Bedknobs and Broomsticks [HP fanfic; BNB Book 1]

Notorious Mass-Murderer Sirius Black

Late summer, 1993

NOTORIOUS MASS-MURDERER ESCAPES AZKABAN

Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge announced last night the escape of notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black from the once-thought impenetrable wizarding prison, Azkaban. "We aren't quite sure how Black managed to escape, but we've got the whole Department of Magical Law Enforcement working round the clock looking for him," a very flustered Fudge told a Prophet reporter early this morning.

Sirius Black was arrested on October 31, 1981 -- a night already famous throughout the wizarding world as the night that Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord -- for the murders of former schoolmate Peter Pettigrew as well as twelve Muggles nearby. Black was imprisoned without a trial as part of the strict measures put in place under the jurisdiction of then-Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch. The court issued Black a life sentence, and he remains one of the most infamous prisoners held ever in Azkaban and is the first to ever successfully escape.

Black, though wandless, is considered to be highly dangerous. The Ministry has urged that the wizarding community remain alert and cautious so long as Black is at large.

The paper dropped to the floor next to the shattered remains of a cup of tea, the picture of a sullen, hollow-eyed man on the front page of the paper slowly darkening on a spreading stain of spilled tea.

The would-be drinker of this tea could have cared less about the state of her kitchen floor at this moment, as she had eyes only for the paper.

He was out. The only escape ever in history, and it had to be Sirius. Why was he out? A jolt ran through her. What if he was after them -- the rest of them? She bolted to the window and looked out, as though expecting to see escaped notorious mass-murderer Sirius Black stalking towards her door with a vengeful gait.

But there was a figure stalking towards her door.

The woman just about had a heart attack, but quickly realized that this figure was no Sirius Black. He wore Ministry robes, and she just managed to catch sight of a rolled up piece of parchment in his hand as he disappeared from her line of sight. There was a knock at the door.

She waved her wand quickly and the paper and shattered teacup threw themselves back onto the table, the cup repairing itself and the tea straining from the newspaper and back into the cup, a tad inkier than it had been before. The woman quickly stowed her wand as she opened the door.

"Can I help yo--oh..." she broke off as she recognized the man at the door.

"Mariah Jaeger?" The Ministry official looked her over and smiled. "Yes, it's you. Might I come in?"

"Um..." stuttered Mariah, but the official swept past her before she'd fully answered, and she let her words trail off, closing the door behind him.

"You're rather hard to find these days," noted the Ministry official, smoothing his roll of parchment on her kitchen table. "St. Mungo's has no address on record, though according to your file you've been employed there for the past thirteen years."

"I move often," she said shortly. "Their owls always find me."

"Indeed," said the Ministry official. He took a seat and eyed the smudged newspaper on the table. "I see you've heard the news. Bit of a shock?"

"Of course it's a shock," she muttered. The Ministry official looked over the parchment, and Mariah slowly sank into another chair as he spoke.

"As you may know, Sirius Black is the first wizard to successfully escape Azkaban and is now at large. The Ministry has taken precaution to interview anyone with well-known connections to Black in order to confirm that no communication has taken place, and that none are hiding said fugitive." He looked up. "Have you heard from Black or attempted to send Black any messages since his incarceration?"

"No," said Mariah.

"Have you seen him, or received requests for assistance?"

"No."

"Have you any idea where he could be hiding?"

Mariah could think of nowhere.

"Is there anyone from whom Black could have acquired a wand, or assistance?"

"No," said Mariah. She very well knew Remus's stance. They had not spoken in twelve years.

"Lastly," the Ministry official leaned forward, "was there any magic Black was capable of that might have helped him to escape?"

Mariah frowned. "He was capable of quite a lot. I don't know if you remember, but there are a good dozen people who died because of him," she said. "I'm sure he learned a few tricks from You-Know-Who, but I don't know why he wouldn't have used them until now..."

"I need you to sign this," said the Ministry official, spreading the scroll once more and conjuring up a quill. Mariah looked it over. "This is to state that everything you've said is true, and that you have no intention of assisting the fugitive in future."

"What happens if this is broken?" asked Mariah.

"You will be arrested and tried for perjury. Though not after several nasty, Ministry-approved jinxes have hit you," said the Ministry official.

"Do I have to sign it?" asked Mariah tentatively.

"I don't see why there would be any conflict if everything you have just told me is indeed true," the Ministry official smiled coldly. "But yes, I've been given orders to bring you in for more intensive questioning should you choose not to sign." Mariah sighed, and after some time took the quill and, pursing her lips, signed her name. The parchment snapped back into a scroll and the Ministry official took it, placing it into a pocket of his robes. "Very good. I will be sure to keep you informed if there are any developments." He got to his feet. So did Mariah.

"What is it exactly that you do now?" she asked, walking him to the door.

"I am the head of the Investigation Department," said the Ministry official. "We keep tabs on dark wizards. Make sure we keep up with every possible threat to the wizarding community."

"How ironic," muttered Mariah.

The Ministry official turned. "You just signed a truth-binding contract. If you so much as invite Sirius Black in for a cup of tea, I will know."

Something in Mariah's face changed suddenly. "Tell me, how many of those contracts are running around the wizarding world being personally distributed by the head of the Investigation Department?" she asked, crossing her arms. The Ministry official smirked.

"Just one." He regarded her scathing expression with some amusement. "You really have not changed a bit, Mariah," he said, reaching up and brushing her hair out of her face. He lingered there, and then turned on his heel, strode to the end of the walk, and Disapparated as the door slammed behind him.