❝If by my life or death I can protect you, I will.❞
The Chosen One is kidnapped from the Dursley household and it turns out to be the best damn thing that's happened to him.
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AZKABAN had been known to play tricks on the minds of the prisoners. There had been many nights where Sirius found himself outside of the prison walls, snuggling next to Charlus by a roaring fire. There had been instances where he could hear the voices of his loved ones, as clear as day, calling out to him. But each time, it turned out to be a trick and Sirius found himself trapped in his cell once more.
It seemed Azkaban decided to play the cruellest of tricks as it presented Charlus before him. Sirius never wanted Charlus to see him in his locked away state, too ashamed of what he had become. And yet, there was the image of Charlus, gently caressing the side of Sirius' face, apologising to him. What did he have to be sorry for? He claimed he was late, but Sirius knew it was all his fault.
He had been too late to save Charlus, to save Lily and James, and to save Harry from an unknown fate. He was the one who was sorry and no matter how many times he shouted it out in the darkness of his cell, it never made a difference. They were all dead and Sirius was to blame for all of it.
And just when he was about to take advantage of the situation and free himself from his mental prison permanently, Azkaban knew a way to drag him back down. They used the idea of Charlus against him, trying to make him believe that his late husband wasn't actually dead, but standing right in front of him. But Sirius knew all too well, that it wasn't going to last. As soon as he allowed himself any bit of joy or happiness, it would all be taken away from him in a blink of an eye.
If he had just fallen to his death as he planned, it would all be over.
It pained Sirius to push Charlus away from him, but he knew it wasn't the real Charlus in front of him. There was only one way to be reunited with the real Charlus; he glanced over his shoulder once more in the direction of the window. He went to turn his body, only to feel hands grab him to hold him in place.
"No! Stop!" he yelled out. "Let me go!"
Sirius believed it was actually a dementor that was attempting to grab him and hold him in place while it tried to feed. He wouldn't be fooled by illusions of happiness anymore. It was a trick, to make him feel a small burst of happiness before it was sucked away.
"Sirius, I need you to calm down before you hurt yourself. It's me...Charlus-"
"CHARLUS POTTER IS DEAD!"
For a moment, Charlus remained completely still after Sirius pushed him away. He was unsure of how to handle the situation as Sirius entered a state of panic. Even though Charlus was standing right in front of him, he wouldn't bring himself to believe it and Charlus was able to see a glimpse of the extent of damage that had been done since Sirius was locked away.
He looked behind him where Fudge and the other Auror stood with Peter behind them. Fudge appeared absolutely terrified at the possibility of Sirius trying to attack. On the other hand, the Auror looked ready to step in at any point if Sirius got too carried away for his liking. Sirius was already in a fragile state, Charlus knew that any harsh confrontation would only make matters worse.
