It was Asterion who finally told the story. Cygnus and his companions had kidnapped the boys. They had taken them to a Muggle house in the middle of a forest. There they had been locked up in a room in the basement, with a little light coming in through a small window that had been too high for them to reach. They had cuddled up close to each other and had comforted Phineas and Alphard, who had been crying dreadfully. The whimpering and pleading of the Muggle family who owned the house and had been held captive by the gang could be heard from an adjoining room. After a few hours, Cygnus had entered the room with a few others. He had puffed himself up in front of them and had taunted them. To his companions he had said: "Look, these are my Mudblood brothers. None of them will ever see the light of day again. They don't deserve to live. My father will do anything to save their lives. I will throw their bodies on his property one by one. He will go insane if he must watch this. It serves him right. He dumped my mother, a pure-blood witch from a good family, for a Mudblood so that he could sire this brood of his. And that little boy over there is the son of a werewolf. It will be a celebration". The others had given a vicious snort. Procyon had stood up and had confronted Cygnus. Asterion had gasped for breath when he had heard what his twin had said. "Your mother was an ugly old hag. Our mother was a beautiful woman with red hair and green eyes, and my father could not have found a better wife than she was. Your mother was just as wicked and evil as you are and just as ugly". Cygnus had flushed with anger, had pointed his wand at Procyon and had shouted "Crucio". Procyon had been writhing on the ground, screaming, and Asterion and the other boys had been frozen in horror.
Procyon had been lying on the ground whimpering when Cygnus finally let go of him. "It's not time for that yet. That was just a taste of what is in store for you later, Mudblood". When the door to their prison had slammed shut, they had sat in a circle around Procyon and had comforted him. That night, Asterion had tried to open the door. But it had been secured by a spell. For the next two days, they had only seen their captors when they had brought them food. The two men who had entered their prison cell on the third evening of their captivity had been heavily drunk. One of them had stood in the doorway and fiddled with his wand. The other had brutally kicked Alphard aside, who had not been quick enough to get out of the way, causing the boy to fall over and to sob violently. "Shut up, you little toad. This is your last meal". Asterion had been certain that this wasn't good news. Whatever Cygnus had been planning, it would happen the next day. The man had been so distracted by Alphard that he had not noticed that his wand had fallen out of his pocket when he had bent down to place his tray on the floor. It had dropped onto Teddy's shoe, and from there it had noiselessly rolled to the floor. Being quick-witted, Teddy had managed to push it under the mattress with his foot without either of the men noticing it. The door had banged shut behind them, and the boys had listened for the charm that locked the door.
They had shared their meal and then tried to catch some sleep. Muffled sounds had echoed down to them from the upper floor. When the men's shouting had finally died down and silence had fallen over the house, Asterion had stood up and had taken the wand from under the mattress. "The incantation is 'Alohomora'". He had stood in front of the door, had pointed the wand at the lock and had said 'Alohomora' loudly. Nothing had happened. Procyon, who had been watching his brother, had slowly gotten to his feet and had moved to his side. Together they had given it another try. But to no avail. "Everybody, get up and come here", Asterion had whispered to Teddy and the youngsters. Teddy and Phineas had helped Alphard to his feet and had walked over to the twins. Asterion had given them some instructions. "Together we will hold this wand. I'll count to three. Then we'll concentrate on the lock and call 'Alohomora' as one. Do you understand?". They had nodded and each had put a hand on the wand. "One... Two ...". Suddenly Alphard had begged, "Mummy, Daddy, please help us. Please, please help us". "Three". In a chorus they had shouted "Alohomora" while concentrating their thoughts on the lock. And sure enough, all of a sudden, the door had burst open. Asterion had tiptoed over and had cautiously peered outside. Then he had gestured to the others to follow him out. He had helped Procyon, who had been staggering unsteadily, while Teddy and Phineas had given Alphard a hand. Quietly, they had tiptoed down the corridor. When they had reached the stairs, Procyon had stopped his brother. "Let's get the Muggles out of here". After a moment's thought, Asterion had nodded in agreement. Together, they had held the wand and had opened the lock on the cellar door. Then they had climbed up the stairs. The front door had been already in sight, and they had only had to pass a room whose door had been left ajar. Loud snoring had come from inside. Asterion had hesitated a moment at the front door. "Open it," Procyon had whispered to him. "What if there's an Intruder Charm on it?". "We must try. Papa said to Marius, "Cygnus is stupid and arrogant. He's underestimating his opponents and his defenses aren't strong enough. He thinks we're locked up safely in the cellar. Just do it. We have no choice". Carefully, Asterion had pressed the doorknob. The door had opened without an alarm going off, and they had slipped out of the house and had hurried down the driveway as fast as they could.
The house where they had been imprisoned stood isolated in a clearing, with only a narrow, unpaved road leading away from it in one direction through the woods. When they had reached this, Asterion had paused, wondering where to go. What would his father have done under such circumstances? Azkaban's jailbreak king? Which way should they turn? Just then, some shadows had glided past them. The Muggles who had slipped out of the house behind them. They too had paused for a few seconds, and Asterion had glimpsed the panic-stricken face of a man who had stared at him fearfully. Then the Muggles had run off down the road. "We're going through the forest. When Cygnus and the others realise that everyone has escaped, they will search along the road first," Asterion had whispered. Bravely they had set off. Their escape had proved to be difficult. Several times they had had to turn back and find a different path because the undergrowth had become too dense for them. From time to time, Asterion, who had gone ahead and cleared a path for the others, had stumbled and fallen over an obstacle he had not seen in the darkness. After a while, his knees had been bruised and his hands had been cut. Furthermore, he had to support Procyon, who, writhing in pain had been barely able to walk. He had put one arm around the waist of his twin and had dragged him along. Eventually they had come to the edge of a hollow with steep, overgrown walls on either side. Asterion and Teddy had helped Procyon and the little ones descent to the small creek at the bottom. "Teddy and I will support Procyon to get across first. You two stay here and wait for us".
Then they had taken Procyon across the creek. The ice-cold water had reached up to their knees, and their shoes and stockings had gotten all wet. The climb on the other side had been much steeper and with the wet soles of their shoes they had barely found a grip on the slippery ground. Pulling the nearly unconscious Procyon up the slope had proved difficult. Again and again, they had slipped and tumbled. When Asterion had grabbed hold of a plant for support, its thorns had dug deep into the palms of his hand. He had cried out in pain, but he had gritted his teeth and had fought his way up. Teddy had gripped a nettle, whimpering as his hands got burned. At the top, they had laid Procyon on the ground and had propped him up against a tree trunk before they had gone back down to get Phineas and Alphard. Asterion had crossed the creek, while Teddy had been waiting on the other side of it to pick up the little ones. "You wait while I help Phineas across," he had told Alphard. Just as he had handed Phineas over to Teddy and had turned to go get Alphard, an owl had flown above them, hooting at the top of its lungs. Alphard had cried out in alarm and had jumped into the creek. Asterion had hurled himself at him, thus preventing his brother from falling completely into the ice-cold water. In the process, he had lost one of his shoes, which he hadn't been able to retrieve in the darkness. He had clenched his teeth and kept struggling. When they had finally led the two little ones out of the hollow, they had sat beside Procyon to recover for a moment. Then they had heard muffled cries for help from afar. Cygnus and his men had confronted the Muggles. Asterion had urged them on to even greater haste. How long they had been on the run, they had no idea.
Alphard had cried bitterly. Teddy and Phineas had supported him until he had thrown himself on the ground, refusing to walk any further. Asterion had kneeled beside him and taken him in his arm. "Come on, Alphard. We don't want Cygnus to find us". "Tell Daddy where I am. He's to come and get me when you find him. I can't go any further. I'm scared, I'm cold and I have aches and pains all over my body. And my clothes are all wet". "I know. But one little bit more is possible. Come now. We are here to help you. Nobody's left behind. Cygnus has found the Muggles. Time is running out for us. Look up there". He had been pointing to the stars that could be seen twinkling through the tops of the trees. "Mummy and Daddy will always be watching over us. They won't let us down, you know that". Alphard had looked up at the sky. He had nodded and let himself be pulled up by the others. After a short time that seemed like an eternity to them, Asterion had suddenly seen a light slowly making its way through the forest.
They had been frozen in terror at the prospect of being tracked by Cygnus. Then Asterion had realised that a road cut through the forest ahead of them and they had seen a car's headlights. He had sighed with relief. Asterion had known that there had to be a Muggle settlement at either end of the road, and he had been sure that if they followed it, they would arrive there sooner or later. The only question had been: Which was the shorter route to a village? It had been obvious to him that they would not last much longer. While his mind had still been on the problem, they had had an incredible stroke of luck. Through the trees they had seen the headlights of another car. As the vehicle had approached, Asterion had realised that it must be a lorry. He had made a run for it but had stumbled and fallen before he could alert the driver to his presence. Disappointed, he had picked himself up when the lorry had suddenly braked and came to a halt a few yards past them. The driver had opened the door and stepped down with the engine running. He had walked around his vehicle to the edge of the forest to relieve himself. Seeing their chance, Asterion had pushed his brothers and Teddy towards the vehicle. Unnoticed by the driver, who had just lit a cigarette, they had approached the rear of the lorry, which was covered by a tarpaulin that had been torn open at the back. He had helped Teddy onto the footboard of the lorry and from there he had pushed him onto the loading area. Then he had lifted Alphard and Phineas one after the other so that Teddy could pull them into the vehicle. Procyon had gathered the last of his strength and, with the help of his twin, had crawled onto the loading platform as well. Just as Asterion had placed his foot on the footboard and pulled himself up, the vehicle had moved on. He had almost fallen backwards onto the road, but the others had joined forces to grab his jumper and pull him into the lorry. For a moment, Asterion had remained lying on the ground, completely exhausted. Then he had given them instructions: "Take off your shoes and socks, which are soaking wet. And then huddle up as close to each other as possible, so that we can keep each other warm and do not freeze to death". He had removed Procyon's wet clothes, who had fainted, and had huddled against his twin. Asterion had heaved a sigh of relief when, after a while, he had heard the sound of other cars' engines. He guessed that they had been driving down a larger road now where despite the late hour there had been more traffic. And thus, they had made it to safety at least for the moment. A single vehicle on an isolated forest road might have been stopped and searched by Cygnus. But in the increasingly dense Muggle traffic, he had lost their trail for the time being. Asterion had huddled exhaustedly with the others in the back of the lorry, relieved, and eventually dozed off.
Asterion had been wide awake as soon as the vehicle had stopped. He had heard the driver's door open and close. Then there had been footsteps moving away. He had quickly woken the others and they had crawled out from under the tarpaulin. They had stood in a yard where several lorries had been parked. They had sneaked past the lorries to the entrance gate. They had had a look around. The lorry had taken them to a suburban settlement with small row houses and the haulage company being the only business. While Asterion had been thinking about what to do next, he had heard a triumphant cry high above them, and when he had looked up to the sky, an eagle had circled above them, which had swooped down and had landed on the pavement next to them. The eagle had transformed into Marius, who had rushed up to them beaming. "At last. I was beginning to give up hoping," he had said. "The question is: what are we going to do now? I can't take all five of you with me," he had told them. Just then, the garage door of a house opposite to where they had been standing had opened and a car had pulled out of the driveway onto the street and had turned the next corner. "Wait here for a moment". Marius had run to the front door of the house and had rung the bell. No one had answered. He had opened the entrance door with his wand and had run returned to them. "No one home. The owner must have gone off to work, I hope. Hurry now. I am going to hide you in the house and then call for help". He had picked up Procyon and Alphard and had carried them into the house. The others had followed. Marius had shoved the boys into the house. He had taken them into the living room where he had bandaged their injuries and wrapped them in warm blankets. Before leaving, he had placed drinks and biscuits on the table for them. "Asterion, listen to me very carefully. I must go now and inform the others. Stay in the house and do not let anyone see you. Neighbours must not know you are here. When the owner returns, tell him that you have been kidnapped and that he should take you to the police. Do you understand?". Asterion had nodded and Marius had patted his head before he left.
The rest of the story was quickly told. The lorry had taken the boys to Wales. Marius had known that Jessie and Jonathan were somewhere nearby with their family. They would be on the spot quicker than Sirius and the others, who would fly from Yorkshire by motorcycle. So, Marius had turned into an eagle, had taken to the skies and had headed for the small town where the Fairfields' aunt had lived. As he had suspected, it had been less than half an hour's drive away. Soon Marius had spotted a group of people standing in front of a house, engaged in a lively conversation. He had landed and transformed himself back. Jonathan had gasped in surprise, had nudged his sister and had rushed towards Marius when he had recognised him. Marius had given a brief explanation of what had happened. "How did you find them?". "By chance. I searched the north first and then worked my way south. The problem was that wizards can detect the homes of other wizards, even when they are protected. However, Cygnus was clever enough to keep the boys locked up in a Muggle house. Just as I am doing right now. He won't be able to find them there. But they must leave this place as soon as possible. Can you help?". Jonathan had nodded. He had said to Jessie, "Pack our things. I'll get the car". They had run off and five minutes later Marius had guided them to the house where the boys had been waiting to get rescued. Jonathan had parked the car in the driveway with the engine running while Marius and Jessie had burst into the house. As they had entered the living room, the boys had cheered in relief. Marius had herded them to the car. Turning, he had seen Jessie on the phone. "I'll let Sirius know". He had nodded. He had gone outside and got into the car to ride shotgun.
Sirius got up and carried Asterion to the infirmary, where he went from bed to bed, making sure everyone was well looked after. Alphard had insisted on staying with Jessie, and now the two of them slept cuddled up close together. Sirius realised just how much courage and determination it had taken for Alphard to walk all the way to the village on his own in the middle of the night. He must have almost died of fear while he was on his way to the flower shop. But he had persevered. There was a great deal more to the child than Sirius had ever given him credit for. Phineas was fast asleep. As Sirius stepped up to his bed, he carefully pulled up the boy's pyjama shirt. A bandage covered the torture marks. Marius had done a fine job. At last, he laid Asterion on an empty bed and covered him carefully. He gave his son a kiss and said, "You have no idea how proud I am of you. Thanks to you, everyone is safe back home". Asterion looked at him. "Now we have also broken out of prison, just like you". Sirius smiled. "Yes, you have. And you did it quite splendidly". He was overwhelmed by a wave of affection and gave the boy a big hug. Then he took the sleeping potion Marius had handed him and held it out to the boy. "There, now drink this. Afterwards you will have a good night's sleep and tomorrow you will be well again". He held Asterion's bandaged hand until the boy had fallen asleep.