A/N: Ohmigosh, it's the last chapter! I really hope that you all liked it, and thank you so much for making this a great experience. I hope to hear from you all again on my next story…

Chapter 16

Back to Belle's

There was one place that Sirius wanted to go more than anywhere. Back to Belle's house. Not only was he sure that he could lay low there for as long as he would need, but he was so excited to see her again.

It took him about a day to fly there, and he arrived early evening, after flying high in the misty clouds all day. He made sure that there weren't any Muggles around on the streets, before he ducked Buckbeak down into Belle's backyard.

"What the—?" Belle came outside, staring at the hippogriff. She looked up at Sirius, running her fingers through her black hair, as Sirius slid off Buckbeak's back. "Sirius?"

She ran to him, and held him tightly. "Oh my God… You—how did you…?"

"Harry. Harry saved me." Sirius said, refusing to let go of Belle this time.

"But Sirius—I heard about the dementors. They were going to perform the Kiss… and you…" Belle shuddered at the thought, she stepped back to look at him. "It's impossible…"

"But I'm all right now… and Harry's going to live with me! Moving in this summer!" Sirius told her happily.

"Sirius, he can't do that—you can't do that." Belle said softly. "You have to find a place to hide and…" She trailed off, looked around, as though realizing where she was for the first time. "Inside!" She cried, grabbing Sirius's hand and leading him into the house. Without another word, she zipped around, closing the curtains as she had on the first night he came.

"Come on, Belle. Don't worry so—"

"You realize what they'll do if they catch you, don't you?" She cut him off. "They won't put you in Azkaban again. They won't give you a trial. They'll suck out your soul, Sirius. You'll be worse than dead! And then what? I'll…" She drifted off, staring in his eyes. Sirius gulped. "Why did you come back here?" She asked finally.

"I wanted to see you again." Sirius said feebly.

"I…" Belle started. But just looking at Belle reminded him of how much he'd missed her the past thirteen years. He never wanted to have to leave her side again… she had protected him, and he knew her better than anyone else. With an inward lurch, Sirius suddenly realized that he wanted to marry her.

"Look, you can't stay here long." Belle said, moving into the kitchen to make Sirius something to eat. But Sirius had a feeling she was just trying to busy herself. "Harry's coming back in a few days and—"

"Can't I just stay and say hello?" Sirius asked, following her into the kitchen to have a seat at the table. He noticed that the pot of polyjuice potion was still out and ready for taking, if necessary.

"Absolutely not!" Belle snapped. "You can't… you just can't. It wouldn't be safe."

"I thought that you'd be happy to see me again." Sirius said sulkily.

Belle pulled her head out of the refrigerator to look at him. "I'm beyond happy to see you, Sirius."

Sirius took a deep breath. Now was his chance. It was the perfect time to ask her to be his wife—he couldn't ask for a better moment.

"Belle," Sirius stood up and walked to her. He took her hands in his own. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, and—" Sirius stopped. Someone was knocking on the door.

"Who could that be?" Belle muttered, dropping Sirius's hands and looking towards the door. She looked at Sirius expectantly. "Well? Hide!"

"Oh, right!" Sirius transformed and stayed in the kitchen, while Belle walked to the front door.

"Let's just hope they don't notice the hippogriff in the backyard, right?" Belle chuckled, and Sirius heard her open the door with a creak. The moment he gathered up enough courage to ask her, he gets interrupted. Wouldn't you know it?

"Elphias? What are you doing here? Harry's not coming home until—"

"I can't believe it! You think you know somebody…" Sirius could hear the man storming into Belle's living room, and flop down on her couch.

"What are you talking about, Elphias?" Belle said evenly, closing the front door, and following her guest.

"Sirius Black, who else!"

"What about Black, Elphias?" Belle asked, her voice suddenly getting softer. Sirius's ears perked up and he listened carefully.

"Tell me you heard what happened! I mean, honestly…" Sirius suddenly recognized the man's voice as Elphias Doge's. He was a member of the Order.

"I've heard bits and pieces…"

"Oh you won't believe it!" Doge gasped. "Black has been showing up around Hogwarts all year, looking for Harry Potter, right? Well, Sirius showed up at Hogwarts last night. He somehow lured Harry Potter and two of his friends into the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade, and starts to tell them some funny story about how Peter Pettigrew is still alive, and is actually Harry's friend's rat. I know, it's crazy, right? Anyway, so he performs the Confundus Charm so they all believe him, so that when Severus Snape comes in after the kids, he finds that they're actually sticking up for Black. And you won't guess who else was in the Shack. Remus Lupin! You know that he was working as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, up at the school? Well, now Snape seems to think that he was in league with Black all along. Dumbledore canceled that out right away, though…

"Anyway, Snape saves the kids, he does, but Sirius escapes, and the kids go running after him. When Snape gets to them, they're at the edge of Hogwarts's lake, and there are at least one hundred dementors that are gliding back to their posts. Harry, Black, and a girl from the school are all unconscious. Snape conjures stretchers for the girl and Harry and he binds and gags Black, naturally, and he brought them all up to the castle."

"You don't say…" Belle sounded shocked, but Sirius strongly doubted that she believed a word of this story.

"I know! And then, when Fudge got the dementors to come perform the Kiss, Black was gone. The window was wide open, and he was gone. How he climbed down seven stories, one will never know—but somehow he got away."

"That is amazing." Belle said, smoothly.

"Tell me about it." Doge said. "Fudge is going to try to get Snape an Order of Merlin for rescuing the kids. First Class, he hopes."

"Really? First Class? You don't say…"

"It's true." Doge sighed. "Well, I have to get to Hogwarts. I promised Dumbledore I'd meet with him before the weekend."

"Thanks for stopping by, Elphias. See you when Harry comes home." Belle said, and Sirius heard a loud pop. "Okay, Sirius, you can come out now." Belle sighed.

Sirius transformed again, and walked into the living room. Belle was seated on the couch with her chin in her hand, watching Sirius carefully.

"Snape is getting the Order of Merlin?" Sirius said roughly. "That's the most outrageous thing I've ever heard! He was unconscious the whole time! And let's be honest, it's not like Harry and his friends were in any danger!"

Belle started to laugh.

"It's not funny!"

"Come on, Sirius. It doesn't mean anything!" Belle said, fighting back her chuckles. Sirius sat next to her on the couch huffily. "And you have to admit that Snape's side of the story is funny. I mean, there are gaping holes—you can tell that the man was unconscious!"

"Okay, so it's a pathetic story—but he doesn't deserve the Order of Merlin." Sirius moped.

"You're just disappointed." Belle said softly.

"Don't know what you're talking about…"

"You didn't catch Peter, Harry can't live with you, Snape's getting the Order of Merlin, you're a runaway convict and if they catch—"

"Okay, shut up." Sirius said with a small laugh that resembled a bark.

"But I'm right." Belle said, elbowing him lightly. Sirius put his arm around her, and she leaned against him. They sat there quietly for a moment.

"How do you do that?" Sirius asked finally.

"Do what?"

"Know exactly what's wrong."

"It's a gift that only—"

"I'm serious." He cut off her joke, and looked at her intensely.

Belle met his stare, and suddenly became uncomfortable. She got up from the couch, and started for the kitchen again. Sirius got up and followed her. There was something pumping in him, and he knew that he had to follow his instincts on this one. Everything else might have gone sour these past few days, but not this—he loved Belle, and he wasn't going to leave without even knowing if she felt the same.

"I guess I just know you so well…" Belle answered quickly, pulling open the fridge again. Sirius closed the refrigerator door shut.

"I'm not hungry." He said with a small smile.

"What if I am?" Belle retorted, pulling the door open again.

"You aren't." He closed it.

"Am too." She opened it.

"You are not. You're just looking for an escape, because I scare you." Sirius said triumphantly.

"You don't scare me. That's ridiculous…"

"Every time I try to talk to you, you move away. You won't let—"

"Okay, shut up." Belle said angrily, pushing the refrigerator door shut with a click. She took a few steps away, and turned to face him. "I'm not afraid of you. I just… I can't look at you, and not think about… your last visit." Belle sighed, and shook her head, ready to confess for the first time. "I love you, Sirius. I always have… Even when everyone thought you were a murderer, I still loved you—but not because I liked you. I thought you were the biggest jerk on the planet. I thought you killed my friends, I thought you lied to us—you made my life hell." Belle said, tears coming to her eyes. "But I still loved you. I had so many memories of the sweet things you said, and the funny things you did… nothing else mattered to me." She laughed softly at herself, wiping the tears off her face. "Well, this is embarrassing…"

"No," Sirius breathed. He walked over to her and kissed her. She loved him—she had always loved him. Somehow, Sirius had known it all along, and yet still failed to see it. He pulled away, and whispered, "Belle, will you marry me?"

"What? No, you're crazy…" Belle didn't move out of his arms, but was trying not to laugh. "You don't have to do anything…"

"I might not have a ring, but I'll get down on my knee…" He continued, doing just that.

"You're serious?" Belle breathed.

"I've never been more serious about anything in my life." Sirius said, looking up at her. She stared at him for a moment, letting this statement sink in.

"Get up…" She said quietly, trying to pull him to his feet.

"Not until you answer me." Sirius said persistently. He wouldn't move, so he waited in silence, while Belle just stared at him.

"Come on, get up…" She repeated.

Sirius considered.

"Fine—but only because my knee is weak, and your floor is uncomfortable." He rose, and took a deep breath. Belle had never kept him waiting this long before. "Will you?" He whispered, now starting to fear rejection. What would he do if she said no? But she couldn't say no—she just confessed her love to him, she wouldn't turn him down… would she?

"Please?" Sirius persisted. "You were the one person who visited me in Azkaban—you've brightened my life for years and I can't live without you. Please, Belle. Marry me."

He took her hands into his own again, and looked into her eyes, every particle of him praying she would accept.

"Okay." Belle said faintly, a small tear gliding down her cheek. "I'll marry you."

Sirius pulled her to him, and hugged her tightly. She was going to marry him—they were going to get married… Sirius couldn't ever remember being happier.

But then it hit him.

How could they get married? He was an escaped prisoner… the ministry wanted him dead.

Belle must have noticed how his face had fallen, for she said, "I don't care, Sirius… I love you; it doesn't matter…"

"How could it not matter?" Sirius said, rubbing his forehead. "Belle, if the ministry catches me, they'll perform the Kiss, and you'll… be left alone."

"You won't get caught, Sirius." Belle said resolutely. "And it's a chance I'm willing to take…"

"But what if someone found out that you were—my wife." God, he loved the way that sounded. "The ministry would be on your house so fast—"

"So we'll keep the engagement a secret." Belle said, grabbing his hands. "Then, when your name is cleared, we'll get married, with all our friends and family there…" She trailed off into smiles.

"It will be so perfect…" Sirius grinned. But he shook his head, clearing the perfect picture that had risen into his mind. "We can't."

"Yes we can, Sirius."

"You'll wait for me? What if it takes a year? Two?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"I'd wait forever—I already have." Belle said with a laugh.

Sirius paused. If she would wait for him, he had to be a free man before they got married. "I'm going to catch Peter." He said at last. "I'll turn him in, and come back for you."

"You'll catch him." Belle said compellingly. "But you have to write me… all the time." She added, touching his face with her hand.

"I don't have an owl." He replied disappointedly.

"I do—and I don't want him." She said, leaving him to walk into another room. When she emerged, a small fluff-ball was zipping around her head. "At first I thought he was cute, but now he's just annoying…"

"You're giving him to me?"

"I don't have any use for him, really." Belle shrugged. She watched the look on Sirius's face for a moment before adding, "Write to Harry. He'll want to know you're safe."

"Good idea." Sirius said, pulling up a chair at the kitchen table, before he realized something was missing.

"Parchment might help." Belle noted, pulling open a drawer and she handed him a quill and a piece of paper.

"Thanks."

Belle left him to his letter, which he wrote quickly. He explained everything about the Firebolt, and he told Harry to give Belle's owl to Ron. Sirius knew Ron would want an owl—Sirius could find other ways to write to Belle. Then, ripping off the bottom piece of the parchment, Sirius wrote Harry a note that would allow him into Hogsmeade. Sirius gave the letter to the buzzing owl, and chucked it out the window. It fell downward at first, and then picked up, looping around slightly, before flying away.

Sirius walked into the living room, where Belle was sitting and reading the Prophet.

"I'd better get going—while it's dark out." He said quietly. Belle nodded, and led him outside. The summer night air was light and warm. Sirius couldn't have asked for better flying conditions.

"I'll miss you." Belle said, and Sirius hugged her again. He didn't want to leave her.

"I'll miss you more." Sirius teased.

"Stay out of trouble, all right?" Belle asked quietly. "Please stay out of trouble…"

"I will." Sirius promised. He kissed her, and walked over to Buckbeak. "I'll write all the time, I swear. And I'll be back before you know it… and I'll send you a ring one of these days." He added, making Belle smile.

"You don't have to do that." She said, petting the hippogriff as Sirius mounted it.

"I want to." He said. Belle took his hand, and kissed him goodbye. "I love you." He said, as he nudged Buckbeak in the ribs. Belle stood back to watch her fiancé rise into the night sky.

"Don't let them find you." She called up to him.

"I won't." He chuckled. Sirius looked down at Belle, and she was smiling sadly up at him. He smiled back, blew her a kiss, and gave Buckbeak another more reluctant nudge. He rose higher with a whoosh of his wings. Again, they were flying high in the air, and where to, Sirius wasn't sure yet. But one thing was certain, no matter how far away he was; he was determined to be a good godfather to Harry, and an even better future-husband to Belle.

"All right, there, Buckbeak?" Sirius muttered to the hippogriff, stroking his neck. He was on the run again, but he wasn't worried. He was certain he could find someplace to hide out. He knew he had to write to Dumbledore, to thank him for whatever it was he'd done to save Sirius from the dementors.

Sirius smiled to himself. Peter may have escaped from Sirius, but Peter was alone in the world—Sirius had people who cared about him. And that was sweeter than any revenge.

The End

Or is it?!

We all know from reading the books that Sirius's part in the Harry Potter legacy did not end with flying off into the sunset on the back of a hippogriff.

So what REALLY happened? Good question. One that can only be solved with the upcoming sequel, called "The Prisoner of Azkaban 2: The Goblet of Fire".

What will happen to Sirius and Belle? Where did Sirius go over summer break? What does he know about the Dark Lord Voldemort that Harry doesn't?

All these questions and more can be answered by reading…

"THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN 2: THE GOBLET OF FIRE!"