Disclaimer: See prologue chapter.

Background: See prologue chapter.

A/N: See prologue chapter.

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Chapter 17

Azkaban; same time

Mycroft sat and listened to Black speak with a blank look on his face, giving away nothing of his thoughts. When Black was finished, Mycroft was silent as he assessed Black before he finally spoke, asking one simple thing, "Tell me something, Mister Black," Mycroft looked Black directly in his eyes, "What would you do for your godson?"

Black didn't even hesitate before he said, "Anything."

Mycroft eyed him for a moment before he said, "You really should think things through before you agree to do anything."

"It's Harry," croaked out Black. "I don't need to think."

"Not thinking is what got you here in the first place," said Mycroft, disapprovingly.

Black laughed darkly and it sent chills up Mycroft's spine – though he refused to let it show.

"My last name got me sent here. It wouldn't have mattered if I did anything in the end," said Black ruefully shaking his head.

"Your actions did not help you either," said Mycroft shaking his own head. He consulted a notebook from his inner breast pocket. "It says here you were laughing as you were arrested. What can we make of that, do you suppose?"

Black's face crumpled as he said, voice extremely hoarse from the over talking he was doing after not talking in years, "Grief…I had just lost everything. James – Lily dead…Dumbledore had taken Harry away from me –"

Mycroft cut him off, "Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"Yes," said Black, eyes shining brightly but no tears falling.

"He had taken Harry Potter from your custody that night before you chased after Mister Peter Pettigrew?" asked Mycroft, his mind racing with possibilities. Black bypassed this information when he was speaking of this night previously and Mycroft obviously needed it.

"Before I decided to chase the rat that night," said Black thinking back again to that terrible night, "I arrived at the Potter's Cottage and Hagrid already had Harry. I asked for Hagrid to give Harry to me since I'm his godfather, you know…he should have been in my custody…Hagrid told me no – on Dumbledore's order. Didn't even tell me where Dumbledore was sending him…"

Black stopped speaking, overcome with memories from that night.

"I see," said Mycroft simply. Mycroft's mind whirled with possible scenarios as that information changed things.

Black visibly gathered himself, looked Mycroft in the eye and said, "I will admit, I am the type of person who will jump into a situation first without thinking through the consequences if I feel wronged or someone I care about was wronged," he blanched as if remembering something from a different time – Mycroft would need more information on that – "but that's not what happened that night. So when you ask me what I would do for my godson, the answer is anything. I would do anything."

Black coughed after that speech, voice not used to speaking, as Mycroft watched him critically.

"We will have to work on that," said Mycroft simply.

"What?" asked Black, confused, and with good reason.

Mycroft didn't answer him as he reached down into the fold of his umbrella, took out a bottle and handed it over to Black.

"What's this?" asked Black, suspicion in his voice and movements, as he carefully took the bottle – which looked like a potion – but a Muggle couldn't have a potion, could he?

"According to my records, Mister Black, you were excellent in this class at school so you should have no problem identifying what that is and what type," said Mycroft.

'Apparently, a Muggle could have a potion' was the thought that was easily read across Black's face as he examined the bottle carefully.

"You have a twelve hour window to use it before my help disappears," continued Mycroft with no regard to Black's obvious thought.

"How –" started Black.

"No one will notice or be able to take the bottle from you, if you catch my meaning, for twelve hours I am told," said Mycroft, cutting him off. "You will have no problem getting it back to your cell though I do advise you caution and hide it before you leave this room. There is no need to flaunt that you have it."

Black tucked the bottle away neatly and stared calmly at Mycroft and said, "How did you even know to bring this?"

Mycroft gave Black a little enigmatic smile before he said, "I'm glad everyone was wrong about you being insane."

Black made noncommittal noise and said, "You have your secrets and I have mine, I suppose."

"One that you will be telling me in time," said Mycroft, giving Black a significant look.

Black tapped his fingers on the table a few times – Mycroft counted eight and suppressed a smirk, Black was a quick learner – and said, "If you are around long enough, you'll be able to see it."

Black didn't have to fake the shiver that went through him.

"Hmm," said Mycroft, not committing one way or the other.

Mycroft stood up from the table, went to the door and knocked. He waited until the door was opened before he said, "You've been very helpful, Mister Black."

"Mysterious Man," said Black with an incline of his head in his direction. Mycroft never did introduce himself.

Mycroft nodded his head once before he left the room and Black was escorted back to his cell.

Hogwarts; same time

After being informed by one of the portraits in his office where his deputy headmistress was, Dumbledore headed to Minerva's office to inform her that she was needed and why.

Dumbledore knew Minerva long enough to know that she wouldn't be pleased with this news either way and it would be best to inform her in her own office where she was more comfortable.

He arrived at her door and knocked.

"Enter," said Minerva, the door opening simultaneously for her visitor.

Minerva looked up from her lesson planning, took one look at Dumbledore standing in her doorway, stood up from behind her desk and said, "Albus? What has happened?"

He told her what he found out when he returned to his office and that he and Severus planned to leave to check out Privet Drive.

"I would like for you to accompany us as well, Minerva," said Dumbledore.

Minerva was silent as she watched Dumbledore before she said, "Oh, Albus. What have you done? I told you those Muggles were not the place to leave the boy!"

"Let's not jump to conclusions, my dear Minerva. We do not know that the Muggles did anything," said Dumbledore calmly.

Minerva said something under her breath that Dumbledore couldn't hear.

"We leave in an hour," said Dumbledore simply, choosing to ignore what Minerva might have said about himself, the Muggles or both.

He knew that Petunia, and thus the Dursley's house, was Harry's best chance at surviving the Death Eaters.

Dumbledore ignored the niggling voice in the back of his head that said it wasn't all he was doing by leaving Harry with Muggles he knew would have a problem with a magical child due to jealousy and a want of living a normal life.

It needed to be done for Tom to be gone forever, however. Everyone would understand in the end. Even Harry.

"I'll be ready," said Minerva firmly. She couldn't trust Severus to be objective when it came to James' son, despite Harry also being Lily's, and this situation was Dumbledore's to begin with. Honestly.

"We will meet you in the Entrance Hall," said Dumbledore and she nodded once.

Dumbledore then left Minerva's office to prepare, just as his two professors.

Exactly an hour later, the three professors met in the Entrance Hall of their school with a nod at each other and then started the long walk down the grounds, past the gates and finally the wards before each of them disappeared with a sharp Crack!

Azkaban – Outside Interrogation Room

"Did you get everything you came for, Mister Holmes?" asked Madam Bones with Dawlish at her side.

"It certainly was enlightening," said Mycroft as he watched Black be roughly escorted back to his prison cell.

Madam Bones stared at him suspiciously for a moment before she asked, "Is there anything else The Ministry can do for you today, Mister Holmes?"

"Besides getting me back to my vehicle?" asked Mycroft mildly.

"I thought your associate took your motorized broom?" asked Dawlish, eyebrow raised and arms crossed.

"She's efficient enough not to leave her boss stranded," said Mycroft, his own eyebrow raised challengingly, not bothering to correct the misconception that a car wasn't even close to a resemblance of a broom.

Dawlish's eyebrows furrowed as he worked out what Mycroft said as Madam Bones sighed and said, "Of course, we will get you back to your car," she stressed the word out enough for her associate.

"There is nothing else that I need your assistance with," said Mycroft, smiling pleasantly.

Madam Bones looked like she just wanted her encounter with Mister Holmes to be done with though she was suspicious of his wording – as she should be – and said, "Of course, Mister Holmes. Dawlish will be happy to take you across again. Good day, Mister Holmes." She turned to Dawlish, "I'll see you back in the office."

"Ma'am," said Dawlish, with a nod in her direction, as he directed Mycroft back the way they came in and Madam Bones went another way.

Azkaban Cell – Sirius Black

Sirius Black stood with his back to the door of his cell, staring at the potion bottle in his hand – like he had been doing for the past thirty minutes since he was escorted back.

He couldn't believe that he had a Muscle Strengthening Potion – something he would need to swim to shore in whatever shape he chose to take, though his Animagus form would make the swim easier. Hell, the Potion itself would make the swim easier than what it would have been had Sirius attempted escape before though there was a downside to this particular potion…

It would only last for half hour – forty-five minutes if the potion maker was particularly talented – after taking it before you were worst off than you were before taking the potion. He didn't want to be swimming when the potion wore off, that was for sure so the timing would be everything and he had less than seven and a half hours to make sure his plan was as foolproof as he could...

Well more foolproof other than take potion, change into Padfoot and slip out when they bring dinner.

Too bad he was being interrogated during lunch – this potion always worked better when there was some food to help.

Sirius settled on the floor.

He would do anything for Harry though. This was just the first step.

Sirius was sure of it.

A/N2: I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and enjoys the new Sherlock tomorrow. I'll see you in about a week with another chapter! :-)