Disclaimer: I am not JKR, these are not characters of my creation. I'm just messing with them. Reviews are always welcome!
Warning: Strong swearing will be used in this fic. If it offends you please either leave or promise not to complain about it.
"When one betrayal causes the whole world to crash in on you it's just the beginning of the end."
Sirius tried to sit calmly on the makeshift bed. He had raged for hours already. Shouted until he was hoarse. He had thrown and kicked what little there was to throw and kick. He tried pacing for a time but it did nothing for him. So now he sat. He needed to think.
He needed to unravel it all. To make sense of it. But it doesn't make sense. That is the problem. How could this have happened? He tries to shut off his brain. Hoping that when he switches back to conscious thought everything will fall back into place. The only problem is his head is too full of thoughts to simply stop working. It's useless.
He gets up. Now is the time to pace. If he can't switch off his thoughts then he'll walk through them. It will help him to concentrate. First he'll think about his situation he decides. He feels like a caged animal. He is a caged animal. Merlin this was bad. This is the very definition of bad. He's in Azkaban. He is a prisoner. There seems very little likelihood that he'll be out anytime soon too. But he could deal with that, for now.
James, he thinks. James and Lily. Shit. Fuck. Shit. James and Lily. It can't be real. This can't be happening. But it is. He's here isn't he? It is real. James is dead. Lily is dead. James. His best…his best friend is dead. Dead. Gone. Forever. And lily. Sweet, beautiful, sarcastic Lily. Gone too.
The word 'how' drifts into his head, closely followed by 'why'. And then one other word, a name. Peter. This was all down to him. It was him all along. Traitor. Bastard. Weak little shit. But why? Still why? He had trusted Pete. They all had. They were friends. Were. Oh Merlin. Jesus. Fuck. Shit. Why? It didn't make sense.
How. He'd deal with how first. He remembered talking to Pete. Weeks back. About this whole mess. About Lily and James. About Remus. About himself. He was the most likely target. They had agreed, both of them. He always drew attention to himself. Pete didn't. They both agreed that Pete was more inconspicuous. Pete was the better choice. Having himself as the secret keeper was too obvious. It would be safer if he, Pete, did it.
Remus. Had he been in on it? Oh Merlin not Remus too. Not Moony. Moony wouldn't. Couldn't. But Pete had. Pete had betrayed them all, why not Remus? He hasn't been around lately. Was something going on with Moony too? He couldn't believe that. Not Moony. He trusted Moony. He had trusted Peter.
Bastard. Betrayer. Rat! Such a rat. So true. It had always been there. They had all seen it. They all knew. His true colours had been there all along.
His thoughts strayed back to Remus. He didn't believe that Remus would join Pete. No matter what. He knew Remus. He knew he did. He knew the real man. He knew what he was capable of. Remus would never betray his friends. So where was he? Sirius had heard nothing of him for days. Had Pete gotten him too? Merlin no. Not Remus too. Please not Remus. Let him be ok, please let him be ok. Maybe Pete had used his poisoned words on Remus too? Made out that it was Sirius who was a danger. That he would betray them all. Of course. It was all starting to make sense now.
The rat had escaped. No one would suspect poor old Peter Pettigrew. Not in a million years. He had convinced Sirius to give him what he wanted. He had given Lily and James to his master. And no doubt he had dripped poison into Remus's ear. Made the last of his friends doubt him. Turned him ever so slowly against Sirius. It had probably been going on for months. The seed would have been planted in Moony's mind long ago. It had sprouted now. And here he was. Stuck. A prisoner.
"Ahem."
Sirius stopped short. He turned to the person who had cleared his throat. It was the Minister himself. He was in serious shit.
"Minister. Please you don't understand. Pettigrew, this was all his doing."
"Pettigrew is dead Black. You saw to that." the older man said, drawing a small box from his pocket. "This is all we could find of him. It's his finger. Would you like to see what remains of the friend you destroyed?"
"He's no friend of mine! And he's not dead. He'd tricked you." Sirius ground out, anger bursting in his veins again.
"Silence Black! I refuse to listen to the ravings of a mad man."
"I'm not mad. Lupin. You have to find Remus Lupin. He'll tell you."
"I have already spoken to Mr. Lupin. Although we can hardly hold anything he says as good evidence. What with his condition, it is hard to see where his loyalties lie."
"You prejudiced bastard! Remus Lupin is more of a man-"
"Hardly." the Minister interrupted. "I fear we are getting quite off course here. I simply came to give you your sentence."
"Sentence? But I haven't been tried yet. It's not right. It's not fair."
"Fair? Don't talk to me about fair. Do you have any idea how many lives you have destroyed today Black? Because of you a child will have to grow up without knowing his parents!"
"Harry. Oh Merlin Harry! Where is he? Is he safe?"
"He will be quite safe Black. Though I doubt you'll fret about that. He's where you'll never find him. Even if you were free."
"You've got it all wrong. It wasn't me."
"Sirius Black, I hereby sentence you to life in Azkaban prison. You will never leave these walls."
"No! You're wrong! Remus Lupin. Please let me speak to Remus. I need to speak to him!"
"Why? So you can pass on the orders your master gave you to him. I don't think so Black. You'll never see another living person again.
"No!" Sirius shouted. He collapsed on the floor. It was all crashing down on him now. The sickening truth of it all. He had been set up. Lily and James were dead. He would never see them again. Harry, his godson, was all alone. Merlin only knew where the Ministry would put him. Peter. The man he had called friend had fooled them all. Used them until someone bigger and more powerful came along. Just like the playground rat he was.
Remus was alive. No doubt his remaining friend thought him guilty. He had to contact him. Make him see the truth. But how? They'd hardly let him send his last friend left a note. And he was never going to have visitors.
His mind crept slowly back to Harry. He'd never know how great his parents were. He'd probably be placed in the care of some rich pureblood family. They'd raise him as their own. He'd never know the truth. And he'd never be safe. No matter what they said. Wormtail was still out there. He could still get to Harry.
Sirius clung to damp wall of his cell. It was all he had now. The tears made slow tracks down his face. He was innocent. They'd never believe him. Life. A sob shook his normally proud frame. Lily and James, dead. He'd never see Remus again. The Marauder's were dead. Gone. Over.