Prologue
Sirius' heart nearly flat lined when he heard Harry was in trouble at the Ministry fighting Death Eaters. He had snatched up his wand and rushed the front door when He was restrained by Remus.
"Padfoot you can't go out you are a wanted man! We can go and help Harry." Remus practically yelled in Sirius' ear.
"He is my godson! I promised to Lily and James to take care of him! I can care less that I'm a wanted man! I need to protect him!" Sirius yelled back.
"We have Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, and me going, you don't need to. Do I need to restrain you?" Remus said.
"That is not enough, you four against an unknown amount of death eaters."
"Sirius, think about it. How can you help if you go and get yourself caught? I stake my life on it that Dumbledore will show up too."
Sirius sank to his knees considering his options. How could he help Harry if he joined the fight at the ministry and reveal himself to the public, especially with the kiss on sight order over his head. If he got caught Harry would have nobody.
"GO! Before I change my mind."
Soon his house emptied and he remained on his knees hoping he made the right decision. He got up to head deeper into his house when the front door opened. The animagus turned around to see the man he hated most.
"Snivellus."
"Sirius stuck babysitting that trove of potion ingredients upstairs." Snape sneered referencing Buckbeak.
"What are you doing here Snivellus?" Black growled.
"Contacting Dumbledore so he can go save that useless spawn of James Potter."
Sirius strode up to Snape getting in face.
"Never insult James or Harry in front of me. I still don't see why Dumbledore keeps you around. And why you of all people only knows where he has gone." Sirius snapped in Snape's face.
"Dog breath, I thought I had seen it all with you. Dumbledore trusts me. I'm surprised you're here at not saving that spoiled child you call a godson."
Sirius turned away not wanting to get in a fight. "I have my reasons; reasons I don't need to tell you."
Sirius walked away but not before Snape got in the last word. "Pitiful, the Dark Lord may show his face."
"WHAT?" screamed Sirius turning around.
Sirius found no one, Snape had disappeared. Padfoot began to stress out. You-Know-Who could show his face at the ministry that was fight no one could win. The grim paced back and forth, doubt starting to cloud his mind. Had he made the right decision.
"Fuck this!"
Sirius rushed outside and apparated to the ministry. The journey didn't take long. He landed in the ministry apparition point and began to run past the floo's. When he got atrium, he picked the nearest elevator and smashed the button for the department of mysteries. The ride felt long and torturous. Every second that ticked by the more danger his godson was in. The elevator opened and Sirius put on a burst of speed. He found the door to DOM wide open. In the distance, he could hear the screams of spells exchanging. Yanking his wand from his coat he followed the sounds of fight.
When he reached the room where most of the screaming was coming from, he saw death eaters exchanging fire with Order members. He desperately he looked around for Harry. He found him quickly swapping spells with Lucias Malfoy near the veil. In a dead run the animagus ran at Lucias. As the godfather reached Lucias he screamed.
"HANDS OFF MY GODSON."
Lucias turned to see a fist collide with his jaw. He felt several teeth loosen under the impact of an enraged man. Lucias crumbled to the ground. Sirius turned to Harry smiling at him.
"Sorry I'm late."
Harry enveloped his godfather in a hug.
"Doesn't matter, you being is what counts." Harry replied with relief in his voice.
"Come let's show these tossers what means to mess with the Potters and Blacks just like the good old days with the Marauders. Remember Harry they are playing to harm don't hold back."
Harry took his godfather's word to heart and Sirius and he rained spells upon the Death Eaters. Sirius threw borderline dark spells at the Death Eaters. Harry followed up with a mix of his own. They held the high ground around veil. Unknown to the duo Malfoy had come around and was spitting out his loosen teeth and blood. Getting to his feet he looked for the offender who had cost him his perfect teeth and a night growing them back. The enraged man saw his target on the other side of the veil. Lucias knew that nothing could go through the veil and slowly made his way around. Neither Sirius or Harry saw Lucias come around the veil but the spell he fired at Sirius was enough of a distraction. Sirius parried the spell while Harry fired a bludgeoning curse. The curse hit Lucias full on the chest flinging him across the room into the rock wall. The impact knocked him out cold.
"Good job Har…."
Sirius turned to see a spell come from Bellatrix. The impact sent him straight into the veil. Sirius felt dread as he realized what had just happened. Bella had just killed him by knocking him into veil. As he felt the tug of the afterlife he looked to Harry and saw Remus holding him back. He saw the silent screams and the tears rolling down his face. Don't blame yourself Harry I left myself open for that spell. Forgive me Harry. Sirius said as pull became greater. The last thing he saw was Harry's face as everything went black.
Black drifted in the darkness. There was no direction or purpose in the darkness and all the man could think was what he had done to get there. He began to get flashbacks. Being raised in a bigoted household. Meeting James Potter being sorted into Gryffindor, being disowned. This is a shitty afterlife drifting in darkness with your own thoughts. The animagus contemplated his existence but his thoughts were cut short when he felt a heavy pull. Suddenly Sirius felt weightless and air rushing pass him, then impact. The impact knocked him out cold.
Xxxxxx
Hours later, the unconscious man awoke in darkness. He realized it wasn't the same darkness he had just encountered going through the veil. Getting into a seated position Sirius felt for his wand. He found his wand in his coat surprised he hadn't dropped it. Firing a lumos, light was brought to his world. He found himself in a chamber with of all things another veil. Struggling to his feet Sirius made his way over to the veil. Maybe I can go back? Sirius stepped toward the veil but was stopped by an invisible barrier.
"NO! Let me go back!"
Sirius pounded against the barrier but there was no give. The broken man slumped against crying tears streaking down his face. His crying went for a bit of time before he picked himself up and walked away. He looked around the chamber seeing if there was a way out. There was one way out. He accepted the fact that there was no going back as much as he wanted to deny it.
Trudging up the incline Sirius began his journey to find an exit. After hours of wandering around in darkness with his wand being his only light Sirius decided to lay down and get some rest. Conjuring himself a bed and blankets he laid down to rest.
Xxxxxx
Deep thumping reverberated through the room Sirius occupied. The man shot out of bed waving his wand about trying to find the source of the sound. When no source could be found, Sirius began exploring trying to find the origin. It seemed like hours before Sirius found a speck of light coming through the ceiling. Doing a small dance, the man started to cast spells to widen the hole and make his way to the light. When the hole became be enough he conjured a rope and hook and started climbing. The thumps he hears turned into music and the light became multicolor light. Climbing out of the whole he made he was presented with the sight he had never seen. A giant stadium pulsing music and light. Curiosity getting the better of him he made his way toward the stadium. The recognized what he walked through as a parking lot. When he got closer he saw a small crowd of figures leaving the stadium. Quickly getting behind a car he peeked around and what he saw made his jaw drop.
Animals, not the magical animals he grew up around but the muggle ones he saw in Lily's books. They were walking and talking to each other. A lion, buffalo, and a cheetah were chatting excitedly to each other. Listening in Sirius could hear them speaking in English of all things. He began to wonder if his animagus form could come in handy. Sirius shifted to his grim form and looked to the city. He was about to head into the city when he felt a thump against his body and he heard a scream come from below him.
Xxxxxx
Nick and Judy were leaving the concert early intent on beating the traffic so they could get home early. Judy was singing and skipping while Nick looked on in amusement. The vulpine deep down was happy seeing Judy so joyfully. Nick ol' buddy tonight's the night you have to tell her. Nick thought to himself if had been a year and half since they solved the night howler case, a year since he graduated the police academy, and a several weeks since he discovered he had feelings for his partner.
After graduating he had become Judy's partner in the force and they made a powerful duo. A combination of Judy's drive to make the world a better place and Nick's background in growing up in the streets lead them to being some of the top cops in precinct one. They had been able close several cold cases, break up several crime rings and take done one mob boss. (Not Mr. Big) the rabbit spent so much time together rumors milled around that Nick and Judy were a couple. Nick knew it was a deep friendship of trust and understanding. He would always have Judy's back and he knew she would have his. Tonight, the fox hoped he would have more than her friendship.
Nick discovered his feelings for the rabbit in a shootout in a drug bust gone bad. They had been pinned down behind their cruiser praying back up would arrive soon when Judy took a bullet in the stomach. The bullet had gone through her left side luckily not hitting anything vital, as they later learned, but the shock of being shot had an instant affect. The rabbit had started going into shock and Nick began to administer first aid trying to keep the blood contained and Judy calm. One of the dealers came around the vehicle with his gun drawn and all Nick could do was stare down the barrel. He saw his life flash before his eyes and realized than he would leave this life with regrets and not tell the one person he cared for most that he loved her. In a burst of red mist, the dealers head disappeared, back up had arrived. Nick would be forever grateful to Fangmeyer for pulling the trigger.
At the hospital, Nick refused to leave Judy's side. He had almost entered surgery when Delgato and Fangmeyer restrained him and handcuffed him to a chair. Chief Bogo had shown up and talked to Nick after he calmed down. The mask he had worn for years of showing that nothing got to him was slipping. After surgery Nick was finally allowed in, he found a chair and parked it next to her bed. He did not leave the hospital until she had been released. Judy's parents had come by and were a little skeptical of the fox at first. After about an hour Nick had them eating out of his paw. Stu and Bonnie saw Nick a close friend to Judy and were grateful that Judy had someone like him watching Judy's back. But he keep his true feelings from her parents not knowing how they would react to have a fox loving their daughter.
In the weeks after the fox never told her what he felt for the rabbit. He was afraid that he would be rejected and their friendship ruined. Today was Judy's last day of medical leave and Nick decided to build enough courage to tell her tonight. They finally got to Nicks car when he decided to get the ball rolling.
"Judy."
The rabbit turned around with a look of concern. Nick never uses my name. Only if it is something serious. Judy thought.
"What is it Nick?" with concern in her voice.
Here goes nothing. "Judy there has been something I have been wanting to say since you were shot. I was afraid to say it but I can't hold back anymore. Judy, I love you."
Nick waited for a verbal reply but instead he got the air knocked out of him as ball of fur collided with his chest. All the fox could do is look down and see tears of joy coming from the rabbit's eyes.
"Nick I love you too. I had been afraid to tell you too. I guess we're both a bit dumb."
The only words Nick had heard was that she loved him too.
"You really love me?"
"Yes my dumb fox."
Nick inched his way down to deliver the first kiss when a scream ripped through the air.
"SAVAGE MAMMAL!"
The fox and rabbit slipped into cop mode and to investigate where the screams where coming from. Getting on the other side of Nicks car they found a small sheep at the mercy of the biggest wolf-like mammal, the body was built like a wolf but the face was all wrong, The wolf-like mammal was on all fours looking at the sheep. The fox jumped into action and got the passenger door open and yanked his glove compartment open. He pulled out a police radio and a tranq gun. Tossing the radio to Hopps. "Call it in I'll take care of this."
"Be careful!" Judy shouted. "Dispatch come in."
"Dispatch."
"This is Officer Hopps we have savage wolf or what looks like a wolf that we can't identify at Zootopia stadium send back up and paramedics. Officer Wilde is attempting to subdue."
"10-4 SWAT and units are on the way."
Meanwhile the fox ran at the wolf-like mammal, trying to get its attention. As he got the closer the wolf dog looked straight at him. The look in the wolf dog's eyes made him stop. It was the look of panic. It wasn't the look of a savage animal. The fox wouldn't forget the looks of the mammals involved in the Night Howler case. This animal in front of him showed no sign of that. The wolf dog looked right at the tranq gun in his hand and it did the most unexpected thing it turned and ran. The fox prepped to pursue when the tranq gun was yanked out of his hand by Judy.
"I'm faster, Chief is on the way."
Nick watched the love of his life tear after the wolf-like mammal.
Xxxxxx
Sirius was running blindly through the cars. The look on that small sheep had been burned deep into his psyche. The look of fear had hit him deep in his soul but the scream of savage mammal had confused him. Than a fox had shown up with a gun in his hand, or paw he should say, utterly scared him. His next thought was run. Even though being a pureblood wizard Lily had introduced him to the muggle world. He had become fascinated with it. He knew enough to know what a gun was. With his superb hearing, he could hear a fast patter of feet. Taking a quick look behind him he saw a rabbit vaulting a small car with a gun in hand. Oh, shit! Sirius began to change his tactics. He began jumping on cars and over screaming animals trying to put distance between him and that rabbit. He then heard a shout behind him.
"ZPD out the way!"
The rabbit is a police officer! Where has the veil sent me, I need to hide! Sirius screamed in his head. The grim saw a break in the parked cars and an exit into the city. Putting on a burst of speed he broke for the exit and dove into traffic praying no car would hit him.
Xxxxxx
Seeing the wolf running into traffic made her heart stop. But when it made out the other side she felt relief, a dead mammal struck by a car was not a pretty sight. Quickly making her way through the stopped cars she gained back the ground she lost watching the wolf dog dodge cars.
"Hopps status." Chief Bogo said over the radio.
"Still in pursuit. Going down McNally Ave. I'm going to need an air unit this one is giving a run for my money."
"Air support is inbound keep tailing it."
The bunny saw the wolf turn into an alley. An alley she knew was a dead end. When she got to the entrance of alley where she found the wolf looking at her with its tail between its legs clearly looking distressed. Judy needed to take control quick, taking aim the wolf dog began to whimper. The whimpering wolf began to shifted form and Judy fired. When Sirius reached human form he blind apparated as the tranq dart hit him. Judy's jaw dropped with wolf or whatever she had just seen, disappeared with a pop.
Xxxxxx
Nick observed Chief Bogo stare at his radio as Judy told him that what they had been chasing after had disappeared into thin air. Anyone would say that wasn't possible but the Chief always believed Judy. Only one thought crossed Nick's mind. What the fuck.
XXXXX
A/N: In this new revised edition of Grim in the Zoo. Harry Potter will have no role in this story. There will be no AU Harry Potter like I had been writing. This story will focus on Sirius, the OC Zootopia characters, and characters from the film.