Harry Potter and the Time of Shadows

- Chapter Eleven-

The Prisoner of Azkaban

"Ahh! It's Sirius Black!"

Harry watched, not knowing what to do. His godfather had been spotted, and would be captured by the Ministry.

"Please!" cried Sirius, shielding his face with his hands, although it was pointless, he had already been seen.

"Please!" he said again. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Like you didn't want to hurt Pettigrew!" said the woman, retreating.

"I didn't kill Pettigrew, I'm innocent!" Sirius screamed, the soup still burning his flesh.

"Innocent? Let's see what Fudge thinks about that!"

Harry wanted to run forwards and tell everyone that Sirius was indeed innocent, but had learned back in his third year that no one would listen to him.

The old man quickly ran back into the restaurant, and within seconds, another man came out of the door, a younger man. He was no older than twenty five, and his muscles were visible from under his shirt. He took out his wand, and aimed it at Sirius.

There was a loud bang, and thin cords shot out the wand, straight towards Sirius. They bound and gagged him, and he toppled over. Harry could hear him trying to yell, but it came out as a muffled cry.

The younger man turned to the old man Earl, who had just come back out of the door.

"What shall I do?" he asked.

"Apparate to the Ministry," Earl replied. "Go to the Department to Magical Law Enforcement and tell them that we've caught Sirius Black."

Harry had the urge to Stun the man, to stop him reaching the Ministry, but knew if he got involved, he would be an accessory to a mass murderer.

The man Disapparated with a quiet pop, and silence fell upon the crowd, broken only by Sirius's struggle through his bonds.

After a while, six wizards Apparated on the scene, each had their wands out, pointed directly at Sirius.

"Everyone back!" yelled the man standing in front, and Harry recognised him instantly: It was Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic.

Harry was forced back by the crowd of people who were watching Sirius's capture.

"Sirius Black," read a man with his face hidden behind a large piece of parchment. "We, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, place you under arrest for the murders of Peter Pettigrew, as well as twelve Muggles. You are also placed under arrest for betraying James and Lily Potter to He Who Must Not Be Named."

The man lowered the piece of parchment, and rolled it up. Harry saw his face, and let out a silent gasp. It was Percy Weasley.

"Very good, Weasley," said Fudge, not taking his eyes away from Sirius. "I've got you now Black," he muttered.

Sirius let out another pointless scream, and Fudge laughed.

"Scared Black?" he said. He raised his hand, and a witch behind him pointed her wand at Sirius.

"Mobilicorpus," she said.

Sirius's body levitated a few inches off the ground, as though there were invisible strings attached to his arms and legs.

Fudge let out another cruel laugh, and walked away, Sirius floating behind him, away from the crowd, and out of sight.

*

Harry did not have a very clear memory of getting back to Hogwarts, nor could he remember very much about dinner that night, or going to bed. He did remember Ron and Hermione both refusing to even look at him, although that was hardly at the top of his worry list anymore.

The next day, Harry sat absent-mindedly at the Gryffindor table, and started to eat his breakfast. Ron sat next to him, and Hermione on the other side.

"Harry," said Ron.

Harry hardly heard him, all of the noises of the Great Hall seemed to blur into one another.

"Harry," said Hermione. "We heard what happened with Sirius, and we feel terrible for being so mean to you."

"We hope you can forgive us," Ron finished, and Harry looked at them both.

"Of course I forgive you," he said half-heartedly. (His voice was now steady, as well as quite a bit lower.)

"Good," said Ron. "Now we can help to figure out what you're going to do about Sirius."

"What I'm going to do? What can I do? You remember third year, no one's going to listen to a couple of fifteen year olds. They won't even listen to Dumbledore! So what I'm going to do, is hope that my godfather isn't going to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban!"

Ron and Hermione both looked at each other, clearly surprised by Harry's reaction, but not wanting to push the subject. No one spoke.

Breaking the silence, Professor Fudge appeared at the table, and tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Harry, could I have a word?" he asked.

"Sure," said Harry, getting up and walking with Fudge.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to speak to you, about Padfoot," Professor Fudge whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry suddenly felt more awake, more aware of everything. As he walked towards the staff table, Dumbledore looked up and saw him, he stood up and walked up to Harry.

"Harry, we need to talk," he whispered, putting his arm around Harry's shoulder and steering him out of a door to the side of the Hall, the same door Professors Fudge and Weasley came out of on the first day of term.

When they were inside, Dumbledore pointed his wand at the door knob, and whispered, "Barricada,". The door locked with a quiet click, and Dumbledore turned to face Harry.

The portraits on the wall whispered to each other, but the Headmaster gave them a dangerous look, and they all vanished out of their frames.

"Professor," Harry blurted out. "Have they got Sirius, is he in Azkaban?"

Dumbledore held up his hand, and Harry stopped speaking.

"Yes Harry, Sirius is currently in Azkaban, but he is only being held there temporarily. And Harry, as you may recall, Sirius's punishment is far worse than Azkaban. His penalty is the Dementor's Kiss, it was authorised two years ago, time is of no importance."

"They're going to suck out his soul? They can't do that!" Harry yelled, and he noticed one old man in a painting creep into view, but as soon as Harry spotted him, he disappeared again.

"The Minister has a right to do whatever he wishes. I have, however, managed to convince him to give Sirius a fair trial."

"Well, at least that's something," said Harry. "Not like when Crouch sentenced him without one."

"Yes, the trial will be held in two weeks from today. I think Fudge wants it to be as soon as possible. He is more than a little angry that Sirius managed to slip through his fingers before. I will be attending, and I would like you to come as well, if you wish to," said Dumbledore, wiping his half-moon glasses on his robes.

"Er, I don't know if I want to see that. Where is it?" Harry asked.

"I believe you have already seen the courtroom, have you not? In my Pensieve. It is underneath the Ministry of Magic building in London."

"Professor, how did Ron and Hermione find out that Sirius had been captured?" Harry asked, only just realising that he had not told them.

"I believe Miss Granger has a subscription to the Daily Prophet. It was on the front page this morning," Dumbledore replied.

"What?" said Harry. "Do you have a copy?"

Dumbledore reached into the inside pocket of his robes, and took out a newspaper.

Harry stared at the front page. There was a picture of Sirius, looking more murderous than Harry had ever seen him. The article took up the entire page.

BLACK CAPTURED AT LAST

By Arundo Mentiri

Yesterday, after eluding the Ministry of Magic for over two years, Sirius Black was arrested by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Black, who escaped from Azkaban in July 1993, was the first person ever to do so. It is believed he escaped using Dark Magic taught to him by his master, He Who Must Not Be Named.

Black was discovered in Hogsmeade by a Mr and Mrs Earl Upton.

"I saw a dog outside my restaurant," says Mrs Upton. "And I accidentally poured some soup on it, and it turned into Sirius Black!"

It seems, that Black is an unregistered Animagus, and can turn into a large black dog. That would help to explain the difficulty that the Ministry of Magic has had in apprehending him. It now seems that the Ministry was not quite as incompetent that many critics had long accused them of being.

Black was captured once before, in the June after he escaped, but somehow, escaped while being held prisoner at Hogwarts castle just before he was about to be given the Dementor's Kiss.

Since then, there had been only one sighting of Black, by a Muggle, in Kent. But by the time the Ministry officials arrived on the scene, he was gone.

Black was originally jailed for the murder of Peter Pettigrew, (along with a dozen Muggles) shortly after the downfall of He Who Must Not Be Named. However, another more shocking crime of his has only recently come to light.

Sirius Black attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry over twenty years ago, along with James and Lily Potter. He was a trusted friend to the Potters. This was demonstrated by Black being James Potter's best man at his wedding and being named godfather to their son Harry Potter. When the Potters discovered that He Who Must Not Be Named was after them, they were placed into hiding using the very complex Fidelius Charm.

This rarely performed charm involves magically concealing a secret within another person's living soul. The person who holds the information, or Secret-Keeper, has the responsibility of keeping that secret, in this case the location of where the Potters were hiding, to themselves. As long as the Secret-Keeper does not divulge the information, the secret would be safe, so in this case, the Potter family would be impossible to find by the Dark Lord, or anybody else.

Black was the Secret-Keeper for the Potters. At the time, the fact that he had been You-Know-Who's spy for years was unknown. But barely a week after the Charm was performed, betrayed the Potters, which led to their deaths.

Of course, when He Who Must Not Be Named came to the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow, he was defeated by the then infant, Harry Potter.

Black then tried to run, but was tracked down and cornered by Pettigrew. After Black had blown up the entire street killing thirteen Muggles, he was arrested by Ministry officials. Pettigrew's body was utterly destroyed by the explosion and he was awarded the Order of Merlin First Class for his attempt to single-handedly subdue the dangerous Black.

The news of his betrayal of the Potters was known only by a few people and came as a great surprise to most when the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, read it as a charge against him.

Although the punishment awaiting him was the Dementor's Kiss, the Minister has decided to give Black a trial, for unknown reasons.

But hopefully, Sirius Black will be destroyed, before he can escape once more and perform more unspeakable deeds on behalf of his banished master, He Who Must Not Be Named.

Harry finished reading, anger boiling in his blood. His mind set, he turned to Dumbledore.

"OK, two weeks," he said, hoping against hope that Sirius would be found innocent.

*

Harry had no idea how he survived the following two weeks, worried to death that his godfather would be worse than dead before long. All too soon, the day before the trial came.

"Harry," said Dumbledore at dinner that night. "As you undoubtedly know, tomorrow is the date of Sirius's trial. It will take place at three o'clock in the afternoon, so we must leave Hogwarts at an early time to get there. We will be taking the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross."

"What?" said Harry. "So the barrier's been fixed then?"

"Yes the entrance to platform nine and three quarters has been restored."

"But can't we take a Portkey? Or couldn't we Floo there?" Harry asked, not wanting to have to spend an entire train ride worrying.

"No Harry," Dumbledore replied. "I have increased security around the castle. Since you disappeared out of that maze in the Triwizard Tournament, it occurred to me that we should have placed an enchantment around the school grounds that prohibits the use of Portkeys. So I did so over the summer holidays. Also, we cannot use Floo powder to get there, as Hogwarts only has an internal Floo network, meaning that we can only travel to other places within Hogwarts, and not anywhere outside of it. Besides, I have never really cared for the idea of Floo powder, just being able to drop in on another person's home, without any kind of permission from the home owner. It is a security nightmare!"

Harry nodded, remembering the time when the Weasleys had entered the Dursleys's house through Floo powder.

"But Sirius talked to me once through the fireplace in Gryffindor Tower," Harry said, confused.

"Yes, the fires can be used for communication, just not transportation," Dumbledore replied shortly.

"So then Harry," Dumbledore continued. "Please come to my office tomorrow morning at seven."

"Yes Professor," said Harry.

*

"How do you find the defendant?"

Cornelius Fudge was standing on the top level of the same room as Harry had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve. Sirius was sitting in the same chair from the Pensieve, bound by restrains. A member of the jury stood up, and cleared his throat.

"We find the defendant, Sirius Black, guilty of multiple murder."

Sirius bowed his head, and Harry was sure that he was hiding a tear.

"And, all those in favour of administering the Dementor's Kiss, please raise your hands."

Every man and woman on the jury raised their hands.

"Dementor!" Fudge called.

A single Dementor came in through a door at the side of the courtroom. Fudge stood to address it, a merciless smile twisted on his face.

"I, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, authorise the use of your fatal Kiss on this man."

The Dementor nodded, and walked towards the chair that contained Sirius. Fudge waved his wand, and the chains holding Sirius in place retracted, and the Dementor placed one hand on each of Sirius's shoulders. It pulled Sirius to his feet, Sirius was already shaking under the influence from it.

The Dementor lowered its hood, revealing the same half-dead, rotten skinned face that Harry remembered.

"NO!" Sirius screamed.

The jury began to clap, slowly. Gradually, the whole courtroom joined in. Harry looked to his right, and saw that Dumbledore was clapping too. Harry felt as though the bottom had fallen out of his heart.

The Dementor locked its jaw over Sirius's mouth. Harry could only just hear his muffled scream.

"NNNOOOO!"

Harry watched, as the soul was removed from Sirius's body. It whooshed out through his mouth. It looked silvery and shone dimly.

"He's innocent!" Harry yelled. "He didn't do anything!"

But nobody took notice of Harry's words. Fudge had taken out his wand, and was sending a shower of sparks over Sirius.

The soul vanished completely inside the Dementor, and Sirius collapsed on the floor.

Harry screamed. "No!"

"Harry! Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes. He was in his bed, in his dormitory. Relief swept over him like a wonderful wave from a gentle sea. Ron was standing over him, his face full of concern.

"Are you alright Harry?" asked Ron.

Harry sat up, and he realised he had been crying in his sleep. His pillow was soaking wet from tears, and there were thin, wet lines running down his face.

"I'm OK," said Harry, grateful for his friend's support.

It suddenly occurred to Harry that if Sirius had not been captured, then he would not still be friends with Ron or Hermione. Harry was not sure if he would be able to cope with everything without them.

"You're scared about tomorrow, aren't you?" Ron asked, handing Harry a glass of water.

"Yeah, I'm terrified," Harry responded, taking a sip.

"I'm scared too," said Ron, taking a glass for himself. "I can't even imagine how you must feel, I wish I could be there with you."

"Wait a minute! Why can't you be there? I really need you and Hermione right now. We can ask if you can come --"

"Sorry," said Ron. "We asked Dumbledore if we could come as soon as you told us you were going. But he said no, he said he felt really bad about not letting us be there for you, but the Ministry wouldn't let us go, because we have nothing to do with the case apparently."

Harry felt another tear trickle down his face.

"It'll be alright Harry, Sirius is innocent," said Ron reassuringly.

"You think Fudge cares about that?" said Harry, for the first time speaking his worries aloud. "You remember last time he was caught? Fudge would have destroyed him then if we hadn't done anything about it. You should've seen him in Hogsmeade when Fudge arrested him, he looked so pleased at finally catching him, there's no way he'll let Sirius off!"

"What about that Truth Potion you told me about?" said Ron, looking as though he were grabbing at straws. "If they gave that to Sirius, he'd tell them everything, and they'd have to believe it."

For a split second in Harry's mind, that had seemed like a realistic hope for him. But then, reality caught up with him.

"No way, Fudge is the one who authorises the use of the Veritaserum. There's no way he'd use it of he even thought there was the tiniest change it would help."

Ron let out a loud sigh, and Harry let his head fall back on his pillow.

"Harry," Ron said suddenly. "Has your voice broken?"

"Yeah," Harry replied mindlessly. "Yeah it has."

*

Harry did not get a single wink of sleep after his talk with Ron that night. After what seemed like an eternity, the sun rose above the horizon, and it was time to leave.

Harry got out of his bed and changed into his best robes (the shiny set he had seen in Diagon Alley in the summer holidays). He slipped out of the dormitory without waking Ron, and left Gryffindor Tower for Dumbledore's office.

He reached the stone gargoyle, and gave the password "Pixie stick." The gargoyle jumped aside and Harry got onto the moving staircase. When he got to the top of the steps, he stopped himself before entering the office, hearing angry voices coming from inside.

"Now see here Dumbledore!" it was one of the Fudge brothers' voice. "I am the Minister for Magic here, I have the power to do as I wish!" It was Cornelius Fudge.

"And I am not denying that Cornelius," came Dumbledore's voice. "It just seems to me that if you were to make this mistake, it could have terrible repercussions for you."

"Are you threatening me Albus?" Fudge's voice became icy and suspicious.

"Of course I am not! But can't you see that if you are wrong, then many people will suffer needlessly."

"Like who?" Fudge asked carelessly.

"Sirius for one!" Dumbledore had abandoned his usual calmness, and his voice was rising louder than Harry had ever heard before. Even Fawkes was screeching loudly.

"He is not worth bothering about."

"What about Harry?"

"Harry, like the rest of the magical world, is a hundred percent certain that Black is guilty!"

"You know that's not true Cornelius. Two years ago, when Severus caught Sirius in the Shrieking Shack with Harry and his friends, Harry discovered the truth. Pettigrew framed Sirius!"

"Grow up Dumbledore! That was some stupid fantasy concocted by Black and placed in Harry's mind by a Confundus Curse! Speak to him now, the curse is temporary, after all."

Harry was afraid that Dumbledore was going to reveal the fact that Harry had been in contact with Sirius.

"Perhaps," instead was Dumbledore's reply.

"You see?" Fudge said with some satisfaction. "You cannot prove anything! And will you shut that bird up!"

"Maybe it is just that you choose to ignore my proof. It would not be the first time you have done so."

"Are you talking about that ridiculous idea of yours that You-Know-Who has returned?"

"He has returned Fudge, I believe I have given you enough evidence to show you that."

"Rubbish! You have shown me nothing that can tell me anything."

"Like it or not Fudge, the Time of Shadows is once again upon us."

"What are you talking about Dumbledore?"

"Never mind," Dumbledore said evenly.

"Listen Albus," Fudge said, regaining himself. I have at least agreed to give him a trial, you should be thanking me for that. I had to go against virtually the entire Ministry to grant Black that!"

"Thanking you?" Dumbledore repeated. "Somehow I do not think you did it out of kindness, more because of our arrangement."

"Well regardless of the reason why," Fudge said dismissively. "The trial shall be held, which is an awful waste of time if you ask me. Now, if you have nothing more to add, I wish to return to the Ministry to prepare for the trial. You will forgive me if I do not wish to ride the Hogwarts Express with the two of you. I have arranged transport for myself."

"Very well."

There was a short pause, and Harry heard Fudge walk towards the door. He did not want to be caught listening in on a private conversation between his headmaster and the Minister for Magic.

He looked around the corridor he was standing in for something to hide behind, but it was completely empty apart from the stairs that were rising upwards. Harry frantically searched for a gap somewhere that would conceal him, but found none. Just then, he heard the sound of a doorknob turning. Harry quickly dived into the tiny space behind the door. He pressed his body flat against the wall, and held his breath.

Fudge walked out of the door and straight past him without seeing him. However, he was muttering to himself so much that Harry was sure he would not have noticed him even if he was standing in front of the doorway and singing loudly.

There was another brief pause, and then:

"You can come in now Harry."

Harry, amazed, opened the door. The office was just as he remembered, with the exception of Fawkes, who today resembled a small, ugly chick. He had obviously just gone through a Burning.

"How did you know I was there?" asked Harry.

"Simple my dear boy, Fawkes is always quite excited to see you. He started to screech near the end of my conversation with the Minister. I suspected you were outside."

"Er... what is this arrangement you were talking about to get the Minister to agree to a trial?" Harry asked.

"I am sorry Harry but I cannot discuss that matter," Dumbledore replied. "It is between Cornelius and myself."

"Oh, well shouldn't we get going?" said Harry, feeling as though he were walking to his own execution.

"Yes we should," said Dumbledore, opening the door. "By the way Harry, that is a striking set of robes you are wearing."

"Thank you Professor," said Harry. There was something else Harry wanted to ask, but he could not remember exactly what it was.

"Today I am not your Professor Harry, I am your friend," said Dumbledore, the fire in his eye more pronounced than ever.

"OK," said Harry, and he followed his friend out the door.

They travelled to Hogsmeade station in a carriage, and Harry started a countdown in his head to the time the trial would start.

When they boarded the train, Harry was startled to see the inside compartments empty, instead of packed with children as it usually was.

Dumbledore sat down and took out a copy of the Daily Prophet. Feeling that he should not read what was in it, Harry walked further down the train.

Harry sat in a compartment all by himself, imagining all the Hogwarts students sitting around him, talking to each other, laughing.

It seemed to Harry as if everyone else was walking blindly through their lives, shielded from all of the pain and suffering that he was going through. He alone was in danger.

The train travelled along the usual path, exactly the same as when it took them back home after school ended. Harry stared out of the window, watching the landscape fly by. After about an hour of just sitting on his own, worrying about the trial, Harry sunk his head back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

The sounds of the journey seemed to be suddenly amplified. The whirring of the wheels on the rail line, the hissing of the steam powered engine. Harry tried to lose himself in the sounds, to forget everything. A wave of calmness swept over him.

Then, just as Harry was starting to relax, to feel normal again, the sounds became gradually quieter. Harry opened his eyes, trying to figure out what was causing the decrease in volume, when he felt the train start to slow down. Looking out of the window, Harry saw a small platform coming into view.

When they got close enough for Harry to have a good look, he saw a single figure standing there. His face was hidden by a dark hood, and the rest of him was covered in a long, black cloak. The stranger boarded the train, and Harry caught a brief glimpse of grey hair.

He heard the man speaking to Dumbledore, but their conversation was muffled, as there was a door in the way. But the door opened, and the man entered Harry's compartment, with his hood still up.

"Hello Potter," he growled.

He lowered his hood, and Harry then saw a familiar (but very strange) face.

"Professor Moody!" said Harry.

"Na," said Moody, giving a friendly grin. "If you remember, I was never your Professor. Just call me Moody."

"Moody it is."

Harry looked at him for a moment, he was just as abnormal than Harry remembered. His face was covered in scars, making it hard to tell exactly where some of his facial features were. There was a large chunk missing from his nose, and the foot of his wooden leg was only just visible beneath his cloak.

Harry stared at the eye, the weirdest thing about Moody. It was bright blue and perfectly round. It darted around his head non-stop, and occasionally rolled into the back of his head. Harry knew that the magical eye could see through virtually any surface, from wood to Invisibility Cloaks, even the back of his own head.

"Are you coming to watch the trial?" Harry asked, realising he was staring.

"Yeah, I always come to these things. I sit on the top bench next to Dumbledore. I usually come to watch the Death Eaters I've caught get tried. Of course, I didn't catch him this time, but I was one of the Aurors who caught him fourteen years ago."

"But --" Harry began, but Moody raised his hand again.

"It's alright Potter," he said. "Dumbledore's explained everything. He even told me that you were the one who helped him escape two years ago. I don't know how you managed that Potter! I expect you'd make a good Auror someday."

"Thanks Moody," said Harry, a small smile creeping over his face.

"Are you scared?" Moody asked.

"A little," Harry admitted.

"It's alright to be scared when you're worried about someone close to you Potter. I've heard enough to know that you're not a kid who scares easy."

"I suppose," said Harry.

"Yeah, you've been through a lot, and you carry on. I admire that. You're not one of those people who lets situations get to them until they're afraid of their own damn shadow!"

Shadow. Something was nagging at the back of Harry's brain.

Moody then went through the door in the other side to the one he came in through, and Harry was left alone again.

After a few more uneventful hours, the train began to slow down again, and Harry was sure that they had arrived at King's Cross.

When Harry stepped off the train and onto platform nine and three-quarters, he saw another man standing there. Unlike Moody though, Harry recognised this man the second he saw him.

"Lupin!" said Harry, running over to where he was standing.

"Harry," said Lupin solemnly. Clearly, he was just as upset, if not more, about Sirius's arrest. He was worried for his old friend.

"Are you coming to watch the trial with us?" Harry asked, the lost expression in Lupin's eye was depressing him even more.

"No Harry," Lupin replied. "I will be watching the trial, but I won't be up on the top bench with you."

"Oh, are you going to be a witness?"

Lupin gave a hollow laugh.

"A witness? No one will believe the word of a werewolf. Most people are scared of us."

"But you're not harmful when you're in human form."

"That's true. But not everybody will believe that. They think that we werewolves are just as fierce and savage whether the moon is up or not."

"But that's crazy!" said Harry.

"Yes it is," said Dumbledore's voice behind him. Harry turned around and saw both him and Moody standing there.

"Thank you Professor," said Lupin, giving Dumbledore a small bow.

"Remus, it is my belief that people mistrust werewolves so much because they do not see that werewolves are normal human beings at all other times. Man always fears what he does not understand."

"True," agreed Moody.

"We had better be going," said Lupin, consulting a small pocket watch.

The four of them walked through the barrier into Muggle London (Moody raised his hood again to cover his face). Harry saw that the barrier was repaired, and also looked much newer and shinier. Harry wondered whether it had been fixed or replaced.

"Where is the Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, realising that he had never heard anything about the actual building.

"It is here in London Harry," Dumbledore replied. "A short while away from here. It is in Westminster, where the Muggle Houses of Parliament are."

"Do the Muggles there know about us?"

"The Prime Minister does. He has been in contact with our Minister several times."

"Really? What for?"

"Usually trying to get us to use a bit of magic for him, but we don't. He should really have learned by now."

Harry laughed a little. He looked around at where they were. They were not walking towards the exit of the train station, as he normally did when he was there. Instead, they had just reached the entrance of what looked like a long tunnel. The four of them walked down it, it was steadily sloping downhill.

"Where are we?" asked Harry.

"Muggle London," replied Lupin. "We must take the Underground to Westminster. So, we have to walk to King's Cross St. Pancras. It's the Underground station."

Harry nodded, and continued walking down the tunnel. Occasionally, Harry would spot people standing at the side of the tunnel, playing musical instruments. While they were all very talented, they all dressed rather shabbily. Harry noticed that they all had some money at their feet, people walking past them would obviously pay them while they were playing. There was one especially good man playing the blues on a saxophone, and Harry would have given him money, only he was not sure how pleased the man would be to receive a silver Sickle instead of a pound.

A few minutes later, they reached the end of the tunnel, and Harry saw a lot of signs hanging from the ceiling, none of which showed the way to Westminster. They all had names like 'Victoria Line', 'Piccadilly Line' and 'Central Line'. While Harry had travelled by Underground before, he had been a small boy then, and always just followed where Uncle Vernon was going.

Lupin was staring at a large map on a wall. It looked like a map of the Underground. Harry looked closer at it. It had every line mentioned on the signs on it, and had all the stations labelled too. Lupin placed his left hand on one of the station dots.

"Here we are," he said. "And here's Westminster."

He touched a different station with his right hand, and traced the line on the map that connected them. It was yellow, he looked at the key at the bottom of the map.

"OK, we've got to take the Circle Line."

Dumbledore scanned the signs, and his eyes rested on a yellow one bearing the name 'Circle Line'. He then walked in the direction that the arrow on the sign was pointing, and the others followed.

They reached the platform that they were looking for. Harry's immediate reaction was that it was completely different from platform nine and three-quarters. It was so dirty. The walls were a grimy shade of grey, and the track was covered in black soot, with the odd dead bird laying in it. There were posters on the walls, mostly advertising magazines and perfumes. They were all badly covered in graffiti.

"Here's the train," growled Moody.

The train, like everything else, was totally different from the trains that Harry was used to. Unlike the Hogwarts Express, even unlike the trains that occupied the Muggle lines above ground, the train was also dirty, and covered in graffiti.

Harry boarded the train, followed by Dumbledore. All of them took seats close to each other, but did not talk for a while.

"You know Harry," said Dumbledore after a while. "I have a scar on my knee that is a map of this London Underground."

Harry laughed. "How did you get it?"

"I honestly don't know," Dumbledore replied. "I've had it for as long as I can remember."

Another silence came, where Harry felt the shake of the train speeding down its track.

"The good thing about the Circle Line," said Lupin on Harry's other side. "Is that it keeps going around, so if you fall asleep and miss your stop, you can just go around again."

What Harry would estimate as about seven stops later, the train reached Westminster station. Harry rushed off of the train, and stood on the platform waiting for the others. They got off the train too, and walked over to Harry.

"That way Potter," said Moody, pointing to a door with a sign over it saying 'Way out'.

Harry lead the way, and only stopped when he was outside again, in the fresh air.

It was a short walk to the Ministry, Harry noticed almost at once the huge towering clock that was Big Ben. Next to it, was the Houses of Parliament.

When they reached that, Dumbledore took the lead, and lead them up to the entrance to the building.

A guard was standing at the entrance, and approached Dumbledore.

"Can I help you sir?" he said sternly.

"Yes," replied Dumbledore. "I have business with the Minister."

The guard sneered. "Really? And what would you be wanting with the Prime Minister?"

"No, the other Minister," Dumbledore stared at the guard, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"Oh," he looked shiftily to the sides, making sure no one was watching, and took out a piece of parchment from his pocket.

"Name?" he asked.

"Albus Dumbledore," he replied, and the guard ticked his name off the parchment with a regular biro.

"And these?" he said, jerking his head in the direction if Moody, Lupin and Harry.

"Alastor Moody, Harry Potter, and Remus Lupin."

The guard checked off two names next to Dumbledore's name, and searched down the list of names muttering, "Lupin, Lupin. Ah, here he is."

He checked off another name near the bottom of the list, and opened the door for them. A few Muggles walked past, and the guard said loudly, "Welcome to the House of Commons gentlemen."

They walked into the room, and Harry barely had time to look around, when Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at a bare wall.

"Harry!" he called. "You must touch the wall."

Harry did, followed by Moody and Lupin. Dumbledore himself touched the wall with his left hand, and muttered a spell. "Gubernare,"

Harry felt as though he was being sucked through a very thin straw, his whole body squeezed into a small gap. He felt himself straighten out, and he was on the other side of the wall.

He was in the Ministry of Magic.

End notes: Thanks to all my reviewers, Pallas Athena, Lucy-Liza, lilahp, Falconwing, Expelliarmus, Awesome, and Kateydidnt. Next up, chapter 12 "The Trial". No prizes for guessing what that's about!