Chapter 2: The Road to Azkaban

They shove me in the back of a Muggle police van and lock the doors behind me. I look around... The car's empty, filthy, dark... The storm outside is still wreaking havoc on the streets, and I hear the now heavy rain pouring down onto the top of the car, brushing its windows like an insane shower. I realize that my clothes are dripping wet and I'm shivering in the cold, but I don't care. There's no way this is going to be good... I know where I'm going and I know why. It's my fault that Lily and James are dead. I never should have trusted that rat. And now he's hiding. He's not stupid... he had it all planned out... Yes! His own backup plan in case anything went wrong... bloody toerag! I'm nothing more than a fool. They all think I killed all those people, that I sold my friends, killed good old Peter. Nobody'll believe me now... nobody will listen. I bury my head in my hands, trying to make sense of everything. I can feel it all slipping away... dreams, plans... my life's become a worthless fairytale in just a couple of hours.

I wish I had my wand. I wish I could make it all go away. But it's too late now... A clap of thunder startles me. I look out of the gloomy window, only to see Dumbledore talking to some Ministry workers. Next to him, a tall, thin, man stands nodding in disbelief, an expression of total confusion on his worn face. 'REMUS!' I yell, pounding my fists against the window, hoping he'll look my way, hoping he'll notice. But nothing... the car starts pulling off and I'm left staring out of the window, watching my last friend suffering because of me.

I can't stand all of this! My head's pounding, and a claw-like pain is clutching my insides. I move away from the window and sit down in a corner. I rest my head against the icy metal and feel my mind emptying... I'm left staring into the dark.

The car finally stops and I glance towards the window to see what's going on. Two massive guards open the car doors and pull me out roughly, leading me towards a nearby building..

The Ministry of Magic.. what, they've already gathered a lynching mob?

As we reach the main hallway I see Bartemius Crouch standing next to the golden statues, surrounded by a couple of reporters, guards and other Ministry workers. They're all staring at me and I can see the gleam of abhorrance in their eyes.

'Mr. Black!' Crouch addresses me when we finally reach them.

'If I'd known known this was a private party, I'd have packed some fancy robes!' I say snidely, while surveying the crowd.

'You're in no position to talk, Mr. Black! I'm here to inform you that you've been found...'

'You've got the wrong man, Crouch!' I say before he can finish his sentence.

'I find that very unlikely!' he hisses, eyeing me with disgust.

'Listen to me, Vol...' I interrupt urgently

'No, Mr. Black, I'll have none of that. You have been accused of murder, and I'm afraid that the evidence against you is quite compelling. I have no other choice than...'

'Don't you dare!' I shout at him, but I know what's coming... one of the guards turns towards me and hits me hard in the stomach. I stumble to the floor and land on my knees, clutching my abdomen in pain.

I raise my eyes at Crouch and he starts speaking again, with a satisfied spark in his eyes. 'As I said earlier, I have no other choice but to send you to Azkaban. The Dementors have been notified and they'll be here shortly to take you into their custody.'

This is it... no turning back... His voice keeps reverberating in my head... 'The Dementors of Azkaban... they're coming!'... 'Murder!'... 'Sentence you to Azkaban.. they're coming!' Flashes of memories mingle with his words until it all gets unbearable. 'YOU! YOU betrayed them Sirius!'... 'Say Padfoot, what's on for tonight?'... 'Sirius, do you mind watching Harry for a while?'... 'Murder!'... 'Harry!'... 'Harry!!'... 'AZKABAN!!'

-BANG- A door swings open and the room suddenly falls silent. Six Dementors come in, heading straight for Crouch and me. The room grows gradually colder as the they glide closer, and I can see stars of ice forming on the paving as they float forward. Two of them reach for my shoulders and pull me up from the now icy cold floor. As soon as they touch me I can feel their power, their hatred, charring all hope from my soul. My mind works alone now, showing me every single sordid memory it has stored throughout the years. My mother... my family... I'm all alone.. it's cold, so cold... alone. James, dead, Lily, NOOO!... people piling up in Godric's Hollow... standing in the rain in the middle of chaos... 'You're a traitor Sirius! You KILLED them!'... 'AZKABAN!'... 'FOREVER!!!' I cry out in pain as my head starts aching worse than ever... 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

Crouch is staring at me, sneering. 'Have... FUN, Mr. Black!' And he waves the Dementors off. I try to fight them, to fight against my mind...

'You've got the wrong person, Crouch! Listen to me, you...' They reach for my shoulders and start pulling me towards the door. 'No!! Harry!!!! HE's alive!! Crouc..' One of the Dementors comes in front of me and lets out a loud shriek, showing its putrid grey face from under his hood. Everything goes black...

I feel the rain dripping on my forehead. I slowly open my eyes and an eerie sight reveals itself through the misty darkness. Azkaban... the place of eternal sorrow. I'm too weak to speak, too weak to move.. those... creatures can suck the life out of you, leave you helpless and cold... and they enjoy it. The doors swing open with a loud crack and I'm once again being pushed forward towards them. I go along, looking around reluctantly. The prison is a great fortress, surrounded by water, in the middle of nowhere. It's just as dark as a shadow in the night, and as inviting as a coffin. I advance slowly towards the gloomy light inside the prison walls. It's still raining, I'm freezing, and the Dementors aren't helping a lot. I do my best to clear my thoughts, to escape from all the pain . I'm innocent, and still I'm here... in this place... in the rain... and it's cold... forever. Nothing matters in the end.

We go through the heavy doors, and I can see rows of cells on both sides of the long, winding corridor. It's dark and creepy. Hands reach out from beyond the bars when we pass by. Insane moans tear through the silence. And laughter, mad screams in the night. The air's suffocating, a stench of decay floats all around, engulfing everything in darkness. We walk across the corridor, and I keep looking around the massive structure. It must be four or more floors high, all made of stone and steel. Nobody broke free from here, and by the looks of it, nobody ever will. But I'll try, die trying if I have to... I'm innocent! I don't belong in here, not while Peter's out there. I must find him, kill him! But how...?

They finally stop in front of an empty cell. My new home I guess... It's small, dark, with one small window looking over the sea shore. I haven't any choice but to go through the steely barred door, and watch them close it from the outside. At least they won't be that close anymore... My mind can't stand it , it's all too much. My nose starts bleeding and I rip off a piece of my robes, trying to get it to stop. I'm sitting in a corner, my eyes still trying to adjust to the darkness of the cell. The Dementors resume their guarding posts across the corridor, leaving me in the shadows. I get up and slowly start to pace around the cell, looking at the time-worn walls and getting a glimpse of what appear to be scratch marks etched into the stone slabs. I can feel shivers going down my spine. How did I get here, what am I doing here... in this, this hell?! I walk near to the bars and look over to the cell facing mine. A young woman's standing in a corner, her arms across her legs, rocking her body slightly while keeping her eyes fixed on a stone and muttering something under her breath. I stare at her, at her eyes, and I fear that I'll end up like her... hopeless... insane... forgotten.

One of the Dementors is gliding towards my cell. I move back, trying to keep my distance from it, trying to force myself not to think. It stops in front of the cell and shoves some ragged clothes and a tray with stale food through a gap at the base of the door. As it trails away, I go towards the tray.. picking up a piece of bread and inspecting its mouldy surface with disgust. 'Yeah, right... thanks mate!' I shout after it.