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Glancing down he thought his shoes were caught in the mud, and then he saw the sand in the gloom climbing up his legs quicker and quicker. He yelled in alarm and tried to blast the trail still crawling along the grass, but it immediately reconnected and continued to cover his legs. His yell attracted the attention of his compatriots, but few could afford the distraction of helping.

In his panic, he tried to curse Gaara but his spell failed to even hit Gaara's sand protection, and the three dedicated to keeping Gaara at bay became two as one had to peel off to keep the advancing light fighters at bay.

Gaara paid no attention to the Death Eaters attacking him, focussed entirely on finishing the scum that killed his friend. The sand was at the twenty-something's chest and still climbed higher, lifting him off the ground. Gaara's hand was outstretched, his unblinking eyes locked on the flailing ones seen through the polished silver mask.

"Wait, no don't! Kill him, quickly!" The trapped and panicking Death Eater could not even wriggle.

Without any pithy remarks or damning words, Gaara completely covered his target, clenched his fist and the sand compressed and exploded, throwing bloody sand everywhere.

Gaara called back the sand that wasn't too saturated and prepared to continue his slow advance, but the fighting had largely stopped and many of the combatants were staring directly at him.

Surely a death, or second death, on the battlefield wasn't such a strange thing to behold.

Gaara did not realise that those who did not know him were startled by the merciless method of execution enacted by a child, and those that did know him were stunned by the enormous toothy smile stretched across his face as he had murdered a man.

The reverie resulting from the brutal consequences of Gaara losing control for a moment lasted for seconds only, but before it could end, the collective attention of the fighters was drawn then to the sky when a green light flared in their peripheral.

While the light side, and Gaara, stared up at the illumination in the sky, the Death Eaters used the secondary distraction to make a dash for freedom, making it twenty feet and all grabbing hold of a dark polished oak footstool that whisked them all away.

Gaara had chased them after he noticed the movement, but he failed to catch even the stragglers before they could grab the conspicuously placed portkey.

He looked around for his next victim but snapped out of his haze when he caught sight of Sirius still staring up at the sky. The sight of a friendly face was enough to rouse his human sensibilities, fortunately.

His manic smile now gone, he looked back at the group he had been fighting loosely alongside and they were all still staring up at the green light. Having only glanced at it before, Gaara looked to discern why they were so horrified. It took a while for his muddled mind to recall but eventually he remembered seeing the Dark Mark depicted in a school book, cut up and spread over three pages since replicating the entire thing was considered to be dark in and of itself.

The skull and snake symbol was clearly something inherently frightening to wizards but Gaara was now more interested in checking on his friends. He reformed his gourd, the full size now sitting heavily on his back, and he trudged over to where Remus was lying.

As he approached, he drew the notice of the adults who all backed away. The jerk reaction didn't fully register in Gaara's mind, not until Sirius flinched when he looked up at him. Sirius had already been back at Lupin's side to raise his head until help could come, but looking up at Gaara had elicited his instinctual fearful response when his eyes settled on Gaara's.

"Your eyes, Gaara…!"

Gaara was running on autopilot. He had to fight. He needed to kill. He wanted to check on his friends.

Sirius had fallen back from his shock but climbed to his feet and reached out to shake Gaara's shoulder. He had no idea what was going on with his ward, although he was secretly hoping this was a sign of shock from what he had done. That would be less worrying than Gaara being completely okay. Not after those kills…

But more than that, it wasn't just Gaara's behaviour, it was his eye.

As soon as Sirius' hand made contact with Gaara's shoulder, bypassing the automatic defence that would have stopped it if Sirius held any harmful intent, Gaara snapped out of his daze. The physical touch from another human being still held enough shock to break the stupor Gaara had been under.

Gaara mouth as hanging open as his brain caught up with everything.

"He's okay, Gaara, Remus is going to be fine. He's just unconscious." Sirius said slowly, his hand still resting on Gaara's small shoulder.

Despite having watched Gaara kill two full-grown men in cold blood just minutes before, Sirius thought Gaara had never looked so young as he did in that moment. It would have been all of the reassurance that Sirius needed if Gaara's eye weren't…

Dozens of pops sounded nearby and shouts rang out. Barking orders, Aurors swarmed into the clearing they had all been fighting in, their wands raised and pointing at everyone standing.

One of the fighters that had been helping Sirius and Remus ran over and started to explain the full situation to the Auror captain on the scene. Sirius had a pit in his stomach already, but when the conferrer and the Auror captain kept looking over at Gaara, even pointing him out, Sirius knew this was going to be a very long night.

"Gaara, close your left eye now."

Gaara looked up at him, clearly confused.

"Your eye's changed. We can deal with it later, but for now don't let them see it." Indeed, when Gaara had approached, Sirius had seen it. No longer was it the blue-ish-green, Gaara's left eye now had a black sclera and a peculiarly shaped golden iris, with a black cross through it. Certainly not a burst vessel but something more sinister.

"You there!" The Aurors were converging on Sirius and Gaara and by the time Sirius had looked back to make sure Gaara was not doing anything threatening, his eye was already closed. "Please surrender your wands."

Sirius handed his over, quickly recalling the last spell he had used. He did not tend to use dark spells but it would have been a disastrous coincidence if he was caught having done so now of all times. The amount of time it took Gaara to find where he had stashed his wand and hand it over to the irritated Auror would have been comical if the situation were not so dire.

"Priori Incantato." The Auror said, casting his wand over Sirius' and then Gaara's. Sirius' wand indicated the last spell he had used was the Blasting Curse, whereas Gaara's had been the Wand-Lighting Charm.

"When did you cast that?" Sirius covertly asked.

"Two weeks ago." Gaara replied.

Sirius stifled his smirk.

"We have reports that this young man used his magic to murder a pair of rioters this evening. We will need to take him in for questioning." He stepped forward with a pair of heavy-looking iron manacles. "You will need to relinquish your… bag, young man." He was stiff and gruff in his manner.

Gaara reached behind himself slowly and unclipped his newly-formed gourd, conscious of the number of wands directed at his head within a metre's range. The sand-filled container fell heavily onto the ground and he submitted himself to be cuffed. If he was going to escape, it would be safer to do it when they thought he was bound and harmless. Such simple locks would be child's play to pick, even if it wasn't Gaara's most polished skill.

They locked the manacles on and Gaara shuddered at the heavy hands placed on each of his shoulders without his consent, and he knew without looking back that there were still wands practically stabbing into the nape of his neck. His pouch was also unclipped and taken, which he wasn't happy about.

"Hold on," Sirius said, "I'm Gaara's guardian. I'll be accompanying him to the Ministry and staying with him during any questioning." There was no way he was ever letting Gaara go into that massive bureaucracy alone.

"Very well. But just you." The Auror captain commanded.

"And my solicitor. I presume I will have to wait until we arrive in the Ministry before he can be contacted." It was eerie how quickly Sirius could snap into pureblood-mode so quickly, Gaara held. "But we won't be going anywhere until my friend here is taken to St. Mungo's. He was hit by curse during the battle but it isn't spreading."

"Isn't he a-" One Auror started but Sirius interjected.

"It's not a full moon for another few days, so as long as the healers don't dilly-dally and he's all better before then, there should be no problem. Oh, and I refuse to allow my charge to go with you unless he or I are under arrest."

"Understood. I, Ernest Galloway, am placing the Hogwarts student known as 'Gaara' under arrest for the murder of two men, for use of underage magic, and for the unlicensed use of a magical artefact. He will be accompanied by his legal guardian, Sirius Black, while under interrogation." Galloway declared this, perhaps for the benefit of his men, and then commanded them, "Bring the healers here so we can go."

"Yes, sir."

Gaara watched all of this with mild interest. If Sirius was willing to let this play out, Gaara would go along with it as well for the time being. There was also another factor to consider: if he tried fighting again right now, there was a very strong chance that Shukaku would be partially released again, like in the Chunin exams and a few times in Suna before that. He could feel the chakra still racing through his system, begging to be used.

Soon a pair of healers approached, checking on the downed fighters, moving on from the crushed Death Eaters husk and the one with a slashed throat in seconds, and stopping by Lupin for a while before levitating him away.

"He will be taken to St. Mungo's. We will have them take a look at your eye as well, when we get to the Ministry holding cell." Galloway said.

"It's fine." Gaara rasped out. It would revert eventually, but if they insisted on seeing it, there was no way he could refuse without bringing more suspicion upon himself.

"Sirius, what's going on here?" Arthur finally approached, having been momentarily delayed by the Aurors too.

"Gaara's being taken in for questioning. Could you make sure Harry's okay, look after him for the night?"

"Of course."

"Oh, and could you send a patronus to Burke, Doyle, Grimshred and Associates, as well. Tell them where I am and that I need immediate representation." Sirius said.

"We will contact your attorney when we reach the Ministry." Galloway interjected.

"You needn't bother now. They'll probably be waiting for us there instead." Sirius replied easily. This Auror captain didn't seem like a bad sort, but it was common practice to delay the arrival of representation as long as possible so that interrogators could crack the suspect without interruption or interference.

Sirius was going to need his solicitor if Gaara had any hope of getting out of this. He moved forward, under the watchful Aurors' eyes, and placed his own hand of Gaara's shoulders so he could lock eyes with him. "Gaara, don't say a word unless I tell you to. Not one, okay?"

Gaara nodded. This shouldn't be too hard.

"It's going to be okay, Gaara." Sirius said, and then hugged Gaara. To onlookers it would have looked comforting, but Gaara heard Sirius' low whisper in his ear, "After we sort this out, you're going to explain everything, Gaara. No more secrets."

Gaara nodded again, suddenly impressed with his facetious guardian's ability to deal with serious situations. It was easy to forget that Sirius had fought in the first wizarding war against Voldemort.

The Aurors manhandling Gaara pushed him forwards and Sirius was left to trail behind, with a third Auror keeping an eye on him. They walked to another nearby clearing, presumably where the anti-apparition wards had been lifted for the Aurors to arrive through.

They all disappeared from the cold field and appeared in one of the grandest buildings Gaara had seen. He was led from the Ministry of Magic apparition point, through the grand Atrium and towards the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As they walked, Gaara heard another crack, meaning someone was following them. He didn't dare try to turn and look as the wands pointed at him were as close as they had ever been.

Twenty or thirty feet behind them came the Auror captain levitating Gaara's improvised gourd, a suspected magical artefact.

The Ministry was silent compared to when Gaara was last there, the middle of the night limiting personnel to the nightly skeleton-crew that cleaned and maintained order in the building. Gaara suspected it would only be another hour before the halls were heaving again with reporters and workers when news broke of the attack.

The DMLA was as unimpressive to look at as any of the other offices in the Ministry, though they walked right on through them and into a series of labyrinthine corridors through the back of the main department. There were many doors lining the walls, presumably holding cells, but they continued to lead Gaara through the halls until they reached the last door.

It was sturdy and metallic like all the others, and the locks made a grinding noise as it opened. Inside was an impossibly blank, grey room. Gaara would have questioned whether his open eye was playing tricks on him if he had the time for such idle thoughts. The walls, floor and ceiling were all a perfect and uniformly dull grey colour, and there did not even appear to be any light source, the room was just illuminated evenly throughout.

Stepping inside, there were no windows and the inside of the door was the same colour, and was sunk into the wall, so when it closed behind Gaara and Sirius, there was no sign a door had been there in the first place. It would be easy to get lost in the cell, even though it was only a few metres square. There were a couple of stools placed around a table, but they too were the exact same colour and material as the walls.

"They are monitoring us so keep quiet." Sirius said.

Gaara had assumed as much.

It was only a few minutes after this that the door reopened behind them, though Gaara was sure it had been on the other side of the room when they entered, and two people entered.

One was the Auror captain they had met earlier accompanied by a woman Gaara was sure he had seen before but couldn't place.

"Please, have a seat." Galloway said.

Gaara and Sirius sat down and the interrogating pair settled opposite them.

"Commencing interview at 01:42 on Friday 19th August. Conducting the interview are Ernest Hogborn Galloway, Captain of Auror squad 75 and arresting agent, joined by Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." He said, presumably for the benefit of some sort of unseen recording device. "Being interviewed is suspect 'Gaara', no surname given, arrested on the charges of murder of two wizards, use of a dangerous magical artefact, use of underage magic, and use of magic in a restricted or muggle-inhabited area. With him is his legal guardian, Sirius Orion Black. Would you please confirm for the record your names are correct?"

"Yes, my name is Sirius Orion Black." Sirius said, unsure whether or not Gaara would add anything.

"My name is Gaara. I do not have a second name."

Galloway leaned forward onto the table, his fingers steepled, "That is unusual. I understand that you aren't from this country, where is that you are from, where they do not use surnames?"

Gaara looked to be about to say something so Sirius rudely interrupted, "That sounded like more than a record clarification. I am afraid we won't be saying anything more until my solicitor has arrived. He shouldn't be long."

"Yes, we will contact him now. What firm is he with?" Madam Bones said.

"I sent word ahead before we came here. But thanks for asking."

Bones gave Galloway a sidelong look, but it was unknowable what it was supposed to communicate. Gaara continued to stare at the blank wall in between the two in front of him. The last thing he wanted right now was to spend time in his head but it was the only thing he could do. He was no way near good enough at acting to bluff or lie, so he had to stay quiet and unresponsive.

And enjoy the screaming inside his head.

"So, you were there for the match, huh?" Galloway said casually. "Since I was on duty tonight, I couldn't go. I heard the Irish won but Krum got the Snitch. That must have been a good one."

Sirius smiled but made no effort to reply.

"Did you have good seats?"

"They were lovely, thank you." Sirius said with a thin smile.

"Who were you sat with?" Galloway still had the same smile on his face, but Sirius' dropped.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer any more questions until my solicitor arrives."

"Of course, I didn't mean to worry you. Just making conversation. Unless there's something about your seating arrangements you're afraid will incriminate you?"

Sirius didn't bother answering this time.

"If you could just clarify why you and your ward were participating in the riot, we can clear all this up a lot quicker. Then when your representation gets here, we can finish up with the difficult questions."

Sirius sighed, "I won't be saying anything more until my solicitor is here."

"If you would just give-"

"We will wait until your solicitor is here, Mr Black. Ernie, give it a break. We won't get anywhere like this." Madam Bones said, sitting straighter in her stool and trying her best to get a read on both Gaara and Sirius. As she did so, her attention was drawn to Gaara's closed eye. She had read his file previously and it made no mention of an ocular disability. "I will send for a Ministry healer right away, to have a look at Gaara's eye."

"That's not necessary." Sirius started.

"Of course it is. Ernie, please would you go and find the on-duty healer, have them come here. Thank you." Amelia didn't look at her subordinate as she ordered him around; her eyes were still locked on Gaara, who had not reacted to his own name. It was about as spooky as his entire demeanour tended to be.

Sirius looked at Gaara as well, appearing to be just a concerned foster-parent, but really unsure of how to proceed without raising suspicions. They might start to pose questions about his fitness to be a parent if he didn't let a healer look at Gaara's eye. But better that than them seeing whatever was going on with the eye itself.

"My apologies for Auror Galloway. He was just trying to get this disaster straightened out." Amelia said after the Auror had left.

Sirius again failed to reply. Not from any reluctance but because he was busy staring at Gaara, whose open eye was now twitching and did not seem to be blinking.

That was worrying…

With some time to think, especially following the events of this evening, Sirius had begun to question whether he had been a good guardian to Gaara. Staring at the clearly disturbed murderer, he wondered if he had been giving him too much latitude.

Sure, Gaara seemed more mature than Sirius or even Remus, but he was still a child. Perhaps he needed Sirius to take the reins, even if he would never (ever) admit it. He would have to look into getting Gaara some counselling, if only to discuss what Gaara had done to those two Death Eaters.

Although, he would hold off on that until he had forced some answers out of the shirty teenager. He had a horrible suspicion that those had not been the first humans Gaara had killed, and then there was his eye… If Gaara couldn't talk to a professional, for legal or personal reasons, Sirius would just have to do it himself.

Paragon of mental health that he was…