Chapter 11
Time Has Come Today
In the days that followed, Sirius worked harder than he had ever worked before trying to assume the shape of the tiny owl, Pig. Pig slept on the ledge outside Sirius' cell and Sirius gave him food and water from his daily ration. Apparently his presence was either not noticed or was deemed insignificant because no attempt was made to capture him or chase him away. Since Azkaban was an island, there were always lots of birds flying about and one more probably would not be noticed. Pig's small stature was helpful as well because from a distance, he didn't look like an owl. They also found a small crevice in the mortar of the ledge just outside the cell window that made a perfect hiding place for the chopstick/wand. Dobby was impressed.
"Not bad." Said Dobby when Sirius told him about the hiding place. "Dementors can't find it if it's not here. Dobby don't think window ledge gets inspected too often. Long way down to a bunch of sharp rocks."
"Did you find out anything about the carpet making any magical energy when it is deactivated?" Sirius asked.
"Funny thing about that." Said Dobby. "Dobby talk to a guy last evening about flying carpets. He's in for trying to assassinate somebody or other and carpet smuggling. He's from a place where they get used a lot and he say that when a carpet is off, it's off. Just a rug, no way to tell it's magic. So as long as it's off, nobody should know."
"I hope you were, uh, careful about your questions." Sirius said hopefully.
"Hey," said Dobby, "He start talking to me. Dobby just listen and nod and grunt at right places."
"All right then." Said Sirius, "At least that's one less thing for us to worry about."
"How 'bout you." Asked Dobby. "Can you be owl yet?"
"I've almost got it." Sirius replied, "The problem is his size. But once you get the form right, the size will follow so it's nothing to worry about."
"How soon you think?"
"Maybe tomorrow." Said Sirius. "I didn't think this would be that hard when we started but then the conditions are not exactly ideal either."
"Can I see?"
"Sure." Said Sirius as he became the dog. It took a few seconds but the dog slowly dissolved into the shape of Pig. He was not as small as Pig though and would still not be able to fit between the bars.
"Not bad." Said Dobby, "Can you fly?"
For answer, Sirius took off, flew around the cell twice and landed on Dobby's head.
"Okay, okay. Dobby get the point." Dobby cried flailing his arms. Sirius flew back to the bed and became human.
"Pretty good." Said Dobby obviously impressed. "Can you teach me to do that?"
"Maybe, but Elf and human magic is different, remember?" Sirius reminded him.
"Oh yeah." Said Dobby a bit crestfallen. "When you think you get out?"
"With luck, maybe tomorrow night." Sirius said softly. "We're going to have to do it after bed check."
"What's we?" said Dobby inquisitively.
"You are coming too." Sirius told him.
"But Dobby don't need to come." Dobby wailed, "Dobby don't need to escape."
"I need you." Said Sirius. "The biggest reason is that I need someone to fly the carpet back."
"Why we need to get rug back here?" Dobby wanted to know.
"Because," said Sirius patiently, "If they find me gone and the carpet missing, they will put two and two together real quick and realize it was an inside job. There is the possibility they might think that anyway, but that will make them positive. Since you were the one who brought this particular carpet to this cell, in front of witnesses, you are going to be the first on they will want to talk to. It won't matter if you tell them that you just randomly picked it, they will think you planted it or was told to plant it in which case you will undergo interrogation that I promise that will not be pleasant. Do you get my drift?"
"Mr. Sirius Black makes good argument." Dobby acknowledged.
"So." Sirius continued, "What we need to do is get out, get me to Mooney's place and you get the carpet back in the cell before anyone finds out what happened. You get the rug back, you are where you are supposed to be and nobody has any reason to question you. That's the plan."
'Might just work." Said Dobby. "Dobby just have two things that bother him."
"Which are?"
"First, since when do Azkaban guards need a reason to ask questions." Dobby pointed out.
"All you have to do is tell them you were just doing what you were told." Said Sirius, "Which you were. The carpet is just a rug and nobody has any reson to question you further. What's the other concern?"
"What is 'Mooney'?"
Sirius chuckled. "That is my friend Remus Lupin." He said.
"So why do Mr. Sirius Black call him Mooney." Asked Dobby again.
"Well," Sirius began, "You see, he has this little problem that crops up from time to time."
"Problem?" Echoed Dobby.
"Yes, well, you see." Sirius stammered, "Oh, nuts, he's a werewolf."
Dobby's eyes got as big as saucers "Mr. Sirius Black is friends with a werewolf?" He blinked. "You know most people would think Mr. Sirius Black is a few broomsticks short of a Quidditch game."
"I know what most people think." Said Sirius irritably, "But they don't know Remus Lupin. I've known him since my days at Hogwarts and I know he'll help us. Assistance for us convicted murders isn't exactly in surplus these days you know. Harry has already gotten some things for me and given them to Mooney. Besides, he's not as dangerous as you might think. In any event, the full moon isn't until the end of the week so we have time."
"So what are you gonna do when you meet up with this Mooney?" Said Dobby.
"We've got to find Peter Petigrew." Said Sirius grimly. "Not for the Animagus stuff, and not because he's Voldemort's head stooge. I want him for me. To finally clear my name. I don't have a clue where he is or how I'm going to go about finding him. I only know that I must find him."
"If he with You-Know-Who, then getting to him will be plenty tough." Said Dobby, "Dobby would really like Mr. Sirius Black to be in one piece when this is all over."
Sirius smiled. "You're a good elf, Dobby." He said. "I don't know who is behind the scenes and, at least for now, it's probably better that I don't. I might have gotten out on my own but I'm grateful for your help and I promise, I won't forget this."
"Dobby don't know." Said Dobby, "Dobby got a bad feeling about this."
In the days that followed, Sirius worked harder than he had ever worked before trying to assume the shape of the tiny owl, Pig. Pig slept on the ledge outside Sirius' cell and Sirius gave him food and water from his daily ration. Apparently his presence was either not noticed or was deemed insignificant because no attempt was made to capture him or chase him away. Since Azkaban was an island, there were always lots of birds flying about and one more probably would not be noticed. Pig's small stature was helpful as well because from a distance, he didn't look like an owl. They also found a small crevice in the mortar of the ledge just outside the cell window that made a perfect hiding place for the chopstick/wand. Dobby was impressed.
"Not bad." Said Dobby when Sirius told him about the hiding place. "Dementors can't find it if it's not here. Dobby don't think window ledge gets inspected too often. Long way down to a bunch of sharp rocks."
"Did you find out anything about the carpet making any magical energy when it is deactivated?" Sirius asked.
"Funny thing about that." Said Dobby. "Dobby talk to a guy last evening about flying carpets. He's in for trying to assassinate somebody or other and carpet smuggling. He's from a place where they get used a lot and he say that when a carpet is off, it's off. Just a rug, no way to tell it's magic. So as long as it's off, nobody should know."
"I hope you were, uh, careful about your questions." Sirius said hopefully.
"Hey," said Dobby, "He start talking to me. Dobby just listen and nod and grunt at right places."
"All right then." Said Sirius, "At least that's one less thing for us to worry about."
"How 'bout you." Asked Dobby. "Can you be owl yet?"
"I've almost got it." Sirius replied, "The problem is his size. But once you get the form right, the size will follow so it's nothing to worry about."
"How soon you think?"
"Maybe tomorrow." Said Sirius. "I didn't think this would be that hard when we started but then the conditions are not exactly ideal either."
"Can I see?"
"Sure." Said Sirius as he became the dog. It took a few seconds but the dog slowly dissolved into the shape of Pig. He was not as small as Pig though and would still not be able to fit between the bars.
"Not bad." Said Dobby, "Can you fly?"
For answer, Sirius took off, flew around the cell twice and landed on Dobby's head.
"Okay, okay. Dobby get the point." Dobby cried flailing his arms. Sirius flew back to the bed and became human.
"Pretty good." Said Dobby obviously impressed. "Can you teach me to do that?"
"Maybe, but Elf and human magic is different, remember?" Sirius reminded him.
"Oh yeah." Said Dobby a bit crestfallen. "When you think you get out?"
"With luck, maybe tomorrow night." Sirius said softly. "We're going to have to do it after bed check."
"What's we?" said Dobby inquisitively.
"You are coming too." Sirius told him.
"But Dobby don't need to come." Dobby wailed, "Dobby don't need to escape."
"I need you." Said Sirius. "The biggest reason is that I need someone to fly the carpet back."
"Why we need to get rug back here?" Dobby wanted to know.
"Because," said Sirius patiently, "If they find me gone and the carpet missing, they will put two and two together real quick and realize it was an inside job. There is the possibility they might think that anyway, but that will make them positive. Since you were the one who brought this particular carpet to this cell, in front of witnesses, you are going to be the first on they will want to talk to. It won't matter if you tell them that you just randomly picked it, they will think you planted it or was told to plant it in which case you will undergo interrogation that I promise that will not be pleasant. Do you get my drift?"
"Mr. Sirius Black makes good argument." Dobby acknowledged.
"So." Sirius continued, "What we need to do is get out, get me to Mooney's place and you get the carpet back in the cell before anyone finds out what happened. You get the rug back, you are where you are supposed to be and nobody has any reason to question you. That's the plan."
'Might just work." Said Dobby. "Dobby just have two things that bother him."
"Which are?"
"First, since when do Azkaban guards need a reason to ask questions." Dobby pointed out.
"All you have to do is tell them you were just doing what you were told." Said Sirius, "Which you were. The carpet is just a rug and nobody has any reson to question you further. What's the other concern?"
"What is 'Mooney'?"
Sirius chuckled. "That is my friend Remus Lupin." He said.
"So why do Mr. Sirius Black call him Mooney." Asked Dobby again.
"Well," Sirius began, "You see, he has this little problem that crops up from time to time."
"Problem?" Echoed Dobby.
"Yes, well, you see." Sirius stammered, "Oh, nuts, he's a werewolf."
Dobby's eyes got as big as saucers "Mr. Sirius Black is friends with a werewolf?" He blinked. "You know most people would think Mr. Sirius Black is a few broomsticks short of a Quidditch game."
"I know what most people think." Said Sirius irritably, "But they don't know Remus Lupin. I've known him since my days at Hogwarts and I know he'll help us. Assistance for us convicted murders isn't exactly in surplus these days you know. Harry has already gotten some things for me and given them to Mooney. Besides, he's not as dangerous as you might think. In any event, the full moon isn't until the end of the week so we have time."
"So what are you gonna do when you meet up with this Mooney?" Said Dobby.
"We've got to find Peter Petigrew." Said Sirius grimly. "Not for the Animagus stuff, and not because he's Voldemort's head stooge. I want him for me. To finally clear my name. I don't have a clue where he is or how I'm going to go about finding him. I only know that I must find him."
"If he with You-Know-Who, then getting to him will be plenty tough." Said Dobby, "Dobby would really like Mr. Sirius Black to be in one piece when this is all over."
Sirius smiled. "You're a good elf, Dobby." He said. "I don't know who is behind the scenes and, at least for now, it's probably better that I don't. I might have gotten out on my own but I'm grateful for your help and I promise, I won't forget this."
"Dobby don't know." Said Dobby, "Dobby got a bad feeling about this."
