Welcome back guys! And thank you! Now, for the first time since I started this thing, I actually have reviews! I have been surprised at just how much that it was getting to me that even though I've gotten a few faves and follows, I hadn't gotten a single review. But now that dark, dark, DARK time is over. Anyway, here is chapter nine. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

It had been two weeks since he had first seen that picture, but now Sirius was ready. He had a plan. It was crazy, and likely wouldn't work. Honestly, how could it work? If it was possible to escape from Azkaban it would likely have been done by now, right? But still, he had to try.

As far as his long term plan, he needed to get out of here and find his way back to civilization. He would have to be a fugitive, at least until his name was cleared, and possibly maybe even after. Sirius would need to hide in the countryside and find that family that Peter was hiding with. The Weasleys. He would need to find their home and sneak inside, and then finish off Peter. Or maybe he should force Peter to reveal himself first, which would clear Sirius of the murder charges. But that would be incredibly dangerous, both to himself and to the family that Peter was hiding with. Sirius knew for a fact that Wormtail wouldn't be above hurting those innocent people if it saved his sorry skin. But Sirius knew that he himself was above that. He couldn't risk those people's lives for his own reputation.

"There has been enough pain and suffering at your hand, Peter." Sirius muttered to himself. "Is my name worth putting those people in harm's way? No. I can't afford to let you hurt them." He sighed. He would have to kill Peter at the very first opportunity he could get. There wasn't a choice when innocent people's lives were on the line. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if one of those kids died because Sirius took an unnecessary risk just to clear his name.

But before he found the Weasleys, Sirius would need to get ahold of a wand. This seemed like a daunting task for him, considering that even if he did find one he could use, it wouldn't be very compatible with him. He wished he could use his own, but there was no way in hell that he would be able to get it out of wherever they were keeping it in the Ministry. He would never make it that far. Of course, that was just another impossible task to go along with breaking out of Azkaban, he supposed. Maybe if he got out he could go try to get his wand, just to tempt fate twice. Another possibility would be to try to make his way to Ollivander's shop, and procure a new wand of his own. That was also a likely impossible task, because he would be hard pressed to make it through Diagon Alley to reach the shop, and Ollivander would refuse to help a wanted criminal arm himself. Not that Sirius blamed him. He supposed trying to steal a wand from the shop was possible as well, but he wouldn't know how to find one that was compatible with him without an expert like Ollivander.

So it would be a lot easier to just find a wand on the outside. Just find a wand in some wizard's home, borrow it, do the deed he meant to do, then return it to the rightful owner. But that too was incredibly dangerous. Wizards tended to be very protective of their wands, and whoever it was Sirius tried to get one from would likely fight to the death to retain theirs. Or, more likely, Sirius's death. It wasn't likely that he could fight more than a small child in the state he was in. He would probably just have to hope he wouldn't need a knife to kill Peter.

"Look at me." He muttered to himself. "Planning what I'll do when I get out and I haven't even escaped yet. Not to mention, of course, that it is impossible to escape. God, I am a fool."

But there was nothing stopping him from trying. What was the worst they could do to him anyway? Give him a lifetime sentence here? He already had it. He had nothing to lose. And if he succeeded…. Maybe he could right some wrongs. Share some of the truth of what had happened all those years ago. Make a difference in the world.

And now was the time. For the past two weeks he had been gradually starving himself. He was already quite thin, but there wasn't much room in between the bars of his door. His plan was to get himself as frail and thin as he could manage, turn into a dog, and see if he could fit. It was simple and unlikely to work, but Sirius supposed no one had ever tried escaping as a dog. He would be the first at that, if nothing else. But what he was really worried about was if he could manage to get out of the prison itself and where he would go from there. From what he could tell the Dementors roamed the halls often, sucking the happiness away from every prisoner in their vicinity. It was crowded with the horrible creatures. The prison itself was a multistory labyrinth that Sirius didn't know his way around. Then outside was a raging sea that would be next to impossible to swim though. Sirius didn't know if he would have the strength for it since he had been starving himself so much lately. He would just have to suck it up and pull through.

Sirius figured he had waited long enough. He transformed into a dog, then padded over to the cell door. He pressed his body against the bars, trying to force his way through. He was actually very close to fitting, but he was just barely too large for it to work. He strained against the door, willing himself onward. He managed to get his shoulders through, and from there it was easy.

With a small pop the rest of him came through. He wanted to laugh, but was a dog at the moment and thus unable to. Somehow, against all odds, he had gotten out of his cell. He didn't know if anyone had ever gotten this far before. He, Sirius Black, was free for the first time since Peter had faked his death.

The Dementors quickly picked up that something was amiss. Three of them glided over from a nearby stairwell, coming to check on his cell. They always noticed when Sirius changed into a dog, they always investigated every time he did. He didn't think they liked it at all. But they also must have noticed the unusual amount of brain activity his escape must have caused. They would be very curious about the situation.

They glided right by him as he pressed against the wall, trying not to draw their attention. Two didn't pay him any mind, but one stopped short and gazed at the dog that had found its way into Azkaban. Sirius froze. He didn't want to give any reason for them to attack. Hopefully if he stayed still they might leave him alone.

Luckily, the curious Dementor seemed to decide it had a more important job to do. It reluctantly followed its comrades to Sirius's cell. Sirius would have let out a sigh of relief if he had been physically able to. Instead, he settled for walking quietly to the stairwell, hoping not to draw their attention.

At the stairwell he stopped and looked back at the Dementors. The three were all looking into the cell, and glancing at each other. If he didn't know any better, Sirius could have sworn they were having a silent but heated discussion. Was this how they communicated?

His thoughts were cut short when all three turned in unison towards the stairwell. Like the wraiths of the stories inspired by them, the Dementors glided forward eerily, gaining ground quickly on Sirius.

Sirius yelped then jumped into action. He sprinted his way down the stairs to the next level, then to the next. The three Dementors were close behind, and more were on their way. Naturally faster, the Dementors were able to harass him as he ran, absorbing what they could from him when they got close enough. Sirius quickly tried to come up with a plan, knowing if he didn't he would soon be subjected to the dreaded Dementor's Kiss. Normally he would try to find a way to lose them, but that wouldn't be easy when they were faster than him. Also, he didn't know the layout of the prison, while the Dementors had been guarding it for God knows how long. There wasn't really anywhere he could go that they didn't know much better, so he was at a significant disadvantage here.

Did he have any advantages? All he could think of was the fact that as a dog they couldn't sense him quite as well as other humans. Could he use that in any way to help him?

As he passed another floor of prison cells, an idea crept into Sirius's mind. Maybe there was a way he could use his relative ambiguity. If he could get lost amongst other humans maybe they wouldn't be able to find him as easy.

Sirius leapt down another flight of stairs, Dementors hot on his heels. By now it was much more than three, but Sirius didn't dare look behind to check. He didn't need to look to feel the monstrous storm of negative energy behind him. It was like all evil and hate had been condensed into one area, and it was all intent to get to Sirius no matter what.

He threw them off temporarily when, instead of continuing down the stairs, he darted down the prison cell block, heading to the nearest cell. He squeezed himself through the bars, forcing himself into the cell with the prisoner. He popped through, pressing himself against the far wall. He spun around to see dozens of Dementors fly past, in search of him.

It had worked, somehow. They had overlooked him. The Dementors slowed, down, looking in a confused manner. Sirius didn't move a muscle, hoping that they didn't search this cell. He glanced over to see who was in here. To his great surprise he saw a very familiar face. Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin.

She looked like a mess. Her cruel beauty that had defined her as a young woman had been robbed away by Azkaban, and she looked like she hadn't taken a shower in years. Granted, Sirius could not say that he had done any better, and he likely looked just as bad. She was staring at him like a dog was the last thing she had expected to see. But that was all she did. The Bellatrix he remembered would have reacted with contempt to see a such a mangy dog, but now it was like she was a zombie. Not so long ago, Sirius had been the same way. If he hadn't tried his Animagus powers one more time he might never have escaped. Or, he realized, got himself caught again. The irony that he was hiding from the prison guards within a prison cell was not lost on him.

He waited for about an hour, letting the Dementors disperse, looking for him. When the hall was all but clear, he forced his way out of Bella's cell. He gave her one last look, as she watched him with a disinterested and vacant expression. Then he left.

He tried to be stealthier leaving this time. He made it down a few more flights before he noticed that there were signs, around human eye level, that revealed how high up they were. Sirius was currently on the thirty-first floor, with much of the prison to go before he reached the bottom. That was a lot of Dementors.

He snuck down each floor, trying not to draw attention. It was easy enough to go unseen. But from what he could tell, they didn't operate on sight. Sirius suspected that they were actually blind, and instead searched for him with their ability to sense emotions and brain activity. And as hard as he tried to be stealthy, hiding behind a wall could only help him so much here. The Dementors were slowly realizing that someone was going down the stairs, and at around the tenth floor they finally attacked.

Sirius broke into a sprint, with several Dementors close behind. The ninth floor passed by, then the eighth. More and more Dementors joined in as he got lower and lower. Sirius was getting slower with each added pursuer, as they drained away at him. It was just too much pressure on his mind, making everything hopeless.

He couldn't take it anymore and stumbled. He whimpered, rolling over as the Dementors crowded him. Even as a dog he couldn't take the pressure of their presence anymore. He had failed, and he was going to die here. Or whatever happened when you received the Kiss.

He might have, if he hadn't noticed a sign above him. A big, bold two was labeled on it. The second floor? He had made it this far? His head turned to the stairs leading down. The last stairs. He was so close.

He forced himself back to his feet. He was so close, and he wasn't going to be stopped here. He pushed himself hard, trying to get his body to move. Paw by paw, he made his way down the stairs, the Dementors swirling like a tornado above him. He tried to think of something to motivate him, anything at all. A reason to push himself on.

Peter? He tried to think about killing Wormtail, bringing justice to his name and everything Peter had to atone for. But it wasn't enough.

James? Sirius tried to focus on his friend, and about all of the memories they had been through together. But the Dementors were too close, and Sirius found it impossible to think of happier times. It wasn't enough.

Remus? Sirius tried to think of winning his friend back, the only one he had left. He could have a future there, someone who might still care about him. But not even that was enough.

In the end there was only one thing that Sirius could focus on to give him the strength to get out of Azkaban. He had to do this for his godson.

Harry.

He roared (it came out as a bark) and pushed his failing body into action, throwing himself down to the bottom floor. He saw a dark but elaborate doorway in front of him, with no actual doors. Sirius forced himself into a limp towards the door, making his way through.

He had done it. He had escaped Azkaban. Concrete changed to hard rock, and the black roof turned into a stormy gray sky above. For the first time in almost twelve years, Sirius Black was free a free man.

But he knew it wasn't as simple as this. Knowing that the Dementors were still after him, Sirius bounded for the choppy water of the ocean. Hoping he wouldn't be immediately be thrown back into the rocks, he leapt in.

He doggy paddled through the rough waves, trying to keep from drowning. Unfortunately, the Dementors didn't have to face a similar issue. They poured out of Azkaban like angry bees, swirling into the sky. Sirius worked to put some distance in between him and that horrible place. he just hoped that he was heading towards land.

He kept that up for about an hour, only stopping to swim underwater when any Dementors drew close. But he was weak, and he couldn't keep that up forever. When he couldn't take it anymore he drifted off. He hoped he would still wake up afterwards.

I'm sorry, Harry. Sirius thought. I wasn't strong enough.

Sirius woke up to the sound of birds. Seagulls, he realized. How strange. They never come around Azkaban.

Azkaban, he realized. He quickly sat up, in human form, and looked around. He was sitting on a beach, with the bright sun beating down on him and waves cascading past him. He grinned, feeling happiness for the first time since he had escaped. He was free! He laughed, grabbing at the sand to make sure it was real. It was so strange and amazing to feel again. He loved it. He didn't want to ever lose it again.

But now he had a job to do.

"I'm coming for you, Peter." Sirius said, feeling determined. "And then I'm coming for you, Harry."

So there you have it. Sirius is free, and he is on his way to kill Peter and reunite with Harry. I'll be honest, I was kind of hoping to make his escape a bit more exciting than it was, but I'm still happy with how it turned out and hopefully you guys were too. Let me know with a review if you were, and if you liked it fave and follow please. If you liked my writing style you should check out my other stuff on this site (you don't have to, but if you want to). This is currently the only thing I have for Harry Potter, but I have some stuff for Avatar/Korra and Star Wars if you want to check those out. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it, and remember to join the dark side and join me as a Darth (we have cookies!).