As You Once Did For Me

“As You Once Did For Me”

Sirius Black shivered. Even after all the years he had been here he had yet to adjust to the evening chill of Azkaban. Or maybe it was that as the years passed his robes had become thinner, just as he had, and less able to keep out the cold.

It was a quiet day. Even the most vocal of the screamers - Travors - was calmer the normal. The dementors had not bothered any of the prisoners very much and the one stationed outside his cell had departed. Sirius knew that could only mean that they were anticipating a new arrival, a 'fresh fish' in the peculiar jargon of a Muggle movie Lily had once dragged him and James to see.

He moved closer to the door so he could catch a glimpse of the newcomer, but Sirius must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was jarred awake by the opening of the heavy barred gate at the prison entrance. They really need to oil those hinges, he thought wincing at the harsh metallic sound. A few minutes later he heard the feather light footsteps and swish of robes that somehow carried like thunder through the halls of Azkaban that signaled the entrance of the dementors. Sirius counted the footfalls, sure enough there were more dementors than the usual number that stationed themselves outside the cell doors or patrolled the corridors in this section of the prison.

They were bringing the newcomer now. In a moment he would be able to see who it was. Heavy footsteps - were they bringing Karkaroff back?

He suddenly felt the familiar burst of cold that he had no way to fight against without a wand, its comfortable weight in his hands would mean he had a chance of repelling them for a time, even if he was too weakened and drained to conjure anything, let alone a patronus. But he had no wand, no allies and he could not help falling into the worst of his own experiences. It was akin to walking across an icy lake only to have the ice give way suddenly and be plunged into freezing water.

He was standing outside the remains of James and Lily Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow. From thirty feet away he could see James lying motionlessly on the ground in the peculiar way he had learned to associate with the Killing Curse. Tears blurred his vision and he stumbled forward, oblivious to everything except James. As he neared James, he saw Lily not far away. He knelt next to James and gently removed his glasses, using the edge of his robe to clean them off a bit before replacing them on his friend's face. When at last he stood, Sirius might have collapse had someone not placed a hand the size of large dinner plate on his shoulder to support him.

Sirius blinked. He was in his cell, but he was still seeing Hagrid.

He scampered to the door and watched as a dementor shoved Hagrid into the empty cell directly across from his. Two dementors stationed themselves by the door and others gliding by on patrol paused to linger and savor the phenomenon of a new inmate. It had been over six months since they had the novelty and that particular prisoner committed suicide the first night.

Then Travors resumed his usual screaming and the dementors swept down the hall toward him. Sirius knew from experience that the dementors cared not what they heard and were blind.

"Hagrid?" He hissed through the bars.

He heard shuffling in the other prisoner's cell.

"Who's there?" The gamekeeper sobbed back after a few minutes. Sirius well remembered his first few days in the fortress, but at least he had been upstaged rather quickly by the arrival of the Lestranges and two other suspected Death Eaters. The Lestranges he felt certain were guilty, but he wondered about the others. Were they, like him, innocent and not granted even a show trial at which the truth might tumble out? Or was he just looking for someone to share his problem? Misery loves company.

"Sirius.Black"

In response Hagrid let out a stream of curses he'd seldom heard the gamekeeper unless except when someone insulted Professor Dumbledore within his hearing.

"What do yeh want?" He said finally with an edge to his voice that Sirius supposed he ought to he accustomed to hearing by now. He knew what the wizarding world thought of him, but it was different hearing it from someone he considered a friend.

"Why are you here?" Sirius asked. He was eager for news, any news, and genuinely curious about how Hagrid of all people could end up in Azkaban.

There was a pause. Sirius could almost see Hagrid debating whether or not to reply.

"Do yeh know why I was expelled?"

Sirius blinked. His mother had once mentioned it. She had been a seventh year at the time and was quite vehement that Hagrid was innocent. "My mother told me. She said they were looking for someone to blame and your actions were misinterpreted by Riddle."

"Somebody opened the Chamber of Secrets again."

Sirius gasped. A student had died the first time, if he recalled correctly. "How?"

"They think I did it. Some of the students think it was Harry."

"Harry?" Sirius said slowly. "Harry Potter? Why? Is he at Hogwarts now?"

"Second year. He’s a parselmouth, but he didn't do it, couldn't do it. One of Harry's best friends is Muggle-born."

And so was his mother, Lily. He thought, mentally counting back. If Harry was in his second year that meant he had been in Azkaban for eleven years. It seemed amazing that it had only been eleven years. It seemed so much longer.

"Are they always like that?" Hagrid asked fearfully

"The dementors? No they are interested in you because you're new, fresh meat if you will. They like it when people first arrive or when folks have screaming spells like Travors. After a few days they won't be around as much."

"Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"Thank yeh." Then he paused. "Why you nice ta me?"

Sirius knew perfectly well what the wizarding world thought of him and did not imagine Hagrid was an exception. Until Wormtail resurfaced, his story sounded farfetched and flimsy at best. "Because of what you once did for me." Sirius said thinking of that awful night at Godric's Hollow.