Raylynx's POV

I hadn't slept.

I couldn't sleep.

My heart was pounding frantically.

I haven't found Sirius. It's been hours. The sun has risen again. I need to find him quickly.

I'd been Apparating and running through random Muggle streets, trying to find the place that matched the last vision I'd acquired from the Pensieve. It had definitely been a city sidewalk. I jogged through the streets, ignoring the dizziness in my head and the shortness of breath and the stitch in my side.

I have to find him. I have to.

I turned a corner.

Just then, I spotted Peter a little ways away. My heart leapt in my mouth. At least he was alive. He was too far away to shout out, too, especially with people around, so I started to step out into the street to catch up to him.

Just then, I saw a hooded figure step out of an adjoining alleyway and onto the sidewalk.

"PETER!" the person shouted angrily.

"Sirius," I breathed out. I started to run towards him. However, they both took off running down the street.

"Wait!" I tried to call out, but in the sounds of the busy sidewalk, my voice was drowned out.

I managed to keep them in sight when I heard Peter shout, "You betrayed Lily and James! How could you!?"

No, it can't be true. Just hear him out, Peter. Just give me a chance to get there!

"Sirius!" I shouted, hoping I was close enough that he could hear my voice. I was getting fairly close, close enough to see both their faces. It was, indeed, Sirius underneath the hood.

I saw his lips move and he raised his wand.

Then-

BOOM!

I was thrown backwards. I went flying through the air and slammed into the concrete sidewalk. The wind was knocked out of me and my vision went blurry. My head was ringing and I felt something hot and sticky on the side of my head against the sidewalk.

No… No…

People were screaming and the air was whooshing as wizards and witches were Apparating everywhere.

I managed to lift my head off the crowd.

Through the smoke and rubble, I dimly saw a swarm of wizards force Sirius away. I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not, but I swear I heard him laughing. Only it wasn't laughter like I'd ever heard before. He sounded insane and possessed.

Somebody ran over to me and grabbed my shoulder and yelled, "Are you all right!?"

I tried to answer, but my vision was whirling and I couldn't breathe properly.

"You've hurt your ribs, I think. Healer!"

Another person ran over. She tsked when she saw my state. "You better be asleep for this. It might hurt," she told me.

No! No! Please, let me see Sirius.

"N-no," I protested weakly. "No, please-"

Ignoring the pain, I reached out and pushed her wand away.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," the Healer said soothingly and overriding my desperate pleas, she cast a sleeping spell over me.

In my own mind, I heard my voice screaming for Sirius.


When I came to, I found that I was in a hospital.

Slowly, my eyes opened to take in a white ceiling. The light flooding the room testified to the vastness of the place. I looked over to my side to see a familiar face.

"Hello, Remus."

"What were you doing, chasing him all by yourself? You fool."

"I wanted him to explain… to explain all this away," I answered softly.

Remus sighed and leaned forward. "They've caught him… They've taken Sirius into custody."

"So he's to have a trial," I said.

But Remus shook his head. "No."

I looked at him, my brow furrowed. "What?"

"No trial."

"No trial?"

"Well, can you blame them?" Remus said, and his voice trembled.

"Remus-"

"Sirius killed Peter, too," Remus said. He looked deeply pained. "He blew up the whole street. Twelve Muggles died in the blast. And all that was left of Peter was his finger. That was- That was the biggest bit of him they could find-"

Remus's voice cut off and he turned his head away.

"I don't believe it." The words were out of my mouth before I could think them through.

I leapt out of the hospital bed. I staggered slightly and Remus quickly got up and grabbed my arm to steady me. My rib and head were all mended, but there was no doubt that years of stress was mounting on my body and its ability to recuperate. But now was not the time to think about that.

"Raylynx," Remus said to me. "I know it's difficult, but we have to accept what happened. We have to face the truth."

"What truth?" I countered. "I see assumption, I see probability. I don't see truth. I don't… I can't believe it was him, Remus. I can't accept that. Not until I hear it from his own mouth."

I wrenched my arm away from him and ran out of the hospital.

Remus looked at me with an exhausted and forlorn face. "Fool," he said softly. "You're only making it more difficult for yourself." He slumped back into his chair and put his head in his hands.


It took hours for anyone to see me. And then, everybody was entirely uncooperative.

"I don't understand," I said stubbornly. "Why isn't there a trial?"

"Are you a reporter?" a tired Ministry worker, a Wizengamot assistant, asked me.

"No, a concerned… party."

"I don't know. Take your questions elsewhere."

"Well, can I at least see him?"

"No, no one's allowed. Seriously, lady? You want to see a mass murderer? Isn't that a bit of a stretch, even for a reporter?"

I repeated this dialogue over and over again with many different assistants in the Wizengamot, until finally Remus came and found me.

By that point, I'd gone through all of the assistants. One of them, tired of dealing with me, threw up her heads and said, "Forget this. You can speak to Crouch your damn self."

Crouch was dragged out, looking overworked, impatient, and thoroughly annoyed.

"Why are you bothering my assistants?"

"Why isn't there a trial for Sirius Black?"

"Private investigation has shown insurmountable evidence. Various witnesses have testified before us and the burden of proof has been met. That should be enough for you. Go on," Crouch tried to dismiss me.

"You didn't have a trial in an open court," I insisted.

"The matter is too sensitive to have an open court," Crouch replied. "Now be on your way and please leave my assistants alone. We are plenty busy as is.

"I was a witness, too," I insisted, stepping forward as he made to leave.

Close to blowing his fuse, Court whirled on me. "Let me guess, you have the same story as the other fifteen witnesses: Sirius Black raised his wand and then a huge explosion went off."

I hesitated. From what I could remember, that was exactly what I'd witnessed.

"Still," I protested. "That doesn't prove that Sirius Black was responsible for the attack on the Potter's house, does it? This might just be a… a misunderstanding!"

Crouch sighed. "So you know how far his betrayal goes. Then, you must know you are wasting your time."

I stared at him.

Crouch said to me, "If you must know, Dumbledore himself testified that Sirius Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper."

Crouch saw the little hope I had left flicker.

Crouch shook his head and said in a quieter voice. "Is it really a surprise? The House of Black has only ever produced Dark Wizards."

My eyes flashed. "That's a lie," I said, biting back the anger I suddenly felt stir within me.

"Raylynx." Remus, who hadn't said a word the whole time I'd carried on this endless debate, finally stepped forward. He firmly grabbed my shoulder. "We're wasting his time. Let's go."

To Crouch, he said, "We're sorry, sir. We'll be on our way."

He tugged on my arm, but I refused him and said angrily to Crouch, "The world doesn't work that way! My parents were Muggles. I'm a witch! You're the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, but your son-"

Remus hurriedly clapped a hand over my mouth.

Crouch looked at me, enraged. "Do not speak slander of my family! Leave! If you come back again, I shall put a restraining order on you!"

Then, he turned and hurried away.


It was late evening when we left the Ministry.

"I have to report for watch," Remus said tiredly.

"I'm coming with you," I said, my jaw locked.

Filch appeared at the gates, sneering at us per usual.

"What do you want?" Filch asked me, holding a lantern up to my eyes.

"Reporting for watch," Remus said.

Filch opened the gates to let him in, but stopped me.

"I ain't seen you for a long time," Filch hissed. "You're not reportin' for anything."

"She's with me," Remus said quietly.

Filch glared at me as I followed Remus in.

We were greeted by Professor McGonagall in the main hallway.

"Oh, Remus, Lily and James-" McGonagall said, distraught. "I'm so sorry."

"I know," Remus said heavily. "I'm sorry, too, Professor."

I stepped out from behind Remus.

"Professor," I said.

"My dear girl!" McGonagall clutched at her chest. "Raylynx Kingsley?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Where have you been all these years?" McGonagall asked me in disbelief.

"All over," I answered simply. "Professor, is the Headmaster here?"

"Yes, he's just arrived. You wish to see him, I suppose."

"Yes."

She began to lead us up to his office.

"Confirm the obvious for me," I said to her. "Dumbledore took Harry."

"Well yes, of course," Professor McGonagall said. "Who better to look after the Potters' son?"

We came to the gargoyle marking Dumbledore's office.

"Cockroach Clusters," McGonagall said, and the gargoyle began to turn.

I looked over at McGonagall and asked one final question. In a subdued voice that Remus couldn't hear, I asked, "Is he really the Boy who Lived?"

McGonagall's eyes flashed. Though she didn't say anything, I had my answer.

I stepped forward and began to climb the stairs up to Dumbledore's office.

I knocked.

"Come in."

I pushed open the door and we walked in.

"Mr. Lupin and ah- Ms. Kingsley."

He was hardly surprised. Instead, he looked quite tired, as though he returned from a very long journey.

"And what brings you here, after so long of a leave?"

"I've come for Harry."

"I have already taken Harry to a place far from here," Dumbledore told me.

"You had no right," I snarled. "Harry's godparents are me and-"

"Sirius Black," Dumbledore finished for me.

I fell quiet. Remus shifted slightly besides me.

Finally, I mustered the courage to say, "I'm still here."

Dumbledore's brilliant blue eyes flickered over to me. "You come for Harry alone."

I stared back at him. "Then I suppose I've come to hear confirmation," I said.

"Confirmation…" Dumbledore repeated quietly. "On whether Sirius Black was really Lily and James' Secret-Keeper?"

Remus and I were both silent.

Dumbledore looked at us with sorrowful eyes. "I'm afraid so."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Remus.

"Headmaster, there has to be a trial," I said.

"I'm afraid that ship has already sailed," Dumbledore said quietly, but his words rang with finality.

"But if there was a mistake," I pressed.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Kingsley. But I already gave witness that Sirius Black was indeed, James and Lily's Secret-Keeper."

"But-"

"I'll be going on shift now," Remus interrupted quietly. His eyes were downcast. "You still need me to patrol, right, Headmaster?"

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "There are still Death Eaters at large and there is no telling what they may do out of desperation now that the Dark Lord has disappeared."

Remus nodded, and left immediately.

"It is too hard to ignore the evidence in this case, Ms. Kingsley," Dumbledore said quietly. "It is difficult to accept, but the facts cannot be clearer."

I wanted to protest, but I knew I didn't have a ground to stand on.

So, I returned to the other issue at hand. "Where is Harry?"

"I have just left Harry at his aunt's house."

"His aunt's house? But James doesn't have any-" My breath caught. "Petunia Evans?"

"Petunia Dursley now, I believe," Dumbledore answered.

"No," I hissed. Petunia had hated Lily for being magical. How dare Dumbledore leave Harry, Lily and James' son, with the likes of Petunia when I had been appointed his guardian? I started speaking furiously. "Lily and James requested that I-"

"What if I told you that allowing Harry to live with his aunt and uncle offers him unrivaled protection?"

My brow furrowed as I tried to understand what Dumbledore was saying.

"Living with Lily's non-magical sister will protect him?" I repeated in disbelief.

"Then would you still want to take Harry away?" Dumbledore asked me. "Even knowing that he is under constant threat…"

Dumbledore slowly walked past me to gaze out the window and into the night sky.

"Voldemort has disappeared…" I said hesitantly.

"But he not yet gone," Dumbledore finished. "You know this already. Do not pretend, Ms. Kingsley."

I remained silent. Does he know about the Horcruxes?

"The Dark Lord is still out there, planning his return. When he comes back, he will be more terrible than ever," Dumbledore said softly.

"And Petunia will be able to protect Harry from the greatest Dark Lord there has ever been?" I said doubtfully.

"Strangely enough, yes," Dumbledore replied.

What is he thinking? Dumbledore was still impossible to read.

"Swear to me that Harry is safe," I said. "Swear to me that you protect the boy as you failed to protect my friends. Swear to me that Harry will live as Lily and James could not." My chest felt tight as I spoke with emotion.

Dumbledore turned to me. "I swear to you that he will be safer where he is than any other place in the world. As the boy grows, I will be unable to protect him. You know this. But for now…"

Dumbledore's words echoed in my head. As the boy grows, I will be unable to protect him.

"The prophecy…" I said.

"Oh?"

"Has it been fulfilled now?" I asked.

"Yes, and in being fulfilled, the prophecy has now been set in motion," Dumbledore said calmly.

Again, talking in riddles… But this one, I think I can make out.

"Self-fulfilling prophecy?" I guessed.

Dumbledore turned away from the window. "Perhaps," he answered. "Only time will tell."

He's being vague on purpose this time. What did the prophecy say in full? He'd never tell me.

"How did he survive when countless others did not? Not even Lily and James… Not even Dorcas."

"How, indeed?"

As expected, a dodge. But one tinged with honest uncertainty.

"You have asked me nothing you don't already know," Dumbledore said shrewdly. "Please ask me what you really came here for."

I said nothing, unwilling to give ground.

"Professor Slughorn announced his plans for retirement today. Curious, isn't it?" Dumbledore said, and turning, he rested his full gaze on me. Those bright blue eyes behind the glinting half-crescent gold glasses…

I swallowed hard and blinking, looked away. Compose yourself. Calm down.

"Do not let your guard down, Ms. Kingsley. The dark times have been replaced by uncertain times and while there may appear to be peace on the surface, things are already in motion," Dumbledore said solemnly.

"Should you be telling me all this?" I asked him. "I'm not a part of your Order."

"Ms. Kingsley, we may pretend for as long you wish, but we both know that deep down, you will return to the Order."

"What makes you so sure?" I challenged.

"You will return for the same reason you left- to protect the ones you love," Dumbledore said. For some reason, he looked sorrowful.

"You think too highly of me," I said. "How do you know I didn't run away to ensure my own survival? After all, I'm one of the last ones standing." I felt my eyes and throat burn with guilt and shame and regret, all too close given the deaths and betrayal that had just occurred.

Dumbledore did not reply.

"Good night, Headmaster," I said.

He inclined his head as I exited his office.

To my surprise, Professor McGonagall was waiting outside for me.

The closest thing I had to a mother figure now… Seeing her made me want to tell her everything that had happened and to cry and hug her…

But for a million reasons, now was not the time.

"Professor…" I said. Without warning, I started to blurt out an excuse. "I can't-"

"Shush, girl," Professor McGonagall said, sternly but kindly. "I didn't stay out here to hear your excuses."

"Why are you here?" I asked, wiping my eyes.

Her face broke into a rare smile. "To see if it was really you, of course. After all this time…"

She saw that I was about to lose it, so she reverted to her strict demeanor and said, "Off with you. Go home and get some rest."

"Professor, where's-?"

"Mr. Lupin is on the third floor."

"Thank you."

Remus' POV

Sirius Black was always so effortless, so glamorous.

I was the opposite.

I always looked like I would barely make it through the day.

So I kept to the shadows.

Sometimes, he would be annoying and pull me out and shove me into the spotlight. I hated that.

But I loved when he would turn his eyes on me and join me in the shadows.

He'd stop being so damn foolish, stop trying to turn heads (although that part of him made me laugh, I have to admit), and just be.

That was when I liked him best.

In fact, if it wasn't for those moments, I'm not so sure we'd have stayed friends through all the other crazy stuff he dragged me into.

But then again, it was the foolish stunts he would pull, often dragging me into them or at least, into their consequences, and the reckless way he lived his life- the girls, the smoking, the motorcycles, the tattoo, the Quidditch, and that careless handsomeness that kept me in such awe of him.

But I should have known better.

All that glamour came from a twisted background.

It was bound to turn out this way, really.

At least, that was what I told myself.

In the span of two days, I had lost all of my friends. James and Peter were dead. Sirius Black was the murderer.

And even Lily, beautiful Lily… I would never hear her voice or see her face again.

And Harry was an orphan. Would he ever know how much he'd been loved?

Something in me shut down that day.

I didn't even want to see Raylynx fight for Sirius anymore.

I just wanted it all to end.

Even more, I desperately and bitterly hoped that none of this had ever started.

For the first time in my life, I wished I could go back to the time when I was bitten at a werewolf because at least that was a time before all of this happened.

Raylynx's POV

I found Remus. He was obediently walking through the hallways, but from the way his expression was taunt, I could tell he wasn't really aware of the situation at all. He was killing himself mentally.

I tried to give him hope.

"Remus, you know it's not fair. Dumbledore is biased because of what happened at Hogwarts with Snape. And the media just wants things to end as quickly as possible and of course with Sirius' background, they'll believe that story immediately. But we should at least put him on trial-"

"Just stop!" Remus shouted suddenly, halting in his steps. He threw up his hands and yelled, "Please just stop, Raylynx."

"Don't you think we've done enough?" Remus asked me. "Raylynx, we've done all we can possibly do. But me and you- we're just two human beings. And neither of us have the power to… I mean, what are you going to do? Bring them all back to life? Erase Sirius' history? Erase what's happened in the past couple days?" Remus shook his head. "You want to go back, but we can't. They're gone and… and Sirius is the one responsible for that. He- he betrayed us."

His face crumpled. He pressed his fingers to his eyes and tried to stem the tears. I could hear whimpers mixed in with his breathing as he tried to hold it back.

My shoulders fell. I tried to give him hope, but I just hurt him.

God, what's happened to us? We're only twenty-one.


Sirius' POV

On my twenty-first birthday, they threw me into Azkaban.

The dementors could not be happier with their new inmate, their new supply of prey.

It drained me almost immediately.

Around dementors, you relive your worst memories over and over again.

After a while, they even suck out the happy memories and distort them.

I was laughing as I watched James try to keep up with little Harry on the broomstick I'd bought him for his first birthday.

Finally, James came over and wheezed, "You try running around stooped over like that! It's hard!"

I chuckled. "Maybe you're just getting old, Prongs."

He grinned. "Never, Pads."

"Maybe you're just getting old, Prongs."

"Never, Pads."

Never…

You're never going to get old, Prongs.