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The Daily Prophet

AZKABAN BREAKOUT FOR FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!

For years, the walls of Azkaban Prison have been believed to be impenetrable. However, on July 29, 1993, at approximately 2:34 AM, for the first time in recorded history, one of the fortress' cells was discovered empty. Notorious mass murderer Sirius Black, one of the most heavily guarded prisoners, has escaped from Azkaban Prison.

"We are at a loss for words." Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge said in an emergency interview later that night. "Absolutely dumbfounded. We have no clue how he did it. It's as though he evaporated, simply vanished into thin air."

Thoughts are that Black has not traveled far from the fortress, and Fudge assures the magical community that the Ministry has been working ceaselessly to prevent Black from reaching resident areas.

No sightings have been reported thus far.

"All we ask is that the community remains calm in the midst of this crisis." Fudge commented. "Black is doubtlessly out of his mind and extremely dangerous. We advise all people, wizards and Muggles alike, to be on high alert."

Azkaban guards had reported earlier in the week that Black had begun muttering in his sleep, always the same words, "He's at Hogwarts…He's at Hogwarts."

We all know the tale of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who, in September, will begin his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Shortly after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named met his downfall that night in Godric's Hollow, Black was imprisoned. There is no doubt in the minds of many that Sirius Black is indeed You-Know-Who's most trusted and faithful servant. The Boy Who Lived is in grave danger.

Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, was unavailable for comment.

The report went on for another two pages, but Remus couldn't bear to finish it. He would never have believed the man glaring at him from the front page of the Daily Prophet to be his former best friend. Then again, twelve years in Azkaban was sure to leave its mark, and it had. Sirius' once elegant black hair now hung gritty and matted to his elbows. His handsome face had melted away to little more than a skull. His deep brown eyes, once full of mischief and laughter, were sunken, hollow, and haunted. Remus found it a wonder that he was even alive.

Sirius would be the first one to break out of Azkaban. He had always been astonishingly clever, and a part of Remus wasn't necessarily surprised; shocked that it had actually happened, but not surprised.

But how?

Surely Sirius had lost all that remained of his sanity behind the bars of Azkaban. Remus had often wondered, back before Sirius betrayed them, if he ever possessed any sanity at all. Back then, Remus had assumed that that was just Sirius being Sirius. Loud, troublesome, annoying Sirius…now he questioned his theories. Perhaps Sirius had always been out of his mind, and Remus was so desperate for friendship that he hadn't noticed. No, James would have noticed. James had been a good man. And Sirius…

A knock on his front door interrupted Remus' thoughts. This was strange. Remus lived in a small cottage beyond sight of any in the small neighboring town. People knew he lived there, but none came to visit. Remus was used to the isolation. After almost 30 years, he was quite used to it. Not expecting any visitors, he was still in his night clothes. Oh well. He pulled open the door.

"Hello there, Remus." An old wizard with long white hair and a beard to match smiled at him.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Remus was surprised to be looking in the twinkling blue eyes of his former Headmaster.

"Remus, how many times have I told you that you no longer need to address me as 'Professor'?"

"Sorry…old habits are hard to break. Would you like to come in?"

"That would be marvelous." Dumbledore said, stepping into the cottage. Remus looked around, immensely embarrassed by the state it was in.

"I apologize for my mess. I wasn't expecting visitors." Remus tried to pick up his countless books and papers strewn about his den.

"No apology necessary. I am the one who owes you an apology for not informing you of my visit."

"Oh no, I don't mind." Remus said honestly as Dumbledore took a seat.

"Ah…so you have heard the news." He said taking a look at the Daily Prophet left of Remus' table. "How are you doing?" He asked concernedly.

"Um…I'm doing ok." Remus replied honestly. "I mean…it's a shock…but I'm not really surprised. Sirius always hated to be told to stay in one place for too long."

"I remember how close you were to Mr. Black at Hogwarts. Sometimes I felt that you had a special bond with him that you did not have with the others." Dumbledore said. Remus felt a cold hand grip his heart. He felt almost ashamed of himself to admit he had closely associated himself with Sirius. He had been one of his best friends. And it was true Sirius had always seemed to be protective of Remus, especially after he told Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow. Remus often thought that Sirius' guilt had prevented him from forgiving himself. Of course, Sirius didn't seem to show any remorse at all after the murders…

"I thought he was a good person." Remus said solemnly.

"Yes…I did too." Dumbledore replied. "Well Remus, the real reason I visited you today is because I have an offer for you."

"An offer, Sir?" Remus asked. Surely he didn't mean a job offer. Remus had never been considered for a job, given his condition.

"Yes. We once again have an opening for a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"Is that job still cursed?" Remus asked amusedly.

"So it would seem. We've still yet to have one last for more than a year." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now I fear I have discouraged you from taking the job."

"No! Not at all! It's just…are you sure you want…someone like me…teaching the students?" Remus asked, hardly daring to believe his good fortune.

"Remus, in all my years of teaching, you remain one of my favorite students. Yes, you did have a certain thirst for mischief, given your dorm mates I can hardly blame you, but you were always exceptionally kind to everyone. Incredibly smart too, if memory serves. I believe Defense Against the Dark Arts was your best subject."

"It was my favorite." Remus said weakly. "But…are you sure? I mean, suppose I hurt someone?"

"I don't believe you've heard of the Wolfsbane Potion?"

"Er…no." Remus said.

"Well, it has not been released to the public yet. It is still quite a new discovery. However, I know our Potions Master would be…delighted to concoct a batch for you each month."

Remus didn't know what to say. "That would be…wonderful." He finally managed. "What does the Potion do?"

"It is not a cure. It will help you retain your sanity when you transform." That sounded nice to Remus. Transformations were horrible. Back in his school days, when his friends would come to visit, they weren't as bad. Lately, however, they had become much harder to endure.

"Professor…I…you have done so much for me…thank you…"

"It is my pleasure Remus. I only wish I could do more."

"No…no…this is…thank you." Remus said again.

"No, thank you Remus." Dumbledore glanced at his watch. "Well, I best be off. I will be owling you a list of what to expect and some tips on what to start preparing."

"Right." Remus said, feeling as though this was a dream.

"I will see you on September first then…Professor." Dumbledore smiled as he walked out the door. Chills shot down Remus' spine. Professor. Who would have thought? He, Remus John Lupin, infected with Lycanthropy at the age of 3, a professor. He remembered how James and Sirius would always tease him about becoming a teacher one day. They had all laughed about it. Back then, of course, Remus had no idea how incredibly hard it would be for him to acquire a job. He decided this was a good enough occasion to get out and treat himself to a trip into town. He changed into his day robes and headed for the door.