A/N: So here goes chapter 2 for Saving Sirius. Remus confronts his remaining friend about the events from that Halloween night.
I want to thank the people who favorited the story/my account and put us on your favorites list. I hope more people will gravitate toward this little chapter fic soon. I hope those who did favorite and like the first chapter will review this one and the final chapter. Without further ado...
Disclaimer: I don't think I put this up in the last chapter, so I place it here. I do not own anything pertaining to Harry Potter except the clothes that I bought and this story.
*~R.L*~S.B*~*
Remus stared at the large prison in front of him with apprehension. What he would be attempting if his friend was found to be innocent was considered insane, not to mention suicidal. When he brought the idea up to visit Sirius to Mari, she was a bit wary about Remus returning to Britain to visit a convicted murderer. When he explained the possibility of Sirius being innocent- and if that were the case he would try to break him out- Mari had punched him in his chest, quite hard too as he still had a bruise there, then tried to keep him from leaving the house. Only the intervention of her mother allowed Remus to escape the house with the promise that he would be back home by Monday morning and apparate away. He decided to avoid ministry detection by using muggle means to travel back to his home country, then created a portkey and bribed the boatman for a ride across the freezing waters to reach his destination. Now as he stood outside the intimidating doors with the guards glaring at him, Remus wasn't so sure this was a good idea after all. However, the memory of Harry's happy face when he told the child that he would go talk to Sirius pushed any second thoughts of turning back out of his mind as he walked up to the guards.
"State your name and business here," the burlier of the two guards demanded.
Thinking quickly, Remus gave the name 'Bennett Taylor' and his business of visiting. If he did plan to break Sirius out it wouldn't do for any of the guards to associate his face with his given name. The guards continued their glaring contest with Remus, a contest where he ultimately won due to not backing down or altering his eyes. He may be nervous with what he was planning to do, but his years of dealing with Mari's pack, as well as him being an Alpha in his own right, compelled the werewolf to stare down those who would challenge him.
Realizing the scare tactics that normally had witches and wizards shifting nervously wasn't working on the man before them, the two guards opened the doors to the prison without further incident. Remus walked into the building with an air of superiority, while on the inside he was hyperventilating that his bluff actually worked. Now he just had to get through the second security feature: giving up his wand.
He had a plan for that though. Even though Mari was against him returning to Britain, her mother had prepared something for him to bypass security within the prison. That was why he had the wand of Mari's deceased brother in his hand and was now presenting it to the guard before being guided into a room with a table and three chairs. Remus sat in the nearest chair and waited for the prisoner he came to see to be brought into the room. Minutes later, a guard shoved in a disheveled man who was shackled and defenseless into the room. The man prevented himself from falling face first into the table by grabbing onto the corner of the metal furniture. The guard just laughed at the glare the prisoner gave him before roughly grabbing one of the man's arms and shoving him into the seat opposite Remus. With a wave of his wand, the prisoner was wrapped in chains and the guard left the two wizards alone.
Remus stared at the man in front of him and a small piece of his heart broke knowing that this disheveled man was his best friend. In the five years that he was locked in maximum security, Sirius' hair became stringy and thin and his prison clothes were hanging off his malnourished body. His teeth, from what Remus could see as his friend smiled at him while his eyes danced with recognition, were yellow and plaque-ridden. Remus' eyes were full of sympathy and he opened his mouth to say something along the lines of an apology when Sirius sharply cut him off.
"Don't even think about it, Remus. I don't want sympathy."
"Sorry if it seemed that way. I wasn't planning on offering you any," Remus responded coolly.
"Your eyes tell a different story."
"My eyes might show one emotion while I feel another," Remus' hard voice stated as he narrowed his eyes that he knew were amber as he felt the wolf in him pacing back and forth in his head. "Anger, confusion, betrayal. Any of those ringing a bell? That's what I'm feeling right now as I look at the man who supposedly is the reason why our best friends are dead!" he watched as Sirius' eyes shifted away as guilt-racked his friend.
Sirius leaned forward as far as his chained hands would allow him. "It's my fault…it's all my fault…that they're gone," he mumbled.
Remus quickly grew furious and the snarl he released was utterly feral as he lunged over the table and grabbed Sirius by the lapels of his uniform. Sirius just admitted to being the reason behind James and Lily's murder. If he didn't have a six-year-old-boy to return home to, Remus would risk Azkaban if it meant that he could destroy the man before him. He told Sirius as much, finally gaining a reaction from the prisoner.
Sirius' eyes were wide as he asked, "You have a family?"
"I have my god-son. Our god-son and he needs me to not do something stupid that'll make him an orphan again." Remus held his old friend's stare with a glare of his own until Sirius looked away. He could tell guilt was swirling through the man in his grip. He wanted to beat him bloody; he wanted to slaughter him. Hell, to be honest, Remus really wanted to show Harry to Sirius so that the man would know that he ruined his life by being a spy for that homicidal maniac and destroyed any relationship he could possibly have had with the wonderful child waiting on Remus back in America.
What he did instead, was ask, "Why did you betray them?"
Sirius frowned in confusion. "Betray? Betray who?"
Remus snarled again and pushed against the man sitting in the chair, causing the chair to tilt backward and depositing both wizards on the floor. Remus didn't care. He was seeing red and it soon would be Sirius' blood on his hands. "You know exactly who I'm talking about!" he yelled.
Sirius should have been at least a bit scared at the angry wizard above him, but considering he'd been in a situation similar to this with Remus before he wasn't fazed. Instead, he was beginning to feel an emotion he hadn't felt in five years.
Anger.
"Are you accusing me of betraying James and Lily?"
"YES!" Remus roared.
And that was when that fiery emotion boiled to the top. Sirius was angry. He was angry that he was in this situation; angry because the bastard who deserved to die in this forsaken place was still alive and roaming free somewhere. He was angry that the last friend he had truly believed he would betray his brother in all but blood and his wife. He was about to call his friend all of the rotten names in the book and demand where did he get off with that insane accusation when it dawned on Sirius that Remus wouldn't have known about the switch. He wasn't around when he and James made Peter the secret keeper. For all anyone else in the wizarding world knew, Sirius did betray the Potters. Without a trial or Veritaserum, Sirius was as guilty as the Prophet made him out to be for the last five years. His anger abated to sadness as he realized that Remus believed what was written.
He sighed despondently and closed his eyes. "I didn't betray our friends," Sirius opened his eyes to fix Remus with a glare, his voice harsh as he continued, "but I guess it doesn't matter what I say in my defense since my last friend believes what is written in the papers like the rest of the bloody sheep in this world. I expected the rest of the world to believe the Prophet about me but not you, Remus."
Remus flinched and released Sirius as it was now his turn to look away from those penetrating gray eyes in guilt. "I did believe the paper. I believed it for five years and for those five years, I…I was furious at you for betraying our friends."
"You say that you 'did believe the paper'. What changed your mind?"
Remus smirked slightly and dipped his head. "Harry did."
Sirius tilted his head in confusion but didn't ask. Instead, he just closed his eyes and shifted to lean against the wall. "I didn't betray James and Lily," he said again.
"You were their secret keeper, Sirius."
"Peter," the name was said with barely restrained anger, "was their secret keeper."
Remus whipped his head up in shock. "What?"
Sirius sighed again. "Originally, I was the secret keeper for the Potters. However, we were convinced to change the secret keepers in case I was captured. I wasn't skilled in Occulumency and everyone knew that James and I were thick as thieves. They would have done their damnedest to get the information out of me but I would have died rather than betray them. However, we were convinced to have the secret keeper changed as a means to throw the Death Eaters off any trail. We were foolish to listen to him," he scoffed at the naivete he and James showed when he remembered how they worshipped the ground that old man walked on.
"Listen to who?"
"That manipulative bastard, Dumbledore!"
Remus sat staring at a point behind Sirius' head as the other wizard continued with his rant about Albus Dumbledore. This was the third time that wizard appeared regarding the Potters or Harry. The first time was that night and his blatant disregard for the will Lily and James left behind pertaining to Harry. The second was when the crazy old man had the audacity to venture to America on Harry's third birthday to, not to subtlety, demand Remus revoke the adoption of his godson that was completed the week before. Albus attempted to convince him that Harry would be better off raised by his aunt and uncle, stating that due to his affliction he would essentially be putting Harry at risk every month. That was when Remus finally realized that he wanted nothing to do with the man he once worshipped and if it weren't for Mari and the pack members driving the old fool away, Remus would have attempted to kill the old bastard. Now here was the man's name appearing once again, and the way things were looking, he was a factor for why Sirius was in this horrible place. With no trial set for his friend because he "confessed", it was looking like Dumbledore manipulated this entire fiasco or was involved someway.
"Sirius," the man in question stopped his ranting long enough to look at his friend, "Why didn't you take Harry that night?"
Sirius once more looked away as the guilt he'd been feeling for the last five years tried to consume him. "By the time I reached the house, Hagrid was already walking out of the house holding Harry in his arms," he looked at Remus, tears glistening in his eyes, "I was distraught, Remus. Seeing the house like that, walking in to see…" he choked up as the memory invaded his mind, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks.
Remus wasn't too far behind as his own tears collected at the corner of his eyes at the memory of the house and the damage sustained to it and the occupants within. He was lucky enough to not see his friend's bodies. He could only imagine what seeing James and Lily's lifeless bodies did to Sirius as the memory was embedded in his mind.
Sirius managed to calm himself down enough to continue, "Hagrid had told me what I already knew, which did nothing to quell the anger I was feeling, but I knew I needed to tend to Harry. When I asked for him, however, I was denied. Apparently, Dumbledore ordered Hagrid to bring Harry straight to a specified location. Stupid me didn't even think twice about it. I should have demanded Hagrid give me my godson, but instead, I allowed my grief and anger to consume me further and guide me. I abandoned Harry to chase after Peter, giving Hagrid my motorcycle since he couldn't use magic. Peter managed to get a Confundus off on me, blow up a gas vein killing those muggles in the process, cut his finger off, transform, and frame me for this entire fiasco in one fell swoop. I never received a trial, nor was I questioned under Veritaserum."
"Harry was right then," Remus mumbled.
"What?"
"Nothing. So, you were incarcerated unlawfully, and with how the ministry is run these days I doubt that you'll even get a trial before the year is out."
Sirius scoffed. "Before the year is out? I'll be lucky if I get a trial before the next six years is over. I have a better chance of breaking out of here than waiting for a trial. That's impossible, by the way, breaking out of here."
Remus chuckled for the first time since he decided to make the journey back to Britain. As far as he could make out, Sirius was innocent and was the unfortunate casualty in a delusional man's quest for the 'greater good'. He still wanted to knock Sirius around for allowing his emotions to get the better of him, causing him to abandon Harry in the boy's time of need, but that could all wait until they were safely back in America. Remus waved his hand, something that caught Sirius' attention and he questioned the action, receiving a soft smile in return. "Just a bit of wandless magic. You tend to learn a few things when you have to use magic in public to corral a very active toddler and can't use your wand."
"What did you do?"
Taking out his wand this time, Remus undid Sirius' chains and pulled out a vial and a furry creature. "Just a little something to the security system which will call the guards, I'm sure. Now, as painful as it is, think about the night you and James switched secret keepers and that horrible night five years ago…" Remus said as he put his wand to his friend's temple.
"Why…wait…Remus are you mad?! Why are you doing this and how did you smuggle a wand in here…is that a squirrel?"
"Shh…trust me, Sirius, and do as I say. The sooner you cooperate the sooner we can get out of here and back to Harry."
Sirius wanted to fight against this madman calling himself Remus Lupin who was trying to break him out of this hellhole. The only reason that had the prisoner cooperating was the possibility of seeing his godson again. He would do anything to see Harry again. Before he knew it, tears were streaming down his cheeks again as he thought about that horrible night and the decisions that led up to it. Guiding Remus' hand, he pulled the memories from his head and into the vial. Remus reached into his pocket and hastily wrote a note before transfiguring the creature that was just starting to rise from its forced nap into a very likable replica of his friend. He then took some powder from his robes and blew it onto the replica's face, causing the fidgety and confused creature to return to sleep.
Sirius watched all of this in terrified amazement and a bit of trepidation as Remus then pulled out a flask. "Alright old friend, this is going to taste horrible and feel absolutely uncomfortable, but you need to do this for us to get out of here."
Sirius looked between Remus and the flask. "You must have seriously gone mental."
"We don't have time to debate this, Sirius. Now, you can either drink this potion on your own or I can stun you and force it down your throat. The choice is yours but either way, you're drinking this Polyjuice potion."
"Alright, alright." Sirius took the flask from Remus and with a withering glare at his friend, took a large swig from the flask. The change was instantaneous and Sirius cried out from the pain of his body changing rapidly. By the time he finished changing, Sirius had passed out from the experience.
Remus knew he would get an earful from his friend when he returned to his original form, probably a punch in the face as well, but it would all be worth it once Sirius was out of this wretched place. Quickly placing the chains on the transformed squirrel who now took the place of Sirius, Remus then put the vial of memories and the note into a pocket of the uniform before knocking on the door to signal he was done with the visit. The guards who came in looked between the two wizards dubiously.
Remus shrugged. "He cried himself to sleep after confessing to me. Figured it was time to go," turning to the sleeping figure, Remus glared at the prisoner. "Farewell, Black. We'll never see one another again and I hope you rot in here with the guilt of your actions suffocating you." With that said, Remus let himself out of the room and building. He boarded the waiting boat that would take him to civilization and couldn't help the sense of glee that overcame him as the realization of what he just accomplished washed over him. Later on, as he stared at his friend, Remus would feel the varying emotions of fear, worry, nervousness, and similar emotions along that rollercoaster, but right now, Remus was happy.
*~R.L*~S.B*~*
A/N: Thoughts on the chapter will be much appreciated. Ja ne~