Consequences of Broken Promises
The cells in Azkaban were dark and cold. A little morning light streamed through the thin little window. A skinny and large black dog curled under the small light, whimpering quietly to itself. Suddenly, other prisoners started shrieking and the skinny black dog's head peaked up. Through bars the dog could see the darkness dispersing and a silvery light streaming through the cell bars. It's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps drawing nearer. Humans steps, a very unusual sound for Azkaban.
The dog shifted into a man. Sirius Black lay slumped on the floor of the cell. He didn't bother trying to stand. But he was curious as to who could be coming through. The minister or some auror on an inspection most likely. A few moments later a man appeared and banged on the bars roughly and told Black to get up for some visitor.
He tried to speak in response but it came out scratchy and made his throat hurt. It had been awhile since he had spoken, aside from yelling on the extremely rare occasion at his estranged cousin, Bellatrix, who had found herself in a cell shortly after him. He wasn't sure if the man, who Sirius now recognized as Mad-eye Moody, had heard him as he had already started moving away for this mysterious visitor to come. He slipped his arms through the bars to peer out.
He heard light stumbled and slightly rushed foot steps.
"Sirius," whispered a voice he couldn't forget. The dementors would never let him forget her voice even if he wanted too. Which he didn't. Sometimes he didn't mind letting the dementors come close just so he could hear her voice again. Even if it broke his heart and made his blood freeze.
Two warm hands grasped the ones he had hung out. Sirius stared in shock at the face that appeared in front him. He didn't register that she had waved away the ministry guards that had come with her. For a brief moment he wondered if he was hallucinating. Perhaps it finally happened and the dementors had officially driven him insane. But he didn't feel cold like he usually did. These hands were warm.
He reached up and touched her face. It felt so soft and so real. She pressed her head against his hand and grabbed his wrist to hold his hand there.
"Jane?" He croaked softly. "Are you real?"
His throat still hurt a little when he spoke. But he needed to know. He thought that perhaps the dementors had come back and were torturing him again. But the dementors were cold and her face and hands were so warm. He heard her choke on a sob. Oh no He thought. He didn't want to hurt her. This had to be a dementor then. In most of the memories the dementors forced him to relive, Sirius had hurt her.
"I'm real, Sirius," Jane whispered gently. "I'm here. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Sirius's eyes widened. He almost drew his hands back in surprise but hers followed his and he couldn't let her go. Not again. Never again.
His eyes glanced all over her. She was as beautiful as he remembered. She wore a pretty tan wool cloak with navy blue trimmings along the edges. He remembered that cloak. He gave it to her for Christmas in their seventh year. He was surprised that after all this time she still had it. Her hair pulled half up to frame her perfect face. Hazel eyes glistening with tears. He tried to brush them away but the built up grime from his hands replaced the tears. He pulled his hand away again, ashamed this time.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Love," Sirius Black grinned for the first time in 9 years.
Jane's heart fell when she saw Sirius. His handsome face now hollow and ghost-like. His hair was matted and his eyes were haunted. When she gripped his hands she found that they were bonier than she remembered and as cold as the Azkaban stone structure. She didn't know what to think or how to respond when he asked if she was real. She was worried that she had taken too long and that he was no longer sane when he had asked that. She couldn't stop the cry that escaped her at his words. And when she responded, he stared stunned and disabeliving at her and tried to pull away but Jane wouldn't let him. She wanted to get closer to him.
Then he had replied with that soft cheeky grin that he knew always made her so weak for him. It was so Sirius, but at the same time it was different. Behind the smile she saw the pain, the fear, the regret, and the doubt. But still that smile made her soften, it still made her forget herself. And mostly it made her want to fall into his arms. She didn't care that he was covered in dirt and whatever he had picked up from Azkaban. She looked desperately to her right where Emmeline had stayed within eyeshot but out of earshot.
Emmeline immediately knew what she wanted and disappeared for a moment only to return with the sound of disgruntled yell echoing from Moody. She approached the cell with a pair of keys in hand. She grimaced as she reluctantly pointed her wand at Sirius.
"Stand back, Black." She said assertively but somehow still gently.
Jane finally let him go and Sirius pressed himself towards the back of the cell. Jane didn't even wait for Emmeline to fully open the doors she pushed passed her and crashed into Sirius. Sirius, not as strong as before, almost toppled over but Jane caught her balance and steady him and they sank slowly to the floor together.
Jane barely registered the door clanging shut and locking or the call from Emmeline to holler if she needed anything. Emmeline's footsteps slowly disappeared.
Jane couldn't help herself; she sobbed into Sirius's chest apologizing over and over again for not being there for him sooner. Suddenly she was 21 and again and she didn't have to be the strong one anymore. She didn't have to pretend she was ok. She was exhausted from 9 years of searching for answers and finding nothing. She had come planning to keep her distance and interrogate him. But she forgot all of that with just one look at him.
Sirius held her tightly as if letting her go would cause her to fade away. He wasn't sure why she was here after all these years but right now that didn't matter. He was grateful that she didn't seem to hate him. He never wanted to let her go again. As she sobbed, his guilt continued to build. He was the one that did this to her, he broke her. He was the one to fail to protect her, to be there for her like he had promised himself he would be ever since the first time he had seen her cry like this.
They were 12 years old a week into their second year at Hogwarts. They sat at the Gryffindor table during breakfast. Two owls flew in early, before the rest of the usual morning mail rush. One was an elegant brown owl, the other a black ministry owl. The great hall slowly quieted at the sight of the black owl. They all knew the news it would deliver as the rising of some dark wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort had begun their first year and had only gotten worse. The students waited with baited breath hoping it wouldn't land in front of them. Professor McGonagall slowly stood looking out at them.
The barn owl was recognizable to many as the Potter family owl and it was carrying two separate letters. One in its beak and one tied to its foot. As it passed James Potter it dropped the one from its beak before landing in front of Jane alongside the black ministry owl. Jane knew who it was about before opening it. Her mother had gone to Saint Mungo's with a terrible case of dragon pox in the middle of the summer. Her father had been killed in one of the first fights with the dark wizard who called himself Voldemort the year before.
James Potter, having torn open the letter that landed in front of him and skimmed its contents before the two owls had even landed in front Jane, leaped to his feet and rushed to his cousin. As Jane finished untying both letters, James scooped them up and pulled her away from prying eyes.
Jane's face was carefully composed. A young Sirius Black had spent years mastering the art of reading such faces in his own family as well as being able to mask his own. He could see the grief and fear held in them as the two Potter cousins rushed way.
The two never showed up to lessons and their absence was very much noticed. The gryffindor girls whispered quietly and worriedly to each other. Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were silent for the first time ever and only exchanged glances with each other throughout the day.
Finally when lessons ended they all collectively rushed to the Gryffindor tower. The girls hurried up the steps of their dormitories in search of their friend. However, at that age, Jane was closer to the three boys than any of the girls. And the boys knew that she would still be with James.
They raced up to their dorm room and Sirius made to open the door before Remus thrust out his hand to stop him.
"Wait," he said. And lifted his own hand to knock.
James Potter opened the door a crack and told them to wait just a moment. They waited impatiently outside. The three were nosy but had enough tact to not try and listen in this time. The door opened wide, Jane was sitting on James's bed. Her eyes were red and puffy but she gave the three boys a small smile as they came in.
Remus rushed to hug her and Peter followed slowly behind. But Sirius stayed near the door with a carefully watchful eye.
"Are you ok?" Peter squeaked out quietly.
Sirius almost scoffed but kept his composure. Of course she wasn't ok. This was the second black owl the girl had received in the two years they'd been in school.
"Yes it's alright," Jane said rather bravely. "Mother's been sick for ages. It's good that she can finally rest now. And she's with Father again. She'll be happy."
The boys didn't really know what to say to that. James cleared his throat.
"Mom and dad offered to take her home for the week," James said carefully.
"Yes," Jane said. "But I think I'd rather stay at hogwarts with all of you."
Remus simply smiled gently at her.
"Let us know if you need anything," he said with Peter nodding his head rapidly next to him.
"Thank you," she said politely. "Honestly I think I'm going to turn in early. I'm just feeling really tired right now."
Only Sirius and James could recognize the carefully constructed aristocratic answer that masked her real emotions. Sirius's eyes followed her as she left the room. He took note that she avoided looking him in the eye as she passed.
Hours later Sirius Black trudged downstairs. It was the middle of the night and nobody was awake. But for whatever reason he couldn't sleep. As he approached the common room he heard quiet sniffles. He peaked in and saw a figure sitting at the window sill and looking out.
"Potter?" He called hesitantly.
He watched as the girl straightened up. And turned to look at him.
"Oh hello, Black," Jane said. "I didn't hear you come in. What are you doing up?"
"You don't need to apologize." He responded awkwardly with a shrug. "Just couldn't sleep."
They stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence. It was odd, they were friends after all. But Sirius came from a family that didn't do caring about emotions. He was no good around crying girls. He wasn't the comforting type. That was Remus's job or James's, or even Merlin forbid Peter. Sirius had to admit, Jane did a good job hiding her emotions. The common room was dark so he couldn't really see her face. If Sirius hadn't become so good at reading people's emotions, a survival instinct in his own family, he wouldn't have noticed.
"I- I can leave you," she stuttered out quietly. She started to leave. As she passed him, he grabbed her arm.
"I think the common room is large enough for the both of us, don't you think?" he said as gently as he could with a small wink. "Unless you'd like to be left alone. I was the one who barged in on you after all. I can leave if you want."
Jane shook her head in response. So Sirius took her arm and guided her to sit by the fireplace. Instinctively he grabbed a throw blanket and wrapped it around his friend before sitting next to her.
"You know why I'm up," Sirius started. "What about you, Potter?"
"Same as you," she lied. "Couldn't sleep."
Sirius gave her a disbelieving and disapproving look. When he looked at her he noticed that she carefully kept her posture and composure even while wrapped in a blanket. He sighed.
"That was stupid question," he mumbled. "Sorry."
She looked up at him but stayed silent. Being next to her, he could now see the red puffy eyes and the tears that threatened to spill.
"You know you don't have to pretend you're ok." He whispered. Without thinking he reached up and wiped her watery eyes. "You have every right to be upset."
"Mother always said, 'ladies should never cry, especially in front of company'," Jane said, turning away and wiping her own eyes. "I was only ever allowed to cry when I was with Uncle Fleamont and Aunt Euphemia."
"My family's like that too," Sirius said. "That's how I can tell you're not ok. I know what that's like. So you don't have to pretend in front of me and you already know you can tell me anything. Or if you'd like I can go wake James?"
She looked at him again and he tried to give her a genuine smile. Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She threw herself at him and sobbed into his chest.
12-year old Sirius Black was surprised at this quick development and a little unsure of what to do. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her and held her. She began to rant almost incoherently into his chest. He could barely understand what she was saying but he listened as carefully as he could.
"I'm so scared," she bawled. "I don't have anyone left. Father left me and now Mother. And there's all this talk of war coming. What if something happens to Uncle Fleamont and Aunt Euphemia? Or James? Then I'd really be alone! Everyone always leaves me."
Sirius looked down at the trembling girl in his arms. She looked and felt so small and fragile. Very unlike the Jane he'd known before who wasn't afraid to call out when the boys took their pranks too far or the girl he'd seen stand up to 5th year slytherins that often made fun of the younger gryffindor muggleborn girls. Young Sirius remembered the talks and rumors he'd heard from his family about this Dark Lord over the summer. He had heard the disgusting talks of the things his followers had done or planned to do and the cries of support his older relatives gave. Jane had already felt the terrible effects from that monster his family boasted so much about. Sirius's arms tightened around her.
"I won't leave you ever." Sirius promised.
At only 12 years old, Sirius vowed that he'd do anything he could to protect her from his family and this rising Dark Lord.
At almost 22 Sirius had broken that promise.
At almost 31 they sat in almost the same position, the warmth of the Gryffindor common replaces with the wet stone cold tiles of Azkaban, still feeling the consequences of that broken promise.
"My dearest Jane," he tried to whisper gently but grimaced at the continued gruffness in his voice. "There is nothing for you to be sorry for. It is I that has failed you."
Jane felt something wet hit her head and looked up to see tears also coming from Sirius. She buried her head into him again and somehow hugged him tighter. Here he was in Azkaban and comforting her. After a few more moments she reluctantly pulled away.
Sirius knew that Jane didn't just suddenly come to see him after all this time simply because she missed him. When she pulled away he knew it was time to address it. He sighed, slightly pained.
"Why are you here, Jane?" He whispered reluctantly.
Jane leaned against the wall opposite of him and looked down at her hands, unable to look him in the eyes now. She tried to think of what she could say. She hadn't really rehearsed a script or thought of what she wanted to say. When Remus had suggested she go talk to him, she hadn't thought past how to get there.
"I needed to know," Jane whispered back. "Lily, James, Peter. Why'd you do it?"
Sirius grimaced. There it was.
"I didn't mean to," he said, refusing to look at her.
"Didn't mean to?" Jane said horrified. "So you really did have them killed?"
"James and Lily? I as good as," Sirius meant to continue but Jane stood up abruptly.
"And Peter? You really did kill him and-and all those people!?" She gasped out.
"I don't know what happened with Peter," he said solemnly. "But I won't deny that it was my fault."
"How could you!?" She shrieked. "I spent 9 years wasting my time thinking that there had to be some kind of mistake! Being ridiculed by the ministry because I insisted that you were innocent! But you really are a murderer!"
Sirius shrunk back. He started feeling cold again and wondered if maybe this really was a hallucination caused by a dementor. Everything was going horribly wrong. All those years in this lonely cell and this conversation was going exactly how he had imagined in his nightmares of Jane really visiting him in Azkaban. But he remembered how real it felt to hold her in his arms and he knew it was real. And he almost wished that this was just another figmentation from a dementor.
He stood and reached out towards her. Jane quickly whipped out her wand and pointed it at him.
"Stay away from me, Black!" She yelled.
Sirius flinched back. He pressed himself against the back wall again. Jane watched as his already dull eyes completely shattered in pain. It almost made her lower her wand and run to him again.
"Please! My beautiful Jane!" He pleaded. "Let me explain. I'll tell you everything, the whole story."
"Don't call me that!" Jane cried.
Footsteps rushed towards them and the whole team of aurors and hit wizards appeared. Moody, Shacklebolt, Charlie Bell, and Hestia Jones all had their wands pointed at Sirius. Emmeline fumbled with the keys.
"You alright, Potter?" Shacklebolt asked. For once Jane didn't correct him.
Sirius had his arms up and slumped forward on his knees. He didn't pay attention to the team of guards that surrounded her. He looked even more broken than when Jane had gotten there. But he kept his eyes locked into hers.
"Please," he pleaded again quietly.
Just as Emmeline managed to get the cell open, Jane caved. She shrugged off Emmeline who had grabbed her.
"I'm fine," she said.
"I think it's time to go, Black" Moody grunted.
"No!" She cried out surprising herself. And Sirius who had completely sunk to the floor at Moody's words. He didn't look back up at Jane's response though. He didn't dare hope. That wasn't something you did in Azkaban. "I'm not done here."
"Are you sure?" Emmeline said gently.
Jane nodded although not as confidently this time.
"Perhaps Vane could stay with you this time," Charlie suggested.
Jane looked at Sirius who still sat slumped on the ground completely defeated. He still hadn't looked back up at her.
"No." She said determinedly. "I'm sure I can manage myself."
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Moody said.
"I think I'm perfectly capable of using my own wand." She replied coolly.
"Constant vigilance, Black," Moody growled.
"I can handle that on my own as well."Jane stated unwaveringly.
Moody stared at her before he finally grunted and walked away. As the rest of the group started walking away, Jane grabbed Emmeline's arm.
"I'm casting a muffling charm around the place," Jane whispered. "Don't be alarmed if you don't hear anything."
Emmeline's eyes widened.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea-" She replied just as quietly.
"I'll be fine." Jane looked over to where Sirius still sat huddled. "He won't hurt me."
"Fine. But shoot sparks if you need me." Emmeline huffed.
Jane waved her away and the door to the cell loudly clanged shut.
"Muffliato," Jane whispered with a wave of her wand.
"AGH!" At the same time, Sirius stood up and punched the wall. Jane jumped startled and almost dropped her wand.
Sirius hadn't been paying attention to the conversation that Jane was having with her guards. When they appeared and insisted it was time for her to go Sirius collapsed into himself with his head in his hands. He'd ruined everything once again.
What had she said? Sirius thought to himself. "I spent 9 years wasting my time thinking that there had to be some kind of mistake!... I insisted that you were innocent!" She had thought that he was innocent. She came to try and prove him innocent and all he had done was made her believe what everyone else did. That he was a monster. They were right, he was a monster.
He started muttering all of this incoherently to himself. When he heard the door clang shut, he thought that she had gone. So he stood up and punched the wall with frustration. He didn't care that his hand was now bleeding. In fact, he barely even noticed. And knowing that this visit would be something the dementors would force him to relive over and over again, He shifted back into a dog.
Jane watched in horrified fascination as Sirius shifted into Padfoot, a transformation she hadn't seen in a long time. The dog curled in on itself and began to whimper. Somehow that made Jane feel even worse. Padfoot was skinnier than she remembered, she could almost see his ribs. His fur was matted and patchy. His paw still bleeding from when he punched the wall caused him to limp.
Jane quickly checked behind her to make sure Emmeline had gone and didn't see the transformation. Only Jane and Lily had known about the Marauders' Animagus forms. It was a Marauders secret after all.
Slowly she approached the dog and squatted down. She reached out and tried to pet him to get his attention. But Padfoot flinched and whimpered even more. He tried to make himself smaller and hide his face.
"Padfoot." Jane sad softly, tears sprinkling again in her own eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm still here."
She tried to pet him again. He jerked up and looked at her. Growling and whimpering the dog back away. He started shaking. Jane stood up and unclasped her cloak. She slowly approached Padfoot and finally he allowed her wrapped it around him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, kneeling in front of him. "I shouldn't have yelled like that. It's still me, I'm still real."
The dog hesitantly stepped towards her. He put a paw on her shoulder and shifted back into Sirius. She wrapped her arms around him and adjusted her cloak that had stayed wrapped on him after transforming.
"Ok," she said as calmly as she could. "Explain. I came to find out what happened and I won't leave until I know."
Sirius pulled away from her again and slumped back against the wall. Jane adjusted herself so that she was facing him.
"James and Lily, it was my fault they died. I know it." He started in a low voice. He refused to make eye contact with her. "You know that I was supposed to be the secret keeper?"
"Supposed to be?" Jane asked, confused. "You were, you told me you were. It's why we went into hiding."
"No." Sirius said. "I was the obvious choice. They would come after me either way. I came up with what I thought was a brilliant plan. I persuaded them to switch keepers and use Peter instead."
"Peter!?" Jane gasped. "You expect me to believe that you switched Keepers with a man that you killed!?"
"I don't know what happened to be Peter but I wasn't the one who killed him." Sirius scowled. "That night, after we put Jazlyn to bed. You remember? She was fussy about not seeing James and Lily. More fussy than usual. It worried me. I decided to check on Peter. But when I'd gotten there he was gone and there was no sign of struggle. Immediately, I was worried and I went to James and Lily but I was too late…. I got there and it was gone... I still see their bodies in their destroyed house… I realized what I'd done, what Peter…"
He trailed off and choked back sobs. Jane sat in disbelief. Trying to wrap around everything he had said.
"If you switched...why wouldn't you tell me?" Jane breathed out.
"I- I don't know," Sirius clutched his hair. "We knew there was traitor-"
"I wasn't the traitor!" Jane interrupted. "I was your wife! You knew that!"
"I know you weren't," Sirius shouted back. He took a breath. "James, Peter, and I decided to just keep it between us. And Lily of course. Lily of course tried to insist that we tell you. But I don't know what I was thinking. I thought that perhaps you were safer not knowing."
"Safer not knowing!? That's ludicrous." Jane said.
"Peter convinced me that the less people who knew, the better. Including you," Sirius said.
"Peter," Jane said incredulously. "You expect me to believe little Peter Pettigrew, who followed behind you lot for years. Terrified of his own shadow. Who is now dead. Is responsible for some hair-brained scheme that I still don't understand why I wasn't told about?"
"It's impossible to believe I know." Sirius said. He dragged his uninsured hand down his face. "And I know I should have told you when we switched. But I was so sure you'd be better off not knowing. There was so much going on, you had so much on your mind, I didn't think I should add this burden to you. It was my responsibility."
"You didn't think," Jane said. "Clearly. Why would I be better off knowing! You becoming a Secret Keeper made us target! That's the whole reason we went into hiding! In case they tried to get to you through us!"
Sirius looked pained, and haunted like this whole thought process was something that replayed in him.
"No," Sirius said softly. "That wasn't the only one reason. If you remember, Dumbledore suspected that Voldemort would want the Heir of the purest Wizarding Blood. And who better than the Heir to the royal Le Fay and Black line. He wanted my little girl too."
Jane remembered. As much as she wanted to protect Jazlyn, she hadn't wanted to believe that. She was also so sure that nobody really knew her bloodline, all throughout Hogwarts most assumed that she and James were twins, they shared a birthday after all. She was just as antsy as Sirius, she hadn't wanted to go completely into hiding for an unknown amount of time. She didn't believe in living in fear. Although she had agreed to lie low for Jazlyn. Sirius being Secret Keeper had convinced her to go fully into hiding.
"I know, I should have told you we switched," Sirius continues defeated. "But Peter convinced me that we had to make the circle of knowledge as small as possible. He had said it would lessen the likelihood of someone slipping up."
Jane made to interrupted again. But stopped at the expression on his face so full of regret.
"I know you wouldn't have let it slip," Sirius said. "Everyday I look back and regret not telling you. I was just so scared. I wanted to protect you, protect everyone. We knew there was a traitor close to us if anyone let slip to the wrong person…"
Sirius paused and sighed. He put his head in his hands. He let out a bitter chuckle.
"Little did I know the little rat was the traitor himself." Sirius scowled. "You know he had me convinced it was Remus?"
"Remus!?" Jane demanded, "Why!? Because he's a werewolf!?"
"That's one of the reasons Peter gave," Sirius shook his head. "But that's not why I bought it. He actually had really convincing arguments. Remus was always gone. We hardly saw him. Peter even managed to correlate some of Remus's disappearances with major order missions that had gone wrong."
They sat in a long and uncomfortable silence. Sirius seemed to be done explaining as much as he could. Jane tried to mull all of it over in her brain. She still didn't really understand why he wouldn't have told her and she got the feeling that he didn't really know either. She wanted to believe him. She did. But there was one thing that made it seem impossible.
"How do you expect me to believe you?" Jane said. Sirius looked up with the hurt that came from her disbelief and distrust evident in his expression.
"Peter," Jane continued. "Even if I did believe you. Which I'm not sure I do, even if I wanted to. This whole thing, your innocence relies on a dead man. And you still haven't explained how you didn't kill him."
"I suppose they never checked my wand before snapping it?" Sirius mused. Jane gave him an unimpressed look. He sighed.
"That part still puzzles me," Sirius shrugged. "He went out of his way to accuse me publically. It doesn't make sense that he would blow himself up to blame me."
"Peter!?" Jane asked. "You really think he killed himself and all those people!? You think he'd be capable of that!?"
"He was perfectly capable of betraying James and Lily," Sirius said. "I was just as surprised. The only part that doesn't make sense is killing himself. I suppose it wouldn't have been as believable if he didn't."
"They only found his finger," Jane said incredulously. "And you laughing right after supposedly killing everyone."
"Because I couldn't believe that, Peter of all people, had gotten the best of me," he said bitterly. "I knew that with whatever he had just done, he sealed my fate."
Jane sat in silent disbelief for several minutes. Sirius watched her carefully to see if she would believe him or trust him.
"You know," Sirius mused. "Personally, I think he's alive somewhere, hiding, biding his time."
"And why would he do that?" Jane questioned. "Everyone thinks he's a hero, they'd welcome him with open arms. They gave him an order of Merlin first class, you know."
"Two reasons, I believe," Sirius started. "The first, is his little Death Eater mates. I've heard some of the ones in here. Like Bellatrix. Muttering nonsense. They blame him. Believe that he purposely led Voldemort to his death and downfall. And I'm sure you know that many Death Eaters managed to not get caught. Oh, how they'd love to get their hands on him I'm sure."
Jane shivered. Unconsciously she shifted closer to him and moved to his side. Sirius looked at her in surprise, but she didn't seem to notice. With a small smile he placed an arm around her and pulled her even closer when she didn't attempt to pull away.
"And the second reason," he continued. "Is you."
Jane looked up at him with confusion and shock all over her face.
"Me?" She asked. Sirius nodded.
"You're here, aren't you?" Sirius said. "You knew something wasn't right. You would have questioned him, interrogated him even. Gotten him on trial. Put us both on trial. Instead of a dead man's word against mine, it would have been his word against mine. And now who would people believe?"
He was right. Every argument the ministry had against her granting Sirius a trial would have been debunked if Peter was there. Given that Sirius was telling the truth that is. She thought for a moment a few moments processing everything. They heard the sounds of moaning prisoners, the drip of leaking water and the crashing sound of waves outside. Sirius watched her nervously the whole time. But he kept holding onto her.
"Ok." Said Jane finally.
Sirius looked at her eyes wide.
"What?" He choked out.
"I believe you." She said.
Relief washed over Sirius. And he clutched onto her. He felt her arms snake around him too. Tears escaped and dripped into her hair. She believed him.
AN:
I know that this one was a long one. whew. I hope you enjoyed the little bit of Angst.
The flashback scene lowkey made me want to do a marauders era prequel fic to this. If you want let me know.
