Sirius was sprinting out of Hogwarts on four legs cursing in his mind. Tonight didn't go as planned at all. He was injured and he didn't even get past the Fat Lady portrait into the Gryffindor common room. Also, just how the hell did Snivvy even become a professor at Hogwarts? Dumbledore honestly hired a Death Eater to teach children? Some people are beyond second chances and it's a pretty clear sign which is which by checking for an ugly tattoo branded on their arms with dark magic.


His plan started perfectly, breaking into Honeydukes and taking the secret passageway into the school. The school was completely silent and the only prefect patrol he came across was thoroughly examining the inside of a broom closet as he passed them by. As he arrived at Gryffindor Tower, he shifted back into his human form and approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, dozing in her frame.

With a knock to wake her up, Sirius put on a charming smile, and said, "Good evening, fair maiden. I am on a mission of great importance. Would you please allow me to enter?"

Sirius remembered all the times that he forgot the password and had to charm this chubby guardian to get in late at night. He smiled thinking of old times.

She looked him over, and replied, "You are not a student or a teacher. Let me go back to sleep."

It would take a bit more work, he thought, "As smart as you are fair. I used to be a student and I have returned on a great quest, worthy of Godric Gryffindor himself. Please allow me to enter."

She blushed at his compliments but shook her head, "No password, no entry. I'm sorry."

Enough Mr. Nice Guy, "Look here," he started. "I need access to something inside the tower. Give me access or else."

The Fat Lady put on a haughty expression, "Or else what?"

Sirius pulled out one of the knives he had taken from the Weasley house, "Or else I'll cut your fat ass out of your frame and throw you in the lake."

She looked frozen at the threat. Sirius needed to get in and finish the job. He could feel the anxiety of The Grim in his mind preparing for the kill. He couldn't wait, so he slashed at the painting, eliciting a scream from the toga-clad woman. He slashed again and again, trying to get to the hole behind the portrait but there was no passageway, only stone.

The screaming started to wake up other portraits and he knew an alarm would sound soon. Making up his mind to flee, he ran for the main staircase, shifting into The Grim as he went. When he was on the third floor, the alarm had fully activated and portraits were yelling to conduct any pursuers to him. He couldn't go out the way he came in or he wouldn't be able to use it again, so he headed for the courtyard.

When he got there, someone was blocking his path… Snivellus.

He stared at the massive, red-eyed, black dog in front of him for a moment before he spoke, "You're The Grim of Azkaban, aren't you? I must have just missed Black." He looked briefly out towards the forest before turning back, "You're hunting him? Go on then, get to it."

He stepped aside to let the beast pass. Not looking a gifted unicorn in the mouth, Sirius carefully started to walk by. Though when he got closer, he caught the unique magical scent of a Dark Mark on Snivvy's left arm. He turned to growl at it. Snape's eyes widened, immediately realizing the implications of the action, and knowing that this creature had been killing Death Eaters in Azkaban for years. He started to raise his wand but was too slow. Sirius knocked him down and went for the neck.

Abandoning his wand for an extra hand to keep this monstrous dog off his throat, Snape held the creature's jaws inches away from opening new holes for him to breathe out of. As Sirius tried to kill his schoolyard enemy and this Death Eater in front of him, he was hit in the side by a spell. As he was knocked away by the blast, his claws raked over Snape's face, cutting deep gouges as the man screamed in pain.

With reinforcements coming, Sirius took off as quickly as he could, wincing from the pain from the spell that had hit him. It felt like a bludgeoning hex and while not powerful enough to break any bones, he would have a nasty bruise tomorrow. He kept running until he was deep into the Forbidden Forest before he chanced a look behind him and slowed down.

He knew not to go deeper in as he would run into the acromantula nest, so he started towards the side which would get him closer to Hogsmeade and his cave. Though near the edge he detected another presence… dementors. The creatures were spread out all around Hogwarts, being directed by the Aurors not to let anyone escape from the grounds, even through the forest. The only safe place for him now would be deep in the trees. At least that's what he thought until a few of the hooded soul-eaters started entering the forest.

Thinking as quickly as he could, Sirius turned around and started moving as fast as he could deeper into the forest. It took a minute before he thought of a safe place to go and headed towards the clearings where the thestrals made their homes. The dementors would likely avoid the dark horses as while they might be able to detect them, they wouldn't be able to see them and would likely keep their distance.

Once in the clearing, he spotted the herd sleeping together in a large group. They were magnificent creatures and probably why his grandfather kept a herd on his land back in the day. Many members of the Black Family also had thestral hair in their wands. One of the strange equines picked up its head to look at him before turning towards where he had come from as if sensing the dementors' approach.

The Grim was cautiously making his way towards the group but sped up immediately when the one who had looked at him raised a wing as if granting permission for him to get closer. Once he was against the side of the dark horse, it covered him with its bat-like wing, though he kept low enough to the ground to watch the tree line.

A minute later, a dozen dementors swarmed into the clearing, giving the group of thestral a wide berth, and eventually passing through to the other side. Understanding that he was safe for the moment, Sirius curled up into a tight ball under the wing and went to sleep.


Sirius was never one to remember his dreams, except those moments right before he woke up. He might remember bits and pieces of a dream, but not the full context. As he woke up, he briefly remembered The Grim, stalking Wormtail in his human form, watching him trip and fall, and then pouncing. Though immediately after, the dream shifted and he was sitting with all his friends in a steakhouse, eating a delicious meal… Then his eyes opened, but the smell of meat stayed.

He was still huddled up next to the side of the thestral he had fallen asleep next to, though its wings were retracted and it was sitting up expectantly. Trying to move was painful as his side where the spell had hit him hurt like it had been crushed in a vice. All the running last night had probably made his injury worse. Then he heard someone speaking.

"An' one fer yeh!" a wet slap followed the voice. Another fer yeh. Get big an' strong, now!" the wet slap was heard again.

Sirius strained his head and saw Hagrid distributing meat from a bucket to all the thestrals scattered around the clearing. He tried to get up, but the pain in his side was tremendous and he whined loudly as he fell back to the ground. The giant groundskeeper walked around the large thestral he was leaning against and stared down at him.

"Wha' do we have here?" he asked, staring down at The Grim on the ground. "Are yeh tha' thing tha' was in the castle laste night? I remember ya from Azkaban. Scared tha' dementors away from my cell, didn' ya'?"

Sirius just tried to look as pathetic as possible and whined a long note.

"Yeh're no ordinary dog, tha's fer sure. Yeh took a blasting curse from Septima Vector righ' in the side."

Septima Vector? She was four years older than him at Hogwarts, quite a looker too. She was a professor now? And a blasting curse? That should have killed him, scattering his guts all over the hallway. Though it just felt like a strong bludgeoning hex. He didn't know what to say, so he whined some more. The thestral he was leaning against had started to stick its head into the bucket to eat the meat inside.

"Yeh're not a werewolf, an' yeh're not a crup. Others say yeh're a grim. I jus need ter know if yeh're goin' ter hurt any o' the students up at the school."

Sirius didn't know how to reply so Hagrid would understand he had no intentions to kill students, though he couldn't say it out loud, so he just whined again, and made a yelping noise as he tried to get closer to the bucket.

"I thought so. Yeh're jus hurt, hungry, an' I owe ya' a debt of gratitude," he reached into the bucket and pulled out a slab of mean, placing it in front of Sirius.

He tore into the meat. While Sirius would have preferred it medium rare, The Grim just liked that it was meat.