Somewhere in the North Sea, where dark clouds and storms raged relentlessly and waters churned violently, there was an island hidden from muggles. Centuries ago a tall structure was built on this tiny piece of land and was made to be Unplottable. It was a cold and miserable place.
Azkaban. The one of the magical world's prisons. Murderers, rapists, thieves, convicted criminals, whoever they were, it was said that once you get in, it was impossible to get out. Horrible creatures called Dementors guarded it. These foul soulless creatures, were known to torment their victims by bringing about an unnatural cold and sucking out all happiness, leaving them insane. If given the chance they can give what was called, The Kiss, consuming the soul and leaving a human a useless husk only for it to only slowly wither and die.
From below the turbulent clouds where the light of a waning moon couldn't be seen, Azkaban looked like a perfect triangle. Mewtwo was currently scouting his target, his long elegant head-tail swaying gently incongruous to the harsh winds buffeting him. According to Lucius's memories, his godfather wasn't the one responsible for revealing his parents' secret to Death Eaters. It was highly possible that Sirius Black was entirely innocent of the crimes he was convicted with and now he wanted to confirm it from the source.
Casting out his senses, he searched for a match. Raising his brows he didn't need to search for long. Making himself invisible he floated through one of the windows. It was so high up that a prisoner jumping through on of them would only meet the jagged rocks below if he didn't know unassisted flight.
Inside the huge tower, the walls were grimy and the cells were cramped. Floating through several hallways not minding the miserable sounds coming from the cells. Looking through the minds of these criminals, he didn't have much pity for them. A dementor approached from the end of a hallway. He merely avoided the hooded creature not even noticing his presence. Mewtwo wasn't concerned though. He was invisible and his emotions were entirely closed off from detection. He was essentially a ghost. Letting it pass, he continued his search.
At the end of a hallway, he found a series of cells. It was a cell on the far right side that he finally stopped just outside of. Looking through the bars there was man laying on the cold floor with only a threadbare blanket to ward off the cold. The man looked miserable. He was emaciated, pale, and looked entirely sickly. His greasy overgrown hair obscured part of his face, curled in a foetal position, shivering in the cold and whimpering as if having a nightmare.
Mewtwo teleported silently inside the cell and moved closer. He didn't really need to, but the man looked so weak and pathetic that he wasn't concerned that he would attack him. He hardened his heart. If Sirius was not innocent he would leave him here to forever live the rest of his miserable existence. If he is, well. Not wasting anymore time he delved into his mind.
—
No…no. It's all gone. James, Lily, Harry. Gone. Gone. Gone! Even the fucking house! Wormtail! That rat! How dare he do this?!
Searching through the rubble, he found the dead bodies of his dear cousin, Bellatrix and her husband and brother-in-law, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange. Ignoring them he lifted several large debris finding several more bodies of dead Death Eaters. At the very back of the wreckage there, he found the bodies of his dear friends.
"James. Lily." Hands shaking and tears flowing freely he arranged their bodies in a sitting position by a piece of wall. He looked at them for a moment. Their peaceful faces forever etched in his mind. If only he had gotten here sooner.
"Harry! Shit!" Quickly standing up, Sirius searched through where he knew the nursery was. He had to find his godson. He had to find Harry.
Levitating a collapsed wall there he saw it. The crib was all but kindling. Toys and stuffed animals were strewn about but there was no sign if his godson.
Hatred flowed through him. Peter Pettigrew. Sirius disapparated and appeared outside an apartment in muggle London. Purpose filling him he strode inside.
Pettigrew was a funny looking man. His pale and thin straw-colored hair was a tangled mess. He was quite short and fat, his chubby cheeks and large nose had a ruddy color like he was perpetually drunk. His black beady eyes were shifty and didn't inspire anyone's confidence. Right now though the sight of him infuriated Sirius to no end.
"Pettigrew, you fucking traitor!"
"Si…Sirius!" Pettigrew squeaked in surprise and terror. The little rat was packing his things into a suitcase no doubt preparing to escape.
"Why? Why'd you do it?" Anguish, hatred, overwhelming emotions were going through him.
"I had no choice! They were going to kill me. Sirius, I had no choice!" Beady little eyes looking everywhere but him.
"Liar!" Sirius lunged. At the same time the little man shifted into the form of a rat. He was an Animagus! Scurrying between his legs the rodent slipped past him and through the open door. He followed it outside.
He must have looked like a lunatic running through the streets chasing a rat but he ignored the muggles in his pursuit.
Turning into an alley the rat transformed back into a human and continued to escape his pursuant. Making a decision he stopped at a fairly populated street.
"It's all your fault, Sirius! It's all yours! You killed James and Lily! You're the one to blame!" Ignoring the attention from the gathering spectators Black and Pettigrew cast their spells at each other.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Bombarda!"
Pettigrew dodged the red beam at the last minute but aimed his spell to the side where he knew there was a gas pipe running through it. The spell hit and there was a great explosion. Sirius and Pettigrew were blasted apart. Both were relatively unscathed unlike the twelve muggles caught in the explosion. All of them were dead.
Sirius's ears were still ringing. It was Pettigrew's chance.
"Diffindo" Clamping his mouth shut at the pain of cutting off his own finger Pettrigrew transformed and scurried into the sewers, successfully escaping.
Meanwhile in all the chaos there were several pops. Aurors. Looking at the scene Head Auror Bartemius Crouch pursed his lips at the sight of carnage. Looking at the far end of the street he heard a mad cackling. Sirius finally snapped.
"It's all my fault! My fault. He's right. I caused James and Lily and Harry's deaths. It's all my fault. HAHAHA!"
Frowning, Crouch made his decision.
"Aurors. Arrest the criminal!"
All aurors found of Pettigrew that fateful day was a lone finger.
—-
Opening his eyes Mewtwo looked down at the man. His godfather had languished here all this time thinking that everyone he cared about was out of his reach and no one was going to rescue him. For seven long years. His features softened.
Making sure that the Dementors and the wizard guards roaming the halls were nowhere near, Mewtwo cast a barrier inside the room so they wouldn't be noticed and transformed back into Harry Potter once more.
Walking closer his steps echoing in the cell, he stopped a few feet from the whimpering man.
"Sirius. Sirius, wake up."
The man stilled.
"Sirius Black, it's me. Harry Potter."
"No. Nonono. I'm hearing things. I've finally gone bonkers." The man sobbed his eyes still closed. His voice raspy with disuse.
"It's alright, Sirius. You're not going crazy. It's me, your godson." He repeated gently to the agitated man.
"Nonono. Please. Please. Stop. Stop it. Harry. Harry. Please." Sirius tucked himself further into the corner. Are the dementors back? Is he finally crazy? Figures.
"Shhh. It's alright. I'm right here. You can open your eyes, Sirius. You're not going crazy, I promise." Harry sent out gentle waves of calm and sat beside him on the prison wall.
Feeling calm and safe, Sirius finally peeked through his ratty blanket and saw a small child sitting beside him. He saw black wavy hair and vivid green eyes even in the dark of the cell.
"Pup? Harry is that really you?" Shaking hands reached out.
"Yeah. It's me, Sirius. It's nice to finally meet you." Harry smiled and clasped the shaking hand gently.
"Harry! Oh, pup. It's you! Bu…but how? I'm still in Azkaban aren't I?" Looking around it was still the same dirty cell he's been staying at for the last years.
"Yeah. About that. Sirius, I know that you're a dog animagus. You've been transforming into Padfoot to fend off the effects of the dementors." The dog-man goggled at him.
"Ho…how'd you know that? And yeah it's the only thing that's keeping me sane here."
"Let's just say I'm an animagus too. A magical one." Harry grinned smugly at his godfather.
"Imposibble! There's never been a magical animagus. I would know."
"Sigh. My own godfather doesn't trust me. I'm so distraught." Harry fake-sobbed but then he snickered.
"You really are my godson." Sirius huffed a laugh but coughed a little. His throat was really dry.
"That's the thing that made you finally believe me? Me making a joke? I should've started with that one. Unbelievable." Harry playfully grumbled.
"Hey! I didn't know if I was finally turning insane hearing voices telling me their my godson, okay?" He huffed.
"I know, Sirius." Harry smiled at him. "Why don't I just show you."
Standing up and walking back a few paces he floated up and transformed. The man gaped at his form. It was a…cat thing. With pointy horns, a crown, a long and elegant head-tail, his godson's Animagus form was deceptively powerful. The sheer presence he could feel just looking at it.
"Wow. You weren't kidding! You…you look kinda scary, Harry." Sirius gulped. The pink, purple cat…thing… looked intimidating even if it was small.
'Do you believe me now?'
"Ahh!!" The dog-man flinched involuntarily. And apparently he could speak directly into his head.
'Sorry, Sirius. I can't talk normally when I'm like this so you just have to get used to it.' Behind the intimidating green eyes was definitely his amused godson.
"Pranking me on the first meeting, eh?" Sirius huffed amusedly.
'Sirius. Not that I don't like talking to you but this is really not a suitable place. I can get you out of here. I've only temporarily cast a barrier outside your cell so nobody would disturb us but a guard or dementor might come soon. Do you trust me?' Magical cat-Harry extended his short arm. And does he have only six fingers and toes?
'Sirius, focus!' Yeah. Definitely not getting on his bad side.
"Ye…yeah?"
'I can teleport us directly to Potter Manor. The wards placed on this place won't stop us. Take my hand.' Harry urged him. He didn't really need the skin contact. It was more for the dog-man's comfort than his own.
Sirius stood up weakly and gulped. This was it. If his godson could really get them out of this hellhole then he would finally be free. Well, never it be said that he wasn't a bit reckless and a fool. Looking around one more time he pulled his Gryffindor courage and took the small delicate-looking hand into his own.
'Close your eyes, please. You won't feel a thing.' He did as asked.
With nary a whisper, without anyone noticing, the godfather-godson duo were gone.
——
The next day. Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was a stern and strong-willed woman. She had to be to deal with the incompetents in the Ministry of Magic. Like the current Minister.
Sighing as she walked through the hallways of the Ministry, she thought of her beautiful niece, Susan. Her kind and thoughtful niece was the only family she had left. After the war's abrupt end at the demise of the Dark Lord, she and her Susan were the only Boneses left.
Nodding her head in greeting to her subordinates who were busy even this early, she finally reached her office. Settling down she sighed at the pile of leftover paperwork from yesterday. Some drunk group of wizards decided to have a bit of fun in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood and decided that casting spells where anyone and their cat could see them was a sensible thing to do. The trouble that fiasco caused her gave her a headache. The obliviators were run ragged trying to contain the scene and the perpetrators were heavily fined for their thoughtlessness.
Arranging the paperwork on her desk she noticed a file at the very top. Curiously she opened it. Sirius Black. What was his file doing here? Did her secretary misplaced it while she was organising the lot? Before she could read further the secretary in question barged into her office with a loud bang almost hexing her on reflex.
"Samantha Marie Algers! What did I tell about knocking?!" The stern witch lowered her wand.
"Eep!" The harried secretary quailed at the reprimand. And who calls someone by their full name anyway? Only her mother would do that. "Forgive me, Madam Bones but I have terrible news!" She panted a little after her hurried dash through the DMLE's hallways.
"…Well? Are you going to tell me this news sometime this morning?" Amelia rose one of her dainty brows after her secretary just looked at her.
"O…of course, Madam. Ahem. This morning the Azkaban prison guards were doing their routine rounds and noticed one of their tenants was gone! Oh, Madam Bones, it's dreadful…the convicted murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped!"
"I see." Looking down at the not so innocent-looking folder on her table, she massaged her temples. This day couldn't get any worse.
…Oh, how she would soon find to regret that thought.
—-