Disclaimer: Not mine, just using them for a bit.

Warnings: Hey guess what? It's still SLASH!

A/N: I'm taking liberties with Mr. Shacklebolt's character and the duties of Aurors. So, yeah.

Italics - flashback

Chapter 2

Mr. Shacklebolt's Really Bad Night.

Kingsley Shacklebolt hated rounds.

Walking around this dark and eerie place with only his wand for light was not the way that he liked to spend his nights. Well, there was lightning tonight, but that was only making Azkaban seem even haunting and creepier. The flashes of light were illuminating the sky in such a way that it gave Kingsley the chills. Nothing good ever happened on a night like this.

However, because he was an Auror it was part of the job to make sure that the Dementors were doing their duties and the prisoners were behaving. So, he trekked on, trying his best to fight down the anxious feeling in his stomach. It wasn't anything to worry about, it was just the Dementors. They always made people feel wary.

Like he could actually make the Dementors so anything that they didn't want to do. The Dementors didn't listen to anyone. Why Fudge felt so confident in their loyalty was beyond him. They clearly only did things that were in their benefit and, at the moment, being on their side was a good political move on their part. Nothing more.

Doing the rounds at Azkaban was a miserable task to say the least. The prisoners were crazy and the Demenors were beginning to get to him. He could barely function with them creeping around and sucking his happiness away. They were always excited when fresh victims came along. So, instead of focusing on the job at hand Kingsley found himself thinking of all the bad memories and reliving all the worst feelings he'd ever had.

It was very counterproductive and more than irritating.

Oh, and it was raining. Azkaban couldn't even have normal rain; it just had to be that haunting cold rain that stuck with you hours after getting out of there.

All of the sudden, his wand light flickered as he took a few steps forward. He blinked and looked up from his musings.

Without realizing it Kingsley found himself at the door that led to the High Security section of Azkaban. The odor of death was clinging around the door. This place had double the amount of Dementors and even smaller cells. It was really the absolute most despicable place in the entire world. However, it was also his last area to inspect before he could go home and take along shower, a scalding hot one at that.

As he passed the different cells, he read off each name.

Rodolphus LeStrange

Rabastan LeStrange

Bellatrix LeStrange

Bartemius Crouch, Jr.

Antonin Dolohov

Sirius Black

That last one never sat right with Kingsley.

He'd gone to school with Sirius and James. A few years below them, but everyone knew of the Marauders. He'd seen the way that they'd been together and he knew that something wasn't right with the way that Sirius was convicted. He knew that all the evidence pointed towards Sirius, but he could never fathom why Sirius would've very nearly killed James. It just didn't make sense.

When Kingsley had gone to school there was always a division of houses and years. Even in a single house was always different groups that carved out a notch for themselves. No where was that more evident than in the Common Room.

Everyone had their assigned placements. The first years got the area around the entrance hall. The older girls got the window area and the Marauders got the fireplace, right in the center of the room. That's how it had always been.

The boys in that year were always the center of attention everywhere they went. It was only amplified in the Lion's common room. They were like celebrities. Not only that, but they were like a brotherhood. They were all best friends. At least thats what everyone thought.

They always put on a good show, but if someone looked carefully they could see that there were division lines within the group. Kingsley always prided himself on his observational skills.

He'd watched them for hours. Always trying to figure out why they had an odd way about them. Why did this group of friends stick out more than others? Eventually, Kingsley had figured out that it wasn't that they were different than the others; it was that they acted differently towards one another.

Yes, they were all close in that group, but James and Sirius seemed to be in a realm of friendship all their own. He wasn't sure what the difference between those two was, but even at age twelve he knew that there was something different about them. Something slightly odd, but they'd left school two years later and he never did figure it out.

He'd gotten close though. Very close.

--Begin---Flashback---Sequence---

"Hurry, James!" Kingsley heard Sirius call from the bottom of the stairwell.

They must be running late again, Kingsley thought to himself rolling his eyes, as usual.

"I'm coming, Padfoot" James yelled back staggering down the stairs still pulling on his shoes. However, he didn't realize that Sirius was just at the foot of the stairs and he practically slammed into his best friend. Sirius caught James just in time before he fell.

"Oh, that hurt" Sirius murmured as he gripped James's midsection tighter and heaved him up. "Way to be, Prongs" he said with his crooked grin. James just smiled and ruffled his hair and that was when Kingsley saw it. He wasn't sure what "it" was, but Kingsley realized that something very other worldly was occurring.

Sirius's eyes stared directly at James's. Even from across the room Kingsley felt the heat that resonated in that stare. James just grinned back at Sirius and moved slightly closer. He stared at Sirius as if he was Christmas morning. The magic in the air around them seemed to crackle to life. After a few moments they just started the laugh at something unsaid, but they didn't move away nor did they take their eyes from one another.

To say that it was an unearthly feeling was a gross understatement.

It was like they set the room on fire. When they were together they just glowed.

He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he'd never seen two people look at each other like that or because they were still grasping each others hands tightly, but he felt like he was intruding on a very private moment.

It was such a simply memory, but it felt like the most important one that he'd witnessed that included them.

---End---Flashback---Sequence---

It was then that he finally glanced back into the cell of the man the he'd known so long ago.

And his cell was empty.

Sirius Black's cell was empty.

That was first thought that made its way through Kingsley Shacklebolt's numb mind. It wasn't a hard concept to understand.

There was a cell and it was empty, but all the same Kingsley found himself staring through the dreary darkness at the dingy cell. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that someone had escaped from Azkaban.

Not just someone, but Sirius Black. Kingsley had to remind himself that it wasn't the same Sirius as in his memories. Oh, no this man had blown up an entire Muggle street and killed thirteen people with a single curse. This man had sold his best friends out to the Dark Lord. This man had destroyed Peter Pettigrew until all that was left was a finger.

This man had escaped and was now on the loose.

"Well…shit," with that statement Kingsley Shacklebolt found himself running to the apparation wards. Yelling orders to the Dementors, Kingsley apparated into the night with a faint pop.

He had to alert the Auror divsion, send out a search team, get in contact with the Minister and more importantly Dumbledore.

Cold dark water splashed into Sirius's face again. He could feel his legs and arms beginning to tighten up from the harsh icy water. The rain was coming down in freezing blasts and was doing nothing for his blurry vision. As much as he enjoyed being Padfoot, the color blindness was not helping at the moment. His muscles were straining while trying to keep him afloat. The air that he was breathing in and out was setting his lungs on fire. His body ached for him to give up. He'd been swimming for hours now. He couldn't even begin to figure out where he was. All he knew was that if he didn't find land soon, he'd surely drown.

He'd spent thirteen years in a place worse than Hell and now he was going to drown after mere hours of escaping? What a cruel trick to play on an already broken man.

As soon as he'd hit the water, he'd lost track on Prongs. He'd just disappeared. He'd left Sirius all alone again. Once again, Sirius Black was left without his James.

All of the sudden his legs hit something hard.

Land.

He'd made it.

With a renewed vigor he swam and staggered out of the murky water. He shook his furry body violently trying to detach all the frigid water off his body. Glancing around and trying to gain a sense of direction, Sirius found himself to be completely and utterly lost. He'd just have to pick a way and follow it. It wasn't the best situation to be in, but that didn't matter.

He was free. He was also slightly clean after his romp in the sea, so that was nice as well.

Shivering and shaking all the while, he transformed back into his human self and stood on real ground for the first time in thirteen years. Now all he had to do was get to Peter. That little rat was going to die even if it took Sirius the next thirteen years of his life. That little fat rat was going to pay, with interest.

Why did he get to live when Sirius had lost everything?

He'd lost his James because of that infernal creature and Peter would get his comeuppance for that. Oh, yes he would.

Vengeance seemed much easier when he wasn't locked up in some cell next to his screeching cousin and her lunatic fellow Death Eaters. Crazy demented freaks that they are. For an innocent such as himself, Dementors weren't the worst things in Azkaban. He'd paid the price of not being one of them. He'd paid dearly.

Feeling around in his pockets, Sirius pulled out a crinkled and damp photo from the Daily Prophet. A wicked crooked grin stretched across Sirius's gaunt and pale white face revealing his slightly rotted teeth. His eyes blackened and twisted to show an almost inhuman evil glint in them. Time to go visit his dear friend Peter; Sirius thought darkly, after all they'd been separated for far too long.

Hogwarts, a place that he most definitely never wanted to go near again. There were far too many bitter memories there. Too many shadows of the past, but to get revenge he'd have to go.

To catch James's killer he'd have to go.

With that last thought spurring him on Sirius leapt up and transformed into Padfoot. He glanced around once more and looked into the woods that surrounded the black sanded beach. Right between the thick trees Sirius spotted a glimmering figure with antlers.

His legs sprang to life and Padfoot darted into the dark mess of woods.

Far away, in a dimly lit warm house, a pudgy man was woken up to the sound of an owl rapping on the window.

Blindly reaching for the window latch, the man managed to finally open the window after a few moments, much to the owl's irritation.

Urgent message to the Minster of Magic:

Cornelius,

Sirius Black has escaped the confines of Azkaban late last night. What actions do you suggest the Auror Department take, Minister? Swift action is needed to prevent future problems.

Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Amelia Bones

The letter slipped from Cornelius Fudge's hands and floated to the floor. He stared blankly out into the night. Sirius Black had escaped? What was he supposed to do against You-Know-Who's right hand man? How was he supposed to deal with this situation? No one was suppose to be able to break out! Where were the Dementors?

Fudge's pudgy hand ran over his face as he tried to get some understanding of what was happening.

He needed Dumbledore.

Scrounging up some parchment and a quill, he jotted down a quick note to the man. After sending the owl straight to Dumbledore, he sat down and waited to see what he should do. After all he was only an elected official. He couldn't make decisions by himself.

A/N: Ah, the last line was from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The mayor always reminds me of Fudge. I don't know why.

--Thanks for reading and please review! I'll give you cake: )