Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter Fourteen

Winter Break pt 1

Xerxes

Last Day of Classes before Winter Break

Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were set to return to England as soon as classes ended for the day. They had asked Draco if he was going home as well, which he explained that he did not live in England anymore, but yes, he would be going home for the break. He then said to them all. "Listen, it is really important to the safety of my mother and several others that no one knows I am here. Please do not go around telling anyone."

"I already mentioned it in my letters home. I'm sorry." Ron looked appalled at the idea of accidentally risking Draco's family.

"I had assumed so, but your mom is in the Order. They already or at least suspected my whereabouts. It's just…my father is out of prison now, he cannot know where to find us, even if he can't get to us, it would be bad if he knew." Draco said. "Plus, that rat of yours. You know what Yuery said about it."

"Yuery isn't all knowing. I mean I know he said something's strange about Scabbers, but how could he know? Besides Mum said he was gone, escaped out of his cage no one knows where." Ron said with a frown, still upset over the loss of his pet.

"I brought you all presents. I remembered from last year." Yuery said as he sat down beside them. "I don't know if you want to open them now or wait and take them home. What's the tradition?"

"We'll take them home, open them on Christmas." Hermione said before the others could speak grateful for the interruption. Ron was still sensitive about his missing pet, and still insistent that Yuery was wrong about it. Ron's parents seemed to side with Ron over it when Yuery's Dad had warned them about it just after the school year begun from what the letters said, though since the rat was gone, it could be that they were keeping secrets as adults tend to do.

"Well, I guess we will see you all in two weeks then." Ginny said with a smile as she placed her present and Ron's in her bag, deciding the best way to end the tension was to ignore it. "Bye Draco, Bye Yuery."

The other two boys stood back as the port key lit up to take their friends home, just as William and Maes arrived. After the light faded from the area, they all stepped in, Draco first, Yuery last. Before they could leave, Professor Lupin arrived. "Have a good holiday children and do be careful. Make sure to not wander, and do not speak to any strangers."

"We never do Professor?" William said with a frown. "Is there something in particular to worry about?"

"No, no. Just…my usual concerns." Lupin said with a frown of his own. "Yuery, you especially, please. Stay close to your father or grandfather during the break."

"No one can enter our borders professor you know that." Yuery said.

"No one with ill intent can enter your borders. Unfortunately, if one feels they are doing the right thing by dragging you back to England or contacting you in anyway, that may not be enough to keep them out…though snatching you would certainly keep them in." Lupin said. "Now don't you worry, I'm certainly worried over nothing. Listen to me, going on. As if someone would be that foolish."

"Are you worried about someone in particular sir?" William asked.

"No, of course not. Who would I be worried about?" Lupin laughed nervously. "I'm just getting paranoid in my old age."

"You're younger than my grandfather, who isn't old yet." Maes frowned back. "Isn't he?"

"Are you frightening children Remus?" Severus Snape asked as he walked up to join them.

"Ha-ha, no. No intentionally." Lupin replied. "I was simply warning them to not wander over break or speak to strangers."

"So, you do think he is headed this direction then." Snape narrowed his eyes. "Has he been in contact?"

"Of course not. I hadn't heard from him since I told him we had matters well in hand. I fear he believes us to be traitors."

"Who?" Draco asked curiously.

"No one." Lupin replied, as Snape said. "Black."

"Severus!"

"I do not believe keeping secrets would benefit them. Sirius Black may not be a murder, but he is a threat." Snape replied. "I still am uncertain whether I believe he is innocent either."

"we will discuss this later, with less of an audience." Remus frowned. "Informing them without parental consent- "

"Dad would tell us." Yuery interrupted. "If it's a security or political issue for us, he will tell us."

"Well, you at least." William added, "Not always the younger ones."

"You too." Yuery argued back, "Probably Maes too. The girls don't attend school yet, so maybe not them."

"Regardless, that is up to your parents, not us." Remus said.

"Which is one of Dad's biggest problems with wizards, too many secrets." Yuery said as they took their port key.

"I would love to say he comes by his flair for the dramatic naturally but knowing both his biological family and his family I am not completely certain." Remus said dryly.

"He is a mixture of the three, I'm sure. His core personality, inherited traits, and learned behavior." Chen said with a laugh, as she ushered Huan,Ping and Hiro along. "Now were you planning on traveling yourself? You're holding the que and I promised that that my nephews would be home on time tonight."

Remus shook his head as he stepped out of the way. He was sure Severus would be back soon to continue their conversation, but he was tired and the children were nearly all gone already. Another half hour and Xerxes would be vacant aside from himself.

Amestris

Fuhrer's Mansion

As soon as the boys and Severus appeared, the man sighed and turned to Edward who had been waiting for them. "Remus is annoyed with me. He was attempting to warn the boys in a ridiculously roundabout way, to watch out for Sirius Black. When they asked who he was concerned over, he tried to say it was nothing, so I told them it was Black."

"So, he is going to attempt to come here then as you worried earlier?" Edward asked with a frown.

"Remus claims to have had no contact, so he must be working on assumption the same as me. I wish we knew more of his state of mind." Severus sighed. "Regardless, we must concern ourselves with the possibility. The man is unstable. He shouldn't be able to breech the border should he want to enter to try to take Yuery, however, if he honestly believes his actions would protect Yuery…well Hagrid was able to get in. On the other hand, neither I nor Remus have given him the name. All we truly know is that he has not been found and possibly is no longer anywhere near England."

"Who is Sirius Black?" William asked, hoping the adults would answer without more arguments.

"Yuery's original godfather." Severus answered, "He has been in prison since shortly after the Potters died, as he was believed for a long time to be the one who betrayed them. It wasn't until recently that I learned it was not him, but another of their friends. He escaped prison not long ago no one knows what he is planning."

"He won't get to Yuery, even if he gets in the country. Our kids are all being assigned personal guards until this matter is settled, and they won't be going anywhere without me or my dad with them." Edward said. "Normally I wouldn't want them so stifled, but with everything going on… when was he last spotted?"

"He hasn't been officially, though Minerva informed me of some odd occurrences recently involving a dog that matched Remus' description first in Hogsmeade then around the Weasleys residence when she finally responded this morning. She seemed unconcerned and informed me in the same note that the dog has not reappeared anywhere in a few days." Severus shook his head at this, before turning to Draco, "I'm taking you home then I need to go to visit in person to fully grasp the situation. Getting the information second hand and weeks late will not help us."

"Are we in danger then?" Draco asked with concern.

"Possibly." Both men answered honestly. Severus continued, "Unless he somehow managed to board a train, it would take him several weeks to arrive anywhere near here. Since he has no money, and his face is well published it is unlikely he would try… unless he is truly unhinged."

"We will operate as if we have a security risk until otherwise notified." Edward responded grimly, "you know what that means boys, no going anywhere without a guard in place. We will see what needs to be done when school returns."

"Why would he want me?" Yuery asked. "Is he bad like Dumbledore or confused because he sounds like he could be either."

"According to what I have heard, and Remus has said, I do not believe he wishes any harm upon you. He also would be likely to move to claim you, so he is both a risk and not." Edward said. "He wouldn't want to hand you over to anyone we are worried about, but he would try to take you somewhere else."

"He was never stable, and now he is worse." Severus added. "He has also decided he no longer trusts Remus it seems." Severus added. "I'm afraid mostly because of Remus' association with me. Your birth father and I never got along as you know, and well, Sirius was his best friend. He disliked me just as much and frankly it was mutual. The man may not be evil, but he isn't good either."

London, England

Black House

Sirius managed to sneak into his house. Kreature was awaiting him, unfortunately, and was quick to tell him what his mother thought of him. He had told the awful thing to be quiet and it was now hiding somewhere downstairs, not that he cared. Regulus had always been fond of it, but Sirius found it grating. It worshipped his mother.

He sighed as he decided it was time for a bath before he worried about packing anything. He should summon the elf and get it to bring him some food, but he didn't want to deal with more of its whispers now. He would worry about it later. He knew Remus would be cross with him for even thinking so meanly about Kreature… but then, Remus had turned out to be an enemy after all, so he shouldn't let it bother him how Remus saw him.

Still… how would James feel? Lily, he knew, would lecture him. She did often enough for it when they were younger. She never did understand how foul it was, completely devoted to his mother. The Elves at Hogwarts were much more pleasant, and he was always kind to them, but she still lectured. James always seemed to side with her on these things. He decided it didn't matter, they were gone after all, and couldn't be disappointed in him anyway. He would wait until tomorrow, then once night fell, he would begin the long trip. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to think about the elf again anytime soon.

Kreature crept into the room then, with the clean towels he had asked for, muttering about his mother again and how disappointed she would have been for Sirius to be back in the house. He ignored it as he took the towels and told Kreature to bring him something for dinner, rolling his eyes as Kreature muttered again on the way back out of the door. He needed to get out of this house, he had only just arrived and already his mother's influence over the place was darkening his mood.

Hogwarts

Headmaster's Office

Minerva still was unhappy with her choice in staying under Dumbledore's command after everything she had learned earlier this year, but she didn't trust the man with the care of the children. Not anymore. So, she had stayed, and slowly taken over the duties of running the school as Deputy Headmistress with approval of the Governors who had also finally noticed his drinking habits.

She sat in his office now, going over the paperwork he should have handled a week ago, while he sat in the corner glaring into the fire. She almost felt bad for the man. She still wondered what exactly had pushed him so far over the edge, if it was losing that person a few years ago or if it was the decision to allow the child to die, or both. She found she wasn't as sympathetic as she used to be once she learned of his plans, however. Nor was she once she saw how far behind, he had allowed the administration of the school to fall. Really at this point it was amazing they had any professors left at all, never mind his questionable choice in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.

He couldn't possibly be so inebriated he somehow missed that Lockhart was a fraud, could he? That man had never been particularly brave or good with most magics. How anyone who had ever met him believed the tall tells in his books was a mystery. He certainly spent enough time at the local pub with the Headmaster though. She wished she was more surprised and less disappointed in Dumbledore. She would have to find a way to be rid of Gilroy before too much longer though, the children needed a proper teacher, especially with what would be coming, because the Order knew even without their leader the Death Eaters were growing stronger again.

"It really isn't necessary Minerva. I have the paperwork well in hand." Dumbledore said suddenly, not bothering to look of at the woman. "It's almost as if you are trying to take over my position."

"These papers need to be filed with the Ministry before the beginning of the year if we want the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s administered on time Albus. You have had months and failed to complete them. I am simply looking out for the best interest of the children." Minerva said calmly. "Why don't you take Gilroy out to town? He was by earlier asking for you."

"Black approached me on the way back from town, did you know?" Dumbledore suddenly stood and swayed over to her. "He's after Harry, I think. I should warn Elric. Even if the man is our enemy, he would take measures to protect the boy I believe."

"When did this happen?"

"I don't know, weeks ago now. When he was being spotted everywhere. He's gone hiding now. He could head there though."

"I'm sure they have thought of it, but yes warn them." She said with a frown, wondering if he had actually seen the man and why he hadn't said anything earlier. "Write before you head into town."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, before he wandered upstairs presumably to write a letter to Elric. Minerva decided she would write herself as soon as she was finished with the paperwork. Albus wasn't reliable, not anymore. Perhaps he never was, and she hadn't noticed.