Author's note. Just to repeat myself, I cannot stand people giving me the dictionary definition of their, they're and there. Yes, I KNOW what they all mean; but as I've already explained several times, if it's SPELLED CORRECTLY I don't always notice the mistake. But you'll all be happy to know I now have a beta reader who has gone over this chapter before it was published.
Thank you Jessie for being beta reader on this chapter.
I hope everyone enjoys how I write Sirius. I don't have huge experience portraying him, and he's a very popular character so I know people will be expecting a lot. Also, I've never really tried to write a 'newspaper' before so apologies if it doesn't ring well.
By the way, we're still in first year. Judging by a few reviews, some people think we're in third year or something.
I can't quite remember when Mad Eye got his magical eye, but I think it was during the last year of Voldemort's reign or just after. So, I'm making it that Sirius didn't know about his magical eye. It's funny, but wiki and I think the books implied that Moody had been in retirement for several years which seems odd as he was only 44 when he died. He was killed in 1997, and wiki says he was born in 1953. Also, Tonks' bio states that she graduated as an Auror in 1994; and, since Auror training takes three years, Moody could have only been retired for one or two years when he was asked to become Defence teacher. Funnily enough, Tonks left Hogwarts the year before Harry entered, meaning she's only seven years older.
Enjoy, and please review.
Sirius lay on a clean bed with crisp sheets and at least two plumped up pillows. His hair had been cut and washed as had the rest of his body. The various sores and abrasions that had previously covered him had been tended to and were now healed completely. A small but highly nutritious meal was digesting within his stomach which ached with being properly full for the first time in ten years. But despite the comfort of his surroundings, his mind felt...frozen, as though he couldn't take in where he was.
It was just that—after so long being in the Dementors' presence, struggling to keep his sanity while being constantly plagued with guilt—to be abruptly placed in a new, considerably better environment was almost enough to finally break his sanity. Right now, all that kept him going was the thought that the rat was finally being brought to justice…and that he had a chance to see Harry again.
Harry, his precious godson, the one he'd failed once before—but he wouldn't fail him again. Even though it had been so long and Harry had obviously grown up since he'd last seen him, Sirius was sure he'd instantly recognise him. He'd look just like James with that same cheeky smile and easy going attitude but with a hint of Lily in his eyes. Of course, he'd only been in school for a few months, but Sirius would bet that Harry had already made an impact. Just wait until next year; he'd be on the Quidditch team for certain…maybe as Chaser like James?
How many friends did he have? Hopefully, none were like that miserable rat who'd always been a burden on them. They'd only allowed him to hang around because they'd felt sorry for him. He'd contributed nothing apart from the fact he was a bloody rat.
Sirius' fist clenched as his anger at the rat was allowed to blossom unchecked by the Dementors' hunger. If he could only be allowed five minutes alone with the traitor. That's all he needed to make sure that bastard never hurt another living soul. Sirius wasn't sure what he'd do; he would just allow his anger to take rein and dispense some justice. Maybe he could transform into dog and simply ravage the piece of vermin into bloody little shreds.
The rage was just starting to take hold when the door suddenly opened, and his fury evaporated as Sirius shook himself. He still wasn't used to visitors so this was enough to snap him out of the red haze that had previously been descending upon him. But before he could even think about composing himself properly, his visitor had already entered the room."
"P-professor?" Sirius croaked, his throat practically seizing up.
As he reached for a glass of water, Dumbledore said, "Sirius, how are you?"
Sirius shrugged in response. He knew that this was better than Azkaban by a very long way; but after his rage had abated, he only felt numb. He wasn't really in a condition to smile and act like he was doing well.
"Alright I suppose," he said softly after taking a drink.
Dumbledore nodded understandingly as he said, "I imagine this has all been rather sudden."
"You've got that right," Sirius snorted placing his glass back on the bedside table with a clunk. "One minute I'm in my cell, the next I'm here. I still can't believe they actually caught him..."
"It is truly incredible," Dumbledore agreed. "No one was more surprised than I when he was brought before me. He was under all of our noses for a whole decade."
As Sirius nodded, Dumbledore hesitated before saying quietly, "I owe you a great apology, Sirius. I should have spoken to you, found out your side of the story."
Sirius just waved a hand. He wasn't angry that no one had ever bothered to wonder if the rat had been the traitor. After all, he was so weak, cowardly, talentless—hang on, why would anyone suspect him. Hell, he'd find baby Harry a better candidate for being a traitor than that useless bastard. Well, that was stretching it a bit, but the point remained the same. Who could possibly suspect little, innocent Peter Pettigrew when they had Sirius Black, a much more talented wizard who'd been close to the Potters and whose family had been blacker than black.
"It's alright, Professor," he sighed "I know more than anyone how it looked. Who would have suspected him? I certainly didn't when I made James change Secret Keepers—"
Sirius' voice caught in his throat as he remembered the moment when he'd doomed his best friends. Dumbledore allowed him a moment to compose himself. Once he had, Sirius said falteringly, "I...I actually thought that...Remus was the traitor. He...seemed different from how he'd been in school. It wasn't so easy for all of us to be with him when he transformed—"
Sirius suddenly stopped, shooting Dumbledore a slightly guilty look; but the old man just smiled.
"I'm aware of why you became Animagi, please continue."
"Oh...well...yeah, we used to go into the willow as animals to be with him," Sirius explained. "It kept him calm; he didn't want to hurt himself, just play with us. It made things so much easier when he became human again. He wasn't so badly torn up, and he didn't have nightmares. He was our friend; it was the least we could do for him..."
Sirius trailed off as he once again wondered what it would be like if Remus hadn't been a werewolf. There would have been no reason to become Animagi, and Peter would never have had the perfect disguise to hide away all these years. Damn, fate sure had a way of laughing at him.
"It was a noble thing to do," Dumbledore commented as Sirius scoffed.
"Tch, noble, I don't know about that," he said darkly, thinking of how they'd released Moony from his prison to run wild through the Hogwarts grounds, of how they'd complained of boredom between full moons, conveniently forgetting how agonising Remus still found the transformations.
"But, it doesn't matter; I was still stupid enough to think that Remus would betray us. He was always a good friend...," Sirius trailed off, thinking of all the things Remus had done for them—helping that rat with his homework, trying to keep his other two friends out of trouble, and so many other things.
"I—I don't suppose Remus is still about, is he?" Sirius abruptly asked.
"I thought you'd want to see him," Dumbledore said with a knowing smile. "I've sent him an owl. I'm just waiting on a response."
"Oh," Sirius blinked and looked away, his throat aching slightly. "Thank you, sir."
Dumbledore inclined his head, hoping that Remus responded swiftly and positively. Changing the subject, he said, "The trial is being arranged. It should happen within the next week. The Minister wishes to have this over as quickly as possible..."
As Sirius scoffed, Dumbledore added, "...and after it is over, you will be able to resume your life."
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Sirius murmured. "I never imagined being set free, so I haven't..."
"I understand," Dumbledore said gently. "I don't know what your eventual vocation might be; but until then, I have found you a place to stay with a family who will take care of you."
"You have?" he said in surprise before saying nervously. "Not one of my family is it?"
"You are related but somewhat distantly," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Arthur and Molly Weasley have offered to take you in after the trial. Their youngest son Ron is friends with Harry."
"Friends with Harry?" Sirius exclaimed in excitedly. "Really? That's incredible."
"It is rather," Dumbledore said conversationally as the previously grim man's face lit up with delight. "I imagine you could all spend Christmas together at the Weasley home."
Christmas with Harry...he had never dared to dream that could ever be possible again. If he could only see his Godson, just see him, it would just make everything so much better. And Christmas wasn't even that far away. He'd heard one of the Healers mention that Halloween had only just past meaning that he just had to wait over a month before he'd be reunited with his precious godson.
"I'd like that. I'd like that a lot," he said with a dreamy smile. "So...does Harry know about me?"
"He does, but he's only just found out about you. He knows you're his godfather and was best friends with James but not much else currently. I'm afraid until the trial is concluded, you will not be able to contact him."
Sirius's slumped in disappointment, but Dumbledore wasn't finished.
"That doesn't mean you couldn't work on a letter to send once your name has been cleared, and he will be able to do the same. There is much for you both to catch up on."
"That...that sounds good," Sirius said with a nod. As much as he'd love to contact Harry now, he knew anything he wrote would just be an incoherent ramble that would really freak out his godson. Goodness knows, he'd probably freak out if he was forced to read what he'd written.
Dumbledore smiled as he drew out parchment, quills, and ink from his robes and set them down carefully on a bedside table.
"There is no rush," he said jovially. "Just take your time. You can always ask for more paper if you run out."
"Thank you," Sirius said gratefully. "I'll come up with something good."
"Of course," Dumbledore said with a smile as the door opened and a Healer came in.
"It looks like visiting time is over," Dumbledore commented upon greeting the young Healer who was carrying a tray of food and a couple of potions. "The Aurors will be interviewing you later, but you have nothing to worry about."
"Not Alastor is it?" Sirius questioned, making Dumbledore chuckle.
"Not many people refer to him as that anymore," he said, making Sirius frown.
"You'll know what I mean when you see him," was all Dumbledore would say, causing Sirius to smile. He liked a mystery. So old Alastor had some kind of nickname did he? And it was related to the way he looked. The old lion maybe? Nah, too obvious. Of course, it had been ten years since he'd seen the old Auror; loads of things could have changed.
"I look forward to seeing him," Sirius said wryly. It would not be a dull meeting, that was a given.
"I think you will enjoy it," Dumbledore chuckled before saying reassuringly. "I will stand as a witness for you since I was very closely involved with the Potters and their fight against Voldemort."
As the Healer flinched, Dumbledore added, "Not to mention I was one of the first to see Peter after his discovery."
"Thank you," Sirius said gratefully. If there was one thing that couldn't have changed in ten years, it was Dumbledore's authority. Sirius could rest easy for the first time in ten years. As he lay back with the Healer checking his vitals, he wondered what Harry was doing. He'd be having breakfast right about now...
Peter Pettigrew discovered alive!
In an incredible series of events, Peter Pettigrew, famous for tracking down the notorious mass murderer Sirius Black and dying a hero, has been discovered alive and well. This reporter has learned that he has been living in disguise for over ten years, a disguise so perfect that he was only revealed by chance. Many supporters of You-Know-Who who were not caught after the War fled to other countries but not Peter Pettigrew.
It would appear that he remained in this country so he could listen out for news of his former master, or perhaps he was simply so confident in his deception that he saw no need to flee to safer pastures. There is no doubt he was completely sure that his old school friend Black would never see the light of day ever again.
Black as he's painted!?
As many of our readers will know, Sirius Black, the heir to the Black name and fortune, was convicted ten years ago of not only betraying the Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named but of murdering twelve Muggles and his friend and fellow wizard Peter Pettigrew. In school, Sirius Black was known as a rebel, being the first Black to be sorted into Gryffindor for centuries. All other Blacks including his younger brother Regulus (deceased) were sorted into Slytherin. He befriended James Potter, whose son Harry is now the last male Potter, to the disgust of his family due to the Potter's very pro light stance...
Continued on page three
The whole Hall was buzzing as the news spread from those that subscribed to the Daily Prophet about the fact that a famous Death Eater and Mass murderer had been framed. The upper years could dimly remember the end of the war; and they were the most vocal about it, unable to believe that a dangerous Death Eater had been on the loose while an innocent man apparently rotted in jail.
For the younger years, they had a lot of questions especially those who were Muggle raised. They all wanted to know what Death Eaters were, how the wizard legal system works, were there any other Death Eaters on the loose, and were they in danger. Of course, those that were wizard raised could only answer the simplest queries like what a Death Eater was and not the more complicated and possibly far reaching questions.
Harry glanced over at the Staff Table and saw that it was just as animated as the House tables. Professor Flitwick was gesturing furiously with his paper that kept almost knocking off Professor Sprout's hat. Professors Snape and McGonagall were discussing things quietly but no less intensively than everyone else in the Great Hall.
"Rita didn't write this," Hermione commented as Harry turned back to his breakfast. "I wonder if she's on holiday."
"Who cares," Ron scoffed, placing bacon and sausage in buttered bread before lifting it up with satisfaction.
"Long as she doesn't bother us," he added before taking a huge bite.
Hermione made a tiny tutting noise at Ron's large mouthful before turning to Harry. Gently, she said, "Will you be alright Harry? You know people are going to be asking questions about this."
"I've had worse," Harry said with a slight smile. "I don't care about people staring and asking me questions. All that matters is Sirius."
She nodded in understanding; it was remarkable how well Harry had dealt with the stares and whispers. He'd never encouraged it and for the most part hated it. If it was related to Quidditch, he was the least bothered. It tended to be people trying to spook him, but always they ended up making him laugh just because they were so bad. But this time, Harry didn't care. His godfather was out of Azkaban, and soon his innocence would be proven.
"I hope he can stay with the Weasleys," Hermione said quietly so the others eating at the table couldn't overhear them. "You'd be able to spend Christmas with each other but not have to worry about him."
"I think Dumbledore will convince them," Harry said with quiet confidence. "I'm not that worried about that. I just hope Sirius will be able to get his life back on track."
"As long as you're safe and doing well, he will," Hermione assured him. "The first time around, you were his world; it was all about you. When you were safe, he was safe. As long as we keep a lid on things, he'll be fine. And he'll be able to go wherever he wants; he won't be forced to hide in his mother's house or anything."
Harry nodded as a thought occurred to her.
"I do hope he'll give Kreacher a chance," she said quietly. "We know all he needs is a bit of kindness and attention."
"I'll think of something," Harry promised. "I don't want him getting hurt again, don't worry about it."
"She always worries when it comes to House Elves," Ron cut in wisely as she rolled her eyes.
"Someone needs to," she calmly defended as he grinned at her.
"Yeah, nothing's better than SPEW," he teased; and she shoved him, making him laugh.
Harry shook his head; it was much nicer listening to a play fight than ignoring a real fight. Maybe he was being overly optimistic, but things were looking pretty good right now. And perhaps…it would last.
Author's note. Some people might have wanted Sirius to rage at Dumbledore; but I think that since he's only freshly out of Azkaban, he'll probably still be blaming himself quite a lot for what happened. As he gets used to his freedom, maybe he'll be angrier at others because of what happened; but right now, he's only angry at himself and Wormtail.