When Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, in freeing himself from that hellish time capsule in which he had suffered for twelve long years, he violently wrenched back the hands of time for those who had just barely, barely managed to move on.

For a moment, the entire Wizarding population was jolted back to twelve years ago, and those who had been deeply involved in the war once again had trouble distinguishing between what was past and what was present.

Remus' POV

When I saw the headlines on the Daily Prophet, I choked on my tea. In an effort to get it out of my lungs, I spit it across the table, and then promptly went into a hacking fit.

I heard my neighbor yell, "And now he's got a choking cat in there! I swear to God, I don't care when we're all forced out, I want him out now!"

I didn't hear a word of this. All I could make out were the words of the headline:

Sirius Black: Mass Murderer Escaped from Azkaban!

The tea cup, weary from overuse, shattered immediately as it slipped from my fingers and hit the tabletop. Padfoot, you escaped. How did you escape?

A sharp jolt seemed to seize me around my middle, as though someone had yanked me backwards. Twelve years. My mind took me back to that horrific day twelve years ago, when Lily and James and Peter died… You did it. My mind whispered. You betrayed them, and then you killed Peter. You single-handedly destroyed the hope I had for a life full of warmth – of friends.

And now, you escaped. I shivered in my seat. Why, after so many years, did you escape? Where are you now?

I paused. What if he went looking for someone he knew, someone he remembered – that would likely be either me or -

"Raylynx," I muttered suddenly. I got off of my chair so fast that it fell over as I raced out of the room.

My landlord had been pasting a new "Eviction" notice on his door and got smacked right in the face as I shoved the door open. By the time the landlord was back up again and yelling, I was gone.

Raylynx's POV

I was running. It felt exactly like the time I'd been running through the streets twelve years ago, the day after Lily and James had died, and I went looking for Sirius. I'd been looking for him then, and I was still looking for him now. I have to find him. I have to.

Where would he go? That was the question. I hoped that he would come home to me, but I couldn't stand waiting around. I had to be actively looking for him. I just had to. I had to know that he was moving towards me, and I towards him.

I raced over to Grimmauld Place and tore through the mansion, shouting Sirius' name and inciting Walburga's fearsome wrath, but the house was empty. Kreacher peered at me from around the corner before slinking off sullenly to appease Walburga's portrait.

Wildly, I Apparated to the seaside where I knew the coastline met the waters that, miles in, hosted Azkaban. But the coastline was long, the weather was freezing, and the air was extremely foggy. I wandered up and down the coastline, not knowing where to go or what to do. I must have been on that beach for hours. Shivering intensely from the cold, and with the wind whipping up the sand and salt into my eyes, my vision began to blur. Soon, I couldn't make out anything, except two ghostly figures standing amongst the crashing waves. Their whispers reached me, more stirring and tempting than any siren's song.

Don't leave me.

I won't. I won't ever leave you.

What if I turn mad, like the rest of them?

Would you leave me then?

No, not even then.

The two figures stretched their hands towards each other, but the foam didn't hold shape long enough for their hands to touch.

I made my way towards the waves, hoping beyond hope that I would somehow find Sirius. But of course, it was impossible. Face blue from the icy winds, skin gritty with sand, and cloak damp from the thick fog, I had to give up hope of ever finding him on that dreary coastline and I finally Apparated back to civilization. But I wasn't going home. Not yet.

Out of desperation, I went to Sirius' old flat, but of course, there was a new resident now. Sirius hadn't lived there in years.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned around and shouted, "Sirius!"

But it was Remus. His eyes were strangely alight. From his perspective, he saw the same white fire reflected in my eyes.

"Raylynx, what do you think you're doing here?" He eyed me distrustfully, seeing my long hair tangled from sea winds, my lips still purplish-blue from the cold, and the sand clinging onto my boots.

"The same as you," I retorted.

"No, I'm not," Remus said, shaking his head. "You're here for Sirius, but I'm here to stop you."

"Stop me?" I said.

"Raylynx, we don't know who's side he was on," Remus said. "Twelve years has done nothing to change the fact that we lived through a war!"

"No, I won't stand for this again," I hissed. "Get out of my way!"

Remus shoved me back. "I'm trying to protect you! Please, listen to me."

I let out a noise of frustration and disbelief and made to push past him, but Remus grabbed my shoulders and pushed me hard against the wall.

"Listen to me!" he shouted. "Marlene died because there was a traitor! Lily and James died because someone betrayed them! This is not some sick joke I've made up to hurt you!"

"I am trying," he breathed out, "to keep you safe."

His hands curled up and he gripped my robe tightly. I saw his face contort in pain, and there was a muted dampness in the corners of his eyes.

I put my hands over his and said gently, "All right. All right, Remus. I understand."

"Promise me you won't go looking for him," Remus said. "If he truly did nothing wrong, he'll come and find us."

When I didn't respond, Remus frowned deeply, nearly scowling. As we left the apartment complex, he kept his hand near my elbow as if to grab my arm should I decide to bolt.

Jasper's POV

"Welcome back. Here's your first mission, lad. Hunt down Sirius Black."

"Isn't that everyone's mission?" I asked, trying to keep my voice polite.

Moody looked at me and scowled. "It is, but you're an undercover agent, aren't you? You've got a separate mission, boy. You're to infiltrate the pure-blood families and figure out if they were involved."

"Infiltrate the pure-blood families?" I frowned.

"Yes, you know who I'm talking about," Moody said. "The old crowd of You-Know-Who's supporters."

"Yes, but how-?"

"We'll give you a cover," Moody said curtly. "You'll set off immediately."

"Immediately?" I repeated uncomfortably, thinking of Raylynx. "But I have someone to-"

"No excuses!" Moody barked. "This is the most dangerous criminal and the first person to successfully break out of Azkaban. CONSTANT VIGILIANCE!"

I flinched, startled by the sudden yell.

"Besides, this mission should be easy for you," Moody said. "You should fit right in, seeing as you're a pure-blood yourself."

"How do you know my background?" I questioned, my discomfort growing every minute I was with this man.

"You're a Selwyn, aren't you?" Moody said gruffly. His eye swiveled on me knowingly. "Crouch had us do a deep dive on you once you were relieved of your position."

"Of course," Moody added, "I should have known, what with that ring on your finger." He glanced down at the ornate golden ring that had an "S" carved into it.

I slowly clenched my fist, hiding the ring from view.

"Get moving," Moody ordered. "Else you'll be fired before you've even started again."

Sirius' POV

Once I managed to drag myself by my paws onto mainland, I collapsed. If the dementors had known to look for a dog, they would have found me curled up on the shores, barely breathing. For a moment, I thought I could make out a familiar scent – one that was lovely and warm and ever so nostalgic. I turned and sniffed the air, but the wind kept carrying the scent away. And as the tide rose and the cold waves hit me, it forced me to keep going, to keep traveling. The rhythm of my own paws spurred me onwards.

I made my way over to where Remus' flat used to be. I couldn't tell if he still lived there, though. I thought I could smell his scent, but my senses were fuzzy from weariness, and after Azkaban, the re-introduction of so many scents was incredibly overwhelming and perplexing. Furthermore, there were multiple eviction signs on his door. In fact, there was a large notice outside the building announcing that the complex was going to be torn down. It seemed like only half the rooms in the entire building had lights on inside. There was a good chance that Moony had already moved out.

I tried to trace what I remembered as his scent to a specific apartment, but I got very confused. I wandered onto a random floor of the building.

Suddenly, a door opened, and a woman and a child were abruptly standing before me.

"Mama!" the child said. "Look, it really is a doggy! Maybe the crazy man wasn't lying!"

I cocked my head in confusion.

"Dogs aren't allowed here! And he's a stray. Look, no collar," the mother replied, eyeing me warily. "Shoo!"

I growled, and she sank back, pushing her child behind her.

I quickly trotted away, not wanting to cause a scene. Outside, I paused, sitting back on my haunches for a moment as I considered my options.

I knew that Dumbledore would be keeping a watch on Grimmauld Place, so I didn't dare go there. Of course, a part of me wanted to seek out Dumbledore's help, but I knew that Dumbledore did not trust me. He would more likely hand me over to the Ministry than to believe anything I said.

No, I would have to keep to the shadows, at least until I could show him proof that Peter- Peter Pettigrew, that stinking son of a rat- was the guilty one.

My blood boiled in my veins, and I gritted my teeth together and growled. That anger and the fear that something might happen to Harry because of Peter kept me going.

I knew that Peter was at Hogwarts because I'd seen a clipping of him in the Dailey Prophet, where Peter had disguised himself as a pet of the Weasley family. That boy looked to be Harry's age, and if that was true, then Peter would be at Hogwarts with Harry, and Harry would be in danger if ever there was so much as a whisper that the Dark Lord or his followers could rise again. And I'd heard enough of Bellatrix's deranged screams to know that she did not believe that Voldemort was truly dead. While I obviously didn't believe everything she said, I also could not afford to take any risk. I'd let Peter murder Lily and James. I was not going to let him also kill Harry, not if there was anything I could do about it.

I made my way to the one other person's house that I trusted- Raylynx. I knew that her house was likely to still be her house. It was a proper house, not just a flat, and it had been her parents' home.

Still in my dog form, I trotted up to her front door, heart pulsing. I sniffed at the doorstep. There had been a crowd here recently, and I didn't recognize any of the individual scents in this crowd. To my surprise, the front door of her house was unlocked. One easy push of my paw made it give way. I paused at the entrance, my tail completely still and ears perked up as I tried to pick up a noise or scent that I would indicate her presence. For a moment, my heart thudded wildly. But there was nothing. I trotted into the house, and I shut the door with a kick of my hind leg.

Then, I transformed back into my human form. I walked down the entrance hallway and into the kitchen, where I saw a cup of coffee, half-full. There were papers strewn about on the table, and a small package. I walked up to the table and looked down at it.

I saw her handwriting: Lessons Plans for my Fifth Years: Monday: Runic Circles that are Semi-Transparent Boundaries. I wondered if she was a Hogwarts Professor. The thought made my heart swell. I was so proud of her. I could imagine her teaching the kids, all nervous at first, but softening quickly, and I knew that all of her students would come to love her.

Underneath the title on the paper, I saw a further comment: How to explain this without referencing Albania?

Albania…

Something in the very back of my mind began to whir again.

Albania…

A memory slowly, almost painfully slowly, began to take shape in my mind.

We were lying together in the bed, and she was in my arms. I was listing the names of possible places she'd been to, based on a book I'd just cram-read about vampires. When I mentioned "Albania," she stiffened ever so slightly, and I knew that that was where she had gone. It had been so strange, but so lovely, to go from being complete strangers, to my knowing all of her little quirks and signals. And the way she had fit in my arms made me feel a warmth that I had never felt before – a simple, inner warmth that taught me what had absent my entire life: peace. I paused, taken aback by how powerful that memory was.

Because for the past twelve years, whenever I tried to think of her, the dementors sucked the memory out of me, (in fact, I could no longer remember what shade her eyes were or how small were hands were compared to mine, which were both things I used to know so surely I would have staked my life on it), and I was left with a vision of her floating in water, eyes closed, and her skin frosted over with snowflakes- dead.

My eyes fell onto the package beside the paper. It had been wrapped in plain brown packaging and string, and there was a tag on it. I reached out and flipped the tag over. It read:

To: Harry Potter

4 Privet Drive, Surrey

Harry Potter. I traced the letters with my fingertip. James and Lily's son. My godson. Our godson.

I bowed my head in gratitude and relief, knowing that he was all right. I'd been so worried about him. And when I saw that photograph of Peter in the Daily Prophet, I recalled for countless nights how I had failed James and Lily. But I would not fail their son, I told myself yet again. It was my mantra, the thing that kept me going.

As I thought hard to myself, suddenly, I saw my own reflection in the kitchen window. The blinds had been drawn so that no one could see into the house from inside, but it meant that I got a clear reflection of myself. It shocked me. I'd never considered myself truly vain. Of course, I knew that my looks had affected the way people behaved around me, and I'd be lying if I said I never took advantage of that. But pure bloods with my heritage were always groomed for an early age, and except for crazy Bellatrix, everyone carried that groomed mark of being "upper class". Even James had had it- the mark and health of someone who had always been looked after, dressed in luxurious fabrics, eating fancy and healthy food, and being looked after by house elves, if not maids and servants. So, I never put much stock in the vanity about looks that I'd so often seen in those who grew up around me, and in truth, I somewhat scorned those friends and lovers at Hogwarts who I knew only liked me because of the way I looked. So, in that sense, I'd never really cared about how I looked.

But seeing myself in the mirror was horrifying. Is that really me? I looked like a corpse in rotting clothes. My frame was so thin it looked like someone had drawn me as a two-dimensional character. My clothes were absolutely disgusting and battered from long wear in those dark and damp cells.

I stepped closer to the glass. The bones in my face stuck out so sharply it looked like my eyes were bulging. My black hair was overgrown, knotted and matted, and generally filthy. My eyes were dead, my irises shimmering creepily like volcanic rock set in petrified wood. I touched the glass, and when my boney, ghostly white fingers met its reflection, I shuddered. How was it possible for a person to deteriorate so much? It was difficult to believe that that corpse in the window was even alive, much less me- Sirius Black.

Suddenly, I heard the front door click open. Panic kicked in. I couldn't have Raylynx see me like this. I'd scare the wits out of her, as she'd think there was some corpse standing in her kitchen, rather than an actual person. I transformed into a dog and squeezed myself between the fridge and the wall. I was so frighteningly gaunt that I could manage this.

Somebody stepped in. I couldn't see who. I sniffed the air quietly, hoping the humming of the refrigerator would make the sound of my nose testing the air. It was not a scent I recognized. I wondered if it was an Auror and I stiffened. After a few minutes, the person left. I could hear them step outside and close the door and lock it after them. I waited a few more minutes before I slipped out again and transformed back.

Whoever it was had left a note on the kitchen table. I stepped forward and read it:

I'm on an undercover mission that requires me to leave immediately. I'm sorry I can't say good-bye face-to-face, but I wasn't even supposed to stop by. As you might guess, I'm now on the hunt for Sirius Black.

I'm worried about you. Please stay safe, for me.

Love,

J

My brow furrowed.

J… Perhaps for Jamie, her brother?

But then- he's on the hunt for me?

Worry flooded my veins, and doubt began to take root in my heart.

Does Raylynx think that I'm the traitor? If her brother is after me, then maybe she also doesn't trust me.

Then, if she comes back and sees me like this, would she scream? Would she call for help? Would she send for Dumbledore, or worse, the Aurors?

My heart began to race. I have to get out of this house immediately.

I left the house as quickly as I could, deeply shaken.

Just as I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I thought I saw someone coming down the street. I quickly transformed again and crouched underneath the bushes lining the side of the sidewalk. Even though I was in a Muggle neighborhood, I still couldn't risk being seen. Besides, it was highly likely that the Ministry of Magic had warned the Muggles of my escape as well.

Then, an irritated voice rang out. "You know, you can go home now."

"I'm just walking you to your door."

"Remus, please."

It was her. And it was him. The two people in the world that I loved most – well, along with Harry, of course. Twelve years of seeing them dying and now the two of them appeared in my vision as they walked up to the front door. I couldn't quite see their faces, but I could make out their figures.

I whined softly. The wind blowing through the branches, making them shiver and rattle slightly masked the sound. I had to dig my hind legs into the grass to keep myself from bounding up to them.

As they came to the front door, Remus grasped her arm, just above the elbow and said, "Do me a favor, please, and stay here."

She turned her face away from him. Framed by the porchlight behind her, I managed to see a silhouette of her beautiful face. I blinked, and my ears drooped silently. It was difficult to see her expression, as Remus' back was blocking her from my view, but the glimpse I'd seen of her over his shoulder revealed how sad she looked. I dug my front paws into the ground, too. The urge to run up to her and embrace her tightly was very nearly irresistible.

"Raylynx, please. Don't go after him."

And there was Remus- my friend, my brother, Moony.

How had he fared these last twelve years? I wondered. His name had finally been cleared as a traitor, but the cost his proven innocence was had been the loss of his closest friends.

But not me, I told myself. I'm still here, Moony. I've never left you. I've never betrayed you. You just don't know it yet.

Raylynx was scolding Remus. "You sound like a broken record," she said, annoyed. Her voice was so sweet to my ears. It was her voice, the same voice that used to say "Sirius, you're annoying," "Sirius, go away," "Sirius, you heartless bastard," and eventually, "Sirius, you already know. You have me. You've always had me." And yet, her voice sounded more beautiful than it ever had. And it was painful, so painful to be this close to her and not actually be with her. And yet – I cocked my head to the side curiously. What was that scent? Of sand and sea? Was that coming from her?

"Because I know that you have no intention of listening. You're going to do what you always do - find loopholes- like when you tell me you'll stop saying my name outside my door only to badger me once you're inside. It's maddening," Remus said, deeply frustrated. He let out a little huff, a sigh that I knew so well from our school days together. "But you cannot go after Sirius Black. He could kill you, Raylynx."

A shocked, low half-growl, half-whimper slid through my throat. He thinks that I'm the traitor.

"Remus-" she began to say.

"It feels like we've gone back twelve years in time," Remus said suddenly. "Everyone's deaths feel that much closer."

"Please don't let me lose you too." Remus' voice was barely above a whisper. It was only because I was in my dog form that I could hear it. "Please don't make me suffer that way, ever again," he pleaded. "I don't think I could take it."

They stared at each other for a long while. Suddenly, they embraced each other tightly. I could see her hands gripping the back of his worn-out cloak. I thought I heard her sob, and he gently shushed her. "Go inside," he said softly, pushing a strand of her hair, which had stuck to the dampness on her cheeks, back from her face.

"All right," she replied, and her voice sounded exhausted, like a sigh in the wind.

She turned and went inside the house. A strangled whine left my throat. No, come back, come back. I need to see you. I need to remember the color of your eyes.

I watched with a sinking heart as Remus stepped down from the front doorstep. I paused, contemplating whether or not I should appear before him. But when I saw him cautiously scan the street in front of him with his wand in his cloak, I knew for certain that he did not trust me and that he would likely attack me or at least subdue me on sight. Without a wand, it was hopeless to go up against Remus. Even with a wand, there was no one that could beat Remus at Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that always gave him the upper hand in dueling.

My ears pricked. I thought I heard the sound of crying in the house, but I couldn't be sure. The sound was muffled by the thick walls of the house. I didn't know that Raylynx was sitting in the middle of her bedroom, curled up among all the pamphlets bearing my name and protesting my innocence, and clutching Jasper's note in her hand, and crying.

All I knew was that Remus had made it very clear that they didn't trust me, and possibly, Raylynx's brother was on the hunt for me. I couldn't stay here. I knew that I had to head towards Hogwarts to intercept Peter, but first, I had to go and see my godson. With a heavy heart and equally heavy paws, I took off and forced myself to keep running despite the utter exhaustion that coated my muscles.


When I reached 4 Privet Drive, however, there was a lot of yelling going on.

"That boy!" a man was shouting angrily. "Blowing up Marge like that!"

I cocked my head to the side curiously.

"But where has he gone, Vernon?" a shrill voice asked.

"I don't know! He just left! Packed his trunk and that bloody owl and all!"

Overhearing that, it became clear to me that Harry had left the house. I put my nose to the ground and sniffed, looking for recent scents of a boy and an owl together. Following that trial, I found him- a teenage boy hunched over on the sidewalk, looking angry. I paused. For a moment, he looked more like me than James with that irritated and angry expression.

But I was utterly stunned by how much he had grown. In my mind, I knew that twelve years had passed, but to actually see him as a teenager!

Just yesterday, he'd been drooling all over my shirt, clutching a wolf stuffed animal. I still remember the secret fight that James and Remus had waged over Harry's stuffed animals. Remus had not been allowed to go to the Potters' home, of course, as he had not been let in on the Filius Charm secret and therefore could not see the house. Nevertheless, he'd cleverly bully me into bringing stuffed toys of wolves to Harry all the time. You see, Remus' whole plan had been to train Harry early so that Harry wouldn't be afraid of him even when he learned that his Uncle Moony was a werewolf, but as Remus couldn't come over himself, he thought the wolf stuffed animal would have to do.

But James, being James, wanted Harry to take on the mantle of being a stag, and so, he had Lily crochet a stag toy animal and replaced Remus' wolf with the little stag whenever my back was turned and certainly after I left. Thus, every time I went over, I subtly placed one of the toy wolves into Harry's arms, and when I left, James would switch the toy, and I'd find Harry playing with the toy stag again the next time I came over.

It likely didn't matter one bit, as Harry's favorite toy was always the Snitch that Raylynx had gifted him, especially once he could ride that toy broomstick I'd bought him. James used to have a hell of a time trying to catch Harry on that thing. In hindsight, it really shouldn't have been marketed for such young children. I could still see Harry in my mind's eye. It was a dim memory now, after Azkaban, but it was slowly coming back to me- the memory of him speeding down the hallway with his head thrown back, laughing happily, as he zigzagged along until he crashed into the cupboard or the wall and once, the cat.

And so, to see him now, suddenly twelve years older…

I could see that his hair stuck up in the back, just the way James' hair used to. In fact, he looked like the spitting image of James at that age. I stepped closer, unconsciously sliding out of the bushes, to get a better look at him. A twig snapped under my front paw. Suddenly, Harry jolted up, but he got up too fast, and stepping back, tripped over the curb in the sidewalk. With a yell, he threw out his wand arm and then- Bang! I watched in horror as I saw my godson nearly get run over by the Knight Bus in front of my very eyes. Fortunately, the bus managed to miss him, as Harry had fallen over onto the sidewalk.

I must have frightened him, I thought sadly, and tail tucked between my legs, I backed up into the bushes again until he'd gotten on the Knight Bus and sped away.

Nobody's POV

"Albus! Have you heard the news?"

Frowning, Dumbledore peered up from his desk to see Minerva McGonagall shoving a paper before his face. The paper, which bore the headline "Sirius Black: Mass Murderer Escaped from Azkaban!" obscured the letter Dumbledore had been reading from Fudge. The letter was mandating that dementors be posted at every entrance into Hogwarts.

"Escaped! How can this be?" Minerva said, distraught. "What can it mean?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, Minerva continued, "Albus, no one has ever escaped from Azkaban before. How could Sirius Black have achieved it?"

She looked sharply at Dumbledore. "Do you think this has anything to do with Harry Potter?"

"What do you mean, Minerva?"

"Well, after all, Sirius is Harry's godfather."

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, it is worrisome, indeed."

"I imagine you have not told the boy of how Sirius was the one who betrayed Lily and James," Minerva said quietly, her voice flooding with regret.

"I have not," Dumbledore replied affirmatively.

"What if Sirius Black comes to Hogwarts to search for Harry?" Minerva asked.

"Hogwarts will be well protected," Dumbledore answered calmly.

"But the Professors can only do so much," Minerva said. "Well, excluding you, of course."

"Not by Professors – or I should say, not just by Professors," Dumbledore said.

Minerva looked at Albus skeptically. "We aren't getting another three-headed dog, are we?"

Dumbledore chuckled, though the laugh was restrained. "No, Minerva. Dementors."

"Dementors!" she replied in a hushed, disbelieving voice. "Albus, surely…"

"It is the Minster's mandate. Fudge thinks that this will keep Sirius out of Hogwarts."

"But if he managed to escape from Azkaban-"

"Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that Sirius Black will find his way into Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, sitting back in his chair and pressing his long fingers together at the fingertips. "We must do what we can as the situation presents itself."

"And do not forget," Dumbledore said, "Harry does not have one godparent, but two."

"Raylynx Kingsley," Minerva said, and Dumbledore nodded.

"I am worried for her," Minerva admitted. "That headstrong girl, I don't know how or why she got it into her head that Sirius Black is innocent, but I do know that she will search for him until she finds him. It could be the death of her, Albus."

"Do not worry, Minerva. I've just the thing to keep her safe."

"What do you mean, Albus?"

"I mean that I have just the thing to distract her with. Fudge's letter also contained another tidbit. He reports that Harry James Potter of Private Drive 4 has blown up his aunt. As you may imagine, the Dursleys did not take to this kindly, and it seems that Harry has run away."

McGonagall's glasses flashed in alarm. "Albus-!"

"Calm yourself, Minerva. Harry has been located in Diagon Alley and is safe for the time being. And Fudge will not go through the trouble of punishing Harry, not when Sirius Black is on the loose," Dumbledore told her. "But this does rather serve as an excellent mission with which to distract Professor Kingsley with. You see, she deeply desires to be close to Harry."

"Though I do wonder," Dumbledore murmured, so softly that McGonagall didn't truly hear it, "if she has changed her mind about the boy after the events of last year."

Minerva gave Albus a questioning look. "If I am correct, you have largely dissuaded Raylynx from becoming close to Harry."

Dumbledore looked up at McGonagall.

Minerva explained, "I found her sobbing in one of the classrooms, asking why she couldn't take care of the boy herself."

Dumbledore did not deny it. When Minerva's expression hardened, Dumbledore softly repeated what Remus had said, "I am trying to keep her safe."

Raylynx's POV

Dumbledore showed up on my doorstep late early the next morning.

"Headmaster," I said immediately, "have you seen-?"

"I have not seen Sirius Black," Dumbledore replied calmly but firmly, cutting me off.

"And you've no idea where he could be?" I pressed, undeterred by Dumbledore's clearly reticent attitude.

"Not in the slightest, naturally," Dumbledore said, opening his hands as though to show me his truthfulness.

I looked at him grumpily, with puffy eyes from lack of sleep and crying. I was sore all over from having shivered so much at that freezing beach and then pacing all night, anxiously hugging my shoulders and biting at my nails. I'd never been a nail-biter before, but one or two fingers were bleeding from my gnawing at them all night.

"My, my, you've certainly seen better days, Professor Kingsley," Dumbledore commented lightly.

"Thank you for that observation," I said dryly, as Dumbledore stepped inside my home.

"Professor Kingsley, mind I suggest a spot of tea? For you and me both," Dumbledore said, his eyes sweeping over my tired face.

As he sat down in my living room and I poured him tea, he studied me closely.

"You will be intrigued to know that Harry blew up his aunt and then took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron," Dumbledore said, dropping this bombshell on me in a light, chirpy voice.

"He what?" I said in disbelief.

"The tea," Dumbledore said, nodding his head as I overpoured the tea. It sloshed out of the saucer and onto the floor.

Hastily putting down the teapot, I inquired, "Did you say Harry blew up his aunt?"

"Well, of course, Marjorie Eileen Dursley has no blood relation with Harry. All the same, she was Vernon Dursley's older sister, and went by 'Aunt Marge' – or so I'm told by the Prime Minister."

I blanched. "Is Harry in trouble with the Ministry?" I stood up immediately, despite my protesting legs. My joints wheezed, with my knees cracking loudly. "Dumbledore, we must go-"

Dumbledore raised his hand. "Calm yourself, my dear girl." He glanced down at what I was handing him- a sad cup of tea that had tea dribbling down the sides but was woefully empty inside. "Do you think I would be here, sipping tea with you, if Harry were presently in danger?"

I frowned. "I would not put anything past you at this point, Dumbledore. You let him fight the basilisk."

"Fawkes was with him, in my stead," Dumbledore reminded me quietly, and pretended to take a sip from the empty tea cp. "A phoenix's tears have extraordinary restorative powers. Harry was safe. And he was meant to defeat Riddle, and the basilisk."

"But what has happened to Harry?" I asked Dumbledore, slowly sitting back down. "Is he still at the Dursleys? I mean, they can't be too happy with him. I'll go and get Harry! He can come and live with me, as he should have from the start. Dumbledore, I would have raised him as my own, I would have-" I sat at the edge of my seat, pleading with Dumbledore.

Dumbledore raised his hand again, trying to soften and stunt my deluge of questions and suggestions.

"Harry is not with the Dursleys. I am told that he was picked up by the Knight Bus and made his way to the Leaky Cauldron, where the Prime Minister Cornelius Fudge arranged for his stay in the next few weeks."

I paused. "The Prime Minister himself? Did Fudge discipline Harry for blowing up his aunt?"

"He did not."

"Why…?" I quickly answered my own question. "Because Sirius Black is on the loose, of course."

Dumbledore observed me as he said to me, "I must ask you, Professor Kingsley- did you help Sirius Black to escape Azkaban?"

I returned his inspecting gaze and asked, "Do you think I did?"

"No," Dumbledore replied, "but I cannot be sure, as you have shown your desire to free Sirius Black time and time again."

I remained silent.

"I must warn you," Dumbledore continued, "that many parents have written to me to express these concerns, and some among the faculty are concerned at Remus Lupin's appointment-"

"Some among the faculty," I scoffed. "You mean Snape."

"My advice to both of you would be to be aware of these criticisms," Dumbledore said quietly. "Especially you, as you have named yourself at the forefront of those willing to help Sirius Black. You are putting yourself at great risk, both in terms of safety and in your career as a professor."

I shook my head gently, rejecting his advice.

"And if you find yourself between Sirius Black and Harry Potter – between godfather and godson, what will you do then?" Dumbledore asked me.

"It won't come to that," I said stoutly. "Sirius wouldn't want to hurt Harry."

Dumbledore sighed, before murmuring, "When you are close to someone, sometimes you cannot see how deep their treachery runs or how dangerous they really are. Even if you do know deep down, you do not allow yourself to see it because you do not wish to see it."

In my mind, I was thinking, what would Dumbledore know of love? Who is he to lecture me on these things? Dumbledore, of course, was thinking of Gellert Grindelwald, but I did not know that.

"I must ask you not to go looking for Sirius Black," Dumbledore requested.

"Headmaster, please, save yourself from the trouble of making this speech. I've heard about a hundred times at least from Remus Lupin," I said.

"And has he persuaded you?" Dumbledore inquired.

"I will do what I think is right," I replied, and I left no room for argument in my reply. Seeing that I was unwilling to respond, Dumbledore changed subjects.

"I have a job for you," he said.

"A job? Are you planning to get rid of me?" I asked.

He chuckled. "No, nothing of the sort."

He turned his head slightly and said, "At the end of last term, you expressed your interest in becoming closer to Harry. Do you still stand by that?"

"Even though he is a Horcrux?" was the unspoken ending.

I had thought long and hard about this ever since I'd had the horrible realization that my godson harbored a piece of Voldemort within him.

"Yes," I replied firmly. "A parent does not love their child with expectation. I don't care if it kills me or hurts me in the end. Harry is my godson."

In my head, I whispered, And I know that even if I show Harry all the love that I have inside of me, it isn't even a fracture of what Lily and James would have shown him.

"Besides," I said, "Harry still clearly has his own soul and body. It may be possible to sever the piece of Voldemort within him."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. "Yes, that is true," he said, but his voice was ominous. "We do not know the extent to which Voldemort's soul affects Harry. I suspect we will only be able to answer that question as the boy grows in his own strength."

"I'm going to save him," I said quietly, but my voice was full of fire.

Dumbledore looked at me sadly. He wanted to tell me "even magic has its limits," but he remained quiet.

"Can't I bring him home to me?" I pleaded Dumbledore, for the thousandth time.

"As I have already explained to you, his staying at Privet Drive invokes a certain protection between himself and Petunia Dursley, the closest remaining blood relative of Lily Evans," Dumbledore replied. "However, it is true that Harry need only go back to Privet Drive for a couple of weeks during the summer to replenish this protection. Perhaps it is possible to have him stay with you for a part of the summer, should he wish it."

My heart soared.

"As of the moment, I have a similar request," Dumbledore said. "As I have mentioned, Harry is currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom, the bartender, tells me that he is very much enjoying his new freedom. While I don't wish for us to step on his newfound freedom, I would appreciate if you were to keep an eye on the boy."

Dumbledore saw the beaming smile break out on my face, and he gave a chuckle and said, "You may blind the poor boy if you approach him with such an expression, Professor Kingsley."

"Oh, he's nearly blind as it is without his glasses. With James' horrendous vision, the poor boy never stood a chance," I said, and grinned.

As we both got up, my knees cracked again. Dumbledore glanced down and said, "Along with refraining from searching for Sirius Black, I would suggest taking care of your joints, Professor Kingsley. You will appreciate it more as you grow older. In my old age, despite my magical powers, I believe one swift blow to my knobby knees would be more than sufficient to send me flying into the nether realm."

"Is that why you wear such thick robes, Headmaster?" I wondered aloud.

"Oh yes, that, and I have a scar shaped as a perfect map of the London Underground just above my left knee. I'm rather proud of it, and would prefer to keep it to myself," Dumbledore said, and with a mighty twinkle in his eye, he left me.