Skylar closed her eyes and leaned back in her armchair. Tomorrow was the day she was supposed to go see Sirius in Azkaban... but it looked like it wouldn't be happening, judging by the information in the letter bearing the seal of the Ministry.

Over the last twelve years, she had somehow managed to bring her children up (with the help of the willing Remus Lupin and the generous Molly Weasley) without their father.

It hadn't been easy, answering the questions about their father, like where is he? and when is he coming back? But over time, the family had settled into a steady (yet incomplete) rhythm of living together without Sirius.

As Sky took a deep breath, she thought about how much (yet how little) had changed.

Nick, the oldest, was her adopted son,but it had become impossible for her to think of him as anything other than her own. He was aware of who his birth parents were, but considered Sky to be his mother. And even though he had not seen Sirius since he was four, he always thought of Sirius as his father, as did Kate.

Kate was his younger sister, for all intents and purposes, despite the fact that she was genetically the child of Sirius and Sky. But the love and affection the family shared (however it was displayed) was more than enough to bind them together.

Nick was now sixteen. He was in Gryffindor at Hogwarts, a brilliant student, well liked all around, and quite good looking. He was the quieter one of the two. He was a prefect for Gryffindor, and while he took his responsibilities seriously, he still had a good sense of humour. Some people compared him to Sirius Black, saying that he had had a similar character, without realising that he was Sirius' son. Their shared love of pranks was overwhelming, and Sky knew Sirius would be very proud of him if he was ever to meet him. He remained friends with the Weasley twins, Fred and George, despite the age difference. He was also close with his sister. He rarely fought with her as opposed to most brother-sister relationships, most likely because of their less than normal childhood. He was very protective of her, and she frequently went to him for advice or comfort. Along with the twins and his sister, he was friends with Oliver Wood, who he respected, and a few of the guys in his year.

Kate was now fourteen. She was also in Gryffindor, but the complete opposite of Nick. She was loud, easily excitable and very friendly. While she was popular in her year, she preferred to stick with her two best friends: Katie Bell and Leanne West. Aside from them, she was good friends with the entire Weasley clan, and, in extension, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She was also friends with was Oliver Wood, who was a seventh year (because of her brother). She loved her brother and often got into trouble with him and the twins.

They both had taken different surnames for school and were known as Nick and Kate Adams.

Thinking about her children, Sky smiled. As soon as they were both old enough, they helped her out around the house immensely, hoping they were doing enough to help with Sky's stress.

Sky had been an Auror for the past nine years and was ready to step down. The Ministry's bureaucracy bothered her too much for her to continue. Now, she was job hunting. Remus and the children were confident she'd be able to get a job soon. She knew it wouldn't be so simple: being the wife of Sirius Black wasn't exactly going to be received with a marching band and confetti.

She had absolutely no idea what she was going to do.

Remus, on the other hand, had been out of a job for years. While Sky had access to her inheritance, Sirius' and Nick's (the latter two of which she refused to touch), Remus felt like he needed a job, at least to occupy himself, if not for the money. He had recently been hired by Dumbledore as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. This excited Kate and Nick very much as they loved learning from him.

Thinking back to the topic at hand, Sky sighed again.

Coping without Sirius had been difficult, especially emotionally for Sky. Even though it had been twelve years, Sky still loved him as much as she had before that tragic Hallowe'en night. And from what she could tell, the last time she'd seen him, so did he.

Once a year, Skylar was granted the permission to visit Sirius in Azkaban, where he had been wrongfully held - at least up until tonight.

Tonight was completely different. She had received a letter from the Ministry, informing her that Sirius had escaped from Azkaban not two hours ago.

Sky was thrilled that he was out, yet scared as well. Where was Sirius? What was he doing? Why had he escaped now? Why hadn't he told her?

She knew instantly that she had to do something to avoid suspicion. Her untimely resignation as an Auror would definitely lead to questions, especially as Sirius had just evaded the dementors somehow and left.

She needed another job, an excuse for why she left.

She needed to talk to Albus Dumbledore.