Beyond Azkaban

Chapter 7

***

Padfoot left for Hogwarts feeling disheartened and slightly unwilling to go on, but that feeling was quickly pushed aside as his obsession steadily came back to him as he got closer and closer to Hogwarts. Just knowing that Peter was going to be there excited him and his every notion of revenge.

He also remembered that both Harry and Remus would be there, although that didn't seem to drive him in the same way that Peter did. And once he killed Peter, he could see Remus again, and he could finally meet Harry without being thought of as his parents' murderer.

These thoughts carried him quickly to Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack from Remus' small home. Upon pressing the knot on the tree and entering the run-down house, a flood of memories once again consumed him. Everything was so simple then, at least in comparison to life now. Now, he was running from the law, a supposed convict. But he wasn't as worried about that as he should be. He had his Animagus form to make running a little easier.

***

"Wow," James' voice broke the silence.

Remus smiled broadly at them. "That was awesome."

"A stag, James?" Sirius asked. "You had antlers and...Prongs."

"You know, Sirius," James began. "You had me scared for a moment. I thought I was going to die from the spell when I saw a Grim, but it was only you."

"Hey, is that an insult?" Sirius transformed and pounced on James, pinning him with massive paws.

"Get off me, Padfoot!" James yelled under the weight, christening the dog. Reluctantly, Padfoot let his friend up and turned back into Sirius.

"Padfoot and Prongs, I like it," Sirius said to James. "But what about our little rat over there?" he nodded towards Peter. "Wait, I know!" he exclaimed, feeling genius. "Wormtail. I thought you were a worm until I saw your front end," he explained apologetically to Peter.

"And Moony already has his name," James said.

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. I like it," Sirius said for the second time that night.

"Why am I last?" James asked with mock offense. "Oh, always save the best for last," he explained for himself.

"Right, you think that," Remus said sarcastically.

"I'll just do that," James joked. On a more serious note, he continued, "What shall we call ourselves? Hmm, the Marauders."

"Why?" Peter asked stupidly.

"Marauder," Remus began, "it's like a pirate."

"A what?" Peter asked, not being particularly interested in history.

"They plunder and steal and are all-together outlaws."

"Oh. Yeah, that outlaw thing does kind of make sense," Peter said.

"Of course, it was my idea, after all."

"Prongs, you are too full of yourself."

"I know, you tell me enough. Hey," he changed the subject, "do you think Evans likes Animagi?"

"I dunno," Remus started. "Maybe you could ask her without insulting her for once."

"Now where would the fun be in that?"

"Maybe she would actually go out with you then," Sirius joined in.

"Hey, she likes me. She just has a hard time showing it. She's shy, you know."

"Lily Evans, shy? Once again, you think that," Remus smiled. "And how is it that our conversations always turn to her?" he asked exasperatedly.

"Because I'm obsessed, that's why," James answered sarcastically.

"Good, good," Sirius began in a false, psychiatric voice. "Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to curing it."

"And, what, pray tell, Doctor, is the next step?"

"Forget about her," Sirius dropped the false voice

"Nah, I'd rather find out if she likes Animagi, or people who have the skills to pull it off."

"Seriously, James," Remus reprimanded, "we can't tell anyone."

"Not a soul," Peter said.

"Never, well, except under special circumstances," Sirius amended.

"Like if I ever started dating Lily?"

"Possible circumstances, Prongs. Sorry," Sirius said, grinning.

"I'm going to ignore that."

"Good," Remus said with authority. "Now, remember: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs; The Marauders."

"Forever," James said.

"And ever," Sirius added, still grinning.

"Always," Peter jumped in.

"Now we should probably get back to the dormitory," Remus began. "McGonagall warned us about a quiz tomorrow, or really today," he corrected himself as an old grandfather clock chimed one.

"Yes, Mr. Prefect," James groaned.

"And to think he could give us all a detention for this," Sirius said mockingly.

"Nah," James said positively, suddenly serious. "Moony wouldn't. He's our friend, a Marauder."

***

He didn't know when he arrived at the Shrieking Shack, only that the trees were almost bare and that the Hogwarts grounds were covered in stray leaves of red, bronze, and gold. He spent most of his time inside the Shack, avoiding the dementors rumored to be guarding Hogwarts and only coming out into the forest to find food.

Padfoot crept out of the tunnel from the roots of the Whomping Willow. He stuck his nose out first, sniffing the air for signs of life that would ruin the secrecy of his hideaway. Smelling something strange, he stuck the rest of his head out and came face-to-face with a pair of big yellow eyes and bunches of ginger fur on an abnormally large cat.

He bounded out of the hole and scrambled after the cat, chasing it in circles around the tree. This would make a good meal, if only he could catch it. If not, it would make a good ally. After all, cats were supposed to hate rats.

At this idea, he stopped running and crouched low, a symbol of defeat. The cat turned and saw this as it stared Padfoot straight into the eyes, then blinked once. With a flick of its tail, the cat was gone.

Left alone, Padfoot walked back to the Shrieking Shack. Safely hidden inside, Sirius Black swore aloud as he formulated a plan. The only problem was, he needed the help and trust of that cat, and how were you supposed to do that with an animal so stubborn and proud?

***

Padfoot sat under the Willow, safely hidden under its long branches. Waiting for the ginger cat had become a daily ritual, not that anything ever came out of it. Every time he tried to approach the cat, it would turn and flee. Apparently, it had figured out for itself that Padfoot was not just a dog, but an Animagus.

His ears perked up habitually as he heard a soft tread of footsteps. He barked a soft, "Hello?" He heard a quiet meow in response. The cat walked slowly towards him, crouching low.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying not to sound too threatening.

"Who are you?" the cat said back, obviously not very trusting.

"Padfoot."

"You're a man."

"A wizard."

"Maybe so, but you're certainly not one of us."

"Please, I need your help," he whined.

"A dog - or whatever you are - asking a cat for help? Pathetic. Dogs...or humans that look like dogs - are supposed to be above that," the cat said sarcastically.

"It's about a rat," Padfoot said desperately, ignoring the comment.

"The rat of the boy? I've tried to catch him many times, and, besides, that's not a rat - he's one of you."

"Yes, I know," Padfoot said, biting back his impatience. "He murdered my friends and framed me. The boy with the glasses is my friends' son. The rat could kill him."

"I see. The boy with the glasses - I believe they call him Harry - is my human's friend." The cat paused, clearly debating the issue as Padfoot waited. "What do you want me to do?" the cat finally asked.

"I just need a way into the Gryffindor house."

***

Sirius waited for the cat until Halloween, almost a week after he had first spoken with the animal. Patience, however, was never something Padfoot had possessed. To try to distract himself, he meandered into Hogsmeade; maybe he would catch another glimpse of Harry.

Later that morning, Padfoot pranced happily through Hogsmeade, enjoying the smells of pumpkin pie and drooling by the window of Honeydukes, admiring the various candies and chocolates in the store. But his concentration on the delicious looking candies was broken as the first sounds of Hogwarts students in Hogsmeade reached his ears.

"And did you hear about Neville Longbottom's boggart in Lupin's class?"

"Yeah, that was classic..."

The voices trailed off and Padfoot smiled to himself. At least Remus' classes were gossip-worthy. As more voices of the students became audible, he used whatever sense he had and turned back towards the Shrieking Shack, still in an incredibly good mood.

He continued gazing up into the front window of Honeydukes, still entranced by the smell of the different sweets until a high-pitched squeal pierced his ears.

"Aw! Look at that adorable dog!" He turned around to see a blonde, probably a fourth year, hold out her hand to him. He crept towards her to smell a small piece of chocolate lying in her open palm.

"You're not supposed to feed dogs chocolate, you nit-wit!" her friend scolded her.

"Just let him have it, it's Halloween. Besides, we'll get plenty of chocolate at the feast tonight."

Padfoot's ears perked up as he finished off the chocolate. Everyone in the castle would be at the feast, giving him a chance to break into the Gryffindor house. Suddenly he felt oddly carefree and he lolled his tongue out lazily as the girl scratched behind his ears.

***

Padfoot remained in Hogsmeade until the students that had flooded it were gone for the feast. The setting sun was giving the sky an orange tint, which was quite appropriate for the holiday.

Upon seeing the sunset, Padfoot reared up on his hind legs and opened the door to Honeydukes. He slipped through the store as quietly as possible, knowing from experience that the owners lived above the candy shop. Despite his size, he nimbly walked down the basement steps and walked to a pile of boxes. He leaned against the boxes and pushed them aside, revealing a trap door. He took the handle into his mouth and pulled the door open, now showing a dark tunnel, just big enough for him to fit in.

Before escaping down the trap door, he searched the room for a weapon of some sort. Even a Muggle gun would do, as long as it would obliterate the traitor Sirius Black had broken out of Azkaban to kill. He sniffed inside a closed, dusty box and nudged it open with his snout. Inside was a small dagger. Sirius Black snatched it out of the box and ran for the trap door.

He burrowed through the long, winding tunnel quickly, full of anticipation for vengeance. Each step led him closer and closer to Wormtail, who would probably be sleeping on a pillow in the dormitory they had once shared as friends. It would be all too easy.

Sirius reached the hump of the one-eyed witch and opened it slowly, cautiously checking for any students, ghosts, or teachers. When he was assured that the coast was clear, he climbed out of the hole and stepped onto the stone floor.

He began to walk down the corridors, keeping himself pressed against the walls and away from windows. If his memory served, he had but a little way to go before reaching the Gryffindor tower. Sirius looked around a corner and headed off up the stairs to his old common room.

He peered around the last corner to see the Fat Lady, completely unguarded and looking as fat as ever. All prudence forgotten, he bolted to the portrait and stood in front of it, suddenly not knowing what to expect.

"Password, please," the aristocratic voice drawled as its owner painted what seemed to be a self-portrait.

"I don't have it, but I need to find a rat, sorry, a...student."

"They'll all be at the feast, dear," the Fat Lady said, still not looking at Sirius and clearly not wanting to be bothered.

"I know," Sirius flared, his temper rising. "Just let me in," he demanded only somewhat calmly.

"Now, see here Mister, you must have the password if you want to get - " she finally rested her gaze on his filthy, scruffy figure. "Oh, my!" Sirius steadily raised the arm with which his hand held the stolen dagger. He slashed ferociously at the portrait, tearing at the canvas as the Fat Lady scuttled out of it and through various others, screaming bloody murder. Sirius continued slashing at the canvas, hoping to make a hole big enough to fit through, when he heard the Fat Lady's screams of his name. He immediately darted for the witch's hump, fearing that the next thing to come would be dementors.

***