Chapter Eight

It was Gideon's plan. Decided after Moody had stomped off to contact Dumbledore, in harsh whispers between their four bowed heads.

'If we want Sirius to have a fair trial, he needs to be capable of testifying. Calmly. We can move him, out on license as it were. Fab, you take Remus and go. Lily and I will go to St. Mungo's and wait for Dumbledore there.'

Lily had frowned and Remus had kicked himself. James, unconscious and unaware was completely unprotected. Gideon had helped train James as an Auror, it was appropriate he went with Lily. But when they had parted ways in the Ministry entrance hall, Remus had pulled her tightly into his arms.

'Be safe, apparate away at the first sign of anything.' He had murmured in her ear. Expecting Lily to laugh and push him away as she always did when the wolf forced its possessive nature on them, he was surprised when her free arm snaked around his back and her fingers buried into his jumper.

'You too, take care. I'll see you soon.'

And then he had been whipped away on side-along with Fabian. Remus had never been to Azkaban before, and he staggered as they landed on the sharp grey rocks at the base of the fortress.

Above them, the towering cliff face gave way to the cracked and tumbled stone of the ancient fortress. The North Sea wind whipped at Fabian's robes and Remus' hair, hunting for the tiniest gaps in their clothes and freezing the skin underneath. It was nothing compared to the bone cold dread that swept over them, raining down despair from the prison above. Remus rummaged in the pocket of his cord jacket, pulling out a small bar of Dairy Milk. He broke off a square and popped it into his mouth before offering another to Fabian.

The Auror grinned, 'You do come prepared.'

Remus smiled back, half-heartedly, 'My father works with Magical Creatures, I know the drill.' He did not mention that he kept it on him always.

'Alright, so this is the only place we can apparate from. They don't like Patronuses in there either, sorry.' He glanced at Remus, and Remus could see the worry in his eyes.

'I'll be fine. Go on.'

'There's an office with wizarding workers on the ground floor.' Fabian pointed up the rough-hewn steps ahead of them, 'We'll go there, fill in the paperwork and then go get him. They'll want to know things like where he will be held, who with, all that kind of thing. It's to do with the licence he'll be let out on.'

Remus nodded again, he would do that. Whatever it took, even if that meant having his name in this place.

'He's in maximum security, right up at the top. We have to walk up.' Fabian took a breath, 'It's going to be awful.'

'Let's get started then. The quicker we get out of here the better.'

Fabian looked like he wanted to say more, so Remus started up the steps first. He did not want to talk. He kept his eyes fixed on each step, as he had done since Lily had woken up. He knew he was putting off considering what they might find, what would be left of the man he… His mind seemed to skim around his name, his face, the fact they hadn't seen each other since the June before.

The office had a farm door, split in the middle and when Fabian knocked the top part was swung back, revealing a little room with a big wood burning stove. A grey faced witch peered out at them, 'I.D.?'

Fabian pulled out his MLE department warrant card, 'Auror Fabian Prewett, plus visitor. Here to take a prisoner out on licence.'

'Aye.' She pushed a clipboard and quill towards him, 'Prisoner name, your staff number, witness name and location of transfer all on here.'

Fabian started scrawling the details into the correct boxes on the form, 'What's the address Remus?'

He'd thought about this the whole climb, 'Rowan Cottage, Llanddeusant, Carmarthenshire.'

Fabian blinked, 'Um, how do you spell… Shandish-what?'

'With two ells and two dees.' He plucked the quill from Fabian's fingers and wrote the Welsh word, and then for good measure and Welsh pride followed it with, Sir Gaerfyrddin, Cymru. He gave the quill back to a grinning Fabian, who had just enough Welsh to recognise Cymru.

The duty-witch frowned down at the clipboard as they handed it back, 'Where's that then?'

Remus adopted the haughty tones he heard from Purebloods all the time, one Pureblood in particular, 'The home of a Ministry official.'

He turned to Fabian, 'Lead on.'

They started up the stairs, winding spiral ones that felt too narrow, and Remus was careful not to let his jumper scrape the dank walls. They had not gone far when he realised the witch wasn't following them.

'Fabian? Why are they not escorting us?'

Fabian gave a mirthless laugh, 'They aren't paid enough for that. The Dementors run this place, we just like to pretend the Ministry supervises them.'

The next round of stairs the temperature plummeted, and inside Remus' head, the howling started.

Remus' worst memories almost entirely belonged to the wolf or were attached to the wolf. He winced as pain shot through his side, a phantom memory of Greyback's first bite. Remus took a deep breath, and for once he did not fight the pacing, angry thing that lived inside him.

The hair on every part of his body stood on end, and he rolled his neck as Fabian lead them up another floor. Fabian's tread was heavier now, as the noises of the prisoners started to reach them. Inside the protective rage of the wolf, Remus still felt the nausea rising with the sound of tens of people screaming against the dark that lived within them.

By the fourth floor Fabian looked pale when he turned to Remus, 'We have to go across and up a different tower. Sorry.'

Remus shook his head, 'No. It's fine. We need to get to him.'

Fabian swallowed, 'It's the floor above, it's just there will be a lot of Dementors.'

Remus' nose informed him Fabian was nervous. Cold assessment reminded him the Prewetts were only a few years older than the Marauders. Fabian had been an Auror right out of Hogwarts, the same as James. But he was quieter than Gideon, excellent in a fight, wide eyed afterwards no matter how many times it happened. The wolf huffed. Fabian was not his to protect, and he had bigger concerns.

Remus took a deep breath, 'It's alright.'

Fabian nodded, 'Yeah. Come on.'

He squared his shoulders and they set off through the door.

The smell was bad. The wave of cold and fear was awful.

Cells lined both sides of the corridor, but not all were occupied. The occupied ones were easy to spot, each had a Dementor standing outside the bars, exuding cold terror through out the cell block.

'They guard them all the time?'

Fabian glanced back at him, still striding forward as quickly as possible, 'Yeah. With a break here or there.'

Remus' blood ran cold. Somewhere in this hell, Sirius, his Sirius, had been locked in one of these stinking holes constantly guarded feet away by the most awful creatures he could imagine. For one moment, Remus hated Dementors more than he had ever hated anything, Greyback and lycanthropy included.

He lengthened his stride to catch up with Fabian. By the time they stepped out onto the High Security Floor, Remus was fighting the urge to run.

This floor was different from the one below, the corridor was not straight through, but twisted and turned. Each cell had two Dementors outside, but their prisoners were quieter here. Except one. Bellatrix threw herself at the bars as they passed by, mad cackles running together into an almost scream. She had always had the spark of Black madness about her, but Remus saw nothing sane in her eyes now. Certainly, nothing that suggested she knew who he was, or even where they were. The Dementors did not react.

Sirius' cell was right in the centre. Even through the shit, and muck and Merlin knew what else, the scent that was unmistakeable filtered through to Remus. Sirius. Leather and spice wood and magic all rolled into one.

They rounded the corner, and Remus strode forward, stopping only when the metal bars stood between him and the man he loved.

He was dimly aware that Fabian was speaking authoritatively to the Dementors on either side of him, unable to make out the words through the pounding of his heart in his ears. He barely noticed as they moved away, and Fabian reached out to open the cell door.

Remus threw an arm out to stop him, 'Wait.'

Fabian frowned, 'What? We need to move Lupin.'

He shook his head, moving his hand to point, taking in the walls and floor, 'Look.'

The more he looked, the more there was to see. Everywhere, every surface, was marked. The runes, glyphs and sigils were scrawled in blood and soot. How he had managed to get charcoal from the torches, Remus had no idea. They were clearly the magical sort that would not go out no matter what.

'Bloody hell.' Fabian muttered, 'It's like his flat.'

Remus shook his head, 'No, it's like his tattoos.'

Remus was not looking at the marks anymore though. His eyes were locked on the figure curled up on the iron cot against the wall. Bare feet blackened with he did not want to think what, was all he could see of Sirius' body. A scrap of filthy blanket covered the rest of him, his face pressed against the wall at the far end as he curled in on himself.

Rage burned and the wolf threw itself at the cage of Remus' ribs and mind. These past years living with other werewolves had loosened his control on his temper and here in this place it was dangling by a thread. He had to be careful. He couldn't – mustn't – tear the whole place down. They were here to rescue Sirius. Sirius was all that mattered.

He took as deeper breath of the foul air as he dared and pushed the cell door open.

Sirius flinched, but did not turn.

There was magic in his wards, how he had managed that in this hellscape Remus had no idea, but he felt it prickling around him. At Hogwarts they had all learnt just how volatile and unpredictable Sirius' magic could be, matching his hot-blooded nature. Nothing he had made to protect them had ever hurt anyone in Sirius' adopted family – the Marauders and Lily, now Harry too. But this… Remus stepped carefully over something that looked remarkably like a curse trap, this did not resemble Sirius' neat and flowing rune craft. These marks were ragged, as though he had torn them from himself and the stone. They were unsafe, unsound.

'Be careful.' Fabian hissed, 'That looks – '

The distraction threw Remus off, his foot glanced too close to a bind rune he could not begin to read and pain like fire drew a line up his calf. He bit through his lip as he quelled the urge to yell and up away. Not taking his eyes from the dangerously still form of Sirius Black, he flung a hand out, fingers splayed at Fabian, 'Shut the fuck up.' His voice was low and harsh, and in that moment, he couldn't give a shit.

Next to the cot, the smell of the cell, and unfortunately Sirius, was nearly overpowering. He obviously hadn't been given clean clothes or water to bathe in for months.

Remus fought the desire to touch him, to hold him, and to run all at the same time, there was no time for that now.

'Sirius?'

Nothing.

'Sirius. It's me.'

'Ha.' Sirius' voice sounded like shredding paper, 'Piss off. Not at home to hallucinations.'

Remus squeezed his eyes shut, not certain if he wanted to cry or shake him, 'Get up. We are leaving.'

'Most sensible thing you've said all month.' Sirius still did not move.

Remus took a step closer to the head end. There was blood. He could smell it everywhere, dried and old on the walls and floor and on Sirius. But he could see and smell the fresh red ooze in the matted black hair, and on the small patch of Sirius' pale cheek that was visible from this angle. A head wound, that might explain his insistence that Remus did not exist.

A wave of nausea and despair passed through him, and a Dementor floated by outside. The head wound probably was not the only reason.

Remus took as deeper breath as he was willing and grasped Sirius' shoulder, roughly turning him onto his back, 'Do I look like a fucking hallucination to you?'

Sirius opened his eyes, pupils blown from concussion, 'No.' He rasped. 'Polyjuice Moody?'

Remus tightened his grip, trying not to thing about how the bones in Sirius' once strong shoulder seemed to grind together, and pulled him up to sit.

'I, Remus John 'Moony' Lupin, am here. Truly and really.'

Sirius frowned, brows furrowing over clouded silver eyes, 'Could be a trick, or mad.' He murmured.

'Padfoot.' Remus forced the slight smile, 'You bought me my first cock ring for my sixteenth birthday.'

Recognition cleared a path through Sirius' gaze in an instant. It had not been their security phrase. Remus had in fact never knowingly mentioned that particular moment in their history out loud since the event.

'Rem.' Every word sounded like another rip was being added to Sirius' throat and Remus' heart tore with it, 'Rem, it was him. Peter. You have to find him, whatever is happening he'll know.' He stopped, drawn up short by a hacking cough, it sounded wet and dangerous.

'I know, Pads I know.' He crouched now, both hands of Sirius' shoulders now, 'It's alright. We are getting you out of here.'

For the first time, Sirius' eyes left Remus. He looked over Remus' head and took in Fabian in the doorway. Remus felt the tremor that passed through Sirius body.

'Are they killing me?' He croaked.

'What? No! Why would they –'

'It's alright. Better than this… place.'

Remus felt his heart snap in two. Caution was thrown to the four winds and he pulled Sirius against his chest, arms pinning the fragile body to him. His right hand cupping the back of Sirius' head and he ignored the way Sirius went completely still, or the strange shift in the magic under Sirius' robes that flared and fought even though the man himself couldn't anymore.

'You absolute cunt, Padfoot. I'm taking you home. Now.'

He stood, pulling Sirius' unresisting form with him. Something seemed to snap in the air around them and the magic in Sirius' cell flared and vanished. Like he had been holding on for this moment and now it could finally stop. Sirius staggered against Remus, but he kept him locked against his side and upright. As they stepped across the threshold Sirius tried to pull back, the Dementors were floating mere feet away.

Fabian stepped forward, putting himself between Sirius and the monsters.

'Can you manage him?'

Remus nodded, Sirius have never really been bulky enough that Remus couldn't move him with werewolf strength, but he reckoned even Lily could have lifted him now. 'It's fine.'

They were most of their way back to the stairs down when Sirius jolted loose of Remus' grip and shot between two towering Dementors, ignoring their cold dead hands that reached for him.

The prisoner in this cell was curled into the furthest corner. Remus hadn't even spared them a glance. Sirius was straining to reach the bars and Remus had to yank him back from the guards.

'Regulus.' Sirius croaked, 'Reg?'

There was nothing, no reaction. Remus pulled Sirius away, feeling the stubborn hardening of his heart that always came from any mention of the Blacks in general. 'Come. Away, Sirius.'

Sirius managed to drag his eyes back to Remus, the unsettling mania in them clearing infinitesimally as they locked together and Remus curled his fingers tightly around Sirius' wrist and waist, 'We are going.'

If his heart hadn't already been smashed into pieces, the docile way Sirius came to heel and let Remus lead him through the door and down the stairs would have done it. He didn't react when Sirius buried his face in Remus' shoulder on the floor below, hiding from the sight of the other prisoners, the Dementors. Hiding his tremors and the way his legs were giving out under him.

Remus was holding up almost all of Sirius' insubstantial weight by the time they were back at the office. He left Fabian to check them out and continued out, stopping only to scoop Sirius into his arms once they were in the fresh air. As they went down the steps cut into the rough rock, Sirius' eyes clouded again and then shut, his face turned away from Remus.

They waited at the apparation point for Fabian. Remus didn't trust himself to speak, and instead fixed his eyes on the white horses racing towards the rocks and dashing against the stone beneath them. He wanted to go, now, and run. Never let the Ministry anywhere near Sirius again, but they had to do it right. He knew it.

A tiny sound caught his attention, just under the sounds of waves. Sirius was humming. The words of the song came back to Remus all in a rush.

'Oberon and Titania watched by a harridan

Mab is the queen and there's a good apothecary-man

Come to say hello

Fairy dandy tickling the fancy of his lady friend

The nymph in yellow

What a quaere fellow

The ostler stares with hands on his knees

Come on mister feller, crack it open if you please'

Remus lowered his face to Sirius' hair and planted a single kiss on his temple, feeling the tears start to fall.

He only looked up at the sound of Fabian's approach, giving him a nod before they spun on the spot. Running away home, to Wales.

A.N. Well, we got him out! Yay? And off to Wales to see what is left off him I promise we will catch up with Lily & Harry next time.

Sirius' song is The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke by Queen. It first appeared on Side Black of the album Queen II, and was inspired by the Richard Dadd painting of the same name. The painting was made during Dadd's incarceration in State Criminal Lunatic Asylum of Bethlem Royal Hospital, London. As always, thank you so much for reading, following & reviewing, it means so much to me! Take care, stay safe, wear your masks.