Author's note: Hi there. Over the past year and a quarter, I thought about writing this often; but alas, life gets in the way. It seems a bit silly to pick it up again after so long a hiatus, but I really do enjoy this story, and my obligations at the moment aren't too many, so… Why not? I don't know if this story has a following anymore, but it's a fun project regardless. Enjoy this chapter. I would make a joke about the anticipation, but I'm too tired to think of one at the moment.

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I referenced pages 281-287 and 306-307 in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while writing this.

The Escape

Severus was going to murder Potter. Or rather, he desperately wished he could. Dumbledore would probably frown on it, though, so Severus would have to content himself with telling some stories to the Minister. The best part was that most of it was true.

"Shocking business… shocking… miracle none of them died… never heard the like… by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

In truth, he didn't care much about the award, he simply enjoyed getting praise from the Minister, even if the Minister barely had more spine than a flobberworm.

"Nasty cut you've got there." Fudge gestured to the dried blood at Severus's temple, where he'd hit his head when Potter and Granger disarmed him. That he, Severus Snape, who deceived the Dark Lord and lived to tell the tale, had been knocked out by a couple of children was atrocious. "Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, and Granger, Minister."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behaviour. They seemed to think there was a possibility he was innocent." Citing a Confundus Charm was one of the minor untruths. More likely, the children were just stupid. As an afterthought, Severus added, "They weren't responsible for their actions.

"On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape… they obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handed." Now was the fun part. "They've got away with a great deal before now. I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves. And of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the Headmaster—"

"Ah, well, Snape… Harry Potter, you know… we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

He held back a snort. "a bit of a blind spot" seemed like an understatement, given the way the entire wizarding world pandered to Potter. It was pathetic, really. "And yet," he said, "is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try to treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended—at the very least—for leading his friends into such danger."

Of course, Potter would never get suspended, not even for attacking a teacher, but it wouldn't be for Severus's lack of trying.

"Consider, Minister: against all school rules—after all the precautions put in place for his protection—out of bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer—and I have reason to believe he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally, too."

"Well, well… we shall see, Snape, we shall see… the boy has undoubtedly been foolish…. What amazes me most is the behaviour of the Dementors. You've really no idea what made them retreat, Snape?"

"No, Minister." It was mostly true. Potter, Severus knew, could cast a patronus, but there were so many Dementors stationed on the grounds that the idea of one boy holding them off was too ridiculous to be entertained. Perhaps Granger had taken it upon herself to learn the charm as well? It seemed like a possibility. The girl probably couldn't stand the thought of her friend knowing a piece of advanced magic that she didn't. "By the time I had come round they were heading back to their positions at the entrances."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl—"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally, conjured stretchers and brought them all straight back to the castle."

Fudge shook his head. "Extraordinary," he repeated. "Well, Snape—"

"What?" Potter's frenzied voice interrupted their conversation. In a second, Severus and the Minister pushed open the Hospital Wing doors and entered the ward.

Potter and Granger were both out of bed. Weasley appeared to still be unconscious. Just as well.

"Harry, Harry, what's this?" said Fudge. "You should be in bed—has he had any chocolate?"

"Minister, listen!" Harry said. "Sirius Black's innocent Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't let the Dementors do that thing to Sirius, he's—"

But Fudge was shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused. You've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got everything under control."

"You haven't! You've got the wrong man!"

"Minister, listen, please," said Granger; she had hurried to her friend's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him, too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and—"

"You see, Minister?" Snape interjected smugly. "Confunded, both of them… Black's done a very good job on them."

"We're not confounded!"

"Minister! Professor!" said Poppy angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed."

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened! If they'd just listen—"

But Poppy suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth. He chocked, and she seized the opportunity to force him back onto the bed. The sight would've amused Severus, if he hadn't been so pissed off at Potter.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave."

The door opened again. This time, it was Dumbledore.

Potter gulped down the chocolate and got up again. "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—"

"For heaven's sake! Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist—"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black—"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind?" spat Severus. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive—"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore. The look he gave Severus said they were going to have a long chat later, during which Severus would probably rage at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore would probably tell Severus to let bygones be bygones, because everyone always believed Potter and Black over Severus Snape.

"And does my evidence count for nothing? Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him in the grounds."

"That was because you were knocked out, Professor!" said Granger, with more enthusiasm than was good for her. Severus did not let students contradict him under normal circumstances, and this certainly did not count as normal circumstances. "You didn't arrive in time to hear—"

"Miss Granger, hold your tongue!"

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, startled, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind, we must make allowances—"

"I would like to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore said abruptly. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy, please leave us."

"Headmaster!" Poppy did not like people interfering with her care. "They need treatment, they need rest—"

"This cannot wait. I must insist."

Poppy pursed her lips and strode away into her office at the end of the ward, slamming the door shut behind her. Fudge consulted the large gold pocket watch dangling from his waistcoat.

"The Dementors should have arrived by now," he said. "I'll go and meet them. Dumbledore, I'll see you upstairs."

He crossed to the door and held it open for Severus, but Severus didn't move.

"You surely don't believe a word of Black's story?" Severus whispered, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore's face.

"I wish to speak to Harry and Hermione alone," Dumbledore repeated.

Severus took a step forward, and lowering his voice said, "Sirius black showed he was capable of murder at the age of sixteen. You haven't forgotten that, Headmaster? You haven't forgotten that he once tried to kill me?"

"My memory is as good as it ever was, Severus."

Severus opened his mouth to respond, but found himself tongue-tied in his fury, made worse by the mild, dismissing tone of Dumbledore's voice. He settled for giving the Headmaster one last glare as he turned on his heel and marched through the door Fudge was still holding.

The Minister followed him out of the infirmary. To cheer himself up, Severus asked, "I assume Black will get the Kiss, then? Clearly he can't just be confined to Azkaban."

"Oh yes," said Fudge, with more cheer than one might expect from someone discussing the matter of sucking out souls. "Don't worry, Snape, Black will get no less than he deserves."

"Good. I only hope Dumbledore's not going to make difficulties. The Kiss will be performed immediately?"

Fudge nodded in the affirmative, and Severus smirked. "As soon as Macnair returns with the Dementors," the Minister said. "This whole affair has been highly embarrassing. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to informing the Daily Prophet that we've got him at last…"

Severus listened as the other man prattled on, idly wondering if it would be crass to cheer while Black got Kissed.

Dumbledore met up with them as they began to climb the stairs to the tower where Black was being held. "Minister," he said, "are you certain that you have all the necessary information? It would be a shame to send an innocent man to his death."

"Of course we have all the information," Fudge snorted, "there's no other explanation. Black is guilty, plain and simple."

"Ah. Very well then."

Severus looked back at Dumbledore. The man seemed awfully unemotional considering that Black had been favoured to high heaven as a student, and considering Dumbledore's non-answer when Severus had confronted him earlier. Before he could say anything about it, though, Fudge began to sputter.

"What- I don't-"

Severus all but pushed Fudge up the last couple steps so that he could see. The door to the tower's cell hung open, and inside the cell was a single chair. And Black was absolutely, certainly, without a doubt, indubitably gone.

"Potter!" was the first thing out of Severus's mouth.

"What?" Fudge asked, still staring at the empty cell in shock.

"Convicts don't just disappear by themselves," Severus snarled. "Mark my words, Potter has something to do with this!" And then he whirled around and descended back down the stairs, retracing their steps en route to the infirmary, Fudge and Dumbledore close behind him.

"He- he must have Disapparted, Severus," Fudge babbled, sounding like he was trying to come up with an explanation for himself as much as the Potions Master, knowing Black's escape would reflect very poorly on his own reputation. "We should have left somebody in the room with him. When this gets out-"

"He didn't Disapparate!" Severus shrieked, his ire further fuelled by discovery that he had to explain this basic fact of life to the man who ran the wizarding world. "You can't Apparate or Disapparate inside this castle! This has something to do with Potter!"

Now, Dumbledore chimed in. "Severus, be reasonable, Harry has been locked up-"

It was true about the lock, Severus noted absently as he forced the infirmary door open with sheer, rage-filled magical power; but that didn't mean anything, did it? Especially if Dumbledore was complicit in whatever Potter had done, had encouraged it.

"Out with it, Potter!" He yelled, striding towards the boy in question. "What did you do?"

"Professor Snape! Control yourself!" This command came from Poppy, but he expertly ignored her.

"See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge, the dunderhead, "This door's been locked, we just saw-"

"They helped him escape, I know it!" Severus insisted, pointing at Potter and Granger. Of course, Dumbledore had probably planted the seed, and Granger had probably carried the plan to fruition while Potter himself stood uselessly by, but he wouldn't dare pin anything on the Headmaster, and he was significantly more invested in blaming Potter than blaming Granger for anything that went wrong.

"Calm down, man!" Fudge said, irritated now. "You're talking nonsense!"

"You don't know Potter," Severus said, shaking his head and whirling around to face Fudge, still pointing at the students behind him, "He did it, I know he did it-"

"That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. Severus took the opportunity to catch his breath. Dumbledore wore his 'I'm about to give a speech' look on his face. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the ward ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?"

"Of course not!" Poppy bristled at the suggestion that she hadn't been doing her job, although if Potter left his hospital bed without authorization, that said more about the brat than it did about the Mediwitch's abilities. "I've been with them ever since you left!"

"Well, there you have it, Severus," Dumbledore said before Severus could begin another round of shouting. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further."

Severus looked between Fudge and Dumbledore. Fudge looked shocked. Dumbledore, however, had that trademark twinkle back in his eyes as he looked calmly back at Severus over his glasses.

And then it hit him. "Two places at once," Dumbledore had suggested as the only way Potter and Granger could be responsible for Black's miraculous escape, a clearly ridiculous idea, not to be entertained.

Hadn't Granger, in her desire to prove her intellectual superiority over her fellow students, been granted access to a time turner in order to take on extra classes?

Oh, he was going to have a word with Dumbledore. Many words. At a decibel level to rival that of an entire House cheering when they won the House Cup at the end of the year. And then he would go out and track down Black himself, and he really would use Black's entrails as potions ingredients, a threat that Dumbledore thought was all too harsh to use on the students, but barely seemed good enough for Sirius Black.

Without another word, he stormed out of the ward, robes swirling behind him.