Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Sixteen

Spring Classes Begin

Xerxes Academy

First Day of Spring Term

Everyone had arrived back last night, or early this morning as classes resumed. Yuery saw Ron, Hermione, and Neville for the first time in weeks in their first magical practice class of the term and greeted them happily.

As Professor Lupin entered, they all sat together along with Draco, and Yuery thanked everyone for the gifts again. Professor Lupin asked for their attention, silencing their conversation. Professor Lupin began their lesson with a review of the Charms they had learned over Fall Term. Ron sighed heavily as he took notes before muttering "If we could use these at home, maybe the twins wouldn't have tricked me so often over Christmas."

"What did they do?" Hiro asked curiously.

"Lots of things, the worst was they put a spider in my bed." Ron moaned.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, because they are my brothers?" Ron shrugged.

"I have brothers. I don't put things in their beds." Hiro frowned and Yuery nodded.

"Well, my brothers are assholes. Percy was mad I ended up in his room instead." Ron said, a bit louder.

"I thought you had your own room, that's what you said last year." Draco asked.

"I do. Well I did, some big dog broke in, and ate my rat and ruined my room." Ron said sadly.

"It ate your rat?!" Yuery asked horrified. Though he knew the rat was a fake, or at least strongly suspected, the idea that something had eaten it was horrible.

"What kind of dog, what did it look like?" Professor Lupin demanded suddenly from next to them.

"Um, I don't know Professor. It was large and shaggy and black they said." Ron said nervously.

Professor Lupin paled slightly, before clearing his throat. "Well, since none of you seem in the mood to pay attention today, I think we will leave things here. Head back to your dorms, I'm sure they could all use a good cleaning."

Everyone groaned as they stood, though half the class were day students, when a teacher sent them to clean dorms, they all went. The day students were to clean the common rooms. It was a frequently effective punishments for disrupting class. "This is one thing I miss about Hogwarts for sure." Ron said as they walked toward the dorms. "No one expected us to clean our dorms, they cleaned themselves magically."

"No they didn't, the house elves cleaned them." Yuery said with a frown. "I always cleaned up after myself for that reason, didn't you notice."

"Really, the house elves did? I knew they worked in the kitchens but I didn't know they cleaned the dorms." Ron frowned.

"What are house elves?" Hermione asked.

"Magical creatures bound to serve a particular family or property." Yuery said with anger in his voice. "My father and uncle both had conversations with the Headmaster over his unpaid labor force."

"WHAT?!" Hermione demanded angrily. "This wasn't in the book. It wasn't in any of the books!"

"I know!" Yuery said with a nod. "I was appalled how few were aware of them, but Dad said not to cause trouble…which I failed to do anyway but I was trying."

"Professor Lupin knows something about the dog. Did you see his expression." Draco said thoughtfully.

"Yes I did, and no we're leaving it alone. After last year, if I get caught doing ANYTHING I'm back with the tutors until graduation." Yuery said with a frown.

"Wait, what? He knows something?!" Ron demanded.

"Leave it Ron." Yuery frowned. He had no intention of getting dragged into trouble this year. Last year had been bad enough and if it hadn't been for the stone, he would have left it alone in the end. His father had informed him that he could have left it alone anyway, since there had been no way the guys after it could have gotten past the final spell, especially before help arrived.

"Just walk away now Yu. It's your only hope." Hiro said with a nod to the others.

Lupin's Office

"Pettigrew is gone, Sirius broke into the house and attacked him. I assume he escaped, but that means both of them are out there somewhere and they know that Ron is here. So is Yuery." Remus said as soon, and Severus stepped into his office after his half of the class was released. "The children were talking about Weasley's rat being attacked just before break and his bedroom was apparently completely torn apart. He's escalating."

"Well, we already knew what he was searching for, as you have said before. He cannot enter the enchantments. Neither of them can, so we have to keep the children safe here inside the borders while others deal with them." Severus sighed. "Though if they are headed this way for certain then we need to set someone in search of them along the borders."

"I'm afraid we will run into the same issue with Sirius we did with Hagrid. He does not mean ill will toward the child, or anyone who can call these lands home, so he can freely enter." Remus sighed tiredly. "That does not mean he cannot cause harm, however unintentionally."

"I think you will find he means both you and I ill will Remus." Severus said softly. "I know he is your friend, but you are no longer his."

"He doesn't know either of us are here, that could be a big enough loophole to worry ourselves with, especially as unstable as he has been acting." Remus said fretfully. He didn't want to believe Sirius now considered him an enemy but after everything that had happened, he also agreed that Sirius was a threat. Unfortunately, it was uncertain if the spell work would consider him an enemy.

"I will notify the appropriate parties. Keep the children close at hand. We do not need anyone wandering about with a threat just around the corner." Severus sighed. "I should go, take your potion."

Near the Amestris Border

Sirius knew he was close now. Despite seeing nothing but fields nearby, he could feel the tingle of magic that was similar to that surrounding Hogwarts. Yesterday, he had already passed through one such border, crossing into Creta. This one felt different still, stronger, more resistant to him. He wondered briefly at the magic. Perhaps, he wondered, if it was because he didn't belong. Then though why had he passed the first boundary with no issue?

He considered if shifting into his human form would make entering easier perhaps, but decided against it in the end. He decided it had been the right choice when he noticed soldiers passing the area slowly on the far side of the border. Whatever was happening to make them keep watch, it would seem they were on alert. He slowly crept along the plowed ground, wishing for tall crops though it was far too early in the year for that help.

One of the men seemed to notice him and stopped to watch him warily, so he made sure to seem skittish as he ran off further down the field, not a hard act considering his position. Luckily they didn't follow, and he found another spot further down that seemed deserted on both sides at the moment before once again stepping closer.

He had to do this, he had to find Harry and make sure he was safe. If necessary he would test the entire boundary for a weakness because all that mattered was keeping his godson safe. As his thoughts turned to his desire to see the boy and away from his thoughts of anger and revenge, the boundary seemed calmer. As soon as he attempted to step through though, it blocked him.

Angrily, he cursed those who had angered him since this had all begun. Lupin had ignored his warning, either because he thought Sirius unstable or because he had turned against Sirius after all. He had decided to take up with Severus Snape after all. As Sirius anger grew, so did the strength of the border. This made him curious. What had caused the changes?

Resigned, once he saw the patrol in the distance but coming closer, he withdrew further to think. He decided to find a place to sleep for a few hours, while he waited for the guards to trade out after all, they had noticed him. The one was glaring at him warily again, so he turned away and trotted further into the field angry at the delay, but resigned to waiting.

Central, Amestris

Roy was not having a good day and it was thanks entirely to the wizards. Not the local wizards, who were always helpful to these situations, no the ones from England. They were once again hounding him about his grandson, and about the security of his country. He was well aware of the escape of Sirius Black and had been for months as he told them when they wrote him this morning. He was also aware that it was likely the man would at some point attempt to enter his country.

What he did not need was for them to send aide. He had refused the offer, reminding them that his country was sealed against threats. Still, the Minister of Magic Fudge (and what kind of name was that anyway?) was trying to insist on the grounds of international relations and that Black was THEIR prisoner. The letters had gone back and forth all day, and Roy was seconds away from allowing his far less diplomatic son to take over.

Edward had improved over the years, but there was little doubt he would cause a scene if forced to deal with this man. As if summoned by his father's thought, Ed appeared in the doorway with a frown. Roy sighed, wanting very much to burn something at this point when he saw a scroll in his son's hand. Apparently, Ed was getting involved after all.

"Dumbledore is writing to inform us that per request of the Ministry, he is sending us several teachers who also specialize in protection spells." Ed said in a calm tone that all of his office staff recognized as well as his Dad, as his level of anger reaching dangerous heights.

"Minister Fudge has been contacting me all day about this, they want to send in their special police as well, I have refused repeatedly." Roy said in the same tone. "We shall arrest any who enter, even if they aren't here to do harm the harm will be done by their presence."

"Is that what you told him? What kind of name is Fudge anyway?" Ed sighed, before both me started laughing. It wasn't funny, but at the same time the stress made it so much more amusing. "We can ask our wizards to add more protections, but at this point I'm worried that if we add much more we ourselves will be trapped inside trying to keep everyone else out."

"Well, you're the one who knows magic between us, I will trust you on the matter." Roy sighed. "For now, I am going to continue to politely refuse help. In the end, Dumbledore's aide is up to your brother to deny."

Border Guard Post

The men had seen the dog twice, and worried about it. They didn't want to sound an alert over an animal so they had said nothing because it seemed the animal was sticking to the area. Still, when the shift changed, they warned the next group that the dog was out there and behaving abnormally.

It was possible that it was sent by Creta to breech the border, though if that was the case it would likely have something attached to it. Unless of course it was a chimera of some kind. Major Brown, who had the misfortune of seeing chimera in action, was the one who spotted the creature to begin with and had caused the alert.

It was his opinion that the animal seemed to behave abnormally, and it felt off to him. He would rather be overly cautious than overlook a threat. Luckily the others agreed with him, and Col Grafham even said that if the creature was still around in the morning, they would consult one of the alchemists. No one wanted to alert Central without good reason, the border was a stressful assignment. One that few could stand for more than a few months at a time, but no one wanted to be pulled early either.