising his eyebrows.
Sirius sniffed in a way that reminded James of the Malfoys or the Blacks, and said, "Of course not. Harry's your kid. I certainly don't care if he misses class."
"Sirius!" James teased, "I never should have appointed you Harry's godfather. You'd've been horrible at it."
"Oh, come on, now," Sirius replied, "I was only joking."
"Yeah, I know," James said.
"I wonder where they're going?"
"We'll just have to wait and see."
They waited, but they really didn't see much. James and Sirius took note of the things the foursome did while on the purple, triple-decker bus, but that mostly included holding on for dear life.
They also took note of which towns they passed, although this was easier said than done because the bus went so fast.
When it finally stopped, Sirius and James were nice and dizzy. It appeared that the other four were, too.
By the time everyone had regained their senses, the bus had left. Sirius heard Harry say, "I am never doing that again. Unless my life depended on it, I suppose."
"I'm with the kid," Sirius told James, "I don't like the Knight Bus much, either."
"Nor do I, Sirius, now shush!"
Sirius leaned in closer to the puddle, uncrossing his legs and laying on his belly.
"How do we get there?" asked Hermione Granger's voice, from the puddle.
"Follow me," directed Remus.
The children followed him.
When they reached their destination, Sirius let out a random sound.
"Guhrred!"
"You're right, Sirius!" James exclaimed, "That's the boat transportation to Azkaban. I mean here."
"W-what are they coming here for?"
James replied, "Maybe... maybe they are coming to question you?"
"Why, though? Mooney already did that. Before you came, I mean."
"Maybe Remus thought of something else to ask you? Or maybe everyone believes you, finally. Or maybe they caught Wormtail."
Sirius sighed, "Stop getting my hopes up, James!"
They watched silently as Remus, accompanied by the three children disembarked the boat and walked up to the human guard.
"Well," said James, "they certainly are coming to see you."
"How do you know?" Sirius asked, mock-suspiciously.
"Remember all those times I had guard duty when we were Aurors? Besides, it might come with being dead, but I can almost sense it."
"Right, then, Prongs." Sirius said.
The guard handed Remus a set of keys and then waved them in the direction of Sirius' cell.
The children followed Remus down a hallway.
"Sirius?" James inquired.
"Huh?" Sirius asked.
"You're probably not gonna want to talk to me while they're here. They'll think you're insane."
Harry, his pockets stuffed with chocolate, followed Remus down what the adult had said was the last hallway. Harry was glad. He really didn't like dementors. The first time they had approached one, he'd almost fainted (and it was all the way on the other side of the hallway), but Remus noticed Harry's ailment and cast 'Expecto Patronum' which made a huge silver bear, or maybe it was a dog. Anyway, it chased the dementor away.
As they walked, Harry became aware of a hoarse voice speaking.
"Huh?" the voice said.
The foursome got closer to the cell the voice was coming from.
"James, they already think I'm insane, but you're right, as usual," the same voice said.
Remus' eyebrows were pressed together. He was distressed, Harry could tell.
Remus approached Sirius' cell and was disturbed to hear Sirius talking to himself. He'd thought Sirius was sane.
What a pity.
And he'd used the word, "James."
This wasn't promising.
As he approached the cell, Remus could see Sirius.
The convict was laying down on the ground, stretched out as far as was possible in the tiny cell. He was facing a puddle in the corner of his cell and he was addressing it, quite seriously.
"So, where are they now?
"I know they stopped, James, but why?
"Outside the... oh."
Sirius stood up. Smiling, he turned to face Remus, "Hello, Mooney."
Remus was startled. How had Sirius known he was there? He hadn't made any noise and neither had the students.
"Hello, Black."
Remus could see the disappointment on animagus' face.
"Merlin, you still don't believe me," Sirius looked at the kids, "Hello Harry," he said, nodding to him, "Ron, Hermione."
There was the sound of moving water from somewhere inside the cell, and Sirius let out a yelp.
"What?!," he demanded, looking around, annoyed.
"Well I'm so-rry. I forgot.
"Right, right. Shutting up, now."
Sirius turned back to Remus, "Heh, sorry. Er, who are these kids you've brought with you?"
Remus looked sternly at the convicted murderer.
"Uh," said Sirius, "n-never mind."
Remus sighed, "I'm confused," he admitted to Sirius, "How did you know I was behind you and what Harry, Ron and Hermione's names were?"
Sirius looked uncomfortable, "I dunno, lucky guess?"
"Hermione isn't a very common name, Sirius."
"Well, she looks like a Hermione," Sirius defended.
"Fine," Remus gave up.
"So..." Sirius said, looking at Harry, "How's school going, Prongslet? D'you like Hogwarts?"
"Yeah," Harry muttered, "I like it a lot. Much better than at the Dursley's. Very exciting, though."
"Yeah, I bet," Sirius grinned, "but Remus is looking loads better."
Remus looked incredulously at Sirius, "What?"
"Well, you always had a quick rebound time. Not to mention, Madame Pomfrey can fix just about anything."
"Are you talking about the full moon, or..."
"No, I meant the Moun-" there was another splash from the corner of the cell, "Oh, yes, of course I meant the full moon. Why on Earth would you think I was talking about a troll?"
Remus looked at Sirius, "How did you know about that...?"
"Oh," Sirius looked uncomfortable, "Lucky guess? I, er, I thought it was bound to happen one of these times."
"You thought, one of these times, I would be hit with a mountain troll," Remus wondered.
"I... er... heh... yes?"
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Remus demanded.
"No," Sirius muttered, "I guess not."
"Well, then, what happened? How did you know all that stuff?"
"Er..."
A change came over Sirius' body.
"I did it," he said, but his voice was unnatural.
"Excuse me?" Remus asked, completely perplexed.
"I did it," Sirius repeated, "It's my fault James and Lily are dead. I killed them."
Remus found his mouth was wide open, "W-what?"
"I sold them b-b-both to the Dark Lord," his voice was strained and tight, "I am a Death Eater and I told You-Know-Who where to find them. It's my f-fault they're d- my fault they're- no."
"You did it?"
"Yea-no," Sirius lurched forward catching himself on the wall, "Yes, I did it... NO! I didn't... yes you did... NEVER!"
"What's happening?" Hermione asked, quietly, "Is he going insane?"
"I don't kn-"
Sirius began beating his head against the wall, "GET- OUT- RIGHT- NOW!
"You d-did it, you filthy dog...I m-mean I am Sirius Black, and I killed J-James an-nd Li-Lily P-Pott-ter..." Sirius' voice was becoming more and more strained and his words were being forced through gritted teeth, "NO! I WOULD NEVER..." Sirius shivered and thumped his head hard against the wall again.
"S-Sirius?" Remus asked.
Sirius spoke again, but it wasn't his voice, "GET OUT OF HIS HEAD, WORMTAIL, OR I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE YOU PAY.
"Stop, James... I'll handle... it...
Sirius stood up tall and took a deep breath, "I..." he said, but then doubled over coughing, "I w-won't s-say it... I didn't d-do it! LEAVE ME ALONE!
"Shut up, Black.
"Stop... Pettigrew... Imperious Curse..." Sirius gasped, coughing again and falling to the ground. He beat his head once against the ground, "Help... Remus..."
Remus caught the meaning. Sirius was telling him that Peter Pettigrew was using the Imperious Curse on him. Now, the question was, did Remus trust him?
Maybe he did...
The werewolf looked to the children for help.
Harry and Ron looked completely confused. They hadn't understood what Sirius had indicated.
Hermione had, "I think he's telling the truth," she whispered.
Remus nodded. He would take the chance.
He unlocked and opened the door. His wand trained on Sirius, he said, "Sirius? I believe you. You're innocent. Pettigrew is the one who betrayed us and the Potters."
Sirius' convulsing body went limp. He was extremely pale and a trickle of blood was flowing down the side of his head.
"Sirius?"
Sirius twitched.
"Are you alright?"
The convict rolled onto his side, letting out a moan, "Remus," he called, his voice hoarse, "He's still there... stun me."
Remus nodded and flicked his wand, "Stupefy."
Silence.
"What'd you do to him?" Ron asked, finally.
"Stunned him," Hermione answered for Remus.
"Why?"
"So Peter looses his grip on Sirius' mind," Remus answered.
"Well, has he lost it yet? Can we wake him up?" Ron asked, pointing at Sirius' limp body.
"Another minute," Remus said, "Sirius is fighting Peter off mentally."
"But," Ron was confused, "wait a minute, isn't Peter locked up in the Ministry?"
"He was," Remus confirmed, "but maybe he's not, anymore. Or maybe he can use the Imperious Curse without a wand. I'm not sure."
Harry suddenly walked passed Remus and into the cell. He kneeled down next to the convict and looked at him.
Harry looked so innocent, Remus noticed, so naïve. Also so sad. How was that possible?
"He's innocent," Harry said, quietly, "It was Pettigrew who did it, not him."
Remus didn't ask how Harry was so sure.
"I'm going to wake him, now," Remus told Harry.
Harry nodded, but didn't move, "I know he's innocent, Remus."
Remus sighed, and asked Harry to move away, assuring him that he could stay part-way in the cell if he wanted to.
"Ennervate," Remus said, after Harry had moved, pointing his wand at his animagus friend.
Sirius stirred.
Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around.
Remus raised his eyebrows in question, when Sirius' eyes lingered on him.
"Yeah," Sirius rasped, "He's gone, now."
"A-are you... alright?" Remus asked, dreading the answer.
Sirius pushed the ground away from himself and sat up, "Yeh- yeah," he stuttered, "'M fine."
"Sirius," said Remus, quietly, "you don't look fine."
"Acting a little unordinary at the very least?" Sirius chuckled.
Remus raised his eyebrows again, "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Sirius chuckled again, "Someone said, and I quote, "You said no one's been hurt, did you? I would call the way you're acting a little unordinary at the very least." Unquote."
"Who-" Remus wondered.
"You just sounded like him, is all," Sirius interrupted.
Remus shrugged, "Alright."
Sirius looked around at the three children, "So," he said, cheerfully, looking at Hermione and Ron, "How do you two like Hogwarts?"
"Er..." Ron answered.
"Oh, I absolutely love it!" Hermione replied, excitedly, "There is so much to learn! ("Another Lily," Sirius muttered) We've only been here two months, but I love it already! The teachers are great!"
Sirius looked at her, mock-sternly, one eyebrow raised, "All of them?"
Hermione turned pink and Harry spoke up, "Not Snape! He's not great! Sorry, Hermione, but he's always bias to Slytherin and against Gryffindor. It's really unfair," he added to Sirius.
"Yeah," Sirius said, smirking, "That's what I thought she said."
"Why do I get the feeling that you know too much?" Remus asked.
Sirius froze for less than a moment, before covering it up, "Nonsense, Remus. I always knew Dumbledore felt sorry for Snivellus. Oh, sorry," he corrected, seeing Hermione's face, "Professor Snivellus."
"Oh," Remus said, thoughtfully, "right."
"Say," said Sirius, suddenly looking uncomfortable, "could you... er... not point your wand at my face? Or, at least, not everyone. I swear I won't try and do anything."
Remus noticed that his (and everyone else's) wands were pointed directly between Sirius' eyes.
"Oh..." Remus turned around and nodded at the three students. They put their wands away, and then Remus lowered his own, "Sorry, Sirius."
"Oh, no. Don't apologize, it's fine. You never know, when you're in Azkaban, eh, Remus?"
Remus shrugged again.
"I could be insane. Quite mad, these dementors make most people," Sirius grinned at Hermione.
"Except, you're not," Harry said, firmly, "You're not insane at all."
Sirius' gaze moved to Harry, "No," he said, quietly, "I'm not."
There was an honest note in Sirius' voice that Remus wasn't accustomed to hearing, even (especially) in school.
That's all folks!
Well, for this chapter, anyways.
Are you excited to see what happens next? Do you want me to update? Are you outraged at how I'm mutilating the books? Leave a review and tell me about it!
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Thanks much to:
sumrandumperson: Thanks! I like the idea of Lily too. I hope you liked the beginning of this chapter, then.
I-want-to-fly: yes the James and Lily things are linked
koriaena: yeah, I agree. Peter is a total idiot and jerk. And now, after this chapter, everyone will probably agree.
Mariann: no, James is only in the one puddle.
gabwr: thanks! You're so nice.
hobbits soul: I'm glad you kept reading.