I did not write this, this was written by LifeWriter before I adopted the story

Chapter 1

"Shocking business... shocking... miracle none of them died... never heard the like... by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape..."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Order of Merlin, Second Class, I'd say. First Class, if I can wrangle it!"

"Thank you very much indeed, Minister."

"Nasty cut you've got there... Black's work, I suppose?"

"As a matter of fact, it was Potter, Weasley, and Granger, Minister..."

"No!"

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Cunfundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think that there was a possibility he was innocent. They weren't responsible for their actions. On the other hand, their interference might have permitted Black to escape... They obviously thought they were going to catch Black single-handedly. They've got away with a great deal before now...I'm afraid it's given them a rather high opinion of themselves...and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster-"

"Ah, well, Snape... Harry Potter, you know... we've all got a bit of a blind spot where he's concerned."

"And yet- is it good for him to be given so much special treatment? Personally, I try and treat him like any other student. And any other student would be suspended- at the very least- for leading his friends into such danger. Consider, Minister- against all school rules- after all the precautions put in place for his protection- out-of-bounds, at night, consorting with a werewolf and a murderer- and I have reason to believe that he has been visiting Hogsmeade illegally too-"

"Well, well... we shall see, Snape, we shall see... the boy has undoubtedly been foolish..."

Harry lay listening with his eyes tight shut. He felt very groggy. The words he was hearing seemed to be traveling very slowly from his ears to his brain, so that it was difficult to understand... His limbs felt like lead; his eyelids too heavy to lift... He wanted to lie here, on this amazing comfortable bed, forever...

"What amazes me is the behavior of the dementors... you've really no idea what made act that way, Snape?"

"No, Minister... by the time I had come 'round, they were about to give Potter, Black, and Granger the dementors Kiss... Of course, I was able to push them back."

"Extraordinary. And yet Black, and Harry, and the girl-"

"All unconscious by the time I reached them, but there was no harm done to any of them. I bound and gagged Black, naturally conjured stratchers, and brought them all straight back to the castle."

There was a pause. Harry's brain seemed to be moving a little faster, and as it did, a gnawing sensation grew in the pit of his stomach...

He opened his eyes.

"YOU HAVEN'T!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," Hermione said; she had hurried to Harry's side and was gazing imploringly into Fudge's face. "I saw him too. It was Ron's rat, he's an Animagus, Pettigrew, I mean, and-"

"You see, Minister?" said Snape. "Confunded, both of them... Black's done a very good job on them..."

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED," Harry roared.

"Minister! Professor!" said Madam Pomfrey angrily. "I must insist that you leave. Potter is my patient, and he should not be distressed!"

"I'm not distressed, I'm trying to tell them what happened!" Harry said furiously. "If they'd just listen-"

But Madam Pomfrey suddenly stuffed a large chunk of chocolate into Harry's mouth; he choked, and she siezed the opportunity to force him back onto the bed.

"Now, please, Minister, these children need care. Please leave-"

The door opened again. It was Dumbledore. Harry swallowed his mouthful of chocolate with great difficulty and got up again.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black-"

"For Heaven's sake!" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Is this a hospital wing or not? Headmaster, I must insist-"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I need a word with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black-"

"And does my evidence count for nothing?" snarled Snape. "Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor did I see any sign of him on the grounds."

"This cannot wait," said Dumbledore. "I must insist."

"Professor, Black's telling the truth- we saw Pettigrew-"

"-he escaped when Professor Lupin turned into a werewolf-"

"-he's a rat-"

"-Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off-"

"-Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius-"

But Dumbledore held up his hand to stem the flood of explanations.

"It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me," he said quietly. "There is not a shred of proof to support Black's story, except your word- and the word of two thirteen-year-old wizards will not convince anybody. A street of eyewitnesses swore they saw Black murder Pettigrew. I myself gave evidence to the Ministry that Black had been the Potter's Secret-Keeper."

"Professor Lupin can tell you-" Harry said, unable to stop himself.

"Professor Lupin is currently deep in the forest, unable to tell anyone anything. By the time he is human again, it will be too late to change the decision. I doubt that the decision will change however- werewolves are so mistrusted by most of our kind that his support will count for very little- and the fact that he and Black are old friends-"

"But–"

"Listen to me, Harry. Black has obviously confunded you- You must see that Professor Snape's version of events is far more convincing than yours–"

"He hates Sirius," Hermione said desperately. "All because of some stupid trick Sirius played on him–"

"Black has not acted like an innocent man, Miss Granger. Slipping into Gryffindor Tower with a knife– Threatening the Fat Lady– I see no evidence to suggest what he says is true."

"But you have to believe me!" Harry said. He had grown used to the idea that Dumbledore could solve any problem. He had expected the Headmaster to pull some magical solution out of thin air, to save Sirius–

"I'm sorry, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "But you are obviously confused, and perhaps a good night's sleep will do you good. And in the morning, we can try to see what Black has done to your memories, to make you behave this way–

Harry had the sudden, unpleasant feeling that things were not going as he had planned. "But, sir!" he said, more loudly. "He's innocent! Innocent! You have to believe me!"

"Harry's right," Hermione said, unable to keep from adding her own two-cents in. "Sirius Black is innocent- we saw Pettigrew ourselves– Headmaster, you have to believe us!"

"You two must be very tired," Dumbledore continued as if they hadn't spoken at all. "You have, after all, just lived through a terrifying ordeal... You need sleep– you must understand that this is for your own good–"

"No!" Harry shouted, and leapt up at the elderly wizard. "You can't do this–"

He was cut off by a beam of light that hit him in the chest. Hermione watched as the Headmaster caught the thirteen-year old boy with surprising gentleness and laid him on the hospital bed, smoothing the covers over his slumbering form.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione, but she had already climbed back into her bed and drawn the covers up over her head. She heard his sigh as he lowered the lights with his wand, and his whispered apology as he shut and locked the door.

She sat up quickly once his footsteps had faded, glancing about for a clock. There! It was nearly midnight- they had to do something, and quickly–

She ran over to Harry's bedside. "Wake up," she hissed desperately. "Wake up, Harry, wake up!" Hermione was dangerously close to tears of frustration. "Wake up, darn you!" With a cry of frustration, she grabbed the pitcher of water by his bedside and threw it over his face. "Harry, please! You have to wake up!"

To her relief, Harry groaned, and sat up rubbing his eyes blearily. "What– Dumbledore! Hermione, what's going on?"

Hermione fidgeted, glancing at the clock. It would be midnight all too soon– "Headmaster Dumbledore stunned you, Harry, he said that Sirius would be receiving the Dementors Kiss- we have to do something, but I don't know what to do–"

The clock struck midnight, and the two hushed. "What now?" Harry whispered. "What happens now? What's going on?"

"Hush!" Hermione hissed, searching her robes frantically. "Harry, I don't have my wand!"

"Neither do I–"

A scream rent the air. "Sirius!" Harry cried, throwing himself at the door that separated him from his godfather. "No!"

"He forgot to put up silencing charms," Hermione whispered, her face pale. "He thinks we're asleep–"

A second scream came, this one longer. It seemed to carry forever, and then it was cut off, roughly, and there was silence in the Hospital Wing once more.

"It's over," Hermione said at last, stumbling over to her bed. "It's over–"

Harry slumped against the door. "No," he said. "It's not over." He remembered the man in his parent's wedding photo, dark-haired and good-looking, and compared it to the Sirius he had seen, sallow-skinned and gaunt. Sirius. "We have to go on. For Sirius."

"For Sirius," Hermione echoed. She looked over at the unconscious form of their red-headed friend. "But what about Ron? Will he remember?"

"We'll have to see," Harry said, his strength gone once more. Hermione, worried, stood once more and guided her friend back to his bed. "We have to keep going," he murmured, before sleep claimed him.

Hermione couldn't sleep, being far too restless. She, too, had expected the Headmaster to believe in Sirius's innocence– but Dumbledore hadn't. Instead, he'd condemned the man to a soul-less existence.

She didn't think she'd be able to sleep at all, that night.