Within the hour the Knight Bus deposited us at the visitor's entrance to Azkaban, and I couldn't concentrate on Remus' paper, I was too nervous. It was just as grim as I'd always imagined. It was practically a shack that led onto a small harbour with one single dingy boat.

A single wizard sat at the admissions desk. He was slumped down in his chair looking miserable as he read Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. A faint patronus of a snake flickered above his head.

I'd read about dementors in the Ruby series, but it was obvious this was where their effects began. Already I felt sad, like any happiness to meet my father had been sucked out me like a vacuum.

"Hello," Mum smiled to the wizard, who finally looked up from his book. She'd cast her own patronus, which was a lynx cat. "We're here to visit Sirius Black."

The wizard practically sprang up, dropping his book on the floor. "Well, well, well—whole family day out is it?"

Mum pulled Sasha and I closer to her. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes these are his daughters."

The wizard got up and beckoned us to follow him the harbour. "That's not fair—I can't keep a woman, but a mass-murderer gets an attractive wife and kids? Geez."

Sasha began to storm towards the man, her wand coming out of her pocket. Mum grasped her by the arm. "Stop it, Sasha. He's being affected by the dementors."

She wasn't wrong. As we climbed into the boat and set off towards the murky figure of Azkaban, all the moods in the boat dropped. All I could think about was how my father would probably hate me for being different, hate me for being such a bother...

"We're here," the wizard grunted after about half an hour bouncing in the choppy North Sea. "You get one hour of visitation. My college will take you to the cells."

Climbing out of the boat, we got our first glimpse of Azkaban fortress. Sasha gasped, and reached for my hand.

I'd seen pictures of Azkaban, but it looked more horrifying than I'd imagined. The building was cracked black brick that stretched into the endless abyss of overcast clouds. Bars covered the building by every few inches, and as we walked closer I saw the scrabble of hands grasping for freedoms.

Over the whipping of ocean spray, you could hear high-pitched screams of prisoners, begging to be freed. What was more unsettling was the outline of black hoods of dementors that surrounded every barred cell.

"I don't like it," Sasha whispered, her voice hoarse. "Maybe Remus was right... this is a bit, much." She lightly touched her forearms and I was reminded again of the red lines.

Maybe mum was as well, because she clenched her jaw tight and blinked away tears. "We're here already. We can't turn back now. Come on."

She took each of us by hand and we walked sombrely into the entrance hall. One woman stood there with her jaguar patronus, and she gave us a grim nod as we approached.

"Cara Black?" she asked, and my mother nodded. "This way. Keep up the pace—it's a long walk to the highest security wing."

If looking at Azkaban was bad, being inside it was worse. We advanced up narrow weather worn stairs, getting glimpses at the prisoners at each floor. The number of dementors increased due to the dangerous nature of the prisoners, and so did the screams and wails.

After what seemed like forever, we reached the top of the stairs. "Mr Black is in the cell at the end," the woman nodded curtly. "You have an hour of visitation. If anything happens, I'll be waiting here with my wand ready."

We all nodded, and with the three of us huddled together we headed down the high security wing. There weren't many prisoners, which made it all the creepier. We passed a man rocking back and forth, muttering to himself repeatedly.

"I will return to you master I will return to you master..."

As we went further into the beast, we passed a woman with wild black hair hysterically laughing to herself. "Not long now! Not long now... Oh I can't wait to kill for you again, master... The thrill, the joy..."

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Mum said to us in a whisper as we passed. "Your father's cousin---she tortured a couple of auror's to madness."

There weren't any more prisoners for a while—there were only a few more cells between us and our father. Even though the dementors were trying to make me feel hopeless, excitement was beginning to bubble under my skin.

"Lyra Black is that you?" a hoarse voice called, and I almost jumped out of my skin. "I'd recognise those magically altered eyes anywhere."

"That wasn't your father," Mum said, and her hand went straight to her wand. "Show yourself—before I get the dementors!"

In the cell closest to us, a man dressed all in rags came into the light. His white gaunt face reflected two wide hazel eyes that looked almost familiar, black shaggy hair coating his forehead.

"My name is Jacob Novak." He gave a strange sort of smile, and with a jolt I recognised the name. "Yes, I can see in your face, you know who I am, don't you?"

"I know who you are as well," Mum hissed, colour bursting into her face. "You're the one who kidnapped me! Don't you dare—don't you dare speak to my daughters!"

"But you know my child, don't you?" he reached through the bars, desperate. "My Katherine, is she well? Her mother never let me see her... I've always wondered, always wondered..."

I felt sick, and my words stayed locked in my throat. How could I tell Kat that the man who lured her mother into the sick experiments that caused her powers, was her father?

"She's doing brilliantly without you," Sasha was the one who spoke, though her voice shook. She gave him a dirty look. "It's just as well she doesn't know what scum she has for a father..."

Something flashed across Novak's face, and he murmured something as his eyes clouded over. "Tell Katherine Moran that one day, I will be free, and I will kill her... Oh yes, I will kill her... make it slow, make it slow..."

"Come on," Mum grabbed both of us by the arms and forced us away from Novak's cell, which was a relief. "We have to visit your father."

There was a gap of about another four empty cells, before we reached the final one. We stood outside, Sasha and I hand in hand as Mum approached the bars. In the dim grey light, I could just about make out a slight figure leaning against the bars, and a tangle of wild curly hair.

"Sirius?" I'd never heard Mum's voice so gentle. "It's us. I brought the girls."

I'd seen my parents wedding photo, and in it my father was a handsome man with Sasha's curly hair and happy grey eyes. The man who stood in front of us was a ghost of that man, the one who called me Stardust and read Sasha bedtime stories.

His curly hair reached his mid-back and was matted and dirty, his brilliant silver eyes darting across us in his sunken face. He wore striped rags for clothes, and he kept twitching nervously as a small smile flitted across his face.

"Hello, girls." His voice was hoarse and far away as he approached the bars. His fingers grasped through the bars, twitching as if he yearned to touch us. "You are both as beautiful as I imagined you'd be."

"Thank you," it was the first time I'd spoken since we'd arrived at Azkaban island. This man was both familiar and un-familiar at the same time. "I think we look better than you."

A smile broke out across our father's face. "Oh, my girls. I hope you know I've thought of you both every single day I've been in this hell hole."

"I've thought about you as well," Sasha stepped nose-to-nose with the bars, her voice soft and child-like. But then her head snapped up, her eyes cold and angry. "How you ruined me. Do you know I was bullied in my first year, all the shit I got because I was your daughter—Lyra too—"

Mum grabbed Sasha by the arm and gently pulled her away from the bars. She appraised our father as his smile wiped off his face. "Sirius, you can't possibly expect the girls to love you straight away. Think about where we are."

Dad hit himself harshly in the side of the head like a house-elf. He began pacing around the cell, muttering to himself. All I could hear was, "Ruined them... I ruined them, Sasha is right... I ruined them..."

"You didn't," I found myself speaking again, my voice a little stronger. "You didn't ruin all of it."

Dad's head snapped up. "How?"

"You rescued mum from where they were experimenting on her." I said, my voice growing steadier. "A lot of people would have given up looking, but you didn't. If you hadn't have saved her, they probably would have done worse to her—and to me, when I was born."

Dad moved closer to the bars, and almost instinctively I moved forward, dropping Sasha's hand. His calm grey eyes met mine, and beyond all the horror of Azkaban, I could see warmth there. I couldn't see a cold-blooded killer.

"Hey, Cara? Did you see, both of our daughters are smart. Who would have thought, with me as a father?" he said softly. He turned back to me. "I'm so glad you woke up, Lyra. I worried I would die in this place without seeing you. It's brilliant to have a new image of you girls that isn't from when you were toddlers."

Sasha coughed loudly, and our little broken family all turned to look at her. "This is a very touching reunion and everything, but Dad, I have to know—did you kill all of those people? I'm not playing happy families here like Lyra. I'm realistic."

"Hey," I mumbled defensively, and mum pulled me closer to her. "I just want to be nice to him."

"No, Lyra, Sasha made a very good point." Dad pressed his face against the bars and looked almost sorrowful as he met eyes with my sister, grey on grey. "I did not kill those people. I was framed. By somebody I trusted very much."

Mum stepped closer, an odd look on her face. "Who was it Sirius? Who betrayed you?"

Dad took a deep breath. "Peter Pettigrew."

Mum burst out laughing. "Peter? Poor, sweet Peter? Now come on, Sirius! I know you have a lot of time to waste here, but Peter? He was one of our best friends, and—" her voice choked. "He can't even defend himself, because he's dead."

Fury passed across Dad's face, and for a second, I could truly believe he killed those muggles and Peter Pettigrew. "I wanted you all to come here to listen! Not to tell me I'm a liar!"

Sasha mumbled, "Well you're not much of a truther right now..."

Mum grabbed both of our hands, her breathing was short and un-even. "Peter was one of our very best friends. He helped rescue me and checked on the muggle woman who was experimented on for months! You can believe what you want, Sirius—but I came here with my daughters to give you a chance to explain yourself. But you're just speaking—speaking---horseshit!"

Dad sunk down in the cell as if mum had shot him with her words. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Leave me then, if you feel like that."

Mum looked ruffled as she stared at the defeated form of our father. "We will then. The main reason I agreed so you could see Lyra is alright, and she is, so..." Mum wrapped her coat to her tighter. "Come on girls, time to go."

She hurried off without looking back, swearing at Novak's cell as he tried to call after her. Sasha and I were left alone with our father.

"I wanted to believe you were innocent, even if you being here did ruin my first year at Hogwarts..." Sasha's voice wavered, her bravado fading as she pulled her sleeves further down her hands. "But I'm sorry, Dad. You're delusional. You should be glad you didn't screw me up too badly."

Then she hurried off without another word. Now it was just me.

"Dad?"

He opened his eyes slowly, like it was a big effort. "What is it, my stardust?"

Feeling a little prick in my heart at the nickname, I stared at his defeated form. There were a million reasons pointing to him having killed Peter Pettigrew and the muggles, and yet...

"Are you a hundred percent positive Peter Pettigrew framed you?"

Energy seemed to sap back into my father, and he sat up. His eyes were alert. "Yes. I know he did."

I took a deep breath. "Then I'll investigate him, do some research. I know Mum and Sasha have given up, but..." I thought of Cassie and Kat's visit, which seemed like years ago. "But I'm an optimist."

"That's my girl," a flicker of smile came to his face. "You don't have to visit me again though. I know what this place is like."

I nodded, and hesitated. Remembering the copy of The Daily Prophet in my rucksack, I pulled it out. "Are you allowed to have papers in here? You can have this if you like."

Dad gave me a small nod. "Yes. I only ever get one from the Minister of Magic when he visits to see how I am..."

Sliding the newspaper through the bars, I got to my feet. "Well... I'll send you a letter if I find anything to exonerate you I guess..."

"Thank you, Lyra." He said as he curled the paper onto his lap. "I hope you find the truth."

"I hope so." 

----

A/N I hope you enjoy this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it :)

It might not seem significant that Kat's father is Jacob Novak, but it will become relevant later on in the book...

Any thoughts on the chapter/anything? I'm already writing the next one, Fred and Lyra are going to reunite! Yay!