The Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 20

My eyes flutter open, and it took me a few minutes to adjust to the darkness. I pushed myself onto my elbows and looked around the room. I spotted a flashlight and took it. I change into my usual outfit, jeans, trainers and a blue t-shirt with a black sweatshirt. I find THE letter and grab it. It's from my father.

Dear Cygnus,

Please meet me at midnight, today, at the bus stop, two blocks away from you aunt's house. I want and I will explain everything. Come alone, and don't tell anyone that I send you this. Yours,

Sirius Black

I slowly open the door, making sure that my uncles are asleep. I go downstairs, trying to make minimum noise as I walk. I go to the yard and see Shadow sleeping, so I wake her. "It's time for a walk." I tell her in a low whisper. She seems to understand because her tail begins to shake, excitedly. I put her leash and leave the house.

I trot to our meeting spot, looking around seeing if someone was following me. Everything is so quiet, the streets were deserted. I glance at my watch, the one that my aunt gave two years ago, and see that is 12 o'clock. Where is he? The minute's pass and I regret coming out of the house. I should have known this was some kind of joke. It was so stupid, obeying a letter, anyone could have written it.

I was about to go when I heard someone or something moving to my left. I turn and point with the flashlight in the direction the noise came from. I see it is something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. Something was bounding toward me, quiet as a shadow - an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog. I could hear Shadow growling stepping in front of me, in a somewhat protective position. Then she suddenly stops, sits and starts moving her tail. I glance at her, perplex and turn my attention to the dog. The only problem is that there is no longer a dog, there is now a man standing in front of me.

He is looking gaunt, with elbow length, matted and tangled hair. He also hassunken face, shadowed eyes and waxy white skin. He is tall, 5, 9 ft. almost 6, maybe.I stare at the eyes for ages. Those are the same eyes I have watched in my reflection in the mirror for years. His eyes, my eyes, are the same. Could it be possible? How he escaped from Azkaban? I take a step forward and ask the question is been on my mind since he sent me the letter.

"Dad? Is that you?"

"Cygnus?" he says, with hoarse voice. "Is it really you?" I nod.

He opens his mouth but nothing comes out of it. I can't take it anymore, I run towards him, and give him a hug, as if he was going to disappear in any moment. He hugs me back tightly, as if making sure I'm real. Tears come streaming down my face, one after another, and I don't try to stop them. I could finally see him, touch him, and talk to him. When we finally broke our hug, he was the first one who talked.

"Look at you" he says, touching my face and my arms. "Look how you've grown over the years. I can't believe such a handsome lad like you is my son."

"Thank you" I say, smiling. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"I know, it's been a long time since we last saw each other. 12 years to be more precise."

"Why? Why did you leave me with my aunt? What happened 12 years?" I ask him.

"That is a long story, you better take a seat." He tells me and I sit on the sidewalk. "But we will have to go a little further on the time. On my Hogwarts years I meet James Potter, Harry's dad, Remus Lupin, your godfather, and Peter Pettigrew. We called ourselves Prongs, Moony, Wormtail and Padfoot, we were also called as the Marauders, but that is another story. We were four best friends. Years passed and we kept in touch. When we heard that Voldemort was after Harry, we made a promise that we would protect him, but someone broke that promise. Peter Pettigrew.

"I was supposed to be the Secret-Keeper , but I told Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as Secret-Keeper instead of me... I'm to blame, I know it... The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he'd gone. He sold James and Lily to the Dark Lord, not me. He spread the rumor that I was the protector of the secret of James and Lily location, when the reality it was him. I admit that I followed him, and when I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him for betray, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself – and sped down into the sewer with the other rats."

"Peter is and animagus?"

"Yes, just like me, he can transform into the shape of an animal. He changes into a rat and I into a dog."

"Why did you end up on Azkaban?" I say, confused.

"After Peter killed the muggles, the only thing they found of him was his toe. They accused me of murdering twelve muggles and Peter."

"So you are innocent?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, and Peter is alive."

"How do you know that?"

He put one of his clawlike hands inside his robes and took out a crumpled piece of paper, which he smoothed flat and held out to show me. It was the photograph of Ron and his family that had appeared in the Daily Prophet the summer, and there, on Ron's shoulder, was Scabbers.

"How did you get this?" I asked him, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," said Black. "When he came to inspect Azkaban a few days ago, he gave me his paper. And there was Peter, on the front page on this boy's shoulder... I knew him at once... how many times had I seen him transform? And the caption said the boy would be going back to Hogwarts... to where you and Harry were...

"My God," I say softly, staring at the picture. "His front paw..."

"He's got a toe missing," said Black.

"Of course" I breathed. "So simple... so brilliant... he cut it off himself?"

"Just before he transformed," said my father."The biggest bit of Peter they found was his finger."

"Scabbers is… Peter?"

"Yes."

I need a minute to process everything he has said to me. He didn't abandon me; he was falsely accused of murder. Now everyone thinks he is a criminal, when he is not, he is innocent and wants revenge. But how is he going to get revenge? I look to Scabbers/ Peter with Ron. When I realize how big the problem is. Ron is in danger he got and murderer as a pet. Should I warn him?

"What should I do? My friend is in danger."

"Don't do anything; I will take care of it."

"How?"

"I will travel to Hogwarts and I need your help. I want you to help me sneak into the castle."

"But how?" I repeat.

"We will manage"

"How will I find you? Or pass you information."

"She" he says, pointing to Shadow. "She will know how to find me. You have a very intelligent dog"

"Okay" I whisper as I stand up. "I will help."

"Thank you." He tells me. "And remember no matter what you read on the newspaper or what you hear other people saying, everything is a lie. My version of the story is the true. You have to believe me."

"Of course I believe you. Why would my own father lie to me?" I say smiling, he smile too. He comes close to me and kisses my head.

"We will see each other soon. Okay?" I nod and he transforms back into a dog. He barks, happily, and trots to the north. I go back to my aunt's house quietly, not making a sound, go to my bed and fall asleep with the image of my dad in my mind.

Next morning, I open my eyes and hear my aunt yelling at me, asking me to go downstairs. Yawning, I got up from the bed obey her order. She looked worried, I don't know why. Without a word she handed me the Daily Prophet of today. On the front page there was a picture of the man I knew too well. Have you seen this wizard was the headline. Sirius black escaped from Azkaban was another.

"How?" I said, acting normal. Now that I think of it, I never asked him how he escaped from Azkaban.

"I don't know, but I have no doubt he will come after you. Pack you things you are leaving."

"Leaving? Where?"

"To the Leaky Cauldron. He won't find you there. Don't worry they accept pets." she says, hurried. If she only knew that he has already found me and spoke to me. He takes the piece of paper out of my hands and go upstairs.

I had just packed everything that was necessary, ready to go. For the rest of the summer, which was only three days, I would be staying in the Leaky Cauldron. My aunt told me she would stay in the house, making sure HE wasn't trying to look for me. I took her hand with the leash of Shadow and my trunk when I was ready and appeared in the Leaky Cauldron. She gave me a quick kiss and hug and disappeared.

"Um… hello" I said to the man behind the counter, who is reading the Daily Prophet. "I need a room for the next three days."

"Yes, here is your room key." he says, as he leaves the newspaper in the counter. He stares at me then looks to the photo in the Daily Prophet and back to me. If he wants to say anything, he doesn't. "I am Tom, by the way, if need anything just let me know."

I nod and go upstairs half running, half walking. Maybe he saw the similarities between me and father, I hope not. The last thing I need is people asking me questions about my father. Especially, when they don't he had a son. Not many people made the connection of our surnames. I took my example of the Daily Prophet and stated reading.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.

"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it-who'd believe him if he did?"

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

Apparently, my dad I mad. He seemed pretty sane to me. I was still sitting in my bed with Shadow after reading the newspaper when I heard a lot of noise coming from the room next door. I got up and walked out of my room to the room next to mine and knocked on the door.

"Would you keep it down? I am trying to read." I yell as the door flew open. "Harry?"

Well, here it is, the beggining of the Prisoner of Azkaban. Now you may be like, "Why did he meet him?" or "You have ruined the entire trama of the book! There will be no suspense, anymore." And such. Now, in many fanfics I have noticed that the son/daughter of Sirius shuts him away and is like "Oh I dont want to know anything about him" or "I hate him for abandoning me" and things like that. So, I did it this way to make it different. Yes, I explained everything that really happened, because would not you like to know why your father left you with your aunt? I would. Anyway I hope you arent mad beacuse of my decision. I love you guys, see you next time.

-Lobo Sombra