AN: More Revision. Slowly getting towards the ends of revising, then it will be new stuff, though I can't guarantee when that will be.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Same as Chapter 1.

Kindness of Strangers

ICE CREAM AND TRAIN RIDES

"Sirius?"

"Hmm?" the man in question mumbled around the sore digit in his mouth. He had once again been attempting to get the stove to cooperate without much luck. He glared at it, and taking his finger out of his mouth just long enough to swish his wand at it, caused it to disappear with a simple recited spell. "Guffwe gnee uh gnew uhn," he shrugged, his finger having found its way to his mouth again.

He sighed, turning around to regard Harry questioningly as he used magic to heal the nick on his finger.

"Well, I got my supply list and everything before I left the Dursleys, but I still have to go to Diagon Alley to get them. I didn't know if you wanted me to go by myself or, or if you wanted to come," Harry paused in cleaning the table to look up at his godfather.

"Hmm... As long as we don't stay after dark it should be alright. From what I've heard, Dementors are free to roam searching for me after it gets dark. So yeah, I think I will accompany you. I'll just hide out if anything goes wrong and meet you just outside of the Leaky Cauldron," he grinned, ecstatic to be given the chance to get out of the house and move around in the sunshine.

"Great!" Harry smiled up at him, snickering as he glanced at the spot where the stove used to sit.

"Well?" the man arched a delicate eyebrow questioningly, leaning back against the counter to watch his godson expectantly.

"Well what?" he cocked his head to the side curiously.

"What's so funny?" Sirius placed his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You," the boy shrugged in return, clearly not intimidated by the imposing glint in the taller man's eyes.

Dark eyebrows rose curiously at the bold declaration. It still astounded him sometimes how forthright his godson was even after having heard he was a convict wanted for murder. Not that he had actually murdered anyone, but he planned to. "Me? How so?"

"You got beaten by a stove," Harry snickered again turning back to the table.

"Yeah, yeah. I didn't see you trying to tackle it," he muttered chucking a wet rag at the back of Harry's head. "Next time, I'll let you do it. That is, if you think you can handle it."

"Sorry, can't. Not allowed to do magic on the holidays," he smiled cheerfully, for once quite pleased with the rule. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Um, how're you gonna get into Hogwarts?"

Sirius brought a hand up, the side of his index finger disappearing into his mouth as he thought about the answer. "I suggest you send an owl to Dumbledore informing him that you have heard a rumor that I'm on the loose and plan on going after you. Inquire about bringing your dog to keep an eye out for you. Tell him it would make you feel safer if I were around," he nodded, deciding that the story would have to do. It was the best he could come up with for the moment.

The only other option was to tell Dumbledore the truth, but that wasn't something he was quite ready to do just yet. It would mean admitting that he and his friends had betrayed him all those years ago. He understood that he was asking Harry to betray the man as well, but he felt this situation was different. It was for Harry's own protection.

Wormtail was potentially dangerous. He would not think twice about destroying Harry if it appeared that Voldemort was once more gaining power. Harry was his responsibility. If they informed Dumbledore, both would become his responsibility more so than they already were.

"We'll send the owl today in order to give him enough time to reply back and see what his restrictions, requirements, et cetera, are. I expect he'll want to test me to make sure I'm trained," he shrugged, conjuring up a quill and a piece of parchment.

Harry sat at the newly cleaned table, picking up the quill. He looked up at his godfather, silently asking for his assistance in wording the letter.

Dear Headmaster Dumbledore,

I wanted to let you know that I'm safe as I'm sure that my whereabouts have concerned you. I heard that Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban to come and find me. By now, you probably know that I'm no longer staying with the Dursleys. I'm hiding out and taking care of myself. I picked up a dog to keep an eye out for me.

He's trained really well, at least I think he is. He follows my commands anyway. He's been with me for over a week now and I haven't had any problems with him. I was hoping you'd permit me to bring him to school with me. I know the rules don't allow them, but with Black on the loose looking for me, I'd feel safer if Snuffles came with me. There is also no one to look after him if I were forced to leave him behind. Please send a reply back with Hedwig. She knows how to find me.

Harry

Harry looked the letter over twice before handing it to his godfather to do the same.

Holding the parchment, Sirius nodded, "sounds okay. Now, where's that owl of yours?"

They didn't have long to wait for the reply; Hedwig returned back early the next morning and enjoyed herself nibbling affectionately on Harry's ear. He awoke with a yelp, slapping his hand over the side of his head, using the other to shoo her away. He opened one eye blearily to scowl at the bird. "You could'a waited," he muttered sourly, taking the letter from her. He ignored the indignant hoot she gave, clearly not pleased with his tone of voice.

Dear Harry,

I am glad to hear you are well, yet it is worrisome that I am unable to locate you myself. I do not know how you managed to hear about Black, but I assure you that you will be safe at Hogwarts. However, I have considered your rather unusual request.

I will permit Snuffles to accompany you provided that he accomplishes a test that will be given by Professor McGonagall on the day of your arrival. If he passes, he will be allowed to stay until the threat of Sirius Black is no longer an issue of concern. At that time, we will assess the situation and work out a new solution to ensure that Snuffles receives proper care while you attend school.

Headmaster Dumbledore

--

The pair used the knight bus to make their way to the entrance of the Leaky Cauldron, almost a week after Harry had received his letter from Dumbledore. School would be starting the next day and he and his godfather had decided to rent out a room for the night at the tavern. He let the innkeeper know he had arrived and picked up the key to his room, before heading out the back to Diagon Alley.

Harry smiled down at the large, shaggy dog at his side easily reaching up to his waist. Sirius hadn't been kidding when he spoke of his grim like form and the fear it instilled in people. He was amazed to find many in the crowd shying away from them and adamantly trying to avoid glancing at the furry beast, just incase it was real. They hoped that if they managed to not see it head on then the threat of death would be avoided.

The two found an empty table underneath an umbrella at Florean Fortesque's ice cream parlor. Harry ordered two ice creams, one for himself and a second cone for his godfather to enjoy. He laughed when a cold nose nudged his arm in thanks.

"Harry! Harry, there you are! We've been so worried about you!" a familiar voice called; it was Hermione and she was dragging a reluctant and fearful Ron over to the table as well.

"Hermione! Don't you know what that is?!" Ron's eyes were wide as he stared at the large beast at his friend's side. He couldn't take his eyes off of it to even manage a hello to Harry.

"It's a cute doggy-woggy!" Hermione bent down to the dog's level, smiling at it in a goofy fashion. Her hands reached out to play affectionately with the soft, fluffy ears, earning a pleased rumble from Sirius for her trouble.

Harry looked on in amusement at his friends. Ron's reaction had actually been rather predictable, knowing how fearful Ron was of spiders. It somehow just seemed to fit that he would be superstitious about a dog resembling a grim. Hermione on the other hand. He wasn't sure he had ever heard her use less that the proper, standard English. Certainly he had never heard her use made up words like "doggy-woggy" before. He had to hold back his threatening laughter as he watched her baby talk to a man about twice her age.

"I-i-it-it's a grim!" he nearly shrieked, causing the dog to wince at the high pitched noises that surrounded him. Upon hearing Ron's exclamation, several of the bystanders around them took notice of the dog. Women screamed in terror, men trying to shield the women and children from its view. Florean, himself, came out of the shop to explain that it truly was just a normal Muggle pet, that there was nothing to be worried about or people would have already been dead.

Many seemed to listen to the man, calming themselves down. A few, however, though hearing his words, continued to hasten away rather quickly, attempting to put as much space in between themselves and their families from the beast as possible. "Sorry about that Mr. Potter. We wizards aren't much used to seeing dogs like that every day. Much less dogs in general. They aren't that popular in the wizarding world. So don't be too alarmed if that ever happens again. We're a superstitious people," Florean smiled gently, not blaming Harry a bit for the disturbance. He had expected it to happen sooner or later.

"Thanks Mr. Fortesque! Sorry about that," Harry looked sheepishly at his godfather who for all the world appeared to be silently laughing at him. Ron however, was still attempting not to look at the dog nor acknowledge its presence. "Ron! It's not a grim. It's just my dog, Snuffles. He's harmless. You aren't gonna die," Harry laughed, shaking his head. Ron was such a wuss sometimes. He acted the same way when it came to spiders, trembling in fear.

Ron chanced a look at the dog again. Sirius looked calmly back up at him, panting and wagging his tail happily. When he didn't immediately die, he decided to take Harry's word. Besides if it were a real grim, Harry would have been dead a while ago if the thing had been staying with him. The dog gave Harry a sloppy kiss on his cheek before returning his attention to his forgotten ice cream.

Ron seemed to relax, finally taking a seat across from his best friend. "Did you really blow up your Aunt Harry?" he grinned, pointedly ignoring Hermione's outraged exclamations that he 'shouldn't be encouraging Harry!' and that Harry should 'be more careful!'

Harry nodded, absentmindedly scratching behind two very soft ears. Sirius panted happily and let out a low satisfied rumble. If he had been a cat, it would have been considered a loud purr.

"Well hello there," she cooed to the dog once it had finished its treat, holding her hand out for it to sniff. She had decided to give up on Ron, knowing that he wouldn't listen to her anyway.

Sirius looked at it quizzically before pushing his nose into her hand and bumping it up as he tried to get her to pet him. He figured that if he had to be a dog, he might as well enjoy it. He wouldn't mind sitting there all day with Harry at the little shop, eating ice cream and having his head scratched. It was rather pleasant actually. Certainly, it was a far cry better than sitting in his dank cell at Azkaban.

A delighted giggle escaped the witch's mouth as she took over Harry's job of scratching the dog's head. Sirius wagged his tail contentedly. "Oh, Harry! What's his name? When did you get him?" she asked excitedly.

"About two and a half weeks ago. His name's Snuffles. You should hear the sound he makes sometimes, that's where I got the idea from," Harry grinned. Well at least the convict had been a hit with Hermione. Ron seemed to think he was pretty cool as well once he had gotten over the initial shock. He was going on about Snuffles taking a bite out of Malfoy and his goons if they ran into them.

"Say, Harry? Did you know the Ministry was looking for you? They stopped by the burrow, asking us if we'd seen you since that night you blew up your Aunt," Ron leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Mum was pretty upset."

Harry let out a soft sigh, not at all surprised to hear the news. It was why he had taken off running that night. He didn't want to be found by the ministry. "Yeah, I figured they might do that," he shrugged indifferently.

"Well, where have you been?! Everyone was worried sick!" Hermione threw him a dark look, but suddenly laughed as Snuffles' wet nose nudged her cheek, trying to catch her attention and distract her from lecturing his godson. It wasn't entirely Harry's fault. He'd encouraged him not to send word to his friends for fear of being traced.

"Safe," he assured her. "I've been staying in and around London. I guess you could say I picked up Snuffles to keep a watch out for me. He's kept me company," Harry smiled rubbing the dog's head affectionately.

He marveled at how his relationship changed when his godfather changed forms. He would never be so openly affectionate with him in his human form. It could be misconstrued and start up a lot of whispers. But, for some reason, it just didn't matter when he was in his canine form. He was sure his godfather must have noticed it himself. After all, Sirius' attitude changed as well. He became more carefree and affectionate himself, going as far as to lick his face and rest his head on his thigh. Harry highly doubted that as a man Sirius would every try such stunts.

Hermione scowled. Harry was clearly avoiding answering the question. She wondered just where he had been staying and why no one had been able to pinpoint his location. Dumbledore could find anyone. He always knew where someone was, so why hadn't he been able to find Harry either? Something was going on, and this time, no amount of studying was going to give her the answer. The only answer lay within her friend, Harry. For the time being, she would need to trust in him that everything had been all right, that he had been safe, and that hopefully he had put his summer to good use. He certainly looked healthier than he normally did when returning to school. Maybe next year if Harry returned to the same place, she and Ron would be able to finally visit their friend during vacation time.

--

Harry was delighted when he had learned that the Weasleys and Hermione would all be staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the night as well. They would all be going to King's Cross Station together that morning to board the train for Hogwart's for their third year. Mr. Weasley had informed him the night before that the Ministry was even sending cars to take them to the station since their own car was off running wild in the Forbidden Forest. At least, that was the reason the children were told.

Harry wondered if the real reason for the loan was to keep himself safe from his godfather. The Ministry wasn't particularly known for doing favors for wizards even if they did work for them. He sighed, shaking his head sadly as he finished packing his belongings, and the few they'd gotten for Sirius, into his trunk. Everyone was all wrong. If they had just given his godfather a trial, they would have known that, and he wouldn't need to sneak around the way he was now. There was a certain irony however in the fact that the very cars that were to be used to protect him from his godfather, were also escorting his godfather.

The ride in the dark green Ministry cars was rather uneventful, but Harry marveled at how the cars were able to squeeze into spaces that even his Uncle Vernon's new car wouldn't have been capable of. When they arrived at the station, the Ministry officials helped everyone unload the trunks and put them on trolleys to be wheeled inside.

Arthur had pulled Harry aside at the station, warning him to be extra careful, and not to go do anything rash or any sneaking out. Again, Harry had a distinct feeling that all of this was about his godfather. Molly wished them all a safe trip and a happy school year as she saw them off on the platform after handing out kisses to everyone before they climbed aboard the scarlet steam engine. She and her husband waved until the train disappeared out of sight.

There was only one compartment left with enough room for the three Gryffindor students and their pets. Unfortunately it still wasn't completely empty as they'd have liked. It contained one Professor R. J. Lupin, and Harry'd had to literally drag Snuffles into the compartment while Ron pushed from behind. Even after they'd gotten him in, they'd had to quickly shut the door to stop him from escaping again. He wasn't sure what had his godfather so spooked about entering the compartment, but he made a mental note to ask later.

Harry scratched behind the dark ears trying to calm the canine form of his whimpering godfather. He wondered what was wrong with him. He'd never seen him act that way before. Snuffles wasn't the only one that had something wrong with him. Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, refused to come out of his hiding spot where he formed a lump in Ron's chest pocket.

They'd stopped off to get something for the rat, but Harry doubted that it would seriously work. It looked as if Scabbers was on his last home stretch. He doubted the medicine would work mainly for the reason that it wasn't a real rat. He assumed that the rat was looking sickly and losing both his hair and weight due to worrying about Black's escape from Azkaban. The green eyed wizard however, did not mention his opinion to his friend.

Crookshanks' ugly face appeared even more squashed and ugly as he eyed the red head's pocket hatefully. He swished his bottle tail back and forth stiffly as he kept his vigil on the quivering lump, occasionally purring when Hermione would coo at him and scratch his ears.

Ron cast a dirty look at the cat, "why can't the thing hate Snuffles instead of Scabbers? Aren't cats and dogs supposed to hate each other, too? But noooooo. Snuffles and that thing get along great while that thing wants to eat Scabbers! He's already sick and that cat isn't going to help!" Ron ranted at the only female in the compartment. The cat, or demon, as Ron was more apt to describe it had already attacked him once in an attempt to get at the rat he carried. As per usual, Ron had decided to bear a grudge against both cat and owner.

"Ron, it's just how cats are. They're very intelligent creatures. Crookshanks just puts up with Snuffles because he's so much bigger than he is and isn't stupid enough to think that he'd ever win a fight. Besides, Suffles hasn't been anything but nice to Crookshanks since I got him. You on the other hand, hated him! Maybe that's why he doesn't like your rat. It's because you don't like him and that reflects on Scabbers. He doesn't like him by association. Maybe you should try being nicer to him," Hermione huffed, holding onto the cat protectively as if Ron was about to physically attack the poor thing.

"Guys, keep it down!" Harry whispered, indicating the sleeping professor in the corner. He didn't want to accidentally wake the man up. He looked like he could really use his sleep. Harry hoped the man wasn't ill or anything. He'd decided a while ago that his godfather was afraid of staying so close to the professor in case the man got suspicious. Sirius had long since curled up at Harry's feet, his back to the new DADA professor, his head in the darkest shadows available.

"Why are we stopping?" Ron asked a while later peering out of the darkened window. It had started raining some time ago, lending a dreary feeling to the small compartment. There hadn't been much conversation after that. No one felt in the mood and had opted to take out books instead. "Are we there?"

"Of course not!" Hermione snapped, moving Ron out of the way to look for herself.

"We're letting people on." No sooner had the words left his mouth then all the torches lighting the train suddenly flickered out, leaving the cramped compartment in total darkness.

"Ow! That's my foot!"

"That's my hand!"

"Neville?"

"Ginny?"

"Ow!"

"Sit down!"

"Not here! I'm here!"

"Quiet!" the voice sounded tired, but firm, instantly quieting the commotion. The professor must have woken up, decided the compartment's temporary inhabitants. Just in time it seemed.

Harry began to shiver as a freezing chill crept over his skin. It all seemed to be heading straight for his heart, gripping it, freezing it. He stared up at the cloaked figure standing in the doorway, cold washing over him entirely. He watched as its pale, eerie hand slid back into the creature's robes when it noticed Harry's gaze on it.

He looked up at where a face should have been and instead only saw darker shadows. He vaguely heard a woman scream before the cold overtook him, everything going black as his vision faded. He never remembered sliding down onto the floor and covering his godfather's form with his own in an unconscious protective gesture.

He woke up still partially covering Sirius' furry form. His hands clenched in the thick fur as he realized the form was shivering. He scrambled frantically, trying to see if Sirius was okay. Harry wrapped his arms around the dog's neck, holding on tightly as he blinked around at the rest of the room's occupants. "Where'd the dementor go?" he asked, slightly hazed eyes glancing about at the room's occupants.

Professor Lupin looked at the boy suspiciously. Dementors should not have been covered yet in class. How had he known what the creature was, and why was he guarding a dog, a dog that looked strikingly familiar? The boy should be thinking about himself, after all, he was the one that passed out. "They all left, Harry. Here, eat this. Give some to the dog as well," Lupin broke off a couple pieces of chocolate, handing them to Harry before passing the rest out to the others.

"It's not poisoned. It's safe to eat. It'll help," the professor smiled ruefully, making him look more his age despite the premature grey in his hair. There were creases at the edge of his eyes, making him look even more haggard than he had while he was sleeping.

The students all looked at each other nervously before cautiously taking a bite. Feeling the warmth pool in their stomachs they finished off the medicine quickly, grateful for the respite from the overwhelming cold.

Harry pried the dog's mouth open placing the chocolate on his tongue when his godfather wouldn't take the remedy on his own. He ate his own slowly, watching his godfather with a careful gaze. It had been so cold, but the chocolate was slowly warming him up from the inside out. He only hoped that it helped Sirius feel better as well.

"Professor? Did they really think Black would be on the train?" Hermione asked, finishing off her own bit of sweet candy. Already, her esteem for the man had increased as she became aware that he had obviously had the correct response to a dementor. The chocolate had immediately helped rid any lingering effects. Not only that, but he had also been able to send the creature away.

"I would doubt it," the teacher frowned, glancing at the dog once again at the mention of Black's name. "They feed on emotions which are bound to be high among teenagers and kids your age. A train full of students is like a feast to them, hard to resist," he stuffed a bit of chocolate into his own mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he regarded James' son and his pet. "Are you all right, Harry? The dementors seem to have taken quite a hit on you."

"Yeah, I, I'm all right," Harry grimaced remembering the woman's screams, the blinding green light, and the high pitched laughter. He never wanted to hear either again. He now knew the green light he often saw in his dreams was not from the car crash his Aunt and Uncle had tried to make him believe in, but from Voldemort killing his parents and finally the attempt on his own life. He had a hard time believing that he could remember something from that long ago. He hadn't even been two at the time.

The rest of the train ride followed almost uneventfully compared to the visit from the dementors. Malfoy and his goons had dropped by to mercilessly tease Harry about fainting sometime after the professor had gone back to sleep. It seemed however that he was wary of returning to torment Potter about the fainting incident after he discovered the Grim-like dog and professor residing in the same compartment as the famous Potter. He'd nearly been bitten the first time he'd stopped by when the professor had still been sleeping.

Apparently he hadn't made a good impression on the mangy mutt. He wasn't stupid enough to try his luck on such a small train with so little places to hide. At least he'd be able to continue the torment at school where it would never be a difficult task to escape. And besides, he knew that if the dog actually harmed him, it would be sent away. He grinned to himself, thinking of ways to get the dog to attack him. Potter had made the wrong choice when refusing his friendship back at the beginning of first year.

TBC…