Well then. That was cool. Ok, not the Sirius being captured part, but the three reviews in the span of however many hours it was part. It made us feel warm and fuzzy. In answer to the how did they find him question, an anonymous tip. It's someone you know, for the record. And for all of you "remus didn't show enough emotion when Sirius died" people, you'll be happy with us.

Still don't own anything but Heather and the plot!

thoughts

Chapter 25

Of Trials, Dementors, and Large Bottles of Firewhiskey

The talking stopped immediately. Students abandoned their breakfasts and looked up at the massive number of Aurors that had just burst through the large oak doors. "No…" Harry heard Hermione breathe next to him.

"Please remain calm, everyone," the apparent leader of the group spoke out to the confused students. "You can return to your breakfasts in a few moments. Miss Windling, will you come with us please?"

"Yes, of course," she replied with a very surprising amount of composure.

"Students, please return to your meal. You'll have your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher back soon," the same Auror told them. The doors shut closed and babbling broke out at once. Harry, Hermione, and Ron snuck out of the Great Hall without hitch, or so they thought. Someone was following them.

They flew up the stairs into Heather's office, only to find an assortment of broken desks, papers strewn on the floor, shattered ink bottles, and the all-familiar pink collar lying on the ground.

"They've already been here," Ron muttered blankly.

"But…" Harry started, unable to continue.

"C'mon," Hermione encouraged. "They may still be in the building." Down one corridor, up a staircase, through a doorway, and accidentally into a broom closet they ran, getting nowhere fast.

"Hermione, give it up, we don't know where they went," Ron panted. Harry was about to open his mouth when she held up her hand and leaned against a wall. "Hermione, what…?" Harry and Ron looked at each other, exchanged shrugs and pressed their ears to the brick.

"So you're saying you had no idea your 'pet' was a convicted murderer?"

"No, I didn't," Heather's voice drifted to them through the stone.

"Very well. You'll come with us. As for you, you pathetic bit of filth…"

"Yeah, what about me?" Harry's heart skipped a beat. Sirius!

"You're getting one and only one chance to redeem yourself. Now get over here. Worthless scum. Ministry of Magic Level 10!" A whooshing sound followed the man's voice, then nothing.

"We've got to follow them!"

"So…" Harry, Hermione, and Ron whipped around at the new voice.

"Ginny?!?"

"Will someone please explain to me, a) how Sirius is alive, b) what in the world he's doing here, and c) how we're going after them? I let Sam's appearance go, I figured it was just a freaky coincidence. Now I come to find that he's been here all along, hiding as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's dog?!?!? Start talking!!"

"How we're going to follow them?" Ron demanded.

"Listen," Harry protested, "we don't have much time. Long story short, the veil was a fake and Sirius is here because he wanted to keep an eye on me. Why is it always my fault?"

"I don't know and it doesn't really matter. But Ginny's got a point, how are we getting to the Ministry of Magic?"

"Floo powder!"

"No Ron, that wouldn't work, we wouldn't be able to tell if there was anyone watching!" Trust Hermione to be logical at a time like this, Harry thought bleakly.

"We could go on broomsticks! Ron, Harry and I all have one, that would be enough for the four of us."

"Five, if we bring Sirius back with us," Ron corrected her.

"But someone would be bound to see us!"

"Harry could get his Invisibility cloak!"

"You have an Invisibility cloak?!? Why am I just now learning about this?!?!?!?"

"Yeah, but it won't cover all of us."

"We could bring it along, though."

"Good point. Accio Invisibility cloak! Now what?" The cloak flew into Harry's hands as Hermione gasped.

"A Disillusionment charm!"

"Why didn't I think of that?!?"

"I don't know Harry, but would it work on our brooms?"

"Only one way to find out. Accio brooms!"

"Ron, isn't someone going to see all this stuff we're summoning going through the halls?"

"They might, yeah."

"That doesn't matter now, we've got to get to Sirius! Hermione, use a disillusionment charm already!"

"There, we're all chameleons. Now what?!?"

"Hermione, get on the back of Ron's. Ginny, you'll ride by yourself. Since I've got the fastest broom I'll go ahead of you, is that okay?" The other three nodded and mounted their respective brooms, Hermione clutching the back of Ron's robes for dear life. Harry was sorely reminded of their hippogriff ride in third year.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for us to be riding brooms through Hogwarts?"

"Sure Ginny, no one can see us anyway, we're invisible!"

"Actually Ron, we're not invisible, someone could see us if they were looking hard enough, but the bell went off a little while ago so everyone will probably be in class anyway."

"Well, that's encouraging."

"Be quiet Harry. Do you want to get to Sirius or not?" Harry gave no reply but sped ahead of them and out the doors of the castle.


Meanwhile, an extremely nervous Heather was sitting in Courtroom Ten, attempting not to bite her nails. Oh Sirius, how can you be so stupid?!? You should have answered yes to that question!! C'mon, you know better than this! She contemplated all that had happened in the short time after she woke up that morning, and thought of the Minister with a feeling of pure loathing. Bumbling idiot. If you knew, if you only knew… Oh, how I wish I could just stun you all. But no, I can't do that, can I. Sirius, c'mon, you're innocent! I know, you know, Harry and his friends know, just make the rest of the world know!! Fudge pulled her out of her musings with an unusually loud comment.

"You expect me to believe that Pettigrew is alive?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?"

"Yes?" Sirius replied uncertainly, obviously not very sure of himself.

Sirius!!!! Stupid Minister, I'll show you, you worthless, filthy scum of a man, I will NOT let you hurt him! Now, regain your composure and show that power-hungry fiend how pathetically wrong he is! I could really use a bottle of firewhiskey about now. A really big bottle, yes, a big bottle of firewhiskey…

"So, what you're saying is that James Potter, JAMES POTTER, YOU'RE SO-CALLED BEST-FRIEND DECIDED NOT TO USE YOU!?!?!?!?!?! YOU WORTHLESS VILE PIECE OF FILTH!! HOW YOU CAN SLEEP AT NIGHT IS BEYOND ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL OF THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADMINISTERING THE DEMENTOR'S KISS RAISE YOUR HAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Looking up from the floor at last, Heather was horrified to see all but one of the people, a young looking witch with striking blue hair, behind Fudge raise their hand.

"GUILTY!!!!!!!! YOU WILL FINALLY GET WHAT YOU DESERVE, YOU-YOU-TAKE HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Looking down again, Heather never saw Sirius being forcefully lead away by two of Azkaban's few remaining Dementors, never saw the young witch wipe a tear off of her face and run out of the courtroom, never saw a certain disillusioned teenager ball his fists in rage and punch the wall, never saw the maniacal smile on Fudge's face as people grouped around him, congratulating him.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny arrived a few minutes later to find a no longer disillusioned Harry sitting against the wall, making strange motions with his hands. After arguing amongst themselves about who would talk to him, Hermione moved forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "Harry…"

"HARRY!!!!" The four of them jumped at a man's yell, and turned to see Remus running at them. "Harry, what are you doing here?? Albus contacted me, he told me to come here, he didn't say anything else, what are you doing here by yourself?? What happened, is someone hurt???"

"First off Remus, I'm not alone, I have Ron, Ginny, and Hermione with me. And, as for what I'm doing…they…he…shouldn't…Fudge…VOLDEMORT I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"What's he talking about???!? Is someone hurt?!? Did Voldemort attack the school?!?"

"No," Hermione spoke in a quavering voice. "No, it's not that, it's…Sirius."

"You…no…not…No…he wouldn't…but they…Dumbledore…No, you're lying."

"They aren't lying Remus, I watched the trial myself." Heather was looking with sad eyes down at Harry and Remus, and then spoke to the rest. "You might want to disillusion yourselves, I don't think it's really working."

"Who, who are you?" Remus finally managed to ask as Hermione took the spell off of her friends.

"I'm Heather, Hogwarts's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"You, you're not…"

"Yes, I am."

"Heather, how could they do this?!??!??!?!??!??!???!?!?" Remus screamed, falling to the ground. "I already lost him once! And the other day Sirius and I got into an argument and we haven't spoken to each other since!"

"The mirror! Sirius still has the mirror!"

"No such luck Hermione, Sirius may have his mirror but I don't have mine."

"That doesn't matter anyway, they will have taken anything he had with him."

"Harry," Hermione whispered, "your invisibility cloak!!"

"Like it will cover all of us."

"No, but it will cover you, Remus, and Professor Windling."

"Well?"

"It's taking a risk, the Dementors will be able to sense us."

"Harry's Patronus can fight off any lousy Dementors, don't worry."

"Ron, I really don't think I could conjure a Patronus to save my life at the moment."

"What about saving Sirius's life?" Everyone looked over at Ginny, who had spoken for the first time since they left school.

"Harry, everyone knows your Patronus, you'd be putting yourself in huge danger!"

"Hermione, Ginny's right, I can't just sit here and do nothing!" He turned to Remus and Heather, who were looking at each other with uncertainty, and pulled the invisibility cloak out of his pocket. "So, are you coming?" Remus grabbed cloak and threw it around both of them, just as another voice cried out, "Wait!"

"Now what," Harry muttered angrily through clenched teeth, and saw blue-haired Tonks running towards them, tripping over a table, falling to the floor, and walking the rest of the way.

"You don't know where they have him, now do you?"

"Tonks, please, do you know?"

"Of course I do, Harry! Am I that evil?"

"Just show us the way! We'll follow. You won't be able to see us, so don't worry about it." Harry felt Lupin throw the cloak over him and looked back at Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Grab my broom and be waiting for us!"

"Harry, our three brooms won't be enough for the seven of us!"

"After I've shown them where Sirius is, I'll bring you to the Portkey office and get you one that will take you to school."

"Will you keep our brooms?"

"Yes, now let's go!" She strode off quickly down the hallway, Remus, Heather, and Harry having difficulties keeping up with her under the cloak. She finally led them down a dark hallway, and opened the door, allowing Harry and the two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers to slip in.

"What do you want?? We're in the middle of something here!"

"I'm just looking for the Minister, have you seen him?"

"No, and he's not here!"

"Fine then, you don't need to be so rude!" Tonks slammed the door shut and the two men continued on with whatever they had been doing.

"Right then," one of them declared, "you stay here with him until I get back with the dementor." It was then that Harry noticed Sirius chained to the back wall. After making sure the first man had left, Remus took out his wand and whispered, "Stupify!" and the Auror slumped to the floor. Sirius was looking around the room in complete confusion as the three of them threw off the cloak and attempted to get him out of the shackles.

"What, how, but…"

"Sirius, shut up, they'll be back any second!"

"Harry, what are you doing here!?!?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?!?"

"And Sirius, if we can't get you out, I'm really sorry about that argument we had!"

"Ow!!!!!!! I can't undo these chains!"

"Neither can I!" Harry moaned.

"Stand back!"

"Moony, what are you doing????"

"Shut it Padfoot! Diffindo, alohomora, reducto, accio, finite incantatum, reparo, engorgio, incendio, dissendium!!!"

"Remus, you've officially tried every spell that won't work!!"

"Shhh!! They're coming!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get out of here, now!!"

"But…"

"Harry, get out!! That goes for you, too!" Remus whipped the Invisibility cloak around them and muttered, "Ennervate!" The guard woke up and got onto his feet, shaking his head just as the door opened and Harry felt the familiar cold sweep through his body. Remus looked at him, then nudged him, a questioning expression on his face. Harry answered by taking out his wand. Concentrating on the memory of seeing Sirius on his birthday, he muttered, "Expecto patronum!", but to no avail. Not even a thin silver vapor emitted from his wand.

Getting frantic as the Dementor closed in on Sirius, he tried again, still not getting any results. Once more he whispered the words, resulting in a wisp of smoke that vanished after two seconds. "No…!" he heard Heather gasp beside him.

It was too late. The Dementor was inches away from Sirius; it was moving closer; it was almost touching him. Harry was about to run out of the room when the door crashed open and someone barged in and shouted, "STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Gasp! Sirius no! How about four reviews this time! It shouldn't be that hard if you really want to know what happens, right?