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Chapter Two: The Breaking Free

James paced backwards and forwards, anxiousness spreading like fiendfyre right inside his gut. He wished he could slip right through whatever it was that kept him far above and away. He always felt this way watching his oldest mate. But tonight especially because it was the night. At least James hoped it was. Lily put a hand on her husband's shoulder in a fruitless attempt to console him but he knew she was no more calm than he was.

The very thin, very unkempt and scraggly man sat beside his prison cell's barred door. He was panting hard. Along with the heat of the summer, even at night, the salty air from ocean surrounding him did nothing to aid his dehydration. Tonight had better be the night.

For weeks, Sirius had been agitated. He'd found Peter Pettigrew from a newspaper the Minister of Magic had had. Just after their murder James and Lily watched over their friends and were wounded to learn of Pettigrew's betrayal. James had flipped a few tables, figuratively speaking. Sirius however had only shown a strengthened desire to escape his cell in Azkaban Prison. Perhaps his anger was abated by the dementors. Even so, James had taken to watching Sirius as he slept, hoping for some liberation or sanctuary, and had often heard him whispering in his sleep. Peter Pettigrew was at Hogwarts, where Harry would be in short time. James wanted Wormtail as far away from Harry as possible and he wanted Sirius to break free from Azkaban more than anything.

Besides, James thought, even managing to procure half a smirk, if there was anyone most capable of successfully breaking out of Azkaban it was his mischief mastermind best friend, Sirius Black.

Sirius transformed into his Animagus form. Lily recoiled, grabbing James's wrist.

"Wait for it Padfoot, wait for it…"

Approaching the door of Sirius' cell was a dementor delivering food if it could be recognized as such. Sirius edged forward.

"Wait," James said again and he wondered if Sirius could hear him because the black dog backed an inch. "Good, good."

The dementor opened the door barely a foot wide and stuck his head in, searching for happiness but as usual a blank faded feeling of sadness was all that could be detected. It dropped the tray of mush right in front of the opening of the door and began to leave.

"Now!"

And right then Padfoot gingerly stepped over the tray of food, careful not to make a sound, and his thin frame just made it as the door closed an inch behind his scraggly tail. The dementor moved forward, perceiving nothing different. Sirius moved in the opposite direction, maneuvering himself so not to be seen by other prisoners.

James couldn't tell if Lily's shaking body was shaking him too or if he was actually k=jittery with anxiousness. He held his breath when Sirius stopped mid step and another dementor crossed his path. But it too did not sense his insignificance and so moved on without

"If you die tonight Padfoot, you'd better have your soul with you," James muttered under his breath.

At last, Sirius came to the edge of the prison. A cliff jutting out over the water maybe fifty feet, maybe a hundred. He didn't hesitate and Lily flinched and covered her eyes in James shoulder when Sirius jumped. James felt like it took hours for him to fall. It felt longer though to wait for him to surface. There were sharp rocks at the bottom. The waters were violent enough to be in a storm. And just as James was about to look around the heavens for his mate, the black dog emerged, retching but alive.

"Swim… swim! Swim Sirius!" Lily looked out and gasped. She began yelling too. Together they were jumping, cheering him on, screaming for him to swim.

And swim he did. After a few miles, when he was a relatively safe distance away from the dementors, he returned back to his human form and he swam more efficiently. He soon grew lethargic. They watched as the merciless waves of the ocean pushed him back twice as far as he swam. Helplessly, they could see the muscles in his arms and legs grow weary and weak with the strain. James and Lily could see the end coming.

Lily shook her head. "You must keep going. Sirius please…it's right there, just a bit farther. Don't give up," she said in a whisper, almost to herself.

But the poor man became idle. His breathing slowed. Sirius floated on his back for a while, allowing the waves to push him, struggling to emerge each time a wild one sent him underneath the surface.

"Not after all of this. Stay strong. You will live." James demanded this of his friend as if he were sitting right in front of them.

He hadn't given up. Finally, used the rest of his strength to have himself wash up on the shore. It was late in the evening. No one was around. He took a few agonizing breaths and changed back into a dog. He half-walked, half-dragged himself to a bushy corner, rolled up and fell unconscious.

"He's free. He's alive!" Lily jumped and threw her arms around James, who embraced her tightly, keeping her eyes locked on his mate over his wife's shoulders.

You're alive mate. Now find him. Find him and protect him.