Chapter 14: XIV
Notes:
It has come to my attention that not everybody here has read Harry Potter. Most of you seem to be Naruto fans more so than HP. Especially if we now go into the more 'magical' part of the story, would you prefer me to give short explanations for HP-specific knowledge (or Naruto specific-knowledge) that isn't explained right there in the chapter. Or do you want to learn with Kakashi? Even if it might take a few chapters until he understands something - or even if he never quite understand everything?
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Sirius had searched London all night into the early morning hours when he almost fell over from exhaustion. No trace of Kakashi. Sometimes he found his scent – or he thought he did but then he lost it again. For all he knew, Kakashi could be anywhere. Even back home in Japan — and those times when Sirius thought he smelled him, that might just be imagination, created by his tired mind.
He woke up late the next morning, having almost slept until noon. It was only in the daylight that he realized he had fallen asleep in Streatham. He considered going back to the bridge, but he had gone back there surely four or five times during the last night, and it now seemed so far away. Almost the other side of London. In the meantime, he realized, if he set a hard pace south, he could reach Little Whinging by nightfall.
Kakashi could be anywhere. There was no point…
He felt incredibly guilty as he thought that. After all the kid had done for him… Well, if he was still in London, he was better off without Sirius. Hadn't that been, why Sirius brought him to London in the first place? Because there were police, and embassies and, yes, even the ministry of magic, that could help the boy? If Kakashi was still in London, Sirius was certain, he was better off without him. If he wasn't… He'd probably be relieved to finally be rid of the mass murderer.
And if he wasn't in London, Sirius had no chance to find him anyway.
And Harry was still waiting in Little Whinging. Sirius itched to see his godson again. The last time he had seen Harry, he had to leave him behind in Hagrid's arms. He had begged Hagrid to give Harry to him, but when Hagrid had refused, Sirius had left the boy. Had abandoned him. He still remembered the way the boy had reached for him, crying for his mom and dad, reaching out for Uncle Pa'Foo.
On his way, Sirius dug through several waste bins to find something edible. He missed Kakashi's cooking already, but he wasn't squeamish. He had lived 12 years off of grey, tasteless paper mâché-like mush. In comparison, what muggles threw away was pretty okay. He even struck gold in the dumpster behind a supermarket, where somebody had dumped so much still edible food, that he could feed an entire family with it. Of course, in his dog form, he had no pockets, to take more than he could carry in his mouth, and he wasn't comfortable turning to his human form just to eat, so he quickly ate what he could, before he was shooed away by the shop owner.
He dragged an entire loaf of bread with him.
It was long past nightfall that he finally came upon Little Whinging. He'd been slower than he had hoped, still tired from the days of marching before.
Sirius didn't remember Petunia's address, but he did remember her husband's last name, so he tore his way through a muggle phone book until he found the information he wanted. Dursley, 4 Privet Drive.
He found the address just past 11. Something wasn't right though. He felt magic buzzing in the air the way he wouldn't expect it in a muggle neighborhood, even if a wizard or even a few lived here. People in wizarding robes were standing around the street, shaking their heads, brandishing wands, and muttering spells that he couldn't hear from the distance.
He wanted to stay away, wanted to turn tail, and run…
The way he had done with Kakashi! But not again. Something had happened here! Something had happened, and his godson was somehow involved. Surely, he was. After all, this was his address.
Lily and James would gut him if they knew, he'd even considered abandoning their son again.
He quietly snuck closer. Ducking his dog body into the hedges surrounding the premises. The dark covered him like a blanket, he had to rely on that – or at least on the fact that nobody knew of his animagus form.
The wizards and witches all around Privet Drive were ministry officials. He recognized their uniforms, but he couldn't get close enough to read the badges on their chests to find out which department they were from. Several of them hurried from house to house to obliviate Harry's neighbors.
At 4 Privet Drive, Petunia and… that had to be her husband and son, although Sirius had never met them before – stood with pale faces, the parents hugging their boy. Sirius was certain this wasn't Harry. He was the right age, but he didn't look anything like the Harry he remembered, nor like Lily or James. Harry had black hair and green eyes. This boy was blond. Sirius remembered Lily telling them, that her sister had a son that age too. So, it had to be him. He looked a lot like his father too. Both blond and fat. There was another woman, looking very much like Mr. Durlsey, sitting in a garden looking dazed, with a small dog jumping around her and barking loudly.
Where is Harry?
He couldn't see the boy anywhere. Worry crept into his bones. Logically he knew that this might just be a case of accidental magic of a minor – these things could happen – but if so, where was the boy? In his mind, he remembered similar scenes during the war. Images of muggle families standing dazed next to the scene of a crime, of ministry officials rushing from house to house, desperate to erase all signs and memories of a massacre that had taken place. Images of bodies left behind mangled and torn, showcased like a present for the aurors or order members to find.
Sirius had never seen how the world after the war had evolved. He had been captured right at the end of it and had never seen freedom again until he had jumped into the angry sea just two weeks ago.
So, when he thought of pale and shocked muggles, of obliviators rushing from house to house and the clear worry several of the ministry officials seemed to exude… Sirius had only one association in his mind.
He quickly jumped out of the way, when one of the obliviators ran past him to the next house, muttering under his breath. Sirius heard the name 'Harry Potter' but nothing else. Worry clawed at his insides, made him feel sick.
He was still too cowardly to do anything with the ministry officials all around him, so he waited until they disapparated one after the other. The Dursleys had already turned back into their house. Sirius knew they would likely have fewer answers than the witches and wizards who had just left, but they would have to do… He was too scared to ask anybody else.
Jumping over the hedge into the Dursley's garden, he bumped his snout against the terrace door. It was closed. Not even thinking about what he was doing, he quickly turned, pressed down against the handle, and then threw his entire weight against the glass door. It didn't budge. He heard noise from the inside. Somebody heavy – maybe the boy – thundering down the stairs. He bent down to take one of the decorative stones from the terrace, smashed in a window, without hesitation and put his arm through it to open the door from the inside.
The boy… Petunia's son came running into the kitchen with wide eyes. He looked at Sirius, face twisted in panic. Then just as Sirius barged through the door, the boy turned and made to run back into the corridor. Sirius saw him take in a deep breath to scream.
Sirius jumped after him, wrestled him to the ground, and slammed a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. The boy's yell was muffled down to a terrified squeak. It was more difficult than he had thought, with how much the boy weighed compared to Sirius' haggard form.
"So, if I understand this correctly, your…Uhm… ministry will pay for all the damages," a man's deep voice came out from the room next door. "When can I—"
The voice died down the second somebody opened the door to the corridor. Two men looked down on Sirius and the boy. The first one – the one who had spoken – Harry's uncle, filling almost the entire frame. The other, much leaner and taller, looking over his shoulder.
"You!" Dursley yelped in surprise, shock freezing him to the spot. The other man was quicker to react. He pulled Dursley away and made a quick lunge towards Sirius.
Sirius hadn't known there was another wizard left in the house until he felt the tip of a wand pressed painfully against his temple.
"Dursley, get out of here!" The wizard commanded. "And you… Let go of the boy. Slowly."
"Where is Harry?" Sirius asked his voice shaking.
"You'd like to know huh? Get away from the boy!" The wizard hissed. His voice sounded a little strained as if worried but being the only one present with a wand and having it painfully digging into Sirius' skull gave him power.
This time, Sirius followed the command. Slowly his hands let go of the boy. He made to climb back to his feet, when the wand switched warningly from his temples to his neck, pressing him down.
"Uh-uh, you'll stay down there, and show me your hands." The wizard hissed. "Boy get out of here. Your parents are already waiting outside. And you…"
"Tell me, where Harry is!" Sirius barked out. He was in no position to give commands, but fear made him unreasonable. If something had happened to Harry…! It was too late for him anyway. There was nothing he could do, short of attacking the wizard, which would surely just end with a Stupefy in his back… if he was lucky.
"You've given us quite the shock," the other man said. "But you're predictable after all…" The wand tip pressed down hard. "You think there's a promotion in for me, for recapturing You-Know-Who's right-hand man? KEEP YOUR HANDS UP!"
Sirius flinched at the sudden yell, putting his hands up higher. "Please…," he begged, "what happened to Harry? Where is he? I'm inno—"
"Stupefy."
**
It turned out the portly little stranger was Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. Kakashi remembered Sirius talking about him, and just like that he didn't like the man. This was the leader of the institution that had abandoned his friend in this horrible place called Azkaban.
While Kakashi paid a lot of attention to the minister, the older man hardly even looked at him. He had only eyes for Potter and if the boy weren't still holding on to Kakashi's sleeve, the shinobi would have long left. Fudge explained that apparently floating his aunt wouldn't have any consequences for Potter and that the ministry had already dealt with the issue and altered her memories.
Kakashi was curious about the memory-altering thing, but he got way too distracted by the way, the minister was fawning over Potter. He looked at him the way one would look at a prized toy, and he spoke in a tone as if they were old friends, although Kakashi was certain that they had never spoken before. He tried to urge Potter to eat and drink and make himself comfortable while talking about the floating-aunt incident as if it was – though regrettably – a quite common occurrence.
"I always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays and I don't ever want to go back to Privet Drive." It was the first time Potter spoke since the minister had appeared. But it wasn't the first time, that Kakashi had the impression, that things weren't easy for the boy. Fudge didn't seem to understand that. He quickly brushed the words aside and continued with his explanation.
Kakashi finally ripped his sleeve free from Potter, though instead of leaving him with the minister, he sat in one of the empty chairs and ate some of the food that Potter wasn't even touching. He sniffed some of it before, but then quickly decided that although it was so sickly sweet, he might get diabetes from it, it wasn't poisoned. Even the bread was somehow sweet.
They were in a small lounge with dark wood furniture. The owner of the dingy pub – a bald man with a hunchback called Tom – had let them into this room while giving them an almost toothless smile. Kakashi had utterly failed to guess his age. They had used their sticks…wands to light a fire in the chimney and now it was slowly getting oppressively hot in here. Kakashi found it more and more uncomfortable.
Potter and Fudge continued their conversation. Potter seemed convinced he would get punished for the floaty-aunt but Fudge seemed to see no reason for punishment, even though Potter had apparently broken some sort of law prohibiting underaged wizards from using magic.
"It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!" Fudge cried out.
Kakashi almost spat out his tea with his involuntary snort. Poor choice of words, he thought. The mention of Azkaban had made him tune back in on the conversation.
It was the first time Kakashi had made a noise at all, and suddenly all eyes were on him.
"And who are you, if I may ask?" the minister said with a suspicious frown. "Harry is this a friend of yours?"
Potter looked at him contemplating. "I just met him," he answered eventually. "He lives in the neighborhood."
Fudge stared at the boy. "You just met him?" He sounded irritated. Then his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. He fumbled with his overcoat and— Kakashi ripped the wand out of his hand the moment he pointed the tip at him.
"What?" Fudge gaped like a fish at his empty hand, then at Kakashi who now stood in front of him, when he had just sat at the table a second before. Lastly, his eyes narrowed down on the wand in Kakashi's hand. He paled a little. "Give that back!" he pointed with a trembling finger at the piece of wood.
Kakashi had no interest in keeping the stick. It was worthless to him. Now that he held it in his hand, he could feel no power coming from it. He was a little disappointed with that. Obviously, the wand was both a weapon and a useful tool for wizards, but to Kakashi, it looked and felt like a crooked piece of wood with a leather handle.
"How dare you?!" Fudge cried out, finally finding his countenance again. "Do you even know who I am, brat? I am the minister of magic!" Gone was the fatherly voice he had used with Potter. Burning angry eyes were drilling into Kakashi.
"Mah," Kakashi shrugged, "I didn't like it when you pointed it at me." He explained, twirling the wand in his hand, and then offering the wand back at the man, handle first.
Angrily, Fudge grabbed for his wand. Then, however, he seemed unsure what to do with it.
A small chuckle distracted them. Potter was watching with big eyes and a stupid grin on his face. Fudge looked at the kid, and almost immediately the angry lines on his face smoothed again. "I was just surprised," he explained in a somewhat meek voice. "I didn't know of another wizard living in Little Whinging."
Potter's mouth formed a small 'oh'-sound. "Do you know where all the wizards live, minister?" He asked in a kind tone, apparently trying to smooth the tides a little and not giving Fudge another reason to point his wand at people again.
Fudge scratched his head, ruffling up his neat grey hair in the process. He gave a nervous chuckle. "Of course not, Harry, but…" His eyes flitted across the room looking for words. Kakashi didn't like the man at all.
"But," Potter continued the sentence for him with a small nod, "I'm special. I see." He didn't look happy as he said it, but instead of crying about it, he gave a tired shrug. "He's not from Little Whinging. He says he's from Horley."
"Ah," Fudge looked a little relieved then. "So, he's a friend from Hogwarts?"
When Kakashi didn't answer, Potter gave him a wry look. "No, he said he doesn't go to Hogwarts."
Fudge seemed confused. "Durmstrang then?" he offered, sounding as if something didn't add up in his mind. "What did you say your name was?"
Kakashi hadn't said anything about his name. He hadn't been asked before. "Charlie Major," he recalled the name he had given earlier.
"Major… that's not a wizarding family, I know?" Fudge shook his head. "Muggle parents, then?" Kakashi gave a short nod. "How come you're not in Hogwarts? You would've gotten a letter when you turned eleven."
Kakashi gave a shrug. Fudge looked at him suspiciously. Kakashi could see it itching in his fingers to grab for the wand again. If he pointed it at Kakashi a second time, he'd lose it once more.
Then, finally, Fudge nervously dragged his hand through his hair. He looked back at Potter, awkwardly. "In any case, Harry, I'm sure, Tom has a room for you." He looked at Kakashi uncertainly. "Do you need a room, too?" It was obvious from his tone, Fudge had to force himself to include Kakashi in this.
"I don't think I have enough money—" Kakashi started.
"I'll pay for it," Potter quickly offered already looking for coin in his pockets.
"No, no," Fudge interrupted him, looking awkward. "I…uh… I'll deal with that."
Potter looked confused, but he stopped searching for money. There were a thousand questions written all over the boy's face, as he looked after Fudge when he left the room. Kakashi heard the sound of his steps stop just outside the door. He heard Fudge whisper with Tom in the corridor. Neither of them left the vicinity of the door as if they were worried about something.
"I don't get it," Potter's whisper distracted Kakashi from listening in on Fudge and Tom. "Why aren't they punishing me? And what's with paying for my room?"
Kakashi looked at him. "You offered to pay for me too," he countered. "Thanks, by the way."
Potter looked a bit sheepish. "Yeah, but… I mean he's the minister. What's he even doing here?"
"And your Harry Potter," Kakashi replied evenly. The name didn't really mean much to Kakashi, apart from being (hopefully) his ticket to find Sirius again. Yet, to the wizarding world, Harry Potter was obviously somebody special.
Apparently, he had chosen the wrong words. Potter's gaze darkened a little as he evaded Kakashi's eye contact. "Yeah, right…"
Before Kakashi could even contemplate apologizing for maybe offending the boy, the door opened again. A pair of suspicious eyes shot to Kakashi, then softened visibly as they traveled to Potter. Fudge obviously didn't like his presence around the boy.
"Room eleven's free," he said to Potter, then quickly glanced at Kakashi. "And you can have room 14." Tom shuffled into the room behind the minister. "Harry, I'm sure you'll be very comfortable. Just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand… I don't want you wandering off into Muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. I'm sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me."
Kakashi was reeling. Muggle London? Did that mean there was another wizarding London – this Diagon Alley place that Fudge was talking about? Sirius had mentioned that wizards could hide placed from muggles overlapping with the real world. But entire streets? Was there a magical London hidden within London?
He got giddy with excitement, not even caring to listen to Potter's confused question, why anybody would have to look out for him.
If there was such a hidden magical place here, one of those that Sirius had mentioned… a place hidden away in another sub-dimension, maybe here Kakashi could start learning about magical dimensional travel.
"Have you had any luck with Black yet?"
Potter's question made Kakashi's thoughts grind to a halt. Sirius! He peered at the Minister. Curiously, the minister looked back at him, frowning in suspicion.
"What was that?" Fudge laughed awkwardly. "Oh, you've heard – well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed… and they are angrier than I've ever seen them." He shuddered nervously. Kakashi could smell fear coming out of every pore of his body.
There it was again… The Azkaban guards… What was it with these guards to make everybody fear them so? Just like in the Knight Bus, Potter showed no reaction, knowing apparently as little about the Azkaban guards as Kakashi himself.
"Now, ehm… If you'd already go to your room, Harry?" Fudge suggested holding the door for Potter, his eyes twinkled kindly at Potter, but then settled much more seriously on Kakashi. "I'd like to talk to your…eh…friend, please?"
Potter didn't move. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at Fudge. Kakashi could see him push his jaw forward in a defiant motion. He was half certain, Potter would soon jump to stand up to Fudge if the minister dared to do something to his new friend. It was clear that Fudge didn't trust Kakashi, and apparently, even Potter had noticed and was ready to defend Kakashi.
It made Fudge chuckle more nervously. "Just a minute, Harry. About… uh, your friend's education. Him not being in Hogwarts, that must have been a mistake."
Potter seemed uncertain whether to believe the – for Kakashi – obvious lie. "Just go," Kakashi said a little impatient. Whatever Fudge wanted, he should get it over with quick, and Kakashi saw no reason to fear the minister.
Still unsure, Potter nodded and left the room, not without turning to Kakashi one final time. Then, just as he left, he asked the minister: "So, will he join us at Hogwarts, then?"
The minister seemed unhappy with the answer, but he gave a vague nod if only to appease the boy. When the door fell shut, leaving Fudge and Kakashi alone, Fudge stared at Kakashi.
"So, where did you get the Polyjuice?" he asked with narrowed eyes. He was grabbing his wand tightly, but not actually pointing it at Kakashi, maybe rightly afraid he might lose it again.
"The what?" Kakashi had no idea what he was talking about.
"Don't sell me for a fool, Black. A magical kid pops up in the village right next to Harry Potter. A muggleborn kid who doesn't go to Hogwarts?" He laughed as if the idea was absurd. "You could've come up with a better lie. That must have been quite unlucky for you, that the boy managed to call the Knight Bus just before you caught up to him, huh?" He grinned snidely. Kakashi was sure he was already imagining the headlines at having caught Black all by himself. Well, Fudge was making a fool out of himself.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, minister," Kakashi said using the title in an attempt to feign respect.
Fudge snorted. "Is that so? Well, as I just stepped out, I had one of my subordinates check your story. There is no muggleborn wizard called Charlie Major in Horley."
Shit… They had a registry. Kakashi should have known that. Mind reeling, trying to come up with a believable excuse, he tried to win some time.
"Well, I'm not Black. I didn't even know about Black until a week ago."
Fudge lifted his wand a little. "Well, it would be easy to check if you're using Polyjuice," he said. "And then, I'd be curious to know who helped you. Already got into contact with your old—"
He was rudely interrupted when the door burst open behind him. It bumped against him, making the minister fall forward, letting go of his wand in shock. He made a rather undignified yelp.
"Minister Fudge, boss!" a young witch all but exploded into the room, hair wild, pink, and disheveled looking ecstatic and proud.
"What?" Fudge said, hastily standing up again, patting down his clothes, and then looking for his wand. Wide eyes settled on Kakashi.
Kakashi picked up the wand as it came rolling over the carpet toward him. This time, he wasn't so quick to give it back to the minister. He didn't fancy being threatened by it a third time, and he wasn't entirely certain his transformation would last against whatever Polyjuice-detection spell the minister wanted to test on him.
"What are you doing there, boss?" the witch asked confused frowning down at the minister, who stiffly clambered back to his feet. "Anyway, not important. We have him!"
Fudge, still frowning at Kakashi, seemed to only listen with one ear. "Who. Tonks, be clear! I thought Shacklebolt taught you to give detailed reports!"
"Black, of course, sir," she grinned.
Kakashi paled. It was a good thing Fudge whirled around at that moment and couldn't see Kakashi's visible shock. "What do you mean you have him, I thought…?"
"Yes. He just appeared at Privet Drive. Quite reckless if you asked me," the young woman said smartly. "The guys from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were just finishing up with his family when he suddenly came bursting into the room. Kept asking where the boy is and what happened. He didn't even have a wand."
Fudge blinked multiple times, stared at the witch as if her story was absolutely absurd. Then he turned back to Kakashi, shaking his head. "I…Well, it seems I have been mistaken."
"No worries," Kakashi grit out through clenched teeth. He didn't care at all about Fudge suspecting him anymore. Instead, his mind was reeling. Sirius was caught!
"Where is he?" Fudge turned back to his subordinate, grabbing for the cloak that was hanging over one of the big armchairs.
"We have him in ministry custody," she answered. "Ready to be shipped off to Azkaban, first thing in the morning."
"Great!" Fudge exclaimed sounding gleeful. "That will look nice on the front cover. Maybe there's enough time for a good picture." He quickly threw the cloak over his shoulder and didn't even bother to close the buttons. With a last glance, at Kakashi ("Enjoy your stay here, Major."), he took his wand back and was out of the door, closing it behind himself with a heavy thud.
Kakashi stayed back, stunned.
Sirius had been captured! He would be brought back to Azkaban in a few hours. It was long past midnight. There wouldn't be much time to get him out! Azkaban! That place everybody talked about as if it was hell on earth. He remembered the first time he saw a starved and sickly dog on the beach. The first time, the dog had turned into a trembling, haggard man, looking like a skeleton with sunken eyes and pallid skin wearing nothing but rags with the scars of shackles around his wrists. He remembered the despair in those eyes… A man only 33 years old looking almost twice his age.
The way everybody paled at the mention of the Azkaban guards.
Kakashi didn't really know anything about Azkaban, but he would die before he'd let these people throw his friend back in there!
He quickly hurried to the window fumbling a little with the unfamiliar mechanic until he got it open. Down on street level, he could see Fudge and the witch hurry out of the pub with fluttering cloaks. Kakashi climbed out of the window, sticking to the wall of the building. He'd just have to follow them to find Sirius.
They hurried around a corner into a small alleyway. Kakashi followed right after them, unseen. Then, there was a sudden crack.
They were gone… Shit!
Notes:
In regards to what I mentioned above (for those who don't know HP), is it okay for you, that for example you don't know what polyjuice is. Or would you prefer it be explained before the chapter? If overall you want to learn with Kakashi you could still ask in the comments of course.
Anyway, about this chapter... I feel really bad for Sirius. Because Sirius arrived a bit later and Harry was already gone, Sirius got himself captured. He has Kakashi looking for him, of course. But what can Kakashi do?