DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, and I am not making any money off of this. I am using it purely for your and my enjoyment.
AN: Again, I am late in posting. Don't scold me too badly for it, please. I'm disappointed in myself.
Thanks for all the great reviews, once again. We have reached 100! Actually 130...
On with the story! (forward march!)
!PREVIOUSLY!
'Poor Mooney, I bet he thinks it's all his fault.' James said.
Sirius nodded in agreement, "Poor Remus."
!HARRY!
"It's all my fault!" Remus cried to the room, burying his head in his hands.
Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered, "I thought we just figured out it was Pettigrew's fault…"
Harry shrugged, looking worriedly at Lupin, then Hermione, who also shrugged, and back to Lupin.
"Peter!" Lupin said suddenly, jumping up. His face was filled with rage and Harry could hear his teeth grinding together.
Without another word, Lupin yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind him.
"What is he going to do?" Asked Hermione almost fearfully.
!SNAPE!
Professor Severus Snape was walking down a deserted corridor, looking for trouble-makers. His latest potion needed to set for a day, so he had nothing better to do.
As he passed an ugly painting of a troll wearing a pink witches hat, Severus heard a familiar voice. He was tempted to retch and then run in the opposite direction, but instead he slipped into the shadows to listen to one Remus Lupin.
"I know that, but I can't just sit here doing nothing!" the werewolf admonished.
Severus leaned forward just enough to make out the solitary, lonely figure walking down the hallway.
'He's talking to himself,' Severus mused, 'I always knew the werewolf was mad.'
"I don't care, as long as Sirius gets out!" Lupin growled.
Severus' brows met… wasn't Black the one who betrayed Lupin's best friends?
"No, the trial isn't for another week… I don't think I'll be able to last that long, Lily!"
Severus realized that he was actually mildly interested in Lupin's conversation with… himself… even though the werewolf plainly thought he was talking to Lily Evans.
"I suppose not, but I still want to be at the trial, and I don't know if I'll be able to… because of… er…" Lupin paused, as if listening, "yeah that… my condition…"
Severus stealthily followed Lupin down the hallway, careful to stay safely in the shadows. Now he was beginning to be quite intrigued with this…
When he was close enough, Severus cast Legilimens and snuck into the Lupin's mind. He then discovered that there was, in fact, two people there. The werewolf himself and…
"Lily!" Lupin said, exasperated, "If they have Peter in custody, then why was he using the Imperius Curse on Sirius?"
Lupin just used Black's first name… and it sounded as though Pettigrew was to blame for something. This was beginning to make sense. Either Black was innocent, or Lupin was helping the dark side.
If the latter were true, then, as Lupin had said, why would Pettigrew be doing illegal curses?
On second thought, wasn't he dead?
That must mean that Pettigrew was the one who…
"…betrayed us, Remus," the Mudblood was saying, "We know that. We just have to convince everyone else! There's no need to panic!"
"I'm not panicking!" Lupin snapped, "But if Peter got away, then how're we going to catch him? He's a marauder, he knows every trick in the book, not to mention being taught by Voldemort, Lily!"
So the werewolf wasn't mad after all. But that didn't explain why a dead woman was in his head.
"I think you need to go let off some steam, Remus… you've been cooped up too long."
"That's only because I'm stuck in my house nearly every day of the week!" Lupin retorted.
"Yeah," Evans pointed out dryly, "I just said that. I think you should talk to someone who knows how to handle…"
"Like Madame Pomfrey?" The werewolf interrupted, "Please not her!"
"No, actually, I meant Dumbledore."
"I've already talked to him!"
"Well, mayhap you should talk to him a bit more?"
Severus decided he didn't want to be in amidst an argument between Remus Lupin and Lily Eva- Potter. The redhead alone could keep an argument going for hours on end, and once you add Lupin to the opposing side…
Gently extracting himself from the werewolf's mind, Severus took a few steps backward until he was able to turn around and head down a different corridor. Now he was plainly interested in what was going on…perhaps he should pay a visit to a certain convicted murderer, as much as he despised the man…
!STILL SNAPE!
Severus raised his wand threateningly as the two dementors in front of him paused.
He was walking down different corridors, now… the corridors of Azkaban.
Severus was on his way to visit an old school rival, and he was going to get some answers.
He passed the dementors and dismissed them… he knew his way well enough.
Rounding a corner, he heard a scratchy voice.
"You know, that's a good question… honestly, I have no idea," the voice said.
For the second time in one day, Severus wanted to gag and then hasten in the other direction.
It was Sirius Black.
And he, also, seemed to be losing it… he was talking to himself too.
"Well, I didn't think he was insane when he came to visit me here… I'm not sure who he was talking to," Black told himself.
"I know, but that's impractical. Maybe we should check up on Harry, Ron and Hermione, quick. And that Ginny girl, too," Black continued to talk to himself.
"Ha, ha, very funny, James. You know that's not what I meant!
Severus, after hearing the word James, had a hunch about what was going on in Black's mind, but knew he had to make sure. He quietly cast Legilimens again, this time looking for more than one person in one head.
Black's mind was different than the average person's, but it was still completely in his control, and he definitely wasn't insane. Pity. Upon closer inspection, Severus realized that Azkaban had done quite a bit to the psyche of this wizard. For one thing, a pre-Azkaban Sirius Black would probably have realized that he had someone inside his head… for another thing, Severus had loads more free reign inside his head. He could even see out his eyes!
Suddenly becoming very uncomfortable with the situation, he was about to pull himself from Black's mind. Then he saw something move in front of the convict.
Severus watched as Black leaned in closer to the small pool of water which sat in the corner of the cell, and spoke to it.
"Oh, they look alright, James. Is Harry playing chess against Ron again? Doesn't he know it's hopeless? He'll never win!"
Severus looked closely at the puddle and saw that there was, indeed, a picture, as if viewed from above, of two quite annoying Gryffindors playing chess and their friend, Granger, nearby (surprisingly enough, she was reading a book).
"Yeah, well, Remus played chess against us all the time, and he lost nearly every game… unless Lily was helping him," another familiar voice (POTTER!) said.
Severus gaped, forgetting that while performing the Legilimens spell, one must always keep their emotions subtle, or the victim may notice their presence. This was exactly what Black did.
"SNIVELLUS! GET OUTTA MY HEAD!"
Severus heard Potter reply, "Snape's in your head? What, as in the Imperius Curse?"
"No, he's using Legilimens! GET OUT, SNIVELLY!"
Severus quickly pulled himself from Black's mind, realizing that there was a stunning amount of difference in the atmosphere of his mind compared to the convicts. The convict's mind was packed to bursting with thoughts of… of all things… innocence.
"Yes, he's gone," Severus heard Black say, "But I have a feeling that he's still here.
"No," Black retorted to the answer that Severus couldn't hear, "I mean I have a feeling that he's still here in Azkaban."
Severus, still extraordinarily interested in how this situation was going to turn out, stood up tall, brushed off his robes, and walked up to Black's prison cell.
"Very clever," he sneered, "Now, can you guess why I'm here?"
Severus watched, mildly pleased, as Black pulled a face that was plainly disgusted, "To mock me? You know, Snape, don't you think that if I were on the dark side, I would've told Voldemort that you were a spy?"
Severus sneered again, "Not if you thought there was nothing but pain to gain from telling him that. Besides, Black, I'm just here to get some answers."
Black leaned back against the wall and folded his hands behind his head, "Well, by all means, ask away… there's not really much I could do to stop you, anyway."
Severus sniffed, "First question," he said, "Who was it you were talking to?"
Black smiled, "A dead man: James Potter. Do you think I'm insane?"
Severus sneered, "Not remotely, unfortunately."
Black looked surprised, "What? You don't?"
Severus rolled his eyes, "If you were guilty, why would you say you were talking to James Potter, of all people? Why would Lupin's views on the betrayal of your friends have changed so drastically? Why would you still be sane after all these years in Azkaban? Why, as you said, wouldn't you have turned me in as a spy? Why would there be images in the water in the corner of your cell? Why would you hate Pettigrew more than anyone else in the world, including the Dark Lord? Why would Evans believe that you were innocent?"
Black sat on the ground, completely frozen in shock.
The puddle in the corner made a loud swishing sound, and a wave of water assailed Black.
Spluttering, the convict asked, "Y-you believe me?"
Severus exhaled dramatically, then snapped, "Obviously!"
"What did you see when you were in my mind?" Black asked.
Severus hesitated, then spoke, "I saw movement in that puddle of yours, and I heard it speaking to you. Quite odd, but I must believe, hesitantly, that you are not insane."
After a few moments of silence, Black comprehended the last theoretical question that Severus had asked. Severus had been waiting for that, "What do you mean, Lily thinks I'm innocent…? She's dead Snape!"
Severus smirked, "I am aware of that, Black. Potter is too. They are both similar to the same amount in death."
"What are you talking about Snivellus? The same amount? You can't be mostly dead!"
"You two were, apparently, under the impression that Lupin was talking to himself."
"He was… talking to… Lily?" Black said dumbly.
"Very good," Severus said sarcastically, clapping his hands together twice, and planting a sneer onto his face.
"How do you know that he was talking to Lily?" Black demanded.
Severus tapped his head, "Have you forgotten already?"
"Do you go around casting Legilimens on random people, Snape?" Black asked, fuming.
Severus rolled his eyes and sarcastically answered, "Oh, of course I do! Actually, I was curious if the werewolf had finally lost it. He's already dangerous enough, wandering around the school with nothing protecting the students from him."
Black looked ready to bite him, "You're more of a threat to the students than Remus will ever be, Professor Snivellus. We've seen how you treat the students, and it's down-right evil!"
"Down right evil…?" Severus repeated disbelievingly. Rolling his eyes again, the potions master decided how to handle the next issue, "Question number two: What, exactly, happened the night of the murder of the Potters?"
Black looked murderous, "As if I want to go re-living it all for you, Snape!"
"I really don't want to have to waste my Veriteserum on you, Black," Severus said, pulling out a tiny bottle full of clear liquid and waving it threateningly.
Black growled again, "I had a feeling," he said, bluntly, "I went to Peter's flat, but he wasn't there, so I went to Godric's Hollow."
Severus waited for him to continue, but Black's throat seemed to have closed up.
"Come on, we haven't all day!"
"I… I…"
"Alright, we'll just pretend you finished that part, right? After you left the Potter's house?" Snape said, impatiently.
"I… went after Peter. I found him in a muggle street. Before I could say anything he… yelled something about me betraying the James and Lily, and then he…"
"And he…?" Severus prompted, getting more restless.
"He cut off his finger and he destroyed the street."
Severus waited for more, but Black had finished, "Not that I care, but why did you laugh, Black?"
"I laughed?" Black asked, noticeably confused, "Uh… I guess that's believable. James always said that I laughed at the worst times."
Severus raised an eyebrows.
"I guess I didn't notice. Not all that startling, is it? Do you think I'm off my rocker, yet?" Black asked, hopefully.
Severus chose not to answer that question, "Is that all that happened?"
Black sighed, "Pretty much, that's all that I know. Not in detail, of course.
"Was there anything else you wanted to address?" Black asked.
Severus looked at the convict, curiously, "Not particularly, no. I suppose I'll leave now."
As he turned, his cloak billowing after him, he added, "By the way, your trial will be held in almost a week."
Black choked and coughed, "W-what?"
But Severus had already swept from the passageway, pleased with his achievement.
!END CHAPTER!
Thanks again for all the great reviews.
sumrandumperson: Thanks
I-want-to-fly: Fred and George did think it was odd for Ginny to be out on her own, but because she seems to be taking after them in that manner, they weren't going to tell on her. And what better use of a non-Hogwarts child than practicing pranks on? Oh, and James did manage to get back into the puddle. It took a while for the patronous to fade away, but when it did, James ended up back in the puddle.
koriaena: Yes, Remus does want to do that, but, as you see in this chapter, he's got Lily there for support and she manages to keep him from doing anything rash.
Time and Fate: You said, "How are James and Sirius gonna talk when he is let out?" and I must reply: you will soon find out. Not in the next chapter, but the one following that, I believe (subject to change at any time).
Tilly: yeah… heh…
hobbits soul: Thanks much!
Eggo Waffles: I am fairly sure that Remus will have his sanity when we are done with this story, but I'm worried about some other people…
Ookami Aya: I'm sorry I didn't balance the chapters perfectly. I hope there is enough James and Sirius in this chapter for you.
Raiast: Thankies! I'm glad you liked it. I'm not going to kill off Wormy just yet, as he still has a part to play. Ah, well.
Padfoot n' Moony: Hyped up on sugar, huh? Well, I do that quite a lot. Perfectly understandable. Especially when it is chocolate. –loves chocolate-
jjjjjjjjjjjj/ time and fate: heh… sorry. I've been very, very busy. -thwacks herself-
Sugar Junky Freakazoid: Alright, I'll try!
Haley Carr: Thankies!
Wolfsbane: Good point, but I don't believe so. I am pretty sure I said a few weeks, not four. I meant around three weeks, in any case. Sorry for the confusion.
Jenny: Well, you're kinda violent aren't you? Please don't hurt me, I updated!
: I did update.
A.J. of Gryffindor: Thankies. Sorry I took so long… again.
Sirvy-cat: I'm sorry if I confused you. Last chapter Ginny was running to get away from Fred and George, and Remus and the others were running to tell Dumbledore as soon as possible.
Allie: Thank you.
Ashlee: Told you I would get it out soon. Thankies for your email.
scared-of-mimes: Spiffy. I'm glad you like.
Maykwa: James and Sirius know about Lily.
Thank you all for reviewing! It makes it all worthwhile!
Bye until next time,
Kiwi Jeanne
Sqwerty Jeanne