Book 3

Chapter 1

Memories

An owl swooped overhead a dark, churning sea. Its keen vision was the only factor that prevented it from plummeting into the unforgiving waters below. A parchment was tied to its foot, oblivious to the rain pounding down thanks to an Impervius charm placed on it. The bird, however, wasn't so lucky. The wind was merciless, pushing the owl back, but it continued on. Far below, a square-shaped building was perched on a small block of land, directly in the middle of the waves.

From first glance, though few ever saw it, it was plain that this building was a place of misery. It was a prison. Presumably, the strongest prison in all of the world, having kept the most dangerous criminals locked in. Many had resided there. Often, it was those who deserved it, committing crimes such as murder, theft, and of course, most known to the wizarding community, allegiance to the Dark Lord. 

However, not all had deserved their fate. The innocent had gone mad within those walls. Those who were falsely accused were buried along with actual criminals in the small area next to the prison. And of course, there were those that had been wrongly sentenced as a result of another person's actions. 

The cells were dank and dim. The constant murmur of prisoners mumbling to themselves, and occasionally, screaming or mad laughter would pierce the air. And of course, as if the cold wasn't bad enough, the dementors, their hoods pulled low over their faces, the term faces used very loosely in this case, hovered outside the prison, and from time to time patrolled the inside, adding an extra chill to the air. 

Inside the stone walls, one cell was similar to any other. It too was dank and dim. It too had rain lashing against the- well, windows were apparently a luxury, one not given to the prisoners. In their place, metal bars stood, the rain coming through into the cell. The prisoner inside huddled against the edge of the cell, in a corner, though still somehow getting wet. 

Unlike the cell, this prisoner couldn't be more different. Sure, he was wearing the jumpsuit provided to everyone, which was torn, and a raggedy old blanket was also draped around his shoulders, for which he was grateful. The man had been falsely accused, and with the knowledge that he was innocent, combined with his overwhelming strength, he was by far the sanest prisoner there. This prisoner went by the name of Sirius Black. You wouldn't be able to tell it was him by peering into his cell though. Sirius was currently a dog, who went by the name of Snuffles. 

Sirius lay with his doggy head on the floor. How many times had he observed every detail of the prison like this? Every day for the past 12 years if he wasn't mistaken. 12 years. The thought of that much time passing still made him sick to his stomach. He would have puked should there have been anything to puke out. So many things had happened that one Halloween night, 12 years ago. Halloween. He couldn't believe that it had once been his favorite holiday. 

It hadn't been all bad at first, he supposed. He remembered dressing up for Halloween in their 7th year, with his fellow 7th years, James Potter, his best friend, Remus Lupin... his husband, though he wasn't even sure if his Moony even thought that way of him anymore, and Peter Pettigrew, the man, if he could even be given the title, who had ruined his life. And of course, Lily Evans, who would have still been James' wife, should what occurred that fateful Halloween night hadn't happened. 

He closed his eyes, letting the memories of his friendship with those four wash over him. He left out Peter, not wanting to ruin it, knowing that the dementors would take advantage of him being in those memories. 

So much had changed since then. They'd all been no more than kids before they were swept up in the war. James and Lily were gone, Peter might as well have been as far as Sirius was concerned. He had no idea what Remus had been up to but hoped that he was okay, or at least as okay as someone who lost all their friends in one night. 

He'd give anything to go back to those days. 

A/N: Alright, hey everyone, hope you enjoyed the first chapter (though it's more like a prologue), of my first work having anything to do with the Harry Potter universe. I hope I'll be able to update soon, so keep watch for that, and have a good one! By the way, if you haven't already, read the Marauders series by Pengiwen, you really ought to give it a look.

Please feel free to vote and/or comment if you'd like to share your opinion. I'd love to hear from you :)