First, I'd like to apologize for not updating this in so long. I'm writing for a lot of stories right now, and it's hard to keep track of them all. Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.

Chapter 3: Sirius Black

Harry did not know what Sirius Black was doing here. Had the man tracked him down? Was his father's supposed best friend even here for him? If so, how had Sirius found him? If not, why show up in non-magical Britain? Harry didn't know, couldn't know.

But, he was determined to find out.

Unfortunately, capturing Sirius Black was going to be harder than he'd originally assumed. His godfather was still in his dog animagus form, and was thus much faster than Harry in his human form. He was also being smart, sticking to places that were heavy with pedestrian traffic. Even at night, London was filled with people and cars as the many citizens enjoyed the nightlife.

He and Sirius raced through the streets of London. They must have made quite the sight; a large black dog being chased by a twelve year old boy. Many people stared as they passed, though most seemed to ignore them in favor of going about their business.

Harry growled as he caught sight of Sirius weaving through people's legs like water flowing around a boulder. He'd managed to keep up with the dog animagus by shoving inordinate amounts of magic into his legs, but he could already feel the damage it was doing to his body. His thighs and calves were beginning to break down. Magic was never meant to be used this way.

Another glimpse of black fur darting between the legs of a young woman who shrieked upon seeing the dog caused Harry to grit his teeth.

Sirius Black…

The name struck so many chords within Harry. He remembered Sirius quite well; the man he called Padfoot, the man who'd been given the title of godfather, the man his father trusted above everyone else.

He remembered the many times Sirius would visit them…

He remembered riding on Sirius' back while the man was in his dog form…

He remembered when Sirius would look after him while his parents were on missions for the Order of the Phoenix…

He remembered being told stories about his parent's time at Hogwarts, tales that were wholly inappropriate for a six month old baby to hear…

He remembered and remembered and remembered. Countless memories of Sirius stirred within his mind. Times where the man would visit, times where he would be scolded by Harry's mother for doing something stupid, times where the man and his father would regale him with tales. So many numerous memories, so many nostalgic moments.

It just made him angrier.

Perhaps if Harry were in his right mind, he would have never done what he did. Maybe if his head hadn't been clouded by anger, he would have been able to contain himself and think logically. He wasn't, however. In the face of someone who might have been complicit in his parent's murder, logic and reason were the last things on his mind.

In an effort to catch his godfather, Harry Potter transformed into a jaguar.

In the middle of London's busy streets.

XoX

Geoffrey Crawft was not a man who drank very often. As a businessman and an upstanding citizen who abided by laws of both the government and church, he rarely ever drank anything except perhaps a single glass of wine on special occasions. Recently, however, he'd been hitting the bars a lot more.

"Bartender," he called out while gesturing to his empty glass, "another drink, please."

The bartender, a blond bombshell of a woman, smiled seductively as she refilled his drink. Geoffrey ignored her, his attention fixated on his glass being filled with amber liquid.

His family was going through a rough spot in their lives. His daughter had become a recluse and he and his wife were arguing more. It was their constant arguing that premeditated his coming out to this bar and drinking himself stupid at least two nights a week.

It's all that Potter boy's fault.

Geoffrey scowled as he thought about the boy his daughter was so smitten with. If Harry Potter had never met Lisa, his family wouldn't have been having all these issues. His little girl would still be an innocent child who didn't think about boys, and his wife would be on his side. Yes, everything would have been much better if that Potter boy had never come into his family's life.

It happened as he was taking a drink. As the amber liquid burned down his throat, screams erupted from outside. Geoffrey, drunk from lord-only-knew how many shots of scotch, allowed curiosity to overcome him, and he stumbled over to the window just in time to see a large black dog rush past.

He blinked, once, and then blinked again when something else that was large and black and most definitely not a dog rushed past the window as well.

"Was that a jaguar?"

Geoffrey stood there for several seconds, swaying drunkenly on his feet, before promptly deciding that he must have been hallucinating. Yes. Yes. There was simply no way a jaguar could be running around London. He must have had too much alcohol and was now having strange delusions.

"I am never drinking again."

XoX

Harry chased Sirius through the congested streets of London, ignoring the screams of fear as men and women ran away at the sight of him. A little voice in the back of his mind told him that he was doing something stupid, that it was illogical, reckless and liable to get him into serious trouble with the magical authorities. He ignored the voice, shoving it into the deepest recesses of his mind.

His only thoughts right then were on catching Sirius Black. It consumed him, this all-encompassing need to capture the man and force some answers out of him. His anger spurred him onward, made him ignore the people around him. They were unimportant. Mere sheep whose very lives were insignificant and meaningless. Nothing was important except capturing his estranged godfather.

With four legs propelling him forward and no one daring to come near him, Harry was able to catch up to Sirius quickly. The dog animgus barely had time to realize what was happening before he was upon the man-turned-animal, his teeth sinking into his godfather's neck as he pounced on the other wizard. Harry ignored the loud yelp and whimper of the other animagus as he injected his magic into the black dog through his fangs.

Jaguars do not have the ability to produce poison. It is a known fact of the animal kingdom. Harry Potter's jaguar form was fundamentally different from ordinary jaguars, however. Aside from the fact that it was the results of a magical transformation, Harry's form did have the ability to produce a paralysis venom with his saliva.

He didn't fully understand how this worked himself. Being a man of science, Harry had tried discerning how his jaguar form was capable of producing venom through experimentation, however, he was no closer to solving this problem. His only clue, or more like, the only hint he had was his parseltongue ability, but that didn't actually tell him anything. It certainly didn't explain why this form could produce venom.

At that moment, it hardly mattered. All he cared about was what he could do with it, and as Sirius Black's body went limp within his grasp, Harry was grateful for this strange ability.

Acting quickly, Harry rushed off with Sirius's neck gripped firmly in his mouth. Warm blood ran over his tongue and down his lips. Sirius would shudder occasionally and sometimes twitch, making Harry wonder if he was trying to fight off the paralysis. Not that it mattered. Sirius' form was the unnatural byproduct of a potion he and the other Marauders had taken. Unlike Harry's natural animagus form, his had no powers.

The alley Harry eventually rushed into was almost depressingly empty. There wasn't even a dumpster to hide behind. That was fine, though, as most of the people who'd been wandering the streets in this district had run off after catching sight of him.

Transforming back into a human, Harry did not waste time and waved a hand over Sirius' prone form. A pulse of magic, tendrils of arcane energy, spread from his hand in an almost gentle wave, undoing the magic that kept Sirius in his animagus form.

Harry watched impassively as the transformation undid itself. Legs elongated and became bipedal. Forepaws turned into fingers and human hands while arms lost their hair to reveal almost skeletal human arms. What had once been a muzzle soon became the face of a man who, at one point, would have been considered handsome, but now looked worn and haggard, as if he had aged several decades more than he should have.

A frown marred his face as Harry thought about his next move. The man was bleeding quite a bit. A pool was forming underneath Sirius' head, the crimson fluids pouring from where Harry had bitten him like a faucet that hadn't been turned fully off. He couldn't have Sirius dying on him yet, so he needed to heal the man first.

Healing was probably the most difficult magic to accomplish without a wand. Harry could heal himself easily enough, but that was because it was easier to focus his magic internally than externally. All he needed to do was regulate the flow of magic from his center and suffuse it with the intent to heal. In order to heal Sirius, Harry needed to project his magic outward and focus on visualizing the healing process itself, rather than just the intent.

After he finished healing Sirius, Harry hefted the man over his shoulder. His godfather was much lighter than a man his age should have been. Sirius was clearly malnourished, but Harry didn't particular care about that. It was beneficial. If Sirius didn't have much food in him, he would be more susceptible to manipulation, mind magics and truth serums.

With a loud crack! of displaced magic, Harry Potter and Sirius Black disappeared.

XoX

Amelia Bones sat in her office, going over several stacks of paperwork. Ever since Harry Potter had disappeared, she'd been inundated with nearly twice as much work as before. That work had tripled after Sirius Black escaped. So much of the aurors' resources were now dedicated to finding Harry and capturing Black that they barely had enough men left over to keep the peace in magical Britain.

Those two are causing me so much trouble right now.

The door to her office suddenly slammed open and someone lumbered in, the thunk-thunk of his wooden peg leg letting her know who it was before she looked up.

"Alastor Moody," Amelia frowned at the man, "aren't you supposed to be enjoying retirement?"

Moody's scarred visage shifted into the approximation of a scowl, which wasn't saying much because he always seemed to be scowling. "I am enjoying my retirement. I'm enjoying it about as much as I enjoy being sidelined during an investigation." The man thumped into the room until he stood in front of her desk.

Amelia set down the report she'd been reading and focused fully on Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. "I can imagine. You're not the type who enjoys sitting around doing nothing. Just like you're not the type of person who would stop by the auror office for a visit. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"There's been a strange sighting in muggle London," Alastor got right to the point. "Apparently, there's a jaguar running around in the middle of the city."

"A jaguar?"

"Big cat," Mady-Eye answered, "about three times larger than your average house cat, with sharp claws and even sharper teeth."

"I know what a jaguar is," Amelia snapped, "what's a jaguar doing in non-magical London, though? Did it escape from the zoo or something?"

"Negative," Mad-Eye shook his head. "I've already checked my sources in the muggle police department and they say that no missing jaguars have been reported at the zoo."

Amelia leaned back in her chair and regarded the man before her. Alastor Moody was one of the best aurors of recent years. He had put away more dark wizards in Azkaban than any other auror in history, and, unlike most witches and wizards, he knew a lot about the non-magical world. He'd even gone so far as to set up an intelligence network within the non-magical police department.

"Are you telling me that we're dealing with an animagus?" Amelia asked at last, having needed several seconds to make that conclusion.

"An unknown animagus," Moody confirmed. "I checked the animagus registry before coming here, and there are no licensed jaguar animagi."

Amelia took a moment to think about that. Less than a second later, she was waving her wand, sending a missive to her second-in-command, telling him to get his arse up there quickly.

"Have you informed Albus about this?" Amelia asked while they waited for the Head Auror to arrive.

"No," Moody answered, "if it were a matter of some dark wizard terrorizing muggles I would, but this doesn't seem to be the case. According to eyewitness reports and what I saw on the news, the jaguar isn't actually attacking anyone. It's just chasing after some dog."

"A dog?" Amelia frowned.

"A big black dog that looks like a grimm," Moody confirmed. "I suspect the dog is another unregistered animagus, though I can't be sure. It's simply a hunch."

Amelia almost snorted. "You don't have hunches, Moody."

Her words were met by Moody's toothy grin. "Aye."

The opening of the door diverted their attention. In walked a man who looked like someone had crossbred a lion with a human. He moved with a slight limp in his left leg, though it didn't hamper him, and he swiftly made to stand in front of Amelia's desk next to Moody, who he nodded to before focusing on his superior.

"You called, Ma'am," Scrimgeour said.

"I did," Amelia quickly got down to business. "I want you to create a team of aurors and send them into non-magical London to chase after a jaguar."

Scrimgeour actually blinked at that. "A jaguar, ma'am?"

"Yes, Scrimgeour, a jaguar, a big jungle cat. There's apparently one running amok in London, chasing after a dog. I believe it's an unregistered animagi. Your men are to go there and apprehend it."

Scrimgeour nodded. "Very well, I'll have Shacklebolt and his apprentice, Nymphadora Tonks, head up an investigation and apprehension team."

Amelia nodded. Those two were good choices. Kingsley Shacklebolt was one of their best aurors, and he was one of the few who could blend into non-magical society. Nymphadora Tonks, on the other hand, was not only partially raised in muggle society, but also had her metamorph abilities to back her up. They would be perfect in apprehending a potentially dangerous unregistered animagi.

"Moody," Amelia addressed the peg-legged auror. "Would you be willing to travel with Shacklebolt and Tonks to act as their adviser."

"Course." Moody stood up from his seat. "Not like I have anything better to do now that I'm 'retired.'"

"You have my thanks," Amelia said.

As her second-in-command and Moody left her office, Amelia leaned back in her chair and frowned. Something was going on in non-magical London, and she couldn't help but ask herself one question.

Does this have anything to do with Harry Potter's disappearance?

XoX

Nymphadora Tonks walked alongside her superior.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was a rather tall man, standing almost three heads taller than her. His dark eyes scanned their surroundings, studying everything as they walked along the street.

Unlike most wizards who didn't know jack about the muggle world, Shacklebolt was well-versed in how non-magical people worked. The dark grey business suit he wore was of a simple yet elegant design, giving him a very professional image that allowed him to blend in with the non-magical population.

Tonks had gone with standard muggle attire herself. The jean shorts she wore were ripped along the knees, and her band T-shirt had the Led Zeppelin logo printed on it. With her bright pink hair, she looked a lot like a rock crazy fangirl.

Despite how "normal" they looked, neither of them had found out anything about the apparent unregistered animagus that had been spotted running around the city a few hours ago. The few people they managed to question had either not been around at the time, or had been so panicked they weren't able to catch more than a glimpse of the animal as it ran past.

Of course, another reason they weren't learning much could have been due to the person behind them.

Tonks chanced a glance at their "adviser" out of the corner of her eye. Alastor Moody, or "Mad Eye" as he had often been called, looked like someone whose face had been run over by a tractor. What had to be the most disturbing part about him was that fake eye of his, which moved around separate from his normal eye. Sometimes it even spun all the way around until the pupil disappeared into the back of his head. It was really freaky.

"I don't think we're going to find anything out, Shack." Tonk tried to ignore Moody as he thunked along behind them. "We'd probably be better off creating a net than we would questioning these people."

Shacklebolt didn't answer at first, and when he did, his deep voice spoke slowly, as if choosing each word with care. "You may be right. But, I doubt creating a net will do any good now. The last sighting happened a little over two hours ago. Chances are the animagus, if we are indeed dealing with an animagus, is long gone from here."

"Then what should we do?"

"Let's question a few people people before reporting to Scrimgeour for further orders."

Moody clicked his tongue. "I wouldn't bother reporting for further orders. By the time Scrimgeour even gets your report, it's going to be too late. You'd be better off doing this investigation with the assets you have now."

Tonks and Shacklebolt shared a look.

They walked through London a little longer, questioning the people they met. Very few had anything to say other than what they'd been told second hand. One man said he saw the jaguar and dog, but that person, one Geoffrey Crawft, had been so drunk that Tonks wasn't sure she believed him.

It wasn't until they met a woman with pink hair akin to her own that they learned of something interesting, though it had nothing to do with a jaguar.

"I don't know anything about a jaguar," the woman admitted when Shacklebolt questioned her, "though that does sound strange. A jaguar in London? It's even more unusual than that boy who lives next to me."

"Boy?" Tonks asked.

Victoria nodded. "Strange lad named Harry Evans. He just moved into the apartment next to mine about three weeks ago. Haven't seen any parents with him, which makes me think he might be a runaway."

Shacklebolt and Tonks shared looks of alarm. Three weeks ago was close to the same time Harry Potter had disappeared.

"Do you know anything else about this boy?" Shacklebolt inquired.

"Not really." Victoria shook her head. "Aside from how he seems to enjoy playing 'magic' there isn't much I can tell you."

The word "magic" raised their alarm bells several more decibels.

"What about a physical description?" asked Tonks.

"I guess I could give you that. He's a young man, couldn't be older than maybe fourteen or so. Dark messy hair, emerald green eyes. Boy's gonna be a regular ladykiller when he grows up."

"Did he have a scar on his forehead?" asked Tonks.

"A scar?"

"Yes, there should have been a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead."

Victoria reminisced for a second before slowly nodding. "You know what? I think he did, actually. It was kind of hard to see because his hair was blocking his forehead, but I do know that I saw some kind of mark on it." The woman then looked at the two before her, squinting. "By the way, what were your names again? And why did you want to know about Harry Evans? Are you two with child service's or something?"

"Or something," Shacklebolt answered, discreetly palming his wand and casting a very basic confundus charm on the woman. "Would you mind showing us where you live? We'd like to ask Harry Evans a few questions."

XoX

After arriving at his temporary place of residence, Harry got to work.

He floated Sirius Black over to a chair he had fashioned using alchemy. It was a very basic chair made of steel and didn't look comfortable to sit on. After setting Sirius Black onto the chair, he conjured several chains and had them wrap around the animagus, effectively binding him.

Harry then waited for Sirius Black to regain consciousness. It was a slow going process, as the man appeared to be quite disoriented. He blamed that on how much blood his godfather had lost, but that was exactly why he'd not given the man any blood restoration potions. He wanted Sirius to be confused and disoriented. It would make interrogating him easier.

Sirius groaned several times, eyelids fluttering like drunken butterflies. It took several moments to become aware of his situation, namely that someone was standing over him. His eyes, glazed over to show that he wasn't all there, widened.

"J-James?" the man sounded as groggy as he looked. "Is that you?"

"No," Harry said coolly, ignoring the surge of anger. "I'm not James Potter."

Sirius seemed to gain his second wind. His eyes became sharper as they focused on him more fully.

Seconds later, they widened again.

"H-Harry? That… that really is you, isn't it?"

"It is."

"Merlin," Sirius breathed in shock. "You look just like James." His eyes softened. "All except for the eyes. You've got your mother's eyes."

Harry's eyes blazed with an intense ferocity as he hissed. "Do not mention my parents, Black. You have no right to even speak their name!"

"Harry…"

"And do not talk to me with such familiarity," Harry snapped. "You might be my godfather, but that doesn't mean you and I are in any way close."

Harry's words seemed to hit Sirius like a punch to the gut. The dark-haired man slumped in his seat, several choking noises erupting from the back of his throat.

Harry ignored Sirius and waved a hand at the shelf. A small vial rattled before slowly levitating off the surface and gently settling onto the palm of his hand. The vial had a round bottom similar to a bulb. Sloshing around inside like a fine white wine was a crystal clear liquid.

"Do you know what this is?" Harry asked.

Sirius jerked at the sound of Harry's voice. Looking at the vial, the black-haired man frowned but answered the question. "Um, some kind of potion?"

"This is veritaserum," Harry started, boring a hole into Sirius' head with his eyes. "I am going to give you two options, Black. The first is that you take this serum and answer all of my questions."

Sirius didn't really seem to understand what was going on. He frowned at his godson as if Harry was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

"You… you do not act very much like James or Lily, do you?"

Harry's smile was colder than a Scottish winter. "I wouldn't really know, would I? After all, my parents died when I was just one year old."

Sirius winced. "I guess… you do have a point," he muttered sadly before looking back at his godson. "What's the other option?"

"Should you choose not to go with option one, I will be forced to use option two, which involves me prying the information from your head using force."

Harry Potter still couldn't claim to be a great Legilimens, but he was proficient enough that he could delve into the minds of others. It wasn't very subtle, and it wasn't very pretty. His mind probes were more akin to a sledge hammer than a surgical scalpel. Chances were good that if Sirius Black resisted Harry's attempt at probing his thoughts, it would break his mind, shattering it into millions of irreparable pieces.

The gears started to turn within Sirius Black's head. Harry could practically see the man's thoughts clearly visible on his face. Finally, after what felt like fifteen minutes, the man bound to the chair shrugged.

"I'll take the truth serum," he stated boldly. "I have nothing to hide."

Harry Potter raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that."

Harry wasn't gentle as he forced Sirius' mouth open and used magic to pull out the man's tongue, placing two drops on it and then taking a step back.

Sirius' eyes glazed over and Harry knew it was time to begin.

"What is your name?"

"Sirius Orion Black," Sirius intoned in a drone-like voice.

"When were you born?"

"September fifteenth, nineteen fifty-nine."

Harry nodded. That was, indeed, Sirius Black's date of birth. It seemed the serum was working. He hadn't been sure it would work since he'd never been given an opportunity to test it on anybody. There was always the possibility that Sirius was resisting, but considering how disoriented the older man must have been, the chances of him putting on an act were very slim.

"Did you kill my parents?"

"No."

Harry frowned. There hadn't been a single hint of hesitation in Sirius' voice.

"If you did not kill them, then who did?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

It took a moment for Harry to properly compute that answer.

Peter Pettigrew was another one of his father's friends, a part of the group he and Sirius had belonged to, the Marauders. Nicknamed Wormtail due to his animagus transformation, Pettigrew had been best friends with James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. He was also supposedly killed by Black when he confronted the other man after Black betrayed Harry's parents.

"How is that possible?" Harry's gazed sharpened to the same keenness as razors. "How did Pettigrew betray my parents when you were their Secret Keeper?"

"I was not their Secret Keeper," Sirius answered, causing Harry's eyes to widen.

"Explain." It was not a question.

"I was too obvious a choice, and we knew that Voldemort also knew this. I knew that if I was the Secret Keeper and Voldemort caught me, it would be all over and the Dark Lord would learn everything. That's why James, Lily and I came up with a plan. We had Lily cast the Fidelius Charm in front of Dumbledore and a few others. We made it look like I was selected as the Secret Keeper, when in truth, Lily actually made Pettigrew the Secret Keeper."

"I see," Harry mumbled as he began pacing. "Yes, that makes sense. No one would suspect Pettigrew of being the Secret Keeper, especially if Dumbledore himself had been present and vouched for you being their Secret Keeper. Everyone would go after you, leaving Pettigrew alone and therefore keeping the location of my parents' whereabouts secret."

It was a good plan, brilliant even. That sort of misdirection was the kind that could, in the right circumstances, turn the tide of any battle. However…

"It would only work if Pettigrew was loyal," Harry turned back to Sirius Black, "and he wasn't, was he?"

"No, he wasn't." Sirius' face trembled slightly as his emotions overcame the potion's effects. Harry frowned. The potion wasn't perfect, it seemed. He would need to fix that. "We had always known there was a traitor within our midst, but we didn't know who. A lot of us suspected it was Remus since he's a werewolf, which is why we chose Pettigrew to be the Secret Keeper instead of him."

Harry nodded to himself as the picture became more clear within his mind. Everything was starting to make sense. There were just a few more questions that he needed answered.

"How did Pettigrew frame you for the murder?"

"After your mum was killed, the Fidelius Charm surrounding your house vanished. I immediately knew what had happened and traveled there to see the house destroyed. I… I found your father lying within the rubble, dead, and then… your mother… she was…"

Harry's lips quickly curved down when he saw tears leaking from Sirius' eyes. That should not be possible, should it? Displaying such intense emotions while under the effects of veritaserum? Then again, this was an emotional subject for Black, so maybe his sorrow was so overwhelmingly powerful that it partially nullified the potion.

Note to self: revise potion as it is clearly not strong enough.

"Someone else got there before me. Rubeus Hagrid had pulled you out the house. I asked him to give you to me, as I felt it was my duty as your godfather to look after you, but he refused. Said that Dumbledore would take care of you. I… I was so stricken with grief that I decided to let him take you. I knew Dumbledore would look after you."

Harry almost snorted. Dumbledore looking after him? That man had looked after him about as much as his relatives had looked after him.

"I decided to confront Pettigrew. I chased after and eventually caught up with him, but during our confrontation he started shouting at me, asking me questions like 'how could I betray James and Lily?' and then he blew up a gas line, cut off his own finger, and made his way into the sewers. The aurors arrived soon after and I was arrested."

Rubbing his chin, Harry thought about everything he'd just learned.

It made sense. The whole story made a lot of sense. If Harry were being honest, he'd never really been sure that Sirius Black had truly been his parents' betrayer, even if all evidence pointed to the contrary. He'd spent many hours with each of his father's friends, and Sirius had always seemed the most stalwart, the most loyal.

Of course, he'd never suspected Pettigrew either, but that was probably what had made him such a good traitor. No one had suspected him.

Harry studied the man still bound to the chair, eyes glazed over as he remained under the effects of veritaserum.

He believed Sirius' story. He believed that Sirius Black was innocent. Now all that remained was to decide what he should do with that knowledge.

He needed to ask a few more questions.

"How did you find me?"

"I'm your godfather," Sirius said, and Harry could hear a bit of emotion in his voice. The effects of the veritaserum were wearing off, proving that he'd still not perfected brewing it. Not that it mattered. Sirius had already proven himself innocent. "Being a godfather in the magical world is more than just a title. As your godfather, I am inextricably bound to you through the use of an ancient ritual. It allows me to tell where you are at all times unless you're protected by something like the Fidelius Charm. Even then, the bond always lets me know that you're alive."

"I see." Harry pushed his curiosity at this new knowledge to the side. While he wanted to ask about the mechanics behind whatever ritual bound them, there were other, far more important things to ask. "How did you escape from Azkaban, and why now of all times?"

Sirius blinked several times, then shook his head in a way that was reminiscent of a dog. Harry knew, right then, that the veritaserum had worn off completely.

"Escaping Azkaban was actually the easy part." Sirius grinned despite being chained. "You see, Dementors are great at guarding people because they suck all the happiness out of them. However, they're not so good at recognizing the mind of animals."

Harry was rather astounded by this information, though he did not let Sirius know that. "Of course, that makes sense. Humans and animals have very different thought processes. A Dementor feeds off the emotions of humans, but I doubt they'd recognize the emotions of an animal. That's also how you've managed to retain your sanity, isn't it? You likely spent more time in your animagus form than you did your human form."

"Well, I don't know about 'retaining my sanity,'" Sirius admitted, "but I like to think I'm more sane than most of the people still locked up in that place."

"And so what made you decide to escape now?"

"Two reasons," Sirius began. "I heard that you'd gone missing and grew worried."

Harry supposed he should feel good about that, but honestly didn't care. "And the second?"

"Pettigrew," Sirius growled, his voice almost barking. "The day of my escape, I saw an article in the prophet about a family who'd won a trip to Egypt. The Weasleys, I think they were. I recognized Arthur from our times in the Order of the Phoenix together."

"I know of the Weasleys," Harry stated. "What do they have to do with Peter Pettigrew?"

"One of their sons was holding onto a rat in the picture I saw. A fat little rat that was missing one finger."

It didn't take Harry more than a second to connect the dots. "Pettigrew."

"That's right. Peter Pettigrew is living with the Weasleys, and that boy in the picture, the youngest, I believe he goes to Hogwarts."

"He does," Harry confirmed.

"Right, which means Peter Pettigrew has not only resurfaced, but that he is at Hogwarts, where you are currently attending. I don't know what he is there for, if he means you harm or if he's just hiding because it's all he can do, but I'll be damned if I let him have the chance to hurt you."

And so the last piece had fallen into place. Harry now felt he had the whole picture, at least as told from Sirius' perspective. He knew the hows, the whys, the whats, and the whos. Now all he needed to do was decide his next move.

"Your loyalty to my parents is admirable," Harry said, and he meant it. However… "But I want one thing made clear, I do not need your help or your protection. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. While I… appreciate the sentiment, you will do well to remember that I am not some child who needs others to keep him safe."

"Yes, I can see that," Sirius said with no little amusement, jangling the chains binding his hands in emphasis.

"Just so long as we're clear," Harry said.

"So…" Sirius wiggled his hands some more, the chains making almost ominous rattling sounds. "Are you going to undo these? They're getting really uncomfortable."

Harry contemplated the request for a second… and then waved a hand at Sirius, the chains dissolving away as if they'd never existed.

Sirius gaped. "You can use wandless magic?!"

"You're just now noticing?" Harry looked at Sirius like he was an idiot.

"Well," Sirius rubbed the back of his head, "I knew that you were capable of doing some pretty neat stuff when you were younger, but we all just thought it was because you were abnormally powerful or something. It's one thing to do accidental magic, it's quite another to do wandless magic."

"True enough, I suppose."

Sirius shook his head in mild disbelief. However, as the situation came back to him, his demeanor became a bit more serious. "What do you plan on doing now?"

Harry tilted his head and considered the question. Before he could answer, however, loud knocking alerted him to someone at the door.

"Excuse me," a male voice called out, "Harry Evans. Is there a Harry Evans in here? This is the… police. We would like to ask a few questions."

"Police?" a female voice sounded baffled. Harry knew that voice, which made him frown. What was she doing here? "Did you really just call us the police?"

"That voice sounds strangely familiar," Sirius muttered to himself. Harry looked at the man, then back at the door.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and sent out a small pulse, which traveled to the door and acted similar to a sonar. "The people on the other side are all magical. There are three of them. One witch and two wizards. The two wizards have quite a bit of power to the. The witch is Nymphadora Tonks, by the way. This is not good."

"Nymphadora?" Sirius blinked. "You mean my niece?"

"Harry Evans." The knocking came again, louder this time. "We need you to come out right this instant. If you do not, we will enter the premise and take you by force if necessary."

"Yes, it's your niece. She's an auror."

"Oh." Sirius' mouth dropped slightly. "That's not good."

"No, it isn't." Harry's mind raced at several hundred miles a second. "Sirius, do you have a safe house you can take us to?"

"Uh…" Sirius thought quickly. "There is one place, but I can't apparate. There are runes placed on me to prevent that."

The knocking stopped, but the voice spoke up again. "Harry Evans, if you do not answer this door right now, we'll be forced to enter without your permission."

"For Merlin's sakes!" A third voice growled. "Just blast the door apart already!"

"W-wait!" Another voice spoke up, one Harry remembered from a few days ago. "W-what are you doing?! And what is that stick you're carrying?!"

"My apologies, ma'am, but I can't have you causing trouble. Please forgive me. Obliviate!"

Harry knew that time was running out. It was now or never.

"That's fine. Just open your mind to me and I can get us there."

"What?"

Sirius Black looked into Harry's eyes, and in that second, Harry was able to pull the information from Sirius' mind. It wasn't very elegant, his legilimency, nor was it very subtle. The dark-haired man winced when Harry's mind probed his, grabbing the information within and pulling it out. However, he also didn't resist.

An image appeared within Harry's mind. A home, dark and foreboding, a place of not-so-fond memories. Along with the image, he received a location.

The door exploded and in marched three people. A large man with dark skin wearing a business suit, a grizzled man with a peg leg and a strange eye, and Nymphadora Tonks.

Harry didn't hesitate. He grabbed Sirius by the arm and disapparated with a loud crack.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Not sure when the next one will be, but I'll try updating it sooner. Since Ashikabi no Shinobi is finally done, I should be able to write for this story some more.

Also, the second book of the American Kitsune series, A Fox's Tail, has been published. Down below is my book's blurb, which I hope sounds interesting. Anyone interested in getting a copy can follow the links on either my profile page, my blog, the American Kitsune facebook page, or my twitter account. You can also go onto Amazon and simply search the book section for A Fox's Tail. Once again, I would like to thank everyone who's supported me while I write. It means more to me than words will ever be able to express.

Thank you.

Life has finally settled down for Kevin Swift. Sure, he's still dealing with Lilian's zany antics, but that's alright, he's actually starting to enjoy the gorgeous Kitsune's continued presence. Too bad he's in denial. Unfortunately for him, life likes to throw fastballs when you least expect it to, and his life is about to get ecchi―I-I mean, ugly.

A tsundere dressed in gothic lolita fashion…

A boy whose hair is bigger than his brain…

A new enemy that makes Chris Fleischer look like a fifty pound weakling…

Trying to admit his feelings for a certain tomboy…

Not to mention Lilian herself. Yeah, Kevin's got problems, and life can only get more strenuous from here on out. Oh well. At least he hasn't been turned into a Harem Protagonist.