Sky full of stars {Harry Potter Fanfiction}

Epilogue: Novak's Promise

Epilogue: Novak's Promise

Jacob Novak sat in his Azkaban cell, his home for the last thirteen years. Everything was grey: from the concrete walls crusted with his blood, to the robes draped across him, to the sky and sea outside his window: his only comfort.

Some nights he would go to sleep to the sound of waves smacking against rocks, and it would lull him into a false sense of security. He'd stretch when he woke, calm for a second, until he remembered where he was.

He still couldn't believe he was here, and she was out there.

Jacob had plenty of time to think, and his mind was never quiet. It was easier when Sirius Black was in this nightmare with him: he had somebody to talk to. Somebody who had children on the outside and was also falsely imprisoned.

Sirius escaping without him still stung Jacob. They'd spoken before about escaping, but to Jacob it had been simple dreaming. The fact Sirius knew how to escape and didn't bother bringing him along.

"Day 4,999." Jacob spoke to himself, as he heaved himself up from the floor. He picked up his piece of concrete—that had crumbled from the wall after he punched the wall his second day there—and drew a hard line across the wall.

He'd tallied everyday he'd been there. It was sad, but it was something he looked forward to everyday.

"Novak—The Minister of Magic here to see you!" Felicity—the guard in charge of high security inmates—shouted, her voice amplified with magic. "Please step back from the door."

Jacob dropped his concrete and collapsed onto the slab against the wall that he called a bed. He smoothed his greasy hair behind his ears and licked at his dry lips. He hoped he looked sane.

Minister Fudge was a splash of colour in his cell, with his lime-green bowler hat and spotted tie. The cell closed behind him, and he sat gingerly next to him.

"Mr Novak." Fudge said civilly. He was holding a newspaper on his lap, which he was fussing with. Jacob knew the Minister hated being here.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Minister?" Jacob asked. Something stirred within him—hope? "Have you considered me taking to the stand?"

Jacob had been so devastated at his trial, he'd asked for one witness to speak in his favour. But when they hadn't turned up, he'd been too shell-shocked to tell the truth. Now, considering the sudden climate, of the dangers he feared his daughter was in, he was ready.

Fudge hesitated. "No. We—we wanted your help." He coughed, sensing the icy look Jacob was giving him. "Sirius Black, he uh—we captured him, but he got away. We were wondering if you had any idea which way he would head."

Jacob shook his head in disgust. "Why would I know? We weren't friends."

He proved that when he left me behind.

Fudge huffed and got to his feet. "I can see you aren't going to cooperate. I'll come back next week, when you aren't being so difficult."

He was halfway out of the cell when Jacob called, "Wait!" Fudge turned. "Can you leave the paper?"

Fudge grumbled, but flung the paper onto the slab, muttering at how unreasonable he was being. When Fudge's footsteps faded away, he opened the paper.

He hadn't seen one since Sirius' family visited him—Sirius gave him the paper shortly before he escaped—and he stroked the words happily. This would keep him occupied for the next month or so: stop him from thinking.

As he flicked through, he found a small article about Sirius escaping from Hogwarts. There was testimony from Severus Snape—Novak remembered him from the death eater days—about how Sirius had bewitched children to attack him.

"Or you aren't as quick as you used to be?" Jacob chuckled to himself. Then he spied a familiar name. "Wait—what?"

Severus says that while all the children—Sirius Black's included—tried to attack him, the main culprit was Elijah Carrow, aged fifteen. 'He's infamous in Hogwarts already for setting his Ravenclaw dorm on fire—'

"Elijah?" Jacob stroked the ink of his son's name. His empty, broken heart suddenly seemed to beat more furiously. "My Elijah?"

He had been imprisoned for his son's death: which he had faked, to save him from the wrath of Bellatrix Lestrange—who wanted the child killed—but when Alecto (who he'd entrusted Elijah to) missed the trial, and her home was found abandoned, he had feared his son dead, and resigned himself to a life in Azkaban, away from his daughter.

Though he knew Alecto: she wouldn't have flaunted her surname on a child, a surname associated with death and torture. Alecto had seen Elijah as a second chance, a way to wipe her slate clean. There was only one person who would flaunt his son like a shiny new toy, to show Jacob exactly how helpless he was.

"Katherine." He growled, and he could feel anger clouding his emotions, the grey cell turning red in his vision. "I promise you—you'll pay for this."

When Lyra Black saw Jacob Novak, muttering in his cell, wishing to murder Katherine Moran, she assumed he was referring to her friend.

But no, he was referring to Katherine Mary Moran, the mother of his children; and little did Elijah and Kat know, just how dangerous their Mother really was...