The night was silent, aside from the sounds of the raging sea smacking against the rocky island that was home to Azkaban prison, and nothing else. The silence was broken however, when two lean, scraggly looking dogs raced from the prison. Normally, dogs were not unusual around a prison, kept as guards and sensors of mischief. However, this particular prison had no need for the animals, as the Dementors, horrible creatures that could suck out your very soul, kept all the prisoners in line with the threat of their Kiss.

The female of the duo, a cautious looking Border Collie, kept glancing over her shoulder every few bounds, as if to check they weren't being followed. Thankfully they were not, for the moment. The two were moving like ghosts, quietly and quickly over the rough rock of the island, which was damp with sea spray. The only real noise from them came from the click of their claws on rock and the occasion rolling of a pebble. The black Labrador mutt trotted along steadily next to the bitch, his eyes focused intently ahead of them, his strides long and purposeful.

The collie gave a soft bark and sped up a little, trying to keep in stride with her companion. The noise she'd made seemed to echo, even over the stormy seas. Both dogs froze for a moment before carrying on, faster than before. The male gave the collie a momentary sharp look, from which she turned away shamefacedly, mismatched eyes, one blue and one brown, directing forward as his had been.

Suddenly, everything became icily cold. The small puddles of water that had formed in the crevices and cracks of the rock turned literally to ice and the rock itself felt cold as death. The Collie whimpered and cowered ,practically dragging her belly against the rocks as she moved to hide behind the mutt. He growled softly and stared harshly at the prison before turning sharply and nosing the female, causing her to yelp. He took off like a bullet, racing towards the sea, the collie at his heels. The Dementors knew they were gone.

The reason these horrors were chasing dogs when they had prisoners to guard made perfect sense when thought of logically. Dementors did not guard normal people, but rather wizards and witches, which these two dogs happened to be. They were Animagi, magical people who could turn into animals at will. They were, as humans, Sirius and Anabelle Black, married behind the bars that had held them for thirteen years, known to the world as the people who had killed thirteen people with a single combined curse.

In truth, the two were innocent, but the evidence was against them. Now here they were, desperate for escape, knowing what would await them were they caught. Anabelle had perfect reason to cower as she had.

The convicts reached the edge of the Cliffside and skidded to a sharp stop. Anabelle stared at the water smashing against the rocks below, the waves topped with white foam. Her mismatched eyes rolled wildly and she whimpered, backing away from the edge and sitting down firmly. The mutt returned to her side and nuzzled her around the ears.

"Sirius…I can't. The water…I can't swim well to start with! And the jump!" The collie shuddered and tucked her tail beneath her belly in fear.

"Belle, I know." Sirius set his paw on hers and licked her cheek. "But this is our only chance, love. Our only chance to make things right and be free. Remember that Muggle movie? 'You jump, I jump'. We go together."

Anabelle bowed her head and closed her eyes, the intense cold and feeling of sadness was steadily growing stronger, signalling the Dementors approach. She opened her eyes and got to her paws.

"Then we jump."

Both dogs moved into a stalking position before taking off again, knowing they'd need speed to help them land far enough into the water they wouldn't end up squashed against the sharp rocks that framed the island. As the edge drew nearer, Anabelle started to pant from fear, while Sirius continued to stare intensely ahead.

As they reached five feet from the edge, the collie closed her eyes as they both flew through the open air for a moment, before tumbling down, both of them howling in terror, the equivalent of human screams.

They both hit the water with a sickening sound, and Anabelle was sure they'd both have bruises later. The shock from the cold and force of hitting the water caused the collie to return to her human form. She scrambled upwards, clawing her way up through the water, desperate for air. She broke the surface, coughing and spluttering.

"SIRIUS?" She gasped, before taking in a mouthful of sea water, causing her to cough more.

"ANNIE!" Sirius called back, waving a hand at her and trying to stay afloat with the other.

Anabelle stuck out wildly at the water, feeling it pulling her every which way. The only thing on her mind was not drowning. She tried to refocus, to transform back, knowing it would be easier for her to swim in canine form, but no longer had the mind capacity nor the energy to do so.

"Siri, help!"She coughed. "I can't! I-"

A wave crashed over Anabelle's head, forcing her down under the water. She resurfaced again and saw Sirius struggling to get to her.

"Head up Annie! Remember to keep your head up!" Sirius called. "Once this is over, I'm definitely signing you up for swimming lessons!"

Anabelle coughed out a mixture of water and indignity. "I'm not a child, nor is this the time!" She shouted back over the crashing waves. She fought hard to get to Sirius, but already felt her muscles weakening.

"Hey!" Sirius barked, now only about fifteen feet from her. "You do NOT give up, understand me? Do not!" Anabelle nodded. "Now, on my count, we both try to transform, got it? The last thing we need is to be caught, and I will not let that happen now!"

Another nod. Sirius counted down and both focused any energy that was not being spent on staying afloat on transforming. Somehow they managed to do it.

Though she now looked more like a black and white drowned rat, Anabelle felt much stronger than she had previously. Doggy-paddling with powerful strokes, she made it to Sirius. The two swam wobbly circles around each other for a few moments.

"Which way?" Anabelle wanted to know.

"Just follow me!"

Annie whined pitifully as she struggled to keep up with Sirius, who had the unfair advantage of being a breed built to swim. Despite this, waves still periodically shoved him beneath the water's surface, which frightened Annie horribly, even more so than going under herself. Thunder clouds rumbled overhead, and soon rain was pouring down around them, causing Annie to whimper more.

"Your fine Annie, just keep swimming, love." Sirius encouraged her as he continued to paddle alongside her.

If at all possible, the waves swirled even faster around them than before. They were now ranging from five to ten foot swells, knocking the two lovers around and under in the water. By now, Annie felt like she must be half fish from the amount of water she had swallowed.

"Sirius, baby, I'm so tired…" She spluttered out even more water.

"We're nearly there darling! Nearly!" Sirius' thoughts were confident, even as the storm worsened, lightning streaking through the skies, lighting up the world for the briefest of moments. Anabelle could Sirius paddling ahead, his black body ploughing steadily through the rushing water.

Suddenly, in front of them, a large wave appeared, building until it reached fifteen feet in height.

"We're going to drown!"

The wave continued to build as it reached Sirius, lifting him up and through it, to the surface of the other side. Annie watched in horror as the wall of water barrelled towards her, illuminated by lighting.

The wave however, seemed to have a mind of it's own. It broke, returning the water back into the sea, and buffering Annie further back, away from Sirius. Once again, the force of the water caused Annie to change back and she came up, struggling and spluttering, trying to swat her dark hair from her face.

"Annie!" Sirius called out to her.

"Oh, Sirius! Swim to me!" Tears were streaming from Anabelle's eyes. Tears of fear and desperation as she fought the waves.

"No, Annie, you swim to me! Swim this way, and we'll be closer to land. Come on darling, you-"Another wave crashed of Sirius's head, causing Annie to scream in horror. Even as the wave subsided, there was no sign of Sirius.

"Sirius?" She cried, paddling around helplessly. "SIRIUS, NO! Where are you?"

"Here!" He was even further out of her reach and only drifting further, despite his best efforts.

Annie cried. "You can't leave me here!"

"I won't! Just swim! Just-"

Another swirling wave flew over Annie, swallowing her up.

It was Sirius's turn to wait with baited breath for his wife to surface, his turn to panic when she did not. He called for her for hours, trying in vain to stay near where she had disappeared to search, but he came up with nothing. Finally he had to accept the inevitable. Anabelle was dead. With a heavy heart, Sirius turned the opposite direction and paddled for shore through red tinged water, coloured by the rising sun.

He reached shore around eight that morning, and it was the first day in thirteen years he'd welcomed alone. Sirius transformed and, despite being dead tired, headed for the nearby woods to rest.

Little did Sirius know that nearly forty miles down the shore, in a small fishing town, a fisherman had just pulled a barely conscious female Border Collie from the water. A collie with mismatched eyes, one brown, and one blue.