The Book Of Jude

Chapter Twenty-Six: A Black Night

'You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.

A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!

Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?

How much can you lose? How much can you win?'

Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go

She sat in the damp grass, still as a statue, staring through the rain at the huge dog on the steps above her. She would never have guessed that Sirius Black was an Animagus! Well, there was another elusive piece to the puzzle, she thought. The dog quickly bounded down the stairs, coming directly at her. She fought the urge to run, to be somewhere other than in the direct path of this creature, yet she remained still. Still, even though she reasoned that Black wouldn't eat a cat, her hair stood on end as he passed right by her, heading for the forest.

Jude got to her feet. She wanted to follow, to find out where he was going. But--she was reluctant to admit it--she was afraid.

She was afraid of Sirius Black. Maybe she had been mistaken in his innocence--he didn't seem to act as an innocent man back there when he mercilessly slashed the Fat Lady's canvass. And what was he after? Harry, no doubt. She knew now that he was armed as well, not with a wand but with a knife--although he had to have some magical ability left because he could still turn into a dog at will. Azkaban had not affected him as it should have. That made him even more of an enigma and twice as dangerous. Jude knew, however, that she could handle anything Black threw at her.

That was not the real reason she was paralyzed, rooted to the spot where she stood. She knew what was out there, roaming the grounds of the school, shrouded in the black of night. They were just waiting--waiting for anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. The dementors didn't care if you were a wanted criminal or not--everyone was fair game. Jude watched as Black neared the forest. This might be her only chance to catch Black, to talk to him and maybe clear this whole thing up. Black could be free or behind bars once again by tomorrow if she could just persuade her feet to do exactly the opposite of what her mind commanded.

One step and then another, soon she was racing off into the forest after the black dog, careless of what may lay ahead of her. She didn't want to see Rhys again, looking at her like that, accusing her of all the horrible things she was guilty of. She tried to push it to the back of her mind--conquer it--but it kept getting the better of her. A rustle off to her left or right was all that it took to bring the memories rushing back like an icy flood. Focusing on the dog just a few yards in the lead, she shook the haunting scene from her eyes and pressed on.

Crashing through the underbrush of the forest, skirting brambles and hurdling fallen logs and branches soaked with the evening's deluge, Jude almost slammed into the dog as it stopped abruptly in a rare clearing. Jude watched cautiously, unnoticed in a thicket just off the strangled path. He was sniffing the air, trying to sense something he could not see. She waited for endless moments before the dog ceased his search, continuing his headlong rush into the forest.

Fifteen minutes and several scratches later, Jude was relieved to be out of the forest. There were far too many shadowy places for...Jude shuddered at the mere thought of what she was opening herself up to by leaving the safety of the castle and following a convict through a wood saturated with dementors. She hung back, out of sight, as the dog sniffed around once more. Jude knew where she was--just outside of Hogsmeade. Thankfully, no sight of the ghastly hooded beasts milling about.

The dog, sensing that the coast was clear, slipped through a carefully dug hole under the fence whose gated road led directly into the town. Jude let the dog progress stealthily a safe distance before she too crawled under the fence. She marveled at how well Black had thought this out--he seemed like one of the many strays that habited the area. Keeping to the shadows, she followed the dog to a rocky rise of ground, secluded from the town. Small mountainous formations here marked the end of the crags and peaks and the beginning of the rolling, hilly land on which the town was built. The dog, surefooted and agile, scaled this miniature Hebrides with little difficulty, but Jude pursued just as easily. Skirting the edge of a precarious ledge, the dog rounded a corner and was out of sight. Jude froze. Should she follow? Black had not been out of her sight for a second since she left the school. If he'd seen her and had become suspicious, this would be the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Afraid to move forward and terrified to retrace her steps into the forest, she fought hard to quell the urge to transform into her human self. She would have no magic as a cat, but a quicker escape was assured her if she remained a feline.

Slowly, she crept around the rock face, turning the corner and stepping out onto a larger shelf of stone. Nothing. He was gone. Jude mentally kicked herself for having delayed any longer than necessary. She'd lost him because she let fear get the better of her. As she turned her head frantically left and right, she caught sight of a deeper darkness than the gray night to her immediate right. Her keen cat eyes discerned a cave, almost hidden from view unless one specifically sought it out. He'd disappeared into the dark of that cavern--she had no doubt.

Being able to see through the murky darkness, a blessed advantage she now had over Black, she crept silently into the inky expanse. She could see the dog, curled up on the hard floor just beyond the mouth of the cave. He was sleeping, as far as Jude could tell--she now felt the confidence of holding all the cards whereas a second ago, she had no advantage whatsoever. Sure that she was out of the light of the crescent moon, she slipped silently back into human form.

She heard a rustle as the large dog got to its feet, startled. Black hadn't been asleep after all. She had to act quickly or she could be in real trouble, she reasoned. Raising her left hand and pointing at the growling dog that moved ever nearer to her position--back against the rock wall of the cave, with the mouth of the cave opening out onto the ledge just to her left.

"Finite Incantatem!" she shouted, and the dog stopped its advance. In seconds Sirius Black stood where the shaggy dog had been.

Jude moved deftly to block the exit. She had him trapped, but was beginning to think that was not such a great idea.

"Very clever." His voice was raspy and choked as if it had been years since he last used it. Jude stood with her back to the moonlight, which provided the only illumination on that rock. No longer in possession of her night vision, she was able only to discern slight movements and the pale light glimmering off of a metallic surface--a sharp and pointed metallic surface.

***

"No sign of him, Headmaster." Minerva McGonagall delivered the news to the aged professor outside the doors of the Great Hall. Every now and then, a faint noise could be heard within and immediately would follow the stern warnings of a prefect. The students were all gathered in the hall as the school was turned over for any sign of Sirius Black.

"Well, I didn't expect to find much," Dumbledore admitted with a heavy sigh. "He wasn't going to make it easy on us. Minerva, would you please gather the teachers in the staff room?" he entreated his Deputy Headmistress wearily before turning back into the Great Hall to speak with the prefects.

"Of course, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall bustled off down the corridor to pull the rest of the teachers from the fruitless search to await the Headmaster in the staff room.

A few moments later, the staff room was alive with the din of tense discussion. Professor McGonagall paced the floor by the entrance, awaiting the orders of Dumbledore, who had not shown up as of yet.

"Did anyone discover how Black got into the school in the first place?" Professor Sinistra, a young Middle Eastern woman who taught Astronomy, cut through the debate among the others.

"Well, if we knew that, we wouldn't be sitting here, would we, Indira?" Professor Vector leveled a withering glance at her young, and perhaps a little naïve colleague.

"We know he didn't just walk in the front doors, so how did he get in?" Next to Indira Sinistra, the plump Herbology teacher spoke up. "I think it was a fair question, Jane," Professor Sprout continued, glancing harshly at Professor Vector for her lack of professionalism.

"That shouldn't be entirely ruled out either, Sue." Professor Flitwick piped up beside Professor Sprout. "The front doors are relatively defenseless--now that I think about it, it seems the most likely way."

"Are you saying that Black got through the dementors at the gates and waltzed right through the main entrance, normal as you please?" Jane Vector spat back at the tiny Charms teacher. Her ill temper was at a height tonight and anyone was fair game.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Flitwick was up to the challenge.

"Well, how did he get past the dementors?" Sinistra questioned in her thick Saudi accent.

"Twelve years in Azkaban should have rendered him completely senseless, out of his mind," Flitwick explained. "But he seems to have some resistance to the creatures."

"Maybe he didn't have to pass the dementors at all." Professor Snape sat at one end of the long table, silent until now. His black eyes were fixed, unblinking on the man at the opposite end of the table. The man held his stare equally, remaining quiet and unnoticed by the rest.

"Are you suggesting Black had inside help?" Vector asked, relishing the idea of scandal.

Snape nodded, not breaking his glare. "Black isn't entirely without friends, Jane." Snape's voice was icy and accusing. The man stayed silent and unmoving at the other end of the glare.

"And whom would you charge with such treachery?" Vector continued, smelling intrigue. "Certainly not..."

But Vector had not the opportunity to reveal whom she believed capable of such betrayal. Professor Dumbledore came through the doors, quieting the discussion flitting across the table. Moving into the room with Minerva at his heels, he paused beside the cheery fire where Professor Binns floated languidly, listening to the conversation but taking no part in it. Little perked the interest of the History teacher, especially trivial (mortal) matters like knife-wielding psychopaths.

"It has been confirmed by the Gryffindor guardian, the Fat Lady, that her attacker was indeed Sirius Black." A general murmur chased around the room at this revelation. "It is uncertain why he attacked her, but I shouldn't hesitate to guess. It probably would not be much amiss if I surmised he was after Mr. Potter." Another murmur and nodding. "The students will remain in the Great Hall for the remainder of the night."

He cast a judicious glance at his staff seated around the table. "There is a serious question of security to deal with now. It seems that, despite our, er, guests, Black has still managed to penetrate the castle walls."

Flitwick raised a tiny hand to call the Headmaster's attention. "If I may make a suggestion."

"Of course," the Headmaster conceded, smiling benignly.

"The front doors seem to be the most obvious entrance, yet the least protected. If you wish, I could train the doors to recognize a picture of the man. They could discern who to let in and who to bar. It would be an easy defense against Sirius Black."

Dumbledore nodded, mulling the suggestion over. "It is an excellent idea, Ferdinand. I trust I can leave the task to you?"

"Yes, of course." Flitwick sounded overjoyed.

"I suggest guard trolls at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower," Professor McGonagall stated. "You'll be hard pressed to find another guardian if not."

"Another wonderful suggestion." Dumbledore nodded to the professor.

"That will do little good if someone is informing him, telling him the best way to get in and out of the castle." Professor Snape's icy voice cut through the room. His eyes flicked from Dumbledore to the man he'd glared at during the previous conversation.

"That is quite true, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "But that will not be a problem here. I have the highest confidence in my staff." Dumbledore's voice was as stony as the professor's. He knew what he was suggesting--who he was suspecting.

"Can you truly rule that out entirely, Headmaster?" Snape continued. "Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were thick as thieves--,"

"At one time, yes, we were." The man who'd faced Snape's accusing glare in silence now spoke. "But James was my friend as well. I would never place his son in any harm." His voice was calm but there was a steely ferocity to it. Snape reluctantly backed down from the argument as the Headmaster continued. Yet he kept the man under his scrutinizing stare, which was held equally by the professor's unwavering gray eyes.

"My staff is trustworthy, Severus. I trust Remus, as I trust you." The words were biting, but Dumbledore softened the blow as much as possible.

"But we cannot rule out those who are familiar with the school, yet questionable in loyalty," Jane Vector broke in. Dumbledore listened curiously to the Arithmancy teacher as she spoke. "A former employee of yours, perhaps."

"What are you saying, Jane?" Professor Snape broke the menacing stare he held with Professor Lupin and glared at Vector sharply.

"Elliot, of course." The other teachers around the room appeared either to agree, or more likely to seem incredulous. Only one professor seemed confused by this pronouncement. "She is rather suspicious, you must admit, after You-Know-Who's attempt to steal the Sorcerer's Stone."

"Who is this Elliot?" Professor Lupin was looking at Dumbledore, begging an explanation.

"None of your concern," Professor Snape said without a change in his expression.

"I believe an explanation is in order," Dumbledore conceded, ignoring Snape. "Jude Elliot was a former student here, about, oh..." he pondered this for a moment, "five, six years ago." Professor Lupin listened attentively. "Her background is somewhat questionable but her loyalty to me is not. I asked her to look after Harry when he started Hogwarts--after an attempt to rob Nicholas Flamel of his famous Sorcerer's Stone. She performed her duty admirably."

Professor Vector snorted disdainfully. "If you call nearly getting the boy killed admirable."

Professor Snape sprang out of his chair violently, towering over the table, glaring harshly at Vector. "She saved that boy's life and it almost cost her own. Find someone else for your witch hunt." His hands were flat on the wooden tabletop, his black eyes leveled at Jane, who didn't shrink one bit under the withering glare. Professor Lupin watched the exchange curiously.

"If I'm not mistaken, Severus, this was your witch hunt. I am merely making a suggestion. And she is a suspicious one," Vector retorted expertly.

"Professor Vector, Miss Elliot renounced her former life and any loyalty to Voldemort thirteen years ago and has done nothing to make me regret placing my trust in her yet." He turned from Professor Vector to Lupin. "I hope this clears up any questions you have on that point?" Dumbledore questioned and he nodded, staring thoughtfully at the table in front of him, as if trying to see something that wasn't there.

"The new defenses will be put in place immediately. If you have any more suggestions, I would be happy to hear them." But as the Headmaster was only answered with silence, harsh glares exchanged among some of the teachers, he decided to end the meeting. "Before I allow you to turn in, I would like for volunteers to take up a watch of the halls tonight." He glanced around the table at the weary faces of his staff.

"I will, Headmaster," Professor Lupin volunteered almost immediately.

"As do I," Professor Snape offered as well. The tangible stare was renewed between the two for a moment before the Headmaster spoke.

"Excellent," Dumbledore sounded delighted. "And I would like another pair of volunteers to relieve them at three". McGonagall accepted the charge, as did Sinistra.

As the teachers filed out of the staff room, McGonagall hung back to speak to the two professors who'd spent the entire forty or so minutes trying to kill each other with their eyes. "A word, if you please," she said as she stepped in front of Professor Snape and Professor Lupin. "Remember that this is all bigger than some silly schoolboy rivalry, gentlemen." After a stern look that made both feel as if they were back in third year, being scolded by the unforgiving Transfiguration teacher, she turned on her heels and left the room, followed by her former students.

***

Jude backed a little out of the cave, away from the advance of the man who held a knife poised in one hand for some sinister purpose. "Expelliarmus!" she shouted, hoping that it would disarm her opponent. But he held fast to the knife in his steel grip.

"Nice try, but I think not." The raspy voice mocking her chilled her more efficiently than the late October air. Then, planting her feet firmly in the rock, she chided herself for giving ground to this guy. She would not be intimidated.

"Stupefy!" It was her last attempt. She didn't want to knock him out, but if her only other choice was to be skewered by a lunatic, this looked more appealing.

With an audible thud, Black hit the hard rock. Jude rushed over, quickly disarming him. Knife in hand and her arm wrapped around his neck, bringing the blade into contact with the skin under the unconscious convict's chin, she muttered the words that brought the man back to consciousness.

"Don't move," she cautioned the man as he struggled under her grip. "I don't want to hurt you, so don't take away any other options."

"Who are you?" the man choked out, unable to get a good look at the girl who held him at knife's point. "How did you do that? You don't have a wand!" He struggled to slow his breathing as every movement brought the steel in contact with his skin.

"I take it you haven't met many sorcerers?" Jude retorted blandly.

"Just Dumbledore, and you don't look much like him." He laughed a bitter, mirthless laugh. It reminded her of the rumors she'd heard in the last few weeks--after he killed the dozen or so Muggles on the street front, he laughed. She tightened her grip on the knife.

"Well, then I will keep my secret," Jude spat, fighting to control her nerves. Everything told her that she should simply turn this guy over to the dementors. But there were things she had to know. She had to know whether he was truly innocent or not. "You can call me a friend of Dumbledore's."

He started then painfully winced as the blade bit into the soft flesh of his neck. "A friend of Dumbledore's, you say?" He was thinking something over silently in his head. Jude said nothing. "Can you get a message to him?"

"What?" Jude was not expecting that. It seemed lately that everyone was speaking in riddles and nothing made sense.

"Tell Dumbledore that Peter is alive..." But he stopped speaking as the blade fell away from his neck and the girl backed away from him.

"You know, too?" she gasped as the man rubbed his neck where the knife had made a tiny gash that was bleeding freely onto his grimy clothes.

He nodded, getting to his feet.

She scrambled upright as well, clutching the knife ferociously in front of her. "Explain," she demanded.

"Peter isn't dead...I didn't kill him." He looked confused, relieved and startled.

"I believe you," Jude whispered in astonishment. He knew Peter was alive...what else did he know? "Keep going, this should be a good story." She lowered the knife a little, but not much. "Start with why you were breaking into Gryffindor Tower." Her suspicion still kept her defenses on high alert.

"I was trying to get to him," he spat maliciously.

"Harry?" Jude said sharply, causing a slight flicker of pain to cross the man's face.

"No, I would never hurt Harry." Black tried to make Jude believe him, but his knife work on the Fat Lady more than justified her apprehension. "Peter...I was after Peter. The boy has him, one of the kids in that tower."

Jude lowered the knife. She didn't know how he knew all of it, but it was enough to build on. She began to trust the ragged man who was so unused to being believed.

"Ron has him, he's his pet rat...I've been trying to get to him, but...well," Jude was a little embarrassed to admit to Black that she'd let Peter escape her grasp several times because of a few well-aimed kicks from a thirteen year old. "You swear you were never after Harry? You were after Peter the entire time?"

"On James' grave, I swear." His eyes held a pain that was heartbreaking as he said the words. Eyes that held the same sorrow she saw in her own reflection from time to time. She felt keen remorse at what she was about to ask, but she had to.

"Did you betray James and Lily? Did you sell them out to Voldemort?" Jude asked harshly, her voice masking how she felt. It was such a hypocritical question to come from her. She was the one ultimately responsible for James' death--she knew that. But he didn't, and if he did sell his friends out to Voldemort, he was the reason the Dark Lord had found them. If they hadn't known the location of the Potters' hiding place, she would never have had the opportunity to murder James.

"I was their Secret Keeper, yes."

Jude stiffened at the words. She'd been mistaken in this man and he was really a cold, heartless betrayer. She took a few steps back from him. He didn't notice--he was too busy gathering his thoughts. "But I was the obvious choice, and that scared me. Someone was informing Voldemort of their every move, a spy, someone close. So I convinced Peter to be the Secret Keeper instead. I didn't tell anyone that I did because I had no idea who the informant was. I helped him hide and then I also went into hiding." He stopped, struggling to continue while holding back rage, sadness, or something else. "But when I heard...about the...attack...I went to find Peter and he was gone. No sign of him, and no sign of a struggle."

Jude didn't know why she did it, but she dropped the knife, which clattered to the ground with little noise, and placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder, willing him to go on with his story.

"When I caught up with the rat the next day, he accused me of betraying James and Lily in the middle of a crowded street. I wanted to kill him and I meant to that day. I had my wand ready...all I had to say were the words. But he beat me to it...cursed half the block apart. Cracked the sewer and the street--that's how I assume he escaped."

Jude furrowed her brow. "But how did you know he was here, at Hogwarts?"

"The paper," Black replied blandly. "Fudge," he spat the name with contempt, with Jude's approval, "had a paper at his last inspection and I saw a picture of the kid with his family. He was there. Peter--a rat. With one toe missing."

It made enough sense to her, and she nodded. "That's how I guessed. I saw the missing finger." Jude was reluctant to say any more about the hows and whys that surrounded her recognition of Peter. However much Black was fighting for her trust, she was working just as hard to gain and keep his. She could not mention her involvement with Voldemort, nor her involvement the night James and Lily died. She was infinitely thankful that he did not recognize her.

"Look," Jude said after a moment's deliberation. "I believe that you're innocent, but I'm about the only one who does. You have a slew of dementors out there who would just love to make your acquaintance. And if you're ever hoping to stay out of Azkaban, we need to get a hold of Peter." At a murderous glare from Black, she added, "alive."

"I don't care if I live or not, but that rat is going to die. He has to pay for what he's done."

Jude winced at the words.

"You will die, or worse, if you try to go after Peter again. Do you want to go back to Azkaban?"

He shook his head reluctantly.

"Just give me some time, okay. I can help you." She meant what she said, he could tell from the sincerity in her voice and the look on her face. She reminded him of someone...someone close to him at one time...someone he could always trust...or thought he could always trust.

"Okay, but I don't have much time to spare."

Jude nodded. "A couple of months. If I can't catch him by then, you're free to do whatever you want...short of hurting anyone but Peter." Jude proceeded, businesslike, with her proposition. "Until then, you'll have to stay low."

"Deal," Black said, offering Jude his hand. She took it reluctantly, but smiled.

As she turned to leave, Black spoke. "Why are you doing this? You could get yourself into a lot of trouble with the Ministry."

Jude turned back to him slowly, struggling with thought. She shook her head. "Maybe because I know what it feels like--to be guilty until proven innocent."