The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

20. No Hope

Raya sat by Harry's bedside, trying to hold back the tears.
She couldn't believe how everything had gone so wrong, so quickly.
One minute her and Sirius were planning to adopt Harry, the next minute the world around her had fallen apart.
Sirius had been taken away and thrown in one of the teachers offices. Peter had escaped, and Raya knew they would never get their hands on him again. And all the kids were still unconscious.
Not to mention the fact that Remus was rampaging through the forest as a werewolf, and wouldn't be human again for several hours.

Snape had kept his word and not told the Minister that he had seen her, when he took credit for capturing Sirius and rescuing the kids.
Raya had stayed hidden in the hospital wing behind Harry's curtains when the Minister had stepped in to talk to Dumbledore, as she didn't want Fudge to see her.
Madam Pomfrey knew Raya was there, and she had even transfigured a bed into a cot for Sophia. But she was under strict instructions not to mention Raya's presence.

Eventually Harry began to stir, and Raya helped him up into a sitting position.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Questioned Raya.
"Not great" mumbled Harry, as he picked up his glasses from the bedside table and put them on.
"When I saw you lying beside the lake, I thought you were all dead" admitted Raya.
"I'm not but- Sirius! Where is Sirius?"
"I don't know. But I do know that any minute they are going to perform the Dementors Kiss on him"
"What? They can't! He's innocent".

Harry threw himself out of bed and charged out of the hospital wing.
Raya could hear him yelling at Snape and Fudge who were stood outside the room. But she knew she couldn't join him without getting herself arrested.
Eventually Harry was pushed back into the hospital wing by Dumbledore.
Hermione jumped out of her own bed, and her and Harry began explaining that Sirius was innocent, as quickly as they could.
"Please sir, you've got to stop them, they've got the wrong man. Please believe us" begged Harry.
"I do. But I'm afraid the word of two 13 year olds will not convince anyone else" admitted Dumbledore sadly.

"Raya will vouch for Sirius as well" said Harry, as he pointed to the curtains that Raya was hiding behind.
She sighed and stepped out from behind them, "Because that worked so well last time".
"This time is different, because you will have us on your side" insisted Harry.
"Snape has convinced Fudge that you were Confunded by Sirius, so no one is going to believe a word you say. And if the Ministry find out I was in that shack tonight, I will suffer the same fate as Sirius" admitted Raya.
"But we've got to do something!".

"There's nothing we can do. I'm in the same place I was in 12 years ago. I know the truth, but can convince no one else that Sirius is innocent. The Minister has an eye witness to tell him everything he needs to know. He has the evidence he needs to punish Sirius. And what I say doesn't matter, because I am not a reliable witness. There will always be someone more trustworthy, whom the Ministry will believe over me" Raya said coldly, as she looked at Dumbledore with hatred in her eyes.

"This time though, you have me on your side. And I am very sorry for the part I played in Sirius's arrest last time" apologised Dumbledore quietly.
"Being sorry is no help. You turned your back on us last time, and there is nothing you can say to undo what you did. You sat and watched as me and Sirius were branded traitors. It's too late for you to help us now. For we all know that you cannot overrule the Minister. You can't save Sirius!" Spat Raya.
"No, I can't" replied Dumbledore.
"Then can you do something useful for once, and go and get Jamie. Because I should be the one to tell him what is about to happen to his father. He shouldn't have to hear it from his classmates"
"Flitwick is already fetching him. Jamie will be here any moment"
"Then I have nothing else to say to you! Bring my son to me when he gets here, and then get out of my life!".

Raya turned and headed into Madam Pomfrey's office, where she would wait for Jamie to arrive.
"Mum, what's going on?" Questioned Jamie, as he stepped into the room a few minutes later.
"Take a seat, please" instructed Raya, as she patted to a space on the floor beside her.
Jamie obeyed and dropped down next to her.
"Professor Flitwick said that Padfoot has been captured. But he's lying, right?" Asked Jamie hopefully.

Raya sighed and shook her head, "No, Flitwick is telling the truth. Sirius is currently being held somewhere in the castle, and is surrounded by guards".
"What! How did this happen?" Questioned Jamie.
"I was coming up to spend the evening with your father. But when I entered the building I found that he was not alone. Remus, Snape, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all there. Snape tried to attack us, but Harry knocked him out, wanting to hear more of our story. We told him all about Peter and how he betrayed us all. Sirius and Remus then took hold of Ron's rat, and forced him to turn back into his true form. And it turns out that Ron's rat has been Peter all along" revealed Raya.

"Peter was here, with Ronald Weasley all this time?" Questioned Jamie.
"Yes. The Weasleys had no idea of course. But the minute Peter was a human again we confronted him, and got him to admit to betraying the Order. We were going to kill him and get our revenge, but Harry stopped us, because without Peter to testify, no one will believe that Sirius is innocent. We tried to bring Peter here, but we forgot it was a full moon. Remus's transformation allowed Peter to escape. I tried going after him, but once Peter had turned back into a rat, I just couldn't find him. The Dementors turned up and attacked everyone, it's a miracle Harry and his friends weren't killed. But unfortunately Snape woke up and arrested Sirius, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. And any minute now the Dementors are going to suck out Sirius's soul" answered Raya.

"But they can't! He's innocent! They can't do that to an innocent man" insisted Jamie.
"The Minister can do whatever he likes. And just like last time, no one will believe a word I say" sighed Raya.
"But this isn't like last time. You said that they aren't just going to throw him back in Azkaban, they are going to remove his soul" replied Jamie.
"They think he is too dangerous to live, since he has already proved that he can escape Azkaban. The Ministry also think he's committed even more crimes since escaping. Which is why Fudge doesn't feel bad about ordering the Dementors Kiss on Sirius".

"What exactly will happen during the Dementors Kiss?" Asked Jamie quietly.
"I've heard that the Dementors lower their hoods and place their mouths over their victims, to suck out their soul. Once that is done, the person will be left a hollow shell. Unable to think or feel. And there is no cure or way of reuniting someone with their soul. They will have no memory of who they were before. They will just exist. And it doesn't take long for death to follow once a person has been Kissed by a Dementor" revealed Raya.
"That's horrible. We can't let them do that to my dad!"
"There's nothing we can do to stop them".

"I never called him dad to his face. I never got to tell him how much I love him" said Jamie as tears began to fall down his face.
"He knew how much we cared about him, I'm sure of it" sniffed Raya, as she desperately tried to stop herself from breaking down in front of her son.
"It's not fair! I finally get him back in my life and he gets taken from me in less than a year" cried Jamie.
"I'm glad you got to meet him though. For I was terrified that you would never get the chance"
"I don't want to lose him mum".

Raya placed her arms around Jamie holding him close as he cried.
"He was a good man. An amazing man who deserved better than this. I loved him more than life itself, but my love isn't enough to save him" mumbled Raya, as silent tears began to fall from her eyes.
"It's not fair!" Screamed Jamie.
"I know baby, I know" replied Raya.
"I want my dad!"
"Me too sweetheart. But it's going to be O.K. You're going to be O.K. Losing him won't break you. You will get through this"
"How do you know?"
"Because I did. And you are just as strong as me, because you are my son".