Hagrid and the Prisoner of Azkaban

by grimesr1993

Hagrid has just been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, and his cell just happens to be directly across from an old friend. Told from Hagrid's and Harry's points of view.

1. Prologue: Laughing in the Dark

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone. I figured I'd try my hand at this whole fanfiction thing a while back, but I didn't plan ahead enough and ended up just writing in circles. I've been working on this story for a while and I actually planned ahead this time and feel that it will be good enough to actually upload without feeling that I'm not progressing the story at all.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, nor do I expect to be able to do them justice. I will, however do my best to deliver a story suitable for the world that JK Rowling created for us.

Prologue: Laughing in the Dark

Hagrid felt the cold it long before he saw the island, the cold dreadful feeling that accompanied the Azkaban guards. The dementors had a way of bringing back some people's worst childhood memories, but in this case they didn't need to do any work to bring the worst feelings out in Hagrid. Being imprisoned for a crime that he knew he didn't commit had done that for them. Transportation to Azkaban was strange for a wizard, or anyone who grew up in the wizarding world, as the only way into the inner parts of the island was on small boats. These boats had been enchanted to make the trip on their own, but Hagrid's weight had slowed to a near stop and the human guards that were accompanying him had been forced to row manually.

They arrived at the opening in the island just as the sun completed it's descent, or at least Hagrid assumed it had, because the light seemed to disappear almost entirely as they neared the island. The chill became much stronger as their boat entered the tunnel and the current quickened. His guards stopped rowing now, relieved by the boats new pace, and began talking in hushed tones all around him. As the boat moved deeper into the depths of Azkaban, Hagrid began to hear the most unsettling sounds. Most weren't cries or screams, as you would expect, but the hollow laughter of men who had lost all hope and gone completely mad. Hagrid wondered how long it would be before he joined their ranks, as a madman, laughing in the dark.