The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

2. Escapee

The summer holidays were going very well, until Remus turned up unexpectedly one morning, with a grim look on his face.
"What's wrong with you?" Yawned Raya, as she let him inside the house.
"Have you read this mornings Prophet?" Questioned Remus.
"No, not yet" answered Raya.
"Well, I think you should" insisted Remus, as he handed Raya his own copy of the Daily Prophet.
Raya almost dropped the paper when she read the headline.
"Mass murderer Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban" recited Raya, as she read the title aloud.
"I know... Sirius has escaped Azkaban and returned to England" replied Remus.

Raya handed back the paper to Remus, as her head began to hurt due to the amount of thoughts she was having at one time.
"Are you alright?" Asked Remus.
"I don't know" mumbled Raya.
"I know it's a bit of a shock. I almost fainted when I read it" admitted Remus.
"And are we sure this story is for real? It's not a hoax or something?"
"They don't put dangerous false news on the front of the Prophet. And from the interviews inside the paper, it seems like everyone is terrified"
"Well of course they are. No one has ever broken out of Azkaban before. And they all think Sirius is a murderous raving lunatic. Only we know that Sirius is innocent, so we have no need to be scared of him".

"If you're not afraid, then what emotions are you feeling?" Quizzed Remus.
"All of them at once. I'm glad that Sirius is out of that hell hole, and I'm excited that I might get the chance to see him again. And my heart feels like it might burst at the prospect of kissing my husband... But I am also worried, because if they catch him they will kill him this time, or maybe even subject him to the Dementors Kiss. And if they think I was in any way involved in his escape, they will throw me in Azkaban" replied Raya.
"I would never let them do that do you" reassured Remus.

"Thanks, but you have no say in what the Ministry does or doesn't do. I expect they will send someone over soon, to talk to me, to find out if Sirius has made contact with me yet" admitted Raya.
"And do you think he will?" Questioned Remus.
"Well, I doubt he escaped Azkaban because he wants to get a job, or because he wants to take some leisurely strolls through the countryside. I expect he wants to see me and his child. But he knows how much danger he will put us in, by turning up here, so he might stay away for our safety" answered Raya.

"And if he does come here, will you tell the Ministry?" Quizzed Remus.
"Why on earth would I do that?" Frowned Raya.
"Because you don't lie anymore. You haven't kept a single secret from anyone, since Sirius was arrested. At least that's what you claim" reminded Remus.
"I am well aware of the promise I made. But keeping my family alive will always come above being truthful. I will not be the one who sends Sirius back to prison. If the Ministry ask about Sirius I will try and be deliberately unhelpful, without telling a full on lie"
"Sounds risky".

"I know. Which is why you need to have Jamie at your house today. Go and wake him up, tell him what has happened, and let him know that he will be spending the day at your house. He loves TV days with you, since it's impossible to use electricity inside the Potter Manor, so he won't complain. Tell him I will talk with him in more detail tonight about what this means for us all, now that Sirius is on the loose. But right now, I just need him out of the house, in case the Ministry turn up unannounced" informed Raya.
"Whatever you say" sighed Remus.

****
Raya's hunch turned out to be correct, as later that morning, 3 Ministry officials turned up at her house.
She was shocked when she opened her front door and found the Minister for Magic standing outside, with two men either side of him. One looked like his secretary, and the other appeared to be an auror.
"Minister" gasped Raya.
"Good day Mrs Black, may we come in?" Questioned Fudge.
"Um sure. Only if you promise to call me Raya, and not Mrs Black, because I hate sounding like Walburga, as I really hated that woman" replied Raya.
"Alright then, Raya it is".

Raya stepped to the side, allowing Fudge and his people into the building, before leading them into the study.
She showed them their seats, before awkwardly sitting down in front of them.
"So, Raya, I expect you know why we are here" started Fudge.
"Yes and no. I expected you to come, but I honestly don't know what information you expect to get from me" admitted Raya.
"Well, we wanted to apparate straight onto this property, so that we could talk to you about your husbands escape from Azkaban, but we were prohibited from doing so, and we had to walk some of the way on foot" revealed Fudge.
"That's because there is powerful magic around the Potter Manor, stopping anyone other than the occupants, to enter".

"I find it strange that the Potters left you their family home" said Fudge.
"I was shocked when Fleamont and Euphemia told me that they were leaving it to me. I assumed it would go to James, but they insisted that I took it. And in hindsight, I'm glad that I did, because without it, I wouldn't have anywhere to live. This house seems to respond to me, even though I have no magic. It knows I'm its rightful owner, and it won't do anything I'm unhappy about. Which is why it won't let anyone I don't like, onto my property" admitted Raya.

"But we are not your enemy" reminded Fudge.
"I beg to differ. You locked up my husband for nearly 12 years, and you tried to do the same to me" replied Raya coldly.
"But you were cleared of all charges"
"Only because I promised to obey certain rules. One of which, was that I couldn't tell the world that my husband is innocent"
"So, you still believe that Sirius Black is innocent"
"Of course, because it's true".

"I see. So, I expect you're pleased that he has escaped from Azkaban?" Questioned Fudge.
"I never said that. Don't go putting words into my mouth, Minister. I never expected Sirius to break out of prison, nor did I have any hopes of seeing him again. I did not help him escape, nor do I know of anyone who would. I also worry for the people he may come across on his journey, as I expect Azkaban has made him slightly insane" answered Raya.
"You're wrong there. On my last inspection of Azkaban, I found Sirius Black to be one of the few sane prisoners there" revealed Fudge.

"Really? I wonder why that is... Maybe it's because he is innocent and he doesn't belong there, as he's not warped and twisted like his deranged cousin" suggested Raya.
"You do not get along with the Black family then?" Asked Fudge.
"They are all devoted pure-bloods. So, why would they want anything to do with me. I'm a half-blood and a Squib, remember" replied Raya.
"So, Sirius is the only one you are loyal to?"
"No. I am loyal to my son and my brother. Jamie comes first"
"Is your son here for us to talk to?"
"No, he's at my brothers house. The two spend a lot of time together, since Jamie had to grow up without a father, and Remus stepped in to fill Sirius's shoes".

"When was the last time you saw your husband?" Demanded Fudge.
"At his trial. I watched him get dragged from the court room, after receiving his sentence, and then I went into early labour. My memories of that day are fuzzy. But that is the last time I saw him" sighed Raya.
"And you haven't had contact with him since?" Questioned Fudge.
"Of course not. Azkaban doesn't exactly allow its inmates to recieve letters from home. I applied to the Ministry, for a visit with Sirius, a few months after he was incarcerated, so that my son could meet his father, but I was denied that opportunity. As apparently only high ranking Ministry officials, like Barty Crouch, get to visit loved ones inside Azkaban. I have not had any contact with my husband since he was placed in prison. I didn't even get to tell him that he has a son".

"If he came here to see you, would you allow him in, and would you contact the Ministry of Magic to have him re-arrested?" Quizzed Fudge.
"I can't exactly apparate or send you a Patronus message to let you know his whereabouts, since I have no magic" reminded Raya.
"You could send us an owl" replied Fudge.
"Yes. I could"
"But I doubt you would. Because I expect you don't want to see your husband back behind bars"
"No, I don't. But I also don't want anything to happen to Jamie. As I told you earlier, my son comes first. If me seeing Sirius puts my freedom, and my life with my son, in danger, then I won't do it. Sirius will not find sanctuary here. I won't do anything that will get me put behind bars. But neither will Sirius. He's not stupid. He knows that coming here would be a mistake, so he will probably stay away".

"Well, if he does turn up, just remember where your loyalties lie. And remember that the Ministry allowed you to stay out of Azkaban, but that decision can easily be overturned. You don't want to give us any reason to doubt you and which side you are on. If you want to stay here with you son, then you will let us know the moment Sirius Black turns up" warned Fudge.
"I will do the right thing, Minister. Don't you worry" replied Raya coldly.
She knew that her version of the right thing, was very different to the Minister for Magic's, but she didn't care.