DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: This is a one-shot of Sirius Black. Begins when he's in Azkaban; jumps to fifth year; ends with his demise. =[

Freedom

"Hogwarts... He's at Hogwarts," muttered Sirius in his sleep.

"Eh, Dave, he's talking again!" Two guards stopped outside his cell door, watching him mutter to himself. "Who do you think he's talking about?" the first guard asked.

"Dunno," said Dave, "Could be anyone, although I think it might be Harry Potter. You remember back at school? Black and James Potter were best friends. I dunno what exactly happened, I've only heard rumours, but apparently he was responsible for the Potter deaths, then he went on to kill Pettigrew. Anyway, he's mad, so it's probably just nothing."

"But that's the thing! He's not mad. You've seen how he is when we come past. You can have a normal conversation with him…"

Sirius woke up at this point, but lay still, pretending to still be asleep as he listened to the conversation going on outside his door.

"…He's got more Dementor's outside his door than any other prisoner, he's been here for twelve years and still he's as sane as I am!"

Sirius smiled and sat up. "So, I'm as sane as you are, then? I will be the first to admit that I'm not sane then." He looked at the two guards, who looked back at him, clearly confused by what he had just said. He sighed and carried on, "If you were sane I wouldn't still bloody be here. I don't suppose either of you have a copy of the Prophet with you? I finished the one Fudge gave me and I'm bored."

"Nah, sorry, Black. So, who's at Hogwarts, then?"

Sirius looked darkly at the two men and said, "The one whom I should've killed twelve years ago but he got away. I should never have let Hagrid take Harry to his aunt and uncle," he shook his head and lay back on his bed. "Well, I guess I might as well try to get some more sleep, seeing as there's nothing else to do. Night!"

Stunned, the two guards walked away, still discussing Sirius' lack of madness. Meanwhile, Sirius thought of Wormtail. That traitorous rat had sold James and Lily to Voldemort. Now they were dead whilst their only son was forced to live with Lily's sister and brother-in-law. He needed to do something about it. He knew where Wormtail was: he had seen him in that picture of the Weasley's on their holiday in Egypt. As soon as he had seen the picture, he knew who that rat really was. He had seen Peter transform so often during their school days that he would be surprised if he didn't recognise him.

A plan had begun to form in his mind. Thinking of Peter's transformations had given him an idea. He knew that Dementor's were not as good as sensing animal emotions as they were with humans. There was a way out, after all!

***

A few days later, after much practice without a wand, he managed to transform into the giant black dog that so resembled his inner, playful self. He sat waiting for the Dementor's to bring him his food, nervous in case one of the human guards walked by. He felt a chill creep over him but he fought it, determined to escape, knowing that he was innocent.

The door opened and Sirius seized his chance. He streaked out of the door and galloped down the corridor. He ran the way they had brought him in: he would forever remember that day and was not likely to forget the way out.

Luckily, he didn't pass anyone who would notice him and raise the alarm. He reached a frail looking door and, with as much strength as he could muster, he ran at it on four legs and slammed against it so that it shattered, sending him flying over the edge of a cliff and straight into the ocean.

When he hit the water he felt suddenly free. The Dementor's were no longer able to affect him: he was too far out of their reach. As he struggled against the waves crashing against the bottom of the cliff, he looked up to see how far he had fallen. How the hell did I survive that fall, he wondered. He tore his eyes away from the cliff and swam in the direction that he could only hope led to the shore of England.

***

Sirius had not felt this free since his school years at Hogwarts when he and his friends would sneak out of school once a month to join Remus Lupin in the Shrieking Shack. He snapped at pigeons and chased his tail and some cats to show how happy he was as he walked with Harry, Molly and Tonks to Kings Cross. He ignored the look on Molly's face as he enjoyed himself. Why can't I have a bit of fun? I've been stuck in that house for months!

After the dank and decaying smell of number 12, fresh air hit Sirius' nose with a sharpness that he hadn't felt since he had been instructed to locate various Order members. He could hear the birds singing in the trees, the sounds of Muggle London as people travelled to work. The light was blinding, making his eyes water from the glare.

He was having fun, entertaining his godson, the son of his dead best friend. He was determined not to darken Harry's first day back to school by being miserable because he hadn't been expelled and so wouldn't see each other until Christmas at least. This was Harry's day and he needed someone to rely on, to know that there was still a link to his parents. One day, when they had the chance, Sirius would tell Harry all about his parents, the many run-ins they had had with the Professor's at school. The pranks they had pulled on people, especially Snape. He'd get a kick out of that one!

***

Sirius was unaware that everyone else in the room had stopped fighting. He didn't realise that Dumbledore had arrived and that they were now safe from harm. Instead, he continued to battle his deranged cousin, Bellatrix, determined to incapacitate her for all it was worth.

He laughed as her curse passed by him by about an inch, "Come on, you can do better than that!"

Suddenly, he felt as though he had been punched in the chest. His smile faltered as he looked at his cousin. As if in slow motion, he fell backwards. Where was he going now, if he was dead? His last thoughts were of James and Lily, Remus and Harry. Two of his friends were dead. Remus' life was unstable, never knowing when he would be eating next when he wasn't at Headquarters. And Harry. He would never be able to tell Harry those stories of his parents, of how they would sneak about school under James' Cloak. He didn't even know that Lily and Snape used to be friends! He hadn't wanted to smother the image Harry had of his parents and his least favourite teacher.

There were so many things he hadn't told his godson, and now he never would. He fell backwards through the veil, into Deaths open arms. They enveloped him and he thought no more.

A/N: Poor Sirius. Bad ending, but I was pretty much brain dead by the end of it.

Let me know what you think.

Fresh Water Plimpy =]