A yellow moon hung ominously in the clear, cloudless night sky, reflecting its image on the waves crashing against Azkaban Island. The image was disrupted as a large, brown bird flew over it, carrying a mysterious parcel in its talons.

The few human wardens working on the god-forsaken island paid the bird little mind, as it flew directly to the small owlery. They would fetch its package in the morning - it was likely only luxuries for one of the more white-collar of prisoners in Azkaban.

Harry freed Hermione from the tangle of cloth with quick work of his beak. As Hermione suspected, the dementors were utterly unconcerned about the presence of animals on the island. Azkaban was a fine, well-built prison - but the wizarding world thought too highly of its security and relied on dementors excessively. Freeing Sirius wouldn't be easy, but it would be possible.

The two animals set to work, eager to find their way into the high-security wing where criminals who had committed more heinous crimes, like murder, rape, or other evils, would be kept. The area with the most dense population of dementors.

Hermione was far faster on her cat feet than Harry hobbling around, avoiding flight so as to stay undetected. She stalked ahead of him, listening with all her senses for any dangerous. When the coast was clear, she indicated to him with twitch of her tail. Human guards avoided this area, they felt the pull of the dementors as strongly as the prisoners.

A black-robed dementor suddenly appeared around the corner, surprisingly Hermione greatly, as she had sensed no one, but the dementor ignored the two animals and glided by, likely unable to be see them. Neither could sense the other, it seemed. That was fine with Hermione, she only needed watch for humans.

They made very fast work through the deserted prison, till the ran across a single locked door. The simplest obstacle might defeat them. If they took human form to use magic and unlock it, they'd immediately be spotted by the dementors, who would put the entire prison onto high alert.

Azkaban was built like a castle, with high arrow-slit glassless windows. Hermione left up into one and peered outside. Nothing but pitch black ocean and the light of the moon occasionally spotting the waves. But there were other windows.

If Harry flew from window to window, he'd be spotted. That was why they'd chosen to land in the owlery in the first place. How to progress? Hermione turned around, looked at Harry sharply. She used every ounce of effort to convery a single message: Wait here.

With that, Hermione edged as far out of the window as she could without falling. The sea loomed beneath her, like an open dragon's maw. She built up her courage - and lost it. How could she jump such a distance to the next window? They were built with enough space prisoners could not jump between them. She thought and thought, but could find no other option. They couldn't give up now. She needed to jump.

Hermione landed hard in the next window. It was wet with the sea mist and she started to slip! Her claws had no traction on the rough stone. Harry watched her in worry from the last window - any moment now, he was sure to leap out to help her. She couldn't let him do that, his large size, brown coloring - he would alert them immediately.

Hermione opened her mouth and bit down into the stone. It hurt her jaw severely, but kept her from slipping any further. She raised her back legs and slipped inside, landing nimbly on the floor. She hoped Harry would wait for her and not do anything rash. It was up to her now!

Hermione had no idea where Sirius' cell was. Maps of Azkaban weren't exactly easy to get a hold of. She would have to walk by each cell and look inside for the ragged figure she remembered.

Not in this cell. Not in this one, or this one, or this one. There was still a lot of ground to cover, Hermione kept moving. She saw a figure curled into the back corner of his cell. His hair was long, messy, and black. Was it Sirius? She couldn't see his face. She mewed at him, but he clearly didn't hear her or care that a cat was present.

Nothing for it. She would have to slip between the bars for a better look.

The figure was still immobile as she crept towards it. She mewed again, to no reply. At last she was right upon the figure, but so tucked away into that corner as he was, she still could not see his face.

Please be Sirius! She reached out a paw and tucked his sleeve with her claws - the man whirled around, presenting a hideously scarred face and a toothless mouth. Hermione immediately turned and sprinted away, but could hear the movement and footsteps of the figure behind her. She slipped throught the bars and stumbled, the man or woman had yanked her tail just before she was free.

"Kitty! Come back!" Cooed the prisoner. Hermione tugged with all her strength, a painful endevour, and wrenched herself her, yowling in pain.

The heartbroken expression on the prisoner's face was truly pitiful. The poor man. But Hermione didn't have time for him. She turned and continued, hearing a bark. That must be Sirius! He must have heard her yowl and come to the door, curious.

The dog before was definitely Sirius. He looked healthier than she expected or remembered. Perhaps because it was now years earlier and the man had not yet lost hope. She pressed her face to dog's snout eagerly sticking through the bars to show she was friendly. He had no idea who she was, after all, or that she was anything different than an ordinary cat.

That was why she had worn a collar, a most embarrassing thing.

After she'd transformed, taking her clothes with her, Harry had affixed her with the collar and tied paper, then wrapped her in fabric so as not to hurt her with his talons when he transformed and carried her into the prison.

She presented her collar prominently, so that Sirius would take notice. He did and immediately transformed into his human self.

Sirius read aloud, "I am Hermione Granger, an animagus, here to rescue you with Harry Potter, a falcon animagus. Dementors cannot sense animals. Transformed, we can move undeteched. We are aware of your innocence. You must come with us. We must swim towards the shoreline. We have prepared a small boat and anchored it close as we could to Azkaban without alerting the guards. We will explain everything on the mainland."

Sirius considered for a moment, "Harry... Harry, of course, is still alive. I understand. But how can I even get out of the cell? I've tried, believe me, I've tried."

Sirius had managed to get out of his cell before, she'd been banking on his ability to do it again. At a loss, Hermione sat still, waiting for inspiration from within.

"Wait!" Said Sirius, "I know! Hermione, you need to make your way to the guard shack, directly left of here. Someone is always stationed there, but likely sleeping considering the time of night. There should be a ring of keys there. Bring it to me and I can open the door. I'll transform and we can leave together."

Hermione nodded and left Sirius, who looked down to read the note again in amazement. Perhaps he did not believe his mind was not playing tricks on him.

As Sirius had guessed, the man inside the nearby guard shack was asleep in his chair. Hermione marvelled at the lack of security within Azkaban. This kind of behavior would never be tolerated in a muggle prison.

The keys hung on a hook on the wall, far above Hermione's short cat stature. She quietly leap to a desk nearby. Now she was high enough, but too far away. She considered. What were her options? Turning human was too risky. There was nothing for it. Another jump!

She leapt at the keys, which jangled loudly as she caught them. The guard woke! What to do? She scurried under the desk. If he noticed the keys missing, things were over for them!

She waited for six long seconds as the man looked around in confusion, wondering what had awoken him. Upon discovering nothing, he settled back down in his chair. Hermione darent move yet - she waited ten minutes, still as a stone, beneath the desk, until she was sure the back was sound asleep again.

As stealthily and slowly as possible, she slunk back to Sirius' cell. He sighed in relief when he saw her.

"I was worried for you, little cat! What took you so long?" He took the key ring from her mouth and began to work, trying each key in the lock. He found the right one about two-thirds through. Harry must be livid with waiting by now.

Taking the key ring with them, Hermione showed Sirius to the door where she'd left Harry. He swiftly unlocked with an especially large key from the ring. On the other side stood Harry in a small pile of feathers he had evidently been plucking in fret.

Sirius immediately bent down and embraced the bird, who perched his head on Sirius' shoulder. Hermione was not moved by the display and looked around anxiously. Sirius had to transform now, or the dementors would realize there was a human body outside of the cell block!

She couldn't wait any longer and pawed at his back. He understood and smiled sheepishly.

"Forgive me," He said before dropping the keys and quickly transforming.

Once a dog again, Sirius took the keys in his mouth and begun their exit.

They made their way down the treacherous cliff-face slowly and methodically. Injury now could make swimming difficult. Harry especially had a difficult time, his body made for flight, not ground-movement. When at last they all felt safe, Harry took off for the shore-line. He would land in the boat and trasform back, then wait for them there.

Sirius and Hermione had a long swim ahead of them.

As a cat, Hermione hated water. She hated the way it made her fur stick to her skin and sweltched in her paws. She hated how heavy she felt when she was wet and she hated swimming. But there was a reason she had practiced day after day swimming as a cat in the nearby stream and that reason was standing right beside her. She nodded at her dog companion and dove in the icy water.

It was so cold, she gasped. She hadn't been prepared for the way the Altantic waters would pierce her body like icy needles. It was physically painful to remain in the water and she not only had to remain, she had to swim. She pushed forward, knowing she'd need to guide Sirius to the exact location of the boat. It was hard work and within minutes her tiny muscles were aching. The flow of the water seemed to want to push her backwards to the island and the sharp, icy wind, made it difficult to breathe.

She kept convincing herself she was almost there, then was dissappointed to not see Harry in the boat on the horizon. There was nothing for it but to keep swimming. Sirius stayed behind her, paddling away, until at last, they both saw the boat. He gently pushed his head under the water and lifted Hermione up onto his back. Exhausted, she let him ferry her the rest of the way.

Harry helped them both up into the boat. For now, she was too tired to transform back, so caught her breath watching Harry hug the large, wet dog that was Sirius. She was happy for him, very happy, but also so very cold. All she wanted to do was sleep.

She could take a quick rest while they ate the food they'd packed along. She closed her eyes, then was shocked awake when she was physically shaken through the air.

"Wake up, Hermione!" Shouted Sirius, "You must not sleep now! Transform back, do it now!"

Hermione did so immediately and began shivvering in her soaking wet clothes.

"Blankets, Harry, do we have any blankets?" Asked Sirius.

Immediately, both of them got to work wrapping Hermione in the blankets. She couldn't stop shivvering! How strange.

"Hermione," Said Sirius, speaking in loud voice to get her attention, "Swimming though such cold waters as such as tiny creature has chilled you through and through. Harry and I are going to start paddling for land, but listen to me. You must not fall asleep now. I fear you might hypothermia. You understand?"

Hypothermia! Hermione nodded rapidly. She'd read about that in so many adventure books. She bit her lip, determined to keep her head up, and sat still as the boys paddled for land.

As they moved, the sun began to rise over the island. It was a great aid to warming Hermione up, enough that she could start thinking logically.

"Stop!" She cried, "This is why we brought wands, you fools!"

With the aid of magic, they were home near-immediately.

And again, they had explaining to do.