Chapter 13: The Great Escape Part III

"I sure Harry's ok Hermione." Lavender comforted her. Hermione just kept on looking at the manor. Searched the forest to see if he was there. Searched the skies to see it he was on his broomstick.

"Come sit down, Ron's making some cocoa for everyone. And you should warm up," Lavender continued. Hermione just continued watching the manor.

"I'll go and get you some," Lavender walked towards Ron, who held up a tray of steaming cocoa. Hermione carried on watching. She wasn't very comfortable with the silence around, and it didn't feel right without Harry there. 'Please be ok.' She thought over and over again. She had a feeling that Harry was hurt and couldn't stand the thought of Harry being alone in the alert manor. 'What the….?' Hermione thought as she saw some smoke arising from the manor. 'Oh no!'

"HARRY!!!!" Hermione yelled just before the manor burst into an explosion of flames! The sound was deafening, and many covered their ears. The fire had reached some of the woods, and was burning ferociously. She didn't think about what she was doing. She just started to run, until two pairs of hands held her back.

"LET ME GO! WE HAVE TO TURN BACK!" Hermione yelled through her tears, trying to get free.

"Hermione, you'd have fallen off! Now listen up! No one here can control the snake! It's flying under Harry's orders. Now, if anyone here could speak Parselmouth, we'd definitely turn back but we can't." Ron shouted as she kept kicking to be set free.

"Harry's still in there! He's going to die if we don't help him!" Hermione sobbed uncontrollably.

"Herms, if we got caught, all of Harry's efforts will have been in vain, and you know Harry. He's survived a lot worse, he's going to survive this," Lavender whispered to her comfortingly.

"HOW? WHO'D SURVIVE AN EXPLOSION LIKE THAT?!" Hermione yelled getting angry.

"Harry will! Out of all of the people in this world, I would've thought you'd trust in him the most!" Ron said to Hermione. She calmed down a little and sat down on the snake's tail, in shock.

"She is right about one thing though, Harry could use some help, that's why I'm going," Sirius announced and morphed into his animagus form, the large, muscular, black dog. He walked up to Hermione and placed a loving nuzzle to her. Hermione looked at Padfoot, and saw the determination in his eyes. She gave a weak smile and nodded. With that, Padfoot jumped off the end of tail of the snake and into a fairly tall oak tree. He jumped from tree to tree, towards the blazing inferno, with only one thought in his head, 'Reach Harry.' Padfoot turned and saw that the flying snake was some distance away now, he then jumped into a Sycamore tree that was above the ground. He knew he'd choke on the smoke if he went to the ground, so he tried to stay up where the air was slightly cleaner. He started to jump on trees where the base was on fire. He didn't stay on the burning trees for long as he knew that it would collapse. Padfoot carried on like this until he reached the garden of the manor. He jumped on to the grass and crept low under all the smoke, trying to keep the choking substance away from his lungs. He reached the door, and broke through it. In the kitchen stood many frightened house elves, shaking and coughing in fear. There was soon a mad rush to the door, but as each elf past Padfoot, they all said 'thanks you' to him for freeing them.

Padfoot walked further into the house, avoiding burning debris that had been scattered from the explosion. He came into, what seemed like the main hallway. He made his way up the burning staircase, avoiding any fire that may have been on the steps. He was wondering how he was going to find Harry, he could be anywhere in the manor. He tried to remember back to the days when Lily and James had lived in the manor. He had always referred to it as 'Potter Palace' because the house was huge. It had been such a long time since he had actually roamed this house with his friends. He tried to remember all the rooms that James and Lily had shown him. There were many secret passages in this place and many secret portraits, just like Hogwarts. Padfoot tried to think like Harry for this time. 'If I were trying to find our wands, where would I search?' he thought as he broke down every door in the hallway to search for Harry. 'Well, I keep important things close to me, Malfoy would do the same, and that's where Harry would go!' he said in realisation. He then tried to remember where the master bedroom had been. 'Where was James and Lily's room? I should know, all the Marauder's helped to redecorate this palace! Even that scum Pettigrew!' Padfoot thought. He then remembered something about a west wing. He headed towards that direction. Running through flames and burning rooms and avoiding falling debris, Padfoot pounded on different rooms at the west wing, searching for any sign of Harry. He then came to a large door, which definitely looked like the master room. He broke through the door and recognised some of it. He looked around the room and that it was empty. He broke open the cupboard door and looked for Harry everywhere. It was completely deserted. 'Maybe Harry's already left.' He thought. He then passed the painting of the waterfall. He saw the flames tickling the frame and flames moving inside the picture? Now, he always knew that the people in portraits moved, but never the scenery. He lifted a black paw and barked when his paw went right through the painting. It felt like a thousand little paint strokes were on his paw. Padfoot took his paw out from the painting and then stepped back. He ran in through the painting and fell into the cold water of the waterfall. He swam the 'doggy paddle' onto the small piece of land. He shook himself dry, with the help of the warm flame, he turned all fluffy. Padfoot groaned but then noticed an orange glow coming from behind the waterfall. He walked up to and sniffed at it. He smelt smoke coming from behind it. He decided to investigate and jumped through the waterfall. He entered a hall which had been lit by torches. The orange glow was coming from further inside the cave. He ran through the corridor and entered a huge burning chamber. It was huge, and very hot inside. There were large green curtains which had been burning up to the top. The chamber was full of fire and smoke, and Padfoot could barely breathe. He eyed the chamber with watery eyes and saw a figure at the far end. It was Harry! Padfoot barked out loud. Harry didn't seem to hear him. Padfoot started to run up to him as fast as he could. He then realised that Harry was reaching towards safe, no wonder Harry hadn't responded to his bark.

Harry's fingers lightly brushed the black safe. His fingers burned as he touched it with even the gentlest touch. He bought his fingers away, lightly caressing them, and blowing on them to cool them down. 'Damn! It's too hot!" Harry thought and frowned. His numb legs had been shaking with his weight and soon enough gave way. Instead of hitting the hard floor, Harry felt strong arms hold him up. Harry looked up to see the grinning yet worried face of Sirius. Sirius was relieve beyond belief to see Harry alive. But he was in bad shape. He was bleeding, had cuts and bruises everywhere, and his legs were numb.

"Sirius…the wands…they're in the safe," Harry said weakly. Sirius took a look at the safe and took Harry's wand. He pointed Harry's wand at the safe and shortly afterwards, it exploded, leaving a hole where the safe door had been. Inside there was a huge stack of different wands, with nothing else inside, except a few rags.

"Do you have a sack?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded and with a bloodied hand, reached inside a pocket of his robes and pulled out a shrunken sack. Sirius stuffed the sack with every wand inside the safe. He just picked up a handful and put them in, picking up some extra rags with them.

The fire was growing bigger and the smoke was getting thicker, and the large wooden rods that held up the ceiling began to shake. Harry was sure they would collapse soon. Within a few minutes, Sirius had filled the sack with wands. He found his wand and went to Harry. He conjured some bandages and wrapped them around Harry's cuts as quickly as possible. He also sorted the numbness in Harry's legs. Even though the blood could now flow into his legs, he couldn't walk.

"It's at times like these I wish I knew how to apparate," Sirius muttered. Harry agreed and thought that he'd practise that if they ever got out of the blazing house.

"You wouldn't have any Floo Powder on you?" Sirius asked Harry as he tied a bandage around his arm. Harry shook his head but had to smile. Sirius always thought of the most obvious answers. Harry started to cough and splutter as more smoke filled the room.

"We'd better get out of here quickly," Sirius said. He put the shrunken sack of wands into Harry's pocket and went into his animagus form. With the strength only a massive dog could muster, he hoisted Harry on to his back and ran as fast as he could out of the chamber. They were lucky, then rods holding up the ceiling snapped and the roof of the chamber toppled down to the floor.

Padfoot was having some trouble swimming with Harry on him, but he swam as hard as he could. Harry gulped as he saw the exit of the picture. The fire had burned holes in the canvas and the exit was getting smaller and smaller. If they didn't get out, they'd be trapped inside the painting. When they reached the canvas, it was just big enough for one person to go at a time. Padfoot barked for Harry to go first. Harry got off of Padfoot's back and pulled himself through the hole. He collapsed at the other side, as he still hadn't managed to have full control of his legs. He moaned as he had landed on his sore arm, but made space for Padfoot to get through. Within a few minutes, Padfoot had managed to get threw the canvas hole, with a lot of growling and moaning. He howled a little as the tip of his tail had caught fire.

"Calm down!" Harry scolded and with a rag of the four-poster bed, he took out the burning fire on Padfoot's tail. Padfoot seemed a little gruff after that, but hoisted Harry on his back again. He dodged the flames inside the room and avoided the four-poster bed, as it looked ready to collapse. Padfoot trotted through the corridors, avoiding the flames that had engulfed the house. Padfoot raced down fiery corridors, dodged the swaying doors, avoided the debris scattered everywhere in the rooms and jumped over roaring walls of fire. After a few minutes of wondering all over the house, they reached the main hallway. Padfoot would have pounded down the stairs, had they not been on fire. There was no way to the bottom floor; they'd have to find another escape route. It was too hot where they were so Padfoot headed for another hallway.

"Wait! We'll have to go to the highest tower! The flames won't have reached there yet! And I have my Firebolt with me!" Harry called over the flames to Padfoot. A somewhat relieved grin was plastered on Padfoot's face as if to say 'Thank god! You need to lose weight! You're too heavy!' Harry hit him playfully but bellowed out the instructions. They passed the fiery library; passed the potion storage room which held a lot of flammable ingredients and the upstairs cloakroom. Things started to get ever so slightly cooler as they got further and further away from the blazing inferno in the main hallway. Padfoot managed to reach the East Wing and found a spiralling staircase. Padfoot bounded up the cool steps of the spiralling staircase and broke open the door at the top of the staircase. Once inside, Harry got off Padfoot, and he changed back into his human form.

"I think I've lost weight from carrying you around!" Sirius stated and stretched. Harry just laughed.

"Yeah, you needed to lose a few stone anyway," Harry replied innocently.

"If you didn't have all those cuts on you I would have jinxed you by now," Sirius warned, trying to be serious but failing miserably. Harry brought out his sack which had been shrunk and filled it with some of the things in the room; things that had belonged to his parents. Sirius had recognised some of the things and helped Harry put them inside the sack.

"Engorio!" Harry muttered at the sack. It grew with much more space left. They packed in any other things left inside the room. 'I lost this all once before, I won't lose it again.' Harry thought as he stole a glance at the door. The glow of the flames could be seen on it.

"We'd better hurry up." Sirius said as he placed an ornament of a stag inside the sack.

"Yeah," Harry stated and quickened his pace in putting everything in the sack.

The flames had reached the doorframe and everything was starting to get hotter and smoke had reached the room.

"We have to go now!" Sirius said and grabbed Harry. He nodded and brought out his broomstick which magically enlarged to its full length.

"Right, let's go," Sirius said and started to take off.

"No wait! There's still something left!" Harry shouted.

"What?!" Sirius turned around and saw a grimy photo frame. It had a picture of James, Lily, Remus and himself in it. The corner tip of the frame had been slightly burned. Sirius got off the broomstick and the tower wall supported Harry so that he could stand up. Sirius reached out for the photo frame and as the flames started to tickle his skin. He winced a little in pain but grabbed the photo frame. He stuffed it inside his pocket and headed for the broomstick.

"Ok, let's get out of here, now!" Sirius ordered. Harry nodded in agreement and smiled at him.

"Thanks Sirius," Harry said as they reached the window ledge.

"Honestly, the things we do for our best friends son. Jump through roaring flames; collect a bad school photograph from a roaring fire. If I live to be 50, I deserve a reward," Sirius muttered under his breath. Harry laughed and they took off into the night sky. Leaving behind the manor which once stood proudly, and heading towards a new dawn, after the others.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter is kinda short. I meant for it to go on for longer, but I couldn't really extend it without going into the next chapter! Please review, I have the flu right now (I always get the flu when the seasons changed drastically!), and lots of reviews would make me feel a whole lot better ::hint hint::!