Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Harry Potter: Shadow Sorcerer

Chapter 08: Operation Saving Padfoot

August 2, 1991

Potter Manor

Harry Potter shadow walked to his study from downtown London. He placed his purchases on the table and returned them to their original size with a thought before calling Flippy to sort them and putting them in their proper places.

When Harry was alone in the study, he resized the box that contained the items salvaged from the wreckage of Potter Cottage. There were quite a lot of it from the size of the box but Harry started going through it with gusto.

The first thing he saw were four old stuffed toys in the form of a white stag, a brown wolf, a black dog, and a gray rat. He immediately noticed the symbolism and grinned.

From his father's diary, the toys were a representation of the Marauders in their animagus forms, well, except for the wolf which he was sure was Moony – Remus' werewolf alter-ego. Harry eyed the rat in distaste and tossed it at a shadow in the corner and disappeared through it. Harry thought that the ocean would be the perfect place for a traitorous rat…even if it was just a toy.

Setting these aside, he went back to the box to see what else was in there.

The next item he saw was a letter to one Severus Snape.

From his conversation with Tom the Barman, he knew that Severus Snape was a professor at Hogwarts who teaches potions. He was also the Head of Slytherin house with a dark reputation especially among the students. Since he hadn't met the man yet, Harry decided to reserve his opinion until he met the man. He set it aside to be sent later with Hedwig or maybe he could give it personally when he gets to school in September.

He found a small box with the name Lily Potter on it. He opened it to see piles of letters written to his mother by friends and acquaintances. Harry decided to go through them later since it was the best way to know his mom's personality from other people's point of view.

He also found an old broomstick though he could see that it was in pretty good condition despite being in an abandoned house for the past ten years He saw his father's named etched on the handle along with the name of the broom, a Nimbus 1500. Harry assumed that it was customized specific to his father's request.

He was excited, however, to see a few books inside the box. He took one and saw that it was an Auror's Handbook. Harry knew that Aurors were the policemen of the Wizarding world and worked under a branch of the Ministry called the Department of Magical Law Enforcement or DMLE. Harry decided to read it later to learn all about his father's job and maybe some powerful defensive spells inside if he's lucky.

Harry also found his mother's notes on charms. Considering that she was a Charms Mistress, it was only logical for her to have countless of notes on the subject regarding her discoveries. Harry vowed to have the notes bound together and added to the Potter Library in its own pedestal to honor his mother's work.

Some jewelry was also found but these didn't interest him, well except for a gold necklace with a stag hanging on it. He decided to wear it since it was a memento of his parents. He slipped it around its neck and tucked the necklace underneath his shirt for safekeeping. He kept the others on the box to be sent to Griphook later to be stored in the Potter Family Vault.

Harry's excitement peaked when he saw a photo album with his mother and father holding him on the front. He opened it with shaky hands and was amazed since it was filled to the brim with wizarding photos of family and friends.

He flipped from page to page snickering all the while at the various antics his parents and the rest of the Marauders were guilty off. He practically laughed his head off when he saw a rainbow-colored werewolf, a blue stag, and a pink grim-like dog with a red ribbon around its neck. It seems that his mother was also a prankster at heart. Thankfully, the rat wasn't there to ruin the scene.

He decided to have this photo framed and placed on his bedside table just for kicks.

Despite their absence in Harry's life, his parents were still there in the form of mementos to keep him smiling. Harry vowed to increase his efforts in getting Sirius out of Azkaban, the sooner the better.

Harry went to bed that night with a plan to be implemented in the morning.

August 3, 1991

Ballroom, Potter Manor

Harry was currently on the stage in the Potter Family Ballroom conducting a meeting with all the house elves in the manor. Their sole purpose?

Putting Operation Saving Padfoot into motion.

Harry recruited some of the elves to prepare everything needed to make sure that Sirius survives Azkaban until he could get him out. The young Potter Lord knew that breaking Sirius out would only makes things worse for his incarcerated godfather. The only thing he could do was make Sirius' life easier until such time that a trial was scheduled to prove his innocence over a crime the Wizarding World believed he was guilty of.

First of all, Harry had a deep discussion with Hedwig regarding Azkaban. Harry used the entire morning searching the library for any books that mentioned the wizarding prison. Thanks to Godric's help, he was able to find two tomes that detailed the worst place on Earth.

Harry found out that Azkaban Prison was divided into 3 sections.

The first section was where the guards were put on standby. Meaning, this section was served as the staging ground for roving patrols, a lounge, kitchen, dining hall, and an emergency floo network for bringing in reinforcements in case the prison was under attack.

The second section was for regular prisoners. Dementors were sent her at least twice a week to make sure that the inmates suffer for a bit until their sentence is finished.

The last section was located on the upper floors of the complex, the High-Profile Security Wing, where dangerous prisoners were permanently incarcerated with no hopes of freedom or escape. Dementors patrol the hallway to make sure the prisoners suffer for their transgressions.

Harry was sure that his godfather was located in this wing.

The book also mentioned the security of Azkaban though the schematics for the wards were not present. The entirety of Azkaban Island was surrounded by an Elf Ward, Anti-Apparition, and Anti-Portkey wards. Each of the cells has a Magic Dampening Field so the prisoners jhad no access their magic to escape.

Harry's face became cold when he read the last part. Wizards and witches require magic to survive – like heal wounds, ward away sickness, and so on - which is the reasons why witches and wizards seldom get sick. But if the book was correct, then his godfather doesn't have any access to his magic to sustain himself. If he's still alive then Sirius is surely weakened or emaciated, or possibly insane.

Harry hoped that the latter didn't happen since healing the mind is much more complicated than healing the body.

Fortunately, Harry learned that the Magic Dampening Field that was present in every cell in Azkaban were keyed to witches and wizards only, and not magical creatures so Hedwig can easily enter the cell Sirius was on without any effect on her magic.

With this in mind, Harry called all the house elves for a general meeting to put Operation Saving Padfoot into effect.

This was the first time in 30 years that the Grand Ballroom of Potter Manor was used.

The elves in charge of the greenhouses were put into harvesting ingredients for a Nutrient Potion. Thankfully, these elves can brew basic potions under their own power. If they need more supplies or if they want to add a few more potions then they are free to work on it. One of the greenhouse elves suggested some basic healing potions as well just in case it would be be needed depending on Sirius' status.

The kitchen elves were given the task to make as many healthy meals as they can and place them under preservation charms, warming or cooling charms, or maybe a stasis charm so Sirius could have a decent supply of meals to rejuvenate his body. In the end, they all decided to make a year's worth of food for Sirius to live by until after Harry leaves Hogwarts during to send him another batch.

The library elves were put into research mode. They were tasked to find out if there was anything they could use…a spell, charm, artifact, enchantment, anything that could be used to ward against a Dementor's aura. He didn't expect them to succeed but it was quite possible that they could find something that would help, aside from a full-powered cheering charm of course.

He read that a Patronus Charm was the only defense against a Dementor. Harry didn't know how to do the charm as of yet, much less enchant an object with one to be given to Sirius.

The Upkeep elves were tasked to prepare items for Sirius hygienic needs. One elf suggested getting a multi-compartment trunk with a compartment dedicated to bathing. This idea was quickly accepted and Harry sent Flippy to go to the Travel Shop in Diagon Alley to purchase another 5-compartment trunk; this time with a compartment each for hygiene products and clothes, food, potions, writing supplies, and the expanded space for a large tub with an ever-clean and always-full charm on it.

Once all the tasks were assigned and items written down on parchment to be double-checked later, Harry sent them off with his blessing.

Operation Saving Padfoot would begin in two days time and Harry will make sure that it succeeds.

After the meeting with the elves, Harry and Hedwig adjourned to the Study to implement their own contribution to the operation.

Infiltrating the prison using Hedwig to determine Sirius' exact location.

This part of the plan was going to be done with Harry piggy-backing Hedwig's mind with a skill called Mind Melding.

Mind-melding was a skill Harry learned from the books he bought from Borgin. It seems that Sorcerers could use their unique brand of Telepathy to have a permanent mental link with their familiars. This was one of the reasons why Harry could talk to Hedwig and vice versa anytime. Harry can also see through Hedwig's eyes with his familiar doing the same with his.

Harry practiced his mind-melding skills by using Hedwig as a scout. If they want Operation Saving Padfoot to be successful then they needed an opportune time to enter Azkaban and let Sirius read the letter without interference.

After carefully entering Hedwig's mind, and making sure that the connection was stable, Hedwig flamed out of the study towards the prison to begin her infiltration mission.

Using Hedwig as his eyes in Azkaban, he instructed his familiar to discretely fly around and observe the place while Harry plotted. Through Hedwig, Harry discovered that Azkaban was composed of 10 floors. Each floor has 20 cells with the last 3 floors being the High-Security wing. His godfather was in one of these three floors. Thankfully, a phoenix was immune to a Dementor's aura so she could fly around without it affecting her. It also helped that Dementors could not sense animals so Hedwig was virtually undetectable in the prison unless a human guard sees here flying around.

It took two hours of mind-melding and on-the-spot scanning that Harry was able to determine the exact location of Sirius' cell. It seems that he was treated as the most dangerous of all prisoners since the area he was on was always patrolled by Dementors but none of the Azkaban guards. This was perfect since Dementors were easily fooled and would give him a chance to try his Shadow Mage powers at them if he ever got the urge or the need to break Sirius out.

With a shout of triumph, Harry instructed Hedwig to return to Potter Manor to rest.

Operation Saving Padfoot will commence tomorrow at midnight.

August 4, 1991

12 hours before OSP starts

Master's Study, Potter Manor

Harry was currently going through the list with Flippy as they were surrounded by all the items they would need to pack into the trunk. They only had twelve hours left before Operation Saving Padfoot starts.

"Alright Flippy, it's time to go over the list of things we need to pack into the trunk for Sirius. I already have the letter written and ready to go at the strike of midnight. Did you get the right enchantments on the trunk?" Harry asked his elf as he read through the content of the parchment in his hand.

"Yes, Master Harry Potter sir. It costs a lot more but the shop was able to put the right enchantment we need. All Master Paddy needs to do is to place 3 drops of blood on the latch and the trunk can only be opened and seen by him. It is invisible to all." replied Flippy, jumping in excitement.

Harry nodded in approval.

"Good. Now let's go over the list. First, are the charms on the tub ready?"

"Yes, sirs. It house-elf charm so it will work without having nasty magic eating ward affecting it. Elves also placed comfortable robes in there with elfish magic to disguise it to others. It will just look like rags to bad men in prison."

"Good, very good." said Harry, almost purring at how the plan was coming together. "I checked the potions on the list and it seems to have grown in numbers. I'm not familiar with the others. What's the Auras Protectum Potion and why are there 12 of them?"

"We be finding that out from one of the elves working in Knockturn Alley, Master Harry Potter sir. According to Grumpy who works in potion shop there, potion will protect drinker from nasty Dementor. Just need to drink one vial for a month's worth of protection." explained Flippy as he placed said potions on the trunk.

"Wow. This potion must cost a lot." said Harry in surprise. No wonder this can only be bought in Knockturn Alley. The Ministry must have labeled it as Dark so there would be no defense against their prison guardians.

Flippy nodded.

"One vial is worth 150 galleons, sir, but I'm sure Master Harry Potter sir doesn't care about the price."

"Too right, Flippy." Harry nodded in agreement. "Let me see, Nutrient Potions, Fever Reducing Potions, Muscle Enhancer, Skele-Gro, and Insect Repellant. Why would Sirius need Skele-Gro? Isn't that for growing bones?"

Flippy shook his head.

"Flippy talked with good friend Missy over at St. Mungo's Hospital, to ask what potions to give to people in prison. She gave me a list so I followed it. She said that Skele-Gro can also be used to strengthen brittle bones. Potion grows bones bit by bit but if bones are already there, potion will find weak bones and repair it good as new."

"Oh. That's interesting. You house-elves know a lot huh?" said Harry, impressed about the knowledge that the house elves have over potions. Though he was more impressed with Flippy's connection over other elves working in different magical centers to get some good advice. It would come in handy for the future.

"All elves know these potions, sir. It is better to serve our masters that way."

"I see. Next? "getting a nod from Flippy, Harry continued. "How about the two-way messenger journal, a quill, and ever-full ink bottle?"

Again, Harry was quite proud of Flippy in discovering the two-way messenger journal. It allows one owner of the journal to communicate with the other by simply writing on the page. Whatever one writes, the other receives. Handy since it works even if there were wards protecting the location.

"All here Master Harry Potter sir."

"Food?"

"Two years worth of meals. The potion will make sure that Master Paddy will always be hungry. I also placed a year's worth of Butterbeer too, and 5 bottles of Firewhiskey to ward off the cold."

"Oh alright. Let me just write that here." Harry jotted down the new additions. "I think we are good to go. Did we forget anything?"

"Yes, Master Harry Potter sir. Master Godric directed me to a Potter artifact that protects the wearer from Magic Dampy Wards. If Master Paddy wears it then he can use magic."

"Now that's interesting." said Harry while adding this little tidbit to the letter for Sirius to explain how it worked. "I didn't know we had an artifact like that. So that means that Sirius will need a wand huh?" Harry mused as Flippy nodded in affirmative. "Well, we can worry about that later. We're now ready for the operation. I'm going to get some rest to prepare for tonight. Good night, Flippy."

Harry exited the study and to his bedroom. He saw the Hedwig was already asleep on her perch, already sensing that she needed to conserve her strength for tonight. Nodding, he stripped down to his boxers and dived to bed, forcing himself to sleep despite the excitement.

August 5, 1991: 12:01AM

Azkaban Prison

A mangy black dog was interrupted from its fitful slumber when a burst of flame appeared from its peripheral vision. The dog immediately jumped back and crouched in defense but relaxed when he saw a white avian creature on his bed. The bird looked at him for a bit as if analyzing something before offering a leg where a letter was tied.

The dog looked at the letter and the bird in confusion before understanding what the bird wanted him to do. He dog slowly changed…into one Sirius Black in ragged prison clothes, very thin, and tired, but eyes alert.

Sirius petted the bird before taking the letter. However, he walked to the door, looking out for a bit before walking into the deepest corner of the cell where the moon shining through the bars provided ample light for him to read.

Sirius

My name is Harry Potter and I'm your godson. We have no time to waste. My familiar, Hedwig, is a phoenix so she was able to deliver this letter to you. We are currently working on borrowed time so make sure that you finish reading this letter as quickly as possible before the Dementors senses Hedwig's presence.

If you are sane (well, as sane as you can be considering you're a Marauder), please write at the back of this letter the password of the Marauder's Map with your Marauder name. I think you know what I'm talking about. Make sure that there are no Dementor's around when you send it with Hedwig. When Hedwig disappears, I want you to stand back and wait.

Love,

Harry

Sirius Black was flabbergasted after reading the letter. His godson, Harry, owned a phoenix and is now planning something concerning him. With a youthful grin that hadn't graced his face for the past 10 years, he took the pen that Hedwig dropped on the bed before writing the password at the back of the letter.

I solemnly swear I'm up to no good – Padfoot.

Sirius quickly folded the letter and gave it to the phoenix who quickly grabbed it using her beak and flamed out of the room. As instructed, Sirius stood back and waited for something…anything…to happen. It was two minutes later that Hedwig appeared, but this time, with a small note on her beak and a large trunk. Hedwig immediately threw the note at Sirius, who fumbled a bit before catching it, before flaming out.

Sirius was confused as to the quick exit but decided to concentrate more on the note.

Padfoot,

Place 3 drops of your blood on the latch of the trunk. Do it now. There is a letter inside. Read it afterwards. It will explain everything.

Harry.

Not doubting his godson's instruction, Sirius immediately did what the letter told him to do.

Considering the lack of anything sharp in the cell, the lone Marauder of Azkaban bit his thumb; ignoring the pain, he pinched the wound until it drew blood. He squatted down to the trunk and placed the requested amount of blood on the latch. The trunk glowed blue then purple before dying down.

Confused as to what just happened, he shrugged before opening the first compartment of the trunk. There were some clothes there, shampoo, and other hygienic products. However, what caught his attention was the letter that Harry told him would be there to explain everything along with a pendant with a Potter Crest on the face. Wanting to read the letter as soon as possible, Sirius immediately dashed to the door and looked out the bars. Seeing none of the Dementors, he dragged the trunk by window and plopped down behind the trunk to hide him from view and started to read.

Dear Padfoot,

If you read this letter without the Dementors making a pest of themselves then Operation Saving Padfoot was successful.

I think it would be safe to say that you're very confused right now but let me summarize it for you until such time we can talk face to face.

I discovered my parent's trunk and learned about magic though I already knew about it since I was 8 years old and had been experimenting with it. Safe to say, I'm now living in Potter Manor.

I know you're innocent because of dad's diary. I showed it to Professor Dumbledore but he explained it to me that putting you on trial might be a little difficult because of figures in the government that are pretty high in the ladder. So if I can't get you out then I'm going to make sure that you're healthy and well.

This is where the trunk comes in.

I think it's safe to say that you noticed the trunk glowing when you placed 3 drops of your blood on the clasp? Well, that is the bonding of the trunk to you. It means that only you can open the trunk. BUT there is also another feature. Only YOU can see the trunk. To others, it is nigh undetectable with or without magic. Ingenious right?

Anyway, this is a 5-compartment trunk. I will explain to you the contents in detail.

On the first compartment, you will see there's some clothes. Don't worry, those clothes are enchanted by house elves. It means that you can wear them for comfort but others will simply see it as rags…well, the same rags you're wearing everyday so they won't take it away from you or question you how it got there.

The first compartment also contains some hygienic products. Take a bath Padfoot. As to how, I'll go into that later. Now if you look closely inside this compartment, you will see a small pendant with the Potter Crest on it. I want you to wear it. It counters the Magic Dampening Field surrounding your cell that is always eating at your magic. I'm sure that you're somewhat immune to it but with this necklace, your magical core can now refill to acceptable levels. You can even do magic but we can talk about that later.

The second compartment contains food. You're not dreaming, Padfoot. The Potter Elves placed 2-years worth of food inside this thing. All are under preservation and stasis charms to keep them forever fresh until you eat them. Some are under cooling charms though most of them are under warming charms. I think you already know why. (Ice cream requires cooling charms while English meals will be under warming charms). Now, you will need the food for what's on the third compartment. Oh, there's also an ever-filling water jug somewhere in there. It has a cooling charm on it so you have fresh water to drink everyday.

The third compartment holds the potions you need to bring you back to proper health. The Elves and I came up with a year's worth of potions for you to make sure that you're back to perfect health. (well, almost perfect considering you're in Azkaban). First of all, I want you to pay attention to the potion called Auras Protectum. This is a rare potion that will protect you from a Dementor's Aura. Sure they can still suck out your negative emotions if you're feeling them but they could never force you to relieve them. In other words, they are just decorations for your benefit. It might be good to think of negative thoughts once in a while to make sure they don't suspect a thing. One vial of Auras Protectum lasts for 1 month. There is a year's worth of dosage here. Enjoy.

Also, my elves packed some important potions for you to take with your meals.

Nutrient Potions – one dose after each meal. I think you already know what this potion does so please take them for my peace of mind even if it doesn't take so good.

Skele-Gro – you don't need to grow any bones but the potion will help put your bones back to where it should be before you were sent to Azkaban. I know it tastes bad, very bad according to Flippy, but endure it. (Don't worry, there's Butterbeer with the food so you can wash out the taste.) One dose a day for 5 days.

Insect Repellant – what it says. One dose a week if there's need. The elves assured me that it will work on fleas.

Muscle Enhancer – once after breakfast. Finish every dose packed in the trunk. I'm sure the lack of room makes it impossible for you to maintain muscle mass and with the lack of food, I say that all your muscles are sagging. Take this to get back into shape.

Fever Reducing Potion – considering how cold Azkaban is (being in the middle of the ocean and all); this should help just in case you catch a fever.

Now that the potions are done, let's go to compartment number four.

Compartment four contains writing supplies. Actually, there are only three things there that you need. I packed a nifty invention called a two-way journal. It works similar to the two-way mirror you and dad used during your detentions back at Hogwarts. Whatever you write in the journal on your end will appear on my end and vice versa. Use the quill to write and there is an ever-full ink bottle for it. Always keep it inside this compartment after use to avoid detection.

Now you might realize that the compartment is wasted on just 3 items. Well, this compartment will be for future books that you want to read. Just send me a list of books you want since I will be supplying you with a wand that fits you later after you write in the journal the component of your old wand. I'm sure that you're itching to do magic but I'll wait for a week before sending you a wand to make sure that you're magical core is back to full before doing anything. Also, a week would be enough for me to find a wand maker to make you a new one. I don't think Ollivander would be keen to supply you with a similar wand even with me explaining everything to him.

The fifth compartment is your very own bath. Yes, Padfoot, you definitely need a bath considering you had a 10-year stint without one. The bath is charmed by the elves to be always full of warm water and will automatically clean itself when it gets too dirty. The elves told me that the water is drinkable so don't worry if Padfoot drinks it.

I think that's all for now, Padfoot. Make use of the trunk to bring yourself back into shape. I need you since you're the only one here for me now. I'm planning to get in touch with Moony but I don't know how to get it done as of yet so maybe when I get to Hogwarts or let you handle it when you get out.

Love you lots,

Prongslet

PS: Flippy, my personal house elf, packed some Firewhiskey for you so make sure it lasts for a year until I send you a refill.

Sirius almost laughed in delight but was able to control himself when a Dementor was nearing his cell. Feeling the familiar sensation of a Dementor's aura getting stronger, he immediately opened the third compartment and grabbed a vial of Auras Protectum. He pulled the cap off with his teeth, spat it out then downed the whole thing. After a few seconds, he felt the potion taking effect when the weakness that usually comes with a Dementor's presence slowly receded.

He sighed in relief.

Sirius slumped down on the floor and cried. The only thing that sustained him all these years was the thought that he was innocent, and that of his ability to shift into Padfoot which somewhat dampened the effects of a Dementor's aura.

Now, the reason he cried was the presence of hope in his life.

Harry was there for him. He was proud of his godson planning this ingenious heist worthy of being a Marauder to make sure that he was cared for. The thought that his godson loved him even if they haven't met since Harry was a toddler brought a wave of warmth through his body. He vowed that he would be at perfect magical and physical health when he gets out of prison and make sure that he's there with his godson till the day he dies.

He opened the second compartment and took out a sandwich and a Butterbeer to snack on while writing an entry in the journal for his godson.

Master's Study, Potter Manor

He was glad that his godfather was sane…well sane enough anyway considering he was coherent in regards to his instructions. But the ultimate test of his sanity lies in the journal.

Harry stopped his pacing when he noticed words appearing on the page. It was written in a messy scrawl which is quite obvious for people with shaky hands considering Sirius' health at the moment though he was confident that would change when Sirius' follows the instructions he laid out for him. He waited for a bit before reading the entry from Sirius.

Prongslet,

Thanks you. There's nothing I could ever say to express my gratitude.

For these 10 years, I retained my sanity here in Azkaban by reminding myself that I'm innocent of the crime I was accused of even if it was my fault that James and Lily died.

Yes, Harry. It was my fault they are dead right now. True I am not the secret-keeper but it was I who suggested that they transfer the secret to Pettigrew since I was too obvious due to my close bond with James who is like a brother to me in all but blood.

I'm sorry Harry.

If you're still reading this then I hope that you'd forgiven me for my mistake. How I so want to get out of here and be where you are right now. To hug you and feel you in my arms again as I did the same when you were born. Even if James was your father, I always looked at you as if you were my own son.

I love you Harry and not even Azkaban can change that.

Anyway, enough of this icky-lovey-dovey stuff.

I am currently enjoying a very delicious sandwich, still warm to the touch, and a bottle of cool Butterbeer. My compliments to the chef. If you're eating delicious food like everyday then I think you need to exercise, kiddo. You might grow sideways instead of upwards.

After this entry, I am going to follow your instructions to the letter so that I'm well prepared to join you when I get out of Azkaban. I know it's only a matter of time since you're on the case. If you were able to get this marvelous trunk here without them finding out, then I'm 100% sure that I'll be getting out sooner than I'd think.

You have a beautiful phoenix by the way. Make sure you give my thanks to her.

First off, I'm going to take a bath. By the way…very funny. Padfoot doesn't drink from tubs. He's civilized. He prefers toilet bowls.

Ewwwwww.

I think I shouldn't have written that since I'm eating right now. Carrying on.

Now in regards to your gifts. The pendant is working. I can no longer feel the drain on my magic. With the right food and potions, I'm sure that I'll be good as new. It would be good to practice magic again. My wand was snapped when they captured me and thrown in Azkaban without a trial and you're right, Ollivander won't be making me a replacement. I don't know how you plan to get me a similar wand but I'm sure you'll get it done.

Now as for my wand, I purchased it back in the 1960's along with James.

His and my wand are similar yet different. While his was a Mahogany Wand; mine, however, was made of two woods. The handle of my wand was made from Alder while the shaft was Oak. It was exactly 15 inches made with a core of Hungarian Horntail heartstring. Your father's wand was perfect for Transfiguration and Battle Magicks. My wand, however, was Battle Magic and Enchanting. It was my forte actually. I enchanted a motorcycle to fly and score of other features. In fact, I loaned it to Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, to take you to Dumbledore to keep you safe while I went to hunt for Pettigrew.

If you're planning to send me books via Hedwig Express (insert snickering here) then send me a complete set of Hogwarts books on Transfiguration and Charms. While you're at it, send me specialized books on Wards, Enchanting, or others that you recommend. Considering you're in Potter Manor, I'm sure you won't have any problems with selections. James and I lived there once with your Grandfather Charles and Grandmother Dorea (who was a relative of mine since she was a Black before they got married). With ten years of no magic, my control is practically out of whack, so I need to start from scratch. Since I'll be here for a while, might as well make use of the time learning, eh?

Oh yeah, can you send me some Pepper-Up potions as well. It is a great way to restore one's energy if depleted. However, it can be addicting so once a day is enough if there is need.

Also, can you send me some parchments? There are some letters I need to write and ask if Hedwig can deliver them for me. These are important and will secure our future when I get out.

I love you pup and I solemnly swear that I'm REALLY up to no good,

Sirius Orion Black

aka PADFOOT the lovable Grim.

PS: Get in touch with Moony. If I know him then he's wallowing in self-pity now. It might be a good idea to tell him the truth. Show him the proof you have, he'll believe you. Moony will be a great help to you, pup. After all, he is the brains of the Marauders.

Harry grinned. From the long entry on the journal, it seems that his godfather was saner than ever. He quickly took out a quill and an ink bottle before starting to write.

Edited by Corruptmonk

May 26, 2012