He banished the creatures away with a casual flick of his wand. The few wizards that accompanied him seemed nervous even in their garb that covered their features- pathetic the lot of them. The wizard guards had been no problem, he had merely killed them on sight. Child's play really. It was a shame to spill magical blood but it wouldn't do to have any witnesses reporting what would take place on this night.

It was important to strike while Black was still alive and able to take the blame and with the dementors around every corner there was no telling how long that will be. It was no matter, he had planned for this very moment for months, years. He needed more forces to carry his work in the shadows if he was to be a public figure now. He wanted no one the wiser of his return except for those he had carefully selected from his old servants- it would ruin everything he had toiled for. However, being a public figure in society limited him in some ways.

A mad crackling filled their air as they grew closer to the cells that held his most loyal, those that proudly proclaimed his greatness instead of deny him. They would be perfect for what he needed them for. The atmosphere grew heavy, as it had begun to storm violently outside the thin walls of the prison. No matter to him as it shouldn't affect his carefully laid plans but perhaps he should get this over with. Those with him had become more and more anxious as the moments passed, he was beginning to wonder why he even bothered to bring them other than to help transport the weaker prisoners.

He tilted his head slightly to observe the magic that laced its way around the cells, it was rather simple as they relied on the demonic creatures and remote location as security. It was a mistake,he mused, that would have to be fixed. He extended his slender pale hand and with no incantation the doors to the cells swung open. The emaciated prisoners filed out bowing, touching their foreheads to the ground in front of him.

They sang his praises and continued to prostrate their bony frames on the jagged cold floor. What a wonderful master he must be after all, to go through all the trouble.

Harry woke up with a start in confusion expecting to see the eerie island and skeletal prisoners. Instead he woke up in the faint glow of the lake streaming through the window. He pinched his arm hard enough to leave a darkening bruise to make sure that he was indeed awake. The hyper realistic dreams seemed to be coming more and more often. It was sometimes difficult to distinguish between the dreams and reality.

He looked over to find Draco already gone, probably off to breakfast. He quickly dressed and made his way to the Great Hall to find the rest of the Slytherins, it seemed he had overslept.

The Hall was alive with chatter and grim frightened faces. He took his seat at the Slytherin table and no sooner had he went to open his mouth to ask what had happen, the Daily Prophet was shoved under his nose. He took the offered paper and begun to read the large headline.

"MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.

"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were mere months ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached.

This has called into question the security of the prison itself. Despite this, Amelia Bones the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement could not be reached for comment. The Daily Prophet offices has made multiple attempts to contact Bones to help ease our viewer's worries about the apparent resurgence of the Death Eaters. With the continued silence from the department tasked with our protection-

We have to ask, our dear readers, are we truly as safe as we think we are? " (1)

Harry turned white as he saw the pictures of the prisoners, the very same people he had seen in his dream last night bowing before him. He tried to rationalize his dream, to explain it away somehow but was coming up empty.

He suddenly realize that they had been calling him their lord and master. These escapees were confirmed Death Eaters. Their only master was Lord Voldemort, and he knew better than most that Voldemort was alive and kicking about. He wondered if he had been seeing through Voldemort's eyes, but he couldn't explain how it had happened. He had obviously not left Hogwarts last night though, so there had to be an explanation of how he had seen the breakout before he had even known about it.

"They think Black is behind all of this," Draco commented as Harry tried to digest the news. He turned down the food that Nott offered him. He suddenly wasn't hungry and he was far from the only one. Many students around the Great Hall looked rather green and picking at their food. Longbottom at the Gryffindor table look as though he would pass out any moment. The Professors were all missing, most likely having an emergency staff meeting to discuss the latest events.

Harry turned his attention back to Draco who jabbed him hard on the arm. "I don't think it was him," he replied quietly, shaking his head in disbelief. "More like someone blame him."

Draco shrugged slightly. "The dementors will be out in full force now. One prisoner escape and they were bad enough now…" Draco trailed off with a slight shudder. Harry bit his thumb nervously, not caring about etiquette at the moment. He glanced around quickly expecting someone to say something but no one even bothered to correct his behavior. Everyone was toowrapped up in their own conversations. More dementors meant there was more of a chance they would catch Black before Harry could investigate further. Harry was beginning to think more and more that the events of thirteen years ago were connected and somehow Dumbledore was behind all of it.

"Are you done eating?" Gemma asked walking up to them. Harry looked at the food on the table and the glaring headline once more before nodding. "Good, care to join me?"

Harry went to stand up immediately.

"Why do you want Harry?" Draco asked with a quirked eyebrow. Gemma stared at Draco with an unimpressed look.

"I want to see you in the hospital wing at three. I need to check that am again," she finally said after studying over Draco carefully. "Worry more about yourself, Malfoy."

Harry gave Draco an apologetic look before faithfully following Gemma without any more questions. He knew it was hopeless to protest. There was no amusement showing on her face as she led him back down into the dungeons through the mostly empty common room. He followed her into her room, mostly confused but Gemma seemed serious and he didn't dare argue with her despite apprehension settling in.

He had never been in her room before. It was rather bare with only on bed and healing texts strewn across the room in various positions. A few potion bottles adorned the nearby desk but most of everything was neat and orderly. It seemed she didn't spend enough time in her room to create much of a mess.

Harry watched as Gemma reached under her bed and pulled out a small trunk. His confusion just continued to grow as she carefully unlocked it.

"Uh…Gem?' he asked slowly. She put up one finger to signal him to be quiet. They fell in to silence again.

Gemma pilfered through the trunk until pulling out a royal blue tome with silver thread binding it. It had no title embossed nor did it give any inkling of what kind of book it was.

"Here, take this. Go put it some place safe in your room," she said handing it over to Harry. Harry took it in his hands and looked over it. He flipped the first few pages to find grotesque illustrations depicting various curses and hexes.

"I don't even want to know where you got this at," Harry said cautiously shutting the book quickly.

"My father knows people. Study it but don't let any professors catch you. It's banned by the ministry for being dark magic," Gemma answered him. Harry reopened it to look through a few more pages before shutting it close again, feeling slightly sick at the imagery. "This is only a starting point. I have more at home I want you to read over. You need to learn as much as possible. Death Eaters roaming free- you'll be one of their number one targets."

Harry doubted that slightly, as he was becoming rather sure that Voldemort had been instrumental in the prison escape and the dark lord didn't seem apt to kill him yet. He took the book and carefully tucked it hidden in his robes.

Harry decided it wouldn't hurt to at least look through the tome. If it were banned, there was no telling how many copies had survived ministry raids. At the very least it would help him identify any nasty curses people might throw his way especially if the dark lord had a change of heart. He knew he would have to be careful not to be caught with it. He didn't fancy paying the fines or answering the questions that would crop up.

"You should distance yourself from Malfoy," Gemma warned. Harry stared at her defiantly but Gemma refused to back down from her statement. "His aunt, one of the most zealous Death Eaters, just escaped Azkaban and I know you aren't stupid enough to believe that his father is innocent of his wrongdoings. I don't believe in his mother's charitable acts either, she's a Black and madness runs in that blood."

Harry squashed the growing anger in his stomach. "Don't give me that look," Gemma crossed her arms glaring at him.

"You are allowed to believe what you want. However, Draco has given me no reason to believe he means me harm and until he does I refuse to listen to this," Harry argued as he braced himself expecting Gemma to begin to yell. She opened her mouth a few times before glaring at him. Harry shrugged in defiance.

"I hope you don't grow to regret that decision," she finally spoke up pointing towards the door. Harry wisely selected to leave, not wishing to incur any further wrath. He went and hid his spoils in his newly protected trunk. Gemma would calm down eventually, and if she wasn't casting hexes at him she couldn't be that mad. He normally wouldn't protest but Draco hadn't given him any reason to be suspicious. Besides that, the Malfoys were a tremendously powerful family and Harry had no intention of turning them against him on the suggestion of one person.

.-.

"I was surprised to receive your note, I didn't think you would be inviting me back for tea," Harry staring at Lupin intently. The professor had avoided him like the plague for more than a month. It was quite masterful the way Lupin disappeared as soon as class was over to ensure Harry didn't track him down. Masterful but annoying as Harry had not gotten any further in his quest and he really hoped Lupin could enlighten him on a few things. At least Black had yet to be caught, which meant the man was still running around somewhere- mostly likely in his dog form.

Not that Harry had sat idle for the time it took to get this far. He had been practicing with his gift, getting better at focusing on one source of magic even in the dense halls of Hogwarts. It gave him less of a headache now, and it was coming easier to him. He still couldn't focus for too long without consequences but he was careful not to push too much too fast.

Lupin sighed wearily, the bags under his eyes seemed more pronounced than ever. "Ah, you pulled nanny duty didn't you? Someone was worried I would run off and cause trouble- Dumbledore, I bet," Harry asked as walked over to a nearby window and peered out at the snow falling. It caught his attention. Lupin certainly didn't seem happy at the prospect of entertaining him, Harry had seen the deep scowl embedded on his face.

"What makes you say that?" Lupin asked.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out." Harry shrugged. "Someone's got to watch the evil one to make sure he doesn't go off torturing first years or whatever they are saying about me lately," he elaborated. He turned to see Lupin rubbing his neck nervously.

"No one says that," Lupin protested, unconvincingly. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the middle aged man- as if he actually would attempt to torture first years with so many eyes on him no matter how much the little Greengrass and Prewett annoyed him. It simply wasn't worth the risk.

Harry reached into his robes as he grew tired of the conversation going nowhere. After all, he hadn't come to argue about whether or not he was being watched over. He had come to find out if Lupin was going to be a help or a hindrance. He took out a copy of his findings about Black and sat them cautiously on Lupin's desk. Lupin glanced over them quickly.

"What's all this?" he asked quietly as Harry blocked him from reading too closely.

"How well did you know Sirius Black?" Harry answered with another question, he needed an indication of Lupin's loyalties before he took another leap forward.

"Your father, Black, Peter, and I were all good friends. Thick as thieves as the professors would say. I thought I knew everything about him until the night James and Lily died," Lupin shook his head as he spoke. "I always thought he would die rather than betray James- but-"

"But he did, and then he killed Pettigrew for trying to apprehend him," Harry offered, studying Lupin shaky frame. Harry glanced around before quietly sprawling on a piece of parchment 'Know any good privacy charms? I think we can help each other but I don't want to risk myself or my information. You must trust me, we each have little choice in the matter'.

Lupin looked at him in confusion for long time before raising his wand and erected the privacy charms. Harry felt them lock into place, he focused on them for a second and they felt solid. He at last felt comfortable enough to speak more freely.

"What if Black isn't guilty? Everyone says he was one of the Dark Lord's top lieutenant's except for those with Death Eater ties," Harry started, raising his hand to stop Lupin's immediate protests. "I've met him- in Surrey. He didn't try to kill me or anything, kind of strange for the Dark Lord's top man. He even helped me… sort of in a roundabout way but he did help."

"He must have been trying to get your guard down," Lupin persisted, refusing to believe him. It didn't bother Harry so much, he knew it was a stretch.

"I don't think so. The state I was in he would have been able to easily taken me out with his bare hands." Harry held the evidence he had brought, wondering if he was really doing the right thing here. This could all blow up in his face but now it was too late and he didn't even know the memory charm to try and wipe the memories of this meeting from Lupin's mind. He cursed himself silently for even considering this, it was too many risk without a big enough payout to justify. He should have listen to Draco more. "I decided to look into it more, and much to my surprise I found no records of a trial every taking place. So I began to dig further, I needed something to occupy my time."

He held out the papers to Lupin who cautiously took them as if they would explode. Harry waited in silence as Lupin read over his notes, all cited intensively on where he had found his information. It was easy to confirm what he had noted to be true if one looked in the books he had noted. He took a seat as Lupin flipped through each page carefully reading every word.

Lupin looked up and dropped the papers on the desk. "He never received a trial" he simply stated, looking rather dumbfounded, "but Dumbledore said he had been found guilty without a doubt." Lupin picked up the papers again and began reading fervently as if they would tell a different tale.

"You see, what I don't get is why? What did Dumbledore stand to gain from this?" Harry asked. Lupin's brow furrowed further. "I'm not saying he is innocent and if he turns out to be guilty- I'll be the first one lining up to watch him get Kissed. But to deny him a trial? What's Dumbledore trying to cover up?"

"The days after the war were chaotic. The case could have been lost in the shuffle?" Lupin offered, sounding quite desperate.

"Sure, I would have thought the same. Except, Black was quite adamant that Pettigrew is really alive living as a rodent with a missing finger," Harry countered crossing his arms. Lupin jerked suddenly but made no move to confirm or deny if it were possible. Harry decided he had pushed the man far enough and it would be best to let the information digest in until Lupin was ready to talk to him. He decided not to let Lupin know anymore at least for now. For all he knew, Lupin wasn't aware Black was an animagus.

"I implore you not to turn me into Dumbledore. I'm only making a friendly inquiry. Call it an interest in wizarding law," Harry offered looking at his cup of abandoned tea. "I'll leave those to you, I have my own copies stored and hidden away," he added as he inspected his fingernails trying to seem calmer then he really was. Lupin made no move or sound to stop him so Harry walked out the door.

He decided to take a detour instead of heading straight for the dungeons, knowing full well that there were plenty of first and second years spread about chatting insistently. He was walking up the tower to visit Hedwig when he stopped to sit in an alcove, which featured a large window, to watch the snow fall out the window. As most of the school was away in Hogsmeade, the ground laid covered and undisturbed.

"It's very pretty, isn't it?" a dreamy voice spoke braking the precious silence Harry had been enjoying. Instead of growing annoyed, he turned his head to see a petite girl in Ravenclaw robes. He tilted his head slightly, the girl was slightly familiar. He recalled Gemma talking to her a time or two.

"Luna … Lovegood, right?" he asked. She nodded happily, humming slightly in affirmation.

"And you're Harry." She smiled brightly as she skipped to the window and stared out along with him. Her gaze went straight the far away dementors circling around the perimeter of the school. "They say dementors were created from Ekrizsis's victims of Black Magic. That or demons summoned from another world using muggle sacrifices. The walls of Azkaban still bleed blood every so often. I read it in a book," Luna explained calmly.

"Interesting reading for what a second year?" Harry asked as he raised an eyebrow at the small witch. She nodded happily, clapping her hands together.

"There is no good or evil magic, only various shades of grey," she spoke as she twirled a piece of hair rather inattentive as if remembering something someone told her a long time ago.

"Careful, that sounds an awfully lot like a Death Eater saying," Harry warned. She giggled loudly.

"I've always found that name more funny than scary. How does one eat Death?" she explained after he gave her an odd look. Harry smirked in amusement, he had never thought about it that way. A dementor passed by the part of the forest closest to them. Harry shivered violently and pulled his robes closer to then to fend of the sudden rush of cold he felt even from this far away from the creatures and through the castle walls.

"You can feel their magic can't you?" Luna asked tilting her head at him. Harry noticed her lips had turned slightly blue as if she had been outside in the snow. "They should have never been allowed this close to Hogwarts. They infect her magic with sickness and death. It will take many years after their departure for her to recover completely," she continued. Harry was alarmed at first, but he felt at ease around the petite girl. Her magic felt comforting if a bit odd.

Harry nodded his agreement. The more time the dementors remained close to Hogwarts the worst the magic around the grounds felt. They continued to look out the window, neither one feeling inclined to move or even speak anymore. As they stood vigil, a few groups of students began making their way back to Hogwarts a bit early. Among those Harry spotted a couple familiar faces. It seemed Granger and Weasley had headed back early mostly likely unable to spend the day without Charlie. Pathetic really.

"I've always found it odd that Ron Weasley's rat is so old. I grew up near them and Ginny says that Scabbers has to be at least thirteen years old since that's when the rat showed up in their garden. I wonder if it's a new species with an incredibly long lifespan," Luna changed the subject as she followed his gaze to the other two. Harry glanced sideways at her, curious why she would bring it up. That was uncanny if it were true, as Black had said Weasley had the rat that was supposedly Pettigrew and thirteen years would place right in the timeline of events. Thirteen years was definitely a stretch even for a magical rat's lifespan as well. "Perhaps I should tell Daddy he should investigate although he is in Romania after a reported nargle sighting. He should be back soon though maybe he can look into at around Christmas time?"

Harry stared dumbfounded as the blonde skipped away merrily. So many things raced through his mind, including wondering what the hell a nargle was. The girl had to be a loon, but then again she seemed very intelligent from their earlier conversation. He decided not to discount her so quickly, the quirky girl could be useful in the future.

(1): Parts of Daily Prophet article taken from article of same name from Harry Potter and Order of Phoenix by JK Rowling.

Author's note: I apologize for the wait on this chapter. I recently got promoted in my job and have had to find a new routine for my writing because of the increased hours. I will at least update once a month but my goal will be twice a month. Thank you everyone for you favorites, follows, and reviews.

I read and appreciate every review even if I don't reply! It encourages me to finish my story when I see people enjoying what I have written!

Thank you all for your patience! Status updates on Nightfall can be found on my bio, including a teaser for the next chapter!

All content is self-edited.