There had been several times in Sirius Black's life when he felt as though the entire world had ground to a halt, and time stood still. It had lost all meaning, and the disorienting feeling was something he could never forget. And as he held his godson in his arms after Madam Pomfrey's announcement, this was most definitely one of them. His brain was frozen, unable to dredge up one single thought.
The silence was so profound, and it spoke volumes as to how dire this situation really was. The boy had also gone abnormally still, not making a single sound. It seemed as though the entire room was holding its breath, struggling to process the information that was just not sinking in.
But then, as quick as it had come, the numbness fell away, and a terrible, resounding fear clamped its icy hand around Sirius's throat. No. No. No. Oh Merlin, no. They were here. They were going to take Harry away from him, and they would have no mercy. They would wring every single bit of information from Harry, and not show an ounce of compassion. Sirius knew only too well what Aurors would do, and how far they were willing to go. And the fact that Harry was a child wouldn't even factor into it. There would be no peace for Harry, who was now beginning to tremble in earnest.
Finally, the silence was broken by Sirius's barely audible whisper as he unconsciously held Harry closer. "Where are they?"
"The staff are doing their best to intercept them," said Madam Pomfrey, her voice a mixture of panic and fury. "Minerva just sent me an urgent Patronus. She received word of their arrival and instantly informed me."
Sirius hoped with every fiber of his being that no one had seen McGonagall perform this action. But knowing her as well as he did, he knew she could be very discreet.
"We'll fend them off, too," said Ron, his face hard and eyes cold. "We're not going to let them do this."
Harry suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse with terror. "No, you won't," he said softly. "They'll land you in trouble too."
"Harry, honestly, do you think we care?" Hermione demanded, tears sparkling in her eyes. "You should know by now that we're not just going to let them do what they want to you!"
Ginny nodded, an enraged look on her face that was rarely seen on her. "And we're going to find out who called them here," she snarled.
"No," Harry said, his tone raw with desperation. "Don't you understand? Enough has already gone wrong because of me! I don't want anyone else getting hurt!"
Sirius looked back and forth between a seething Madam Pomfrey, the group of livid teenagers, and his trembling godson who was shaking very badly in Sirius's arms now. His mind was going at a hundred miles an hour, many panicked thoughts battling for dominance. Merlin, what was he going to do? How was he going to protect Harry? He was going to be tormented, accused of a crime he didn't commit. And Sirius could think of no worse fate than that. He had dealt with the Ministry and their so-called humane methods of questioning for himself, and he knew exactly what would happen.
And in the days after Sirius's own arrest, he had begged and pleaded with the human guards to let him explain himself. He had offered up Pensieve memories, and said he would take Veritaserum. He had shouted and screamed, completely humiliating himself, but nobody had listened. Instead, they had spat at him that Pensieve memories could be tampered with, and it was possible to be immune to Veritaserum, although any such circumstance was extraordinarily rare. "With the family you come from, I don't doubt you're one of those that can resist it," he could recall one of them sneering at him before his cell door was slammed shut with a deafening bang.
And if the Ministry had Harry Potter in their clutches, Sirius reckoned it would be even worse. Because of his supposed defeat of Voldemort at the age of fifteen months, he was feared as well as revered. In their minds as well as many of those in the public, Harry was to be watched very closely. They would celebrate and idolize him until they found a reason for his reputation to shatter. After all, he had defied the very laws of magic itself, hadn't he? He'd survived the Avada Kedavra curse, a feat that had never been accomplished before. The public worshiped and adored him until he stopped doing what was expected of him.
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