It was nearly midnight when the knock came.
Snape didn't bother with the wards—they'd already whispered to him who it was.
He opened the door.
Mad-Eye Moody stood on the stoop, silhouetted by streetlight, cloak damp from sea fog. He looked tired, older somehow.
"You'd better bring your wand," Moody said, voice rough.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because we're going to Azkaban."
Snape stared.
"You expect me to volunteer for a Dementor-infested island at this hour?"
Moody's magical eye spun once. "To see Black."
Snape froze.
Then, slowly, he stepped back and let the door swing open.
In his workroom, Snape pulled a small vial from a rune-locked drawer. The liquid inside shimmered deep indigo, almost black, with streaks of faint gold.
"Plan B," he said aloud to himself.
The potion had no name. It had never been tested. A secondary safeguard if his Shield Skin ever failed. Designed to shield a mind from consumption—to resist the soul-leeching effects of Dementors, not through repulsion, but by reinforcing the emotional core. Memories. Identity.
He never thought he'd use it on Black.
And yet…
He tucked the vial into a pocket and followed Moody into the night.
~~~~
Azkaban was worse than he remembered.
Cold air laced with screams.
Walls that bled salt and sorrow.
Dementors drifted in the upper reaches of the prison like dead leaves in a poisoned wind.
Snape felt the chill, but the wardstones embedded in his robes held.
They descended through the stone corridors, Moody's limp echoing beside Snape's silent steps.
They reached the cell.
And there he was.
Sirius Black.
Gaunt. Filthy. Sunken-eyed.
But alive.
Barely.
He sat slumped against the wall, shackled but unmoving. He didn't flinch as the door opened.
Snape stepped forward, heart tight in his chest.
He'd dreamed of seeing this man broken.
But now?
All he saw was waste. Decay. A life wrongly discarded.
Lily's friend. James's brother in all but blood. Harry's godfather.
And he felt… pity.
It staggered him.
Moody was already studying Sirius's eyes.
"There's no madness," he murmured. "Not real madness. He's holding on."
Snape knelt beside him, pulled the vial from his pocket.
"Black," he said softly. "Drink this."
Sirius blinked. Tried to focus. "Snape?"
Snape didn't sneer. Didn't mock.
"Drink," he said again, gently. "It will help. I made it for myself, once. But I'm giving it to you."
Sirius blinked again. Swallowed it without question.
The effect was subtle and yet not.
His shoulders straightened. His breathing eased. His eyes cleared.
Moody leaned closer.
"Tell me," he said. "Peter Pettigrew. What happened?"
And Sirius began to speak.
By the time he was finished, Moody's face had gone pale beneath his scars.
Snape stood slowly, eyes locked on the far wall.
"I hated you," he said softly. "But not even you deserved this."
Sirius gave a rasp of a laugh. "I must be dying. You're being kind."
"No," Snape said. "I'm being right."
Moody turned toward the door. "Let's go. We've got work to do."
They left the cell together.
Not friends.
But no longer enemies.
Linked only by the boy they failed.
Just men with a mistake to undo.
--
THE DAILY PROPHET — Special Evening Edition — Thursday, June 12th
EXCLUSIVE: Sirius Black INNOCENT — Ministry Confirms Peter Pettigrew Alive
By Dorcas Willoughby, Lead Investigative Correspondent
In a revelation that has shaken the wizarding world to its core, Sirius Orion Black—long believed to be the traitor responsible for the deaths of James and Lily Potter—has been officially declared innocent by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
After the last 3 years in Azkaban without a trial, Black was re-evaluated in a covert investigation led by veteran Auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody and Potions Master Severus Snape, whose recent re-emergence into public life has been the subject of quiet speculation.
The findings are nothing short of explosive.
--
The Real Traitor: Peter Pettigrew
Peter Pettigrew, a former friend and classmate of Black and the Potters, was believed to have been murdered by Black during a Muggle massacre in 1981. But new evidence, including eyewitness testimony from Black himself, a magical pensieve memory deposit, and a very much alive animagus rat, has proven Pettigrew faked his death and has been hiding in plain sight.
And not just anywhere.
He has been living as a pet rat named Scabbers, belonging to Percy Weasley, third son of Arthur and Molly Weasley.
"I always thought Scabbers was a bit strange," young Charlie Weasley told this reporter. "Kept biting Bill. Now I guess I know why."
Madam Molly Weasley, visibly shaken, provided a statement this morning:
"If not for the courage of Mr. Black, we would never have known. We are horrified that Peter Pettigrew lived in our home—near our children—and are cooperating fully with the Ministry."
The Department of Magical Creatures has confirmed through magical examination that "Scabbers" is indeed Peter Pettigrew, unregistered animagus, and he is currently in Ministry custody awaiting trial.
--
The Man Behind the Mask: Sirius Black Speaks
In a rare public appearance, Black—cleaned, stabilized, and no longer under Dementor exposure—offered only a short statement:
"I never betrayed them. I would've died before I did. James and Lily were my family. Harry is my godson. That's what I held onto in Azkaban. And now—I want to see him."
His voice reportedly broke on the last sentence.
When asked what changed after all these years, sources close to the investigation confirmed that it was Severus Snape who insisted on revisiting the case.
This revelation has turned heads across the wizarding world, as Snape—once publicly scorned for his time as an alleged Death Eater—has recently emerged as a reformer, opening a public apothecary, assisting the Ministry in several classified efforts, and maintaining an active presence in the upcoming magical orphan initiative backed by Lady Narcissa Malfoy.
"He asked the right question," said Moody. "And he made a damn good potion. Without him, Black would still be rotting in a cell."
--
What Comes Next?
The Wizengamot has formally overturned Black's conviction. Pettigrew will be tried for treason, mass murder, and endangering the magical and Muggle worlds alike. A public apology is expected from several high-ranking officials in the coming days.
The Ministry has already launched an internal review of its Azkaban policies, and a panel has been crafted to ensure that every single prisoner has had a trial of their peers.
Sirius Black is currently in protective custody and recovering. Sources say he has not yet been told where his godson, Harry Potter, is—but a private reunion may be in the works.