Hogwarts wasn't originally a school, it was built to be a fortress, and was designed to be as unassailable as possible. High on a hill with a cliff face at its back and only one visible entrance. To get to the castle, one had to either cross heavily warded walls, navigate a dark forest guarded by centaurs, or cross a vast lake. None of those entrances worked for a small attack as one would be in the open and a sitting duck for anyone observing from the castle.

Needless to say, Sirius wasn't going to get into the castle from conventional entrances. There were numerous secret entrances and old tunnels to reach the castle if it were to be under siege. The easiest one to use would be the one currently located inside Honeydukes Chocolate Shop. It would be fun to figure out what had been there a thousand years ago to cover for it at a time that wasn't now. That would be how he would sneak into Hogwarts.

It was also how he ran into his first true obstacle in his plan. While surveilling the shop, The Grim picked up a familiar scent. At first, he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him, but then the man matching the scent came into view. Remus Lupin… Moony.

Knowing he couldn't just run up to the man, The Grim let out a small whine while he instantly regretted it, as his old friend pulled out his wand and started to scan the surrounding area, looking for the source of the sound. He then began sniffing the air himself to try to pick up the scent of the animal that had made the noise.

Remus's nickname, Moony, was a joke stemming from being a werewolf and as part of his condition, he did have an enhanced set of senses, though they were only slightly better than a human at this time of the month. Closer to the full moon, he would certainly be able to pick Sirius out of a crowd. What was his old friend doing at Hogwarts?

Sirius sprinted around the house he was hiding behind and peeked out from the other corner. He waited patiently for the man to come back out. When he exited the shop, he was pulling a large trolley stacked with chocolate.

The shopkeeper called after him, "Come back any time, Professor!" Moony waved back and started walking towards the gates of Hogwarts.

Professor? What? Was his old friend teaching at Hogwarts? What subject would he be teaching? Had Binns finally passed on or been exorcized? Moony would have been a great History Professor, though maybe that was just because he was the only person Sirius knew who could stay awake and take notes through Binns's class time. He was probably qualified for Care of Magical Creatures or Defense Against the Dark Arts, though there's no way that he'd ever teach Defense, not with the curse on the position. When he was in school, students had to teach themselves most years as the curriculum changed too much with a new teacher every year. Dumbledore would also never let a friend teach that job, not with the mortality rate in the position being so high.

He could feel a dementor approaching and snuck back into the hills. He would need to come back at night to investigate the hidden passage. While he was waiting, he planned how to get around this new obstacle.

The week leading up to any full moon was right out. Moony's sense of smell would be heightened and he would be able to find Sirius with ease. The best time would be the day after a full moon. If it was anything like back in school, the day after a full moon for Moony was like the worst hangover ever and he would just be recovering his body and mind.

He had one issue or The Daily Prophet left that hadn't vanished and he looked for the Divination section. Section D contained a multitude of information including weather predictions, betting odds on Quidditch matches, the future phases of the moon, and star charts. There he found divine providence. October 30th would be a full moon. The next night would be perfect for sneaking into Hogwarts. Moony would be recovering, and all the children would be fast asleep, completely crashed from the sugar highs they had been on earlier from the Halloween party.

It was a shame he couldn't go to Moony for help. It's one of the reasons he hadn't escaped from Azkaban earlier. Everyone 'knew' he was a murderer and a betrayer. Most people would kill him on sight. Being killed by a friend was much worse of a fate than an Auror or some random citizen.

Now, he just needed to survive for a month and a half till the night he could strike.


A week later, Sirius found another article in a discarded Witch Weekly from Miss Selic

A Sirius Mistake

A few days ago was Fudge's press conference, responding to my accusations. I was as surprised as any to receive an invitation to attend. However, as I have yet to be able to go out in public yet without fears of being attacked, a friend loaned me his credentials and a dose of polyjuice to go as him.

First of all, I cannot fathom how men are able to walk straight. Every stride has the chance of squeezing things that should not be squeezed between their thighs. It is both figuratively and literally walking on eggshells. I suppose it is avoided as a result of a lifetime of practice but I certainly found it very challenging.

Fudge immediately went on the defensive, saying at the time of the arrest, that he was not the Minister, nor was he Chief Warlock. These are certainly good points and Minister Bagnold and Chief Warlock Dumbledore should be questioned as to how they skipped such a high-profile criminal trial.

Fudge went on to call for Sirius Black to turn himself in to get the trial he was denied. This was just stupid. He is a murderer. Why on earth would he turn himself in? It is dumber than asking an Unspeakable to wear a name tag. A source of mine in the DMLE has also confirmed that Fudge has not rescinded Black's 'Kiss on Sight' order for the dementors, so even if he did turn himself in, he wouldn't be making it to the courtroom.

Further investigation also does not absolve Fudge and Crouch for simply not being the highest authorities in the country for their roles in this clusterfuck.

Side Note: It's very nice to be able to curse in writing at Witch Weekly as opposed to the censored editing of The Daily Prophet.

Back on topic, remember how there was only one day of difference between Black's arrest and his mugshot at incarceration? The only scheduled departure for Azkaban was in the middle of the night between the 2nd and the 3rd of November, and I could find no other paper trail showing where Black was between his arrest and his arrival in prison.

It is OK to blame Minister Bagnold and Chief Warlock Dumbledore for not bringing Black to trial in the time after it was reported that he had been incarcerated in Azkaban. However, it seems to me that he was captured and held by either Fudge and Crouch or unknown parties before being ceremoniously dumped on the Azkaban barge in the middle of the night.

Negligence of the country's leaders is reprehensible, but it is an excuse. How do you explain your way out of Black going from your hands to being dumped on the boat to Azkaban? I'm curious to see how you weasel your way out of this Minister.

According to my sources, shortly before the press conference, Fudge had a meeting in his office with Crouch. Maybe it's time to call another one so you can straighten your stories out before the next time you speak to the country and its people.

My contract with Witch Weekly has been extended for more coverage of this story. Though unless Fudge does something noteworthy, in connection to this story, in the next week, my next article will be more of the details of the night I brought Sirius Black home with me.

Sirius read the article a second time. She was right. Negligence could be an excuse, though Dumbledore's was extremely infuriating. He felt betrayed but not angry. He couldn't be angry because he had wanted to go to Azkaban to bring true justice to those inside. He made a mental note to find some way to let Dumbledore know if he died that he had been wrong. Thinking about that made him realize he might not survive his undertaking. He had the ministry and the dementors after him. The professors and everyone he knew would turn him in as well. He had no one he could rely on except for himself.

That night, he went out to find a way to break into Honeydukes when the time came. The security in the shop was light, just enough to keep Hogwarts students from breaking in to steal sweets. There would be no reason for an adult to break in. Following his reconnaissance, he snuck through the dementor patrols and arrived at the post office. He then mailed his last will and testament to Gringotts to be stored in his vault.