Harry tied the letter onto Hedwig's leg and sent her off. As soon as she flew out the window, there was a knock on the door and Uncle Vernon slid the newspaper under the crack in the door. Harry listened after him and heard Uncle Vernon walk heavily back down the stairs. Harry lifted up the newspaper and started to read:

A police reports that Sirius Black, an escaped convict, has been sighted just outside of London. Black committed thirteen murders fourteen years ago and was charged with a life sentence, but has been on the loose for two years.

"It was terrifying! I saw him run behind a bush and then he disappeared. The only thing behind that bush was a big, black dog," cried a shocked bystander.

"I thought he was going to murder me! He stood there with a grin on his face as he stared right at me! I knew I was going to be his next victim, but then the policemen arrived and he fled behind a bush. The only thing I saw after that was a black dog running down towards the end of the street." exclaimed another horror-struck bystander.

The police report that they have fully scouted the area and are still searching high and low for this murderer. All the evidence they could find was a single strand of black hair that forensics have determined was only a dog's hair.

Will this man ever be caught? Will justice ever be served to the families of those who were killed? This reporter can say that only time will tell.

Harry stared blankly down at the article. Sirius had left himself be seen. How could he be so careless? Doesn't he know that Muggles are after him also? What was Harry going to do? If the Dementors, the guards at Azkaban, caught Sirius, they would surely give him the fatal kiss (Dementors suck out your soul). And what about those people? Sirius didn't smile at them. He would never do that. Sirius wasn't insane or mental like that. He would have just gone and hide again. He wouldn't kill anyone. He didn't kill those thirteen people. The good thing was that Harry knew Sirius had escaped. You see, Sirius is an unregistered Animagus (a witch or wizard who can transfigure into a certain animal) and Sirius could transfigure into a big, black dog. It was a little relief to Harry that he knew Sirius had gotten away, but he was now worried that everyone is going to be on high alert to look for him.

Harry started to daydream about going to the Weasley's house. He wished he could leave right now. By the time 5:00 o'clock rolled around, Harry had completely forgotten about all his worries. But just then, an ear-piercing scream ruined the moment. He recognized the high-pitched scream as Aunt Petunia's and he set off down the stairs. Once he reached the hallway, Dudley came pounding past trying to get far away from the source of the scream. Maybe it was Hagrid? Aunt Petunia screamed when she saw him for the first time.

Harry reached the back door and flung it open. A huge, black dog knocked Harry off his feet before realized what was happening. Harry knew who it was as soon as he got to his feet. It was Sirius. He grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and pulled it upstairs to his room. He forced the dog under his bed so that it would be hidden. As soon as the dog's tail was shoved under, Uncle Vernon burst through the door into Harry's room.

"Where is it?" Uncle Vernon screamed. His vein looked as though it was about to explode.

"Where's what?" asked Harry trying to keep and innocent face. He didn't want to ruin his only chance of getting away for the rest of the summer.

"You know what! Don't try to play stupid with me!" snapped Uncle Vernon.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about! All I heard was Aunt Petunia scream. I decided to stay in here because I know how much you hate it when I interfere with you." Harry said, trying not to snap back.

"Very well. You got away with whatever you did this time, but next time, I'll be ready." said Uncle Vernon threateningly, "And by the way, you are not permitted to leave this room for a week because of your smart mouth."

Uncle Vernon turned his heels and stormed out of the room, making sure to slam the door so hard that it made the alarm clock on the desk fall and break. Harry was ready to pull out his wand and turn Uncle Vernon into the ugliest creature he could think of and then put a cage around it that was unbreakable. But Harry knew better. If he did this, the Ministry of Magic would expel him for sure. He had already gotten into trouble with them three years ago, and they said if he messed up again, he would be booted out of Hogwarts. Harry was sure that Professor Snape would appreciate the day Harry was expelled. Snape hated Harry from every cell in his body. So likewise, Harry hated Snape right back.

"Alright. It's okay for you to come out now." Harry said to his bed.

Immediately, the black dog crawled out from under the bed and started to transfigure back into a recognizable human.

"It's good to see you again Harry. I've missed you. I hope these dumb Muggles are treating you well. I'll show them somethin' if…"

"It's alright Sirius. I can deal with them. I've gotten used to it over the years." Harry said, trying to hold back a quick laugh.

Sirius looked very stressed at the moment. He looked thinner than usual and his eyes showed a man that was trying to live. He looked as though he hadn't eaten for a few months.

"Here. Eat this. You need it more than me. At least I do get food here." Harry offered his stored food to Sirius.

"Thank you Harry. You are just like your father. So honest and loving…and caring." Sirius said while looking down at his feet.

Harry heard that often. Everyone said that he was just like his father. The only people that didn't say this were the Dursleys, and that's only because they never talked about his parents. Mentioning them was banned from the house.

"What happened to you? How did you get seen? Why did you let yourself be seen? What if –…"

But Sirius cut Harry short.

"Harry, I didn't do it on purpose. It was Pettigrew. He did it. I dunno how, but he used some kind of hex and it turned me back to human form before I realized it. That's when all these people caught sight of me. I had to run for it. I hid behind a bush and transformed back into a dog. Then I tried searching for Pettigrew so I could get him back and try to clear my name. But I couldn't find him." Sirius explained this very fast.

"But why did you leave your cave in Hogsmeade?" questioned Harry, "You were safe there. No one would have known that you were there."

"That's where you're wrong." Sirius said with a worried expression on his face.

"What? What do you mean?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Pettigrew found that I was there and I spotted Voldemort one night nearing my cave, so I escaped out a back entrance that I found before. The only place that I could think of to come to was here. You and I both need protection from Voldemort. That's why we have to stay together at all costs." Sirius was starting to become hysterical, "I don't want Voldemort to get you like he has…like he has gotten your parents. I would never forgive myself."

"But what about when school starts? I'm going to go, right?" Harry was getting a bit nervous at this moment.

"I'll write to Dumbledore and explain the situation to him. I'm sure he will let me stay with your in your dorm room." Sirius explained.

"Don't you think it would be pretty suspicious? I mean, me having two pets, and one of them isn't even on the list?" asked Harry nervously, thinking of Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at school.

"Well, I dunno. I never really thought about it. But I'm sure Dumbledore would take care of it, providing the situations that are happening now." Sirius said gently.

"Yeah, I s'pose." But Harry still didn't think that everything was going to be taken care of. He was now worried about what Snape would do. Snape knew that Sirius was a black dog and Snape and Sirius hated each other since they went to Hogwarts together.

Just then, a barn owl swooped into the room with a parcel in its mouth. It dropped the package into Harry's lap and flew into Hedwig's cage to get a drink of water. Then Pig flew in with a letter in his little beak. Pig flew down and was about to climb into Hedwig's cage for a drink, but was shoved out by the owl, who didn't seem to like Pig very well.

Harry leaned over and opened the letter first and read it out loud:

Hey Harry,

I got your note from Hedwig, but she flew out before I could write back, so I had to send Pig with this. Anyway, I'm so glad you can come over. Mum said that we can come pick you up tomorrow around noon, so be ready. We don't know how we are coming to get you yet. I told Dad not to use Floo Powder this time, so we might come by a Muggle taxi or borrow a car from the Ministry. Have you heard anything from Sirius yet? I read in the Daily Prophet that he was seen near London. Is he okay? Has he been caught? You have to fill me in on everything tomorrow. See you then!

Ron

Then Harry turned to the parcel lying in his lap. Who could this be from? It didn't have any name written on the paper, or, for the matter, nothing was written on the paper. He tore open the paper and found something that his blood run cold. He found a piece of paper with giant writing on it in what looked like blood. It said:

Harry Potter, you're time is short. When you least expect it, I will strike and you will have no one to hide behind and nothing to protect you. Harry Potter, you're time will expire this year.

Sirius ripped the parchment out of Harry's hand and read it. Then he grabbed for parchment and a quill and wrote very fast. He then tied the letter and the note, from who Harry guessed was Voldemort, to the barn owl and sent it off. Harry didn't have anytime to ask whom the letter was to.

"We have to leave soon. No, no. We are leaving now." Sirius said in a low voice so that no one could hear.

Harry grabbed Pig and tossed him out the window so that he could fly back to Ron's house. Then he grabbed all his books, parchment, clothes, and his special eagle quill that Hermione had bought him and shoved it all into his trunk. Then Sirius grabbed Hedwig's cage and shrunk it with his wand and tossed that into the trunk as well. Then, to Harry's amazement, he shrunk the whole trunk and handed it to Harry to put it in his pocket. Sirius then made a collar and leash appear in his hand and told him to put that around his neck when he became a dog. Then Sirius transformed back into a dog again and drug Harry down the stairs. As Harry and Sirius quietly crept out the front door, Harry slipped the collar over Sirius's head and attached the leash. Now Harry looked like a normal person walking his dog.

But then Harry stopped suddenly and realized he had forgotten the most important item he owned. He dashed back into the house and up the stairs. When he emerged once again from the house, he was carrying his Firebolt under his arm. Sirius transformed back quietly and shrunk the broomstick, then turned right back into a dog.

Then they headed off towards the Burrow where Harry knew he would be safe for the rest of the summer. And he would be safer with Sirius right there by his side. For one shining moment, Harry was happy. He was with someone who loved him and was heading towards his best friend's house to spend the rest of his summer. Nothing could ruin this moment.