SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPED FROM AZKABAN

The name rings in Harry's ears again and again: Sirius Black, Sirius Black, sing-song and mocking. The paper had sprinkled little details in the article about the man, that he'd killed thirteen people and just stood there, laughing, that he'd been a follower of You-Know-Who, that nobody had ever escaped Azkaban before, and each one of them bounces around the inside of his skull, forcing him to try and think.

Sirius Black had escaped from prison after twelve years, but he'd come to see Harry. And not to try and kill Harry, either - the man had been unhinged, but it had been obvious he hadn't meant Harry any harm. Harry lies in the bath, drumming his fingers on the edge of the tub and trying his best to think.

Hermione is coming to pick him up next week, as the Grangers are coming through Little Whinging on their way back from the airport, and they'll all stay in Diagon Alley for a few days before he and Hermione catch the Hogwarts Express on September 1st, but he wants to know more in the meantime: he just needs to figure out how to phrase what he's asking.

---

Dear Mrs Weasley,

Thanks for your letter last weekend - I've been listening
to that record you sent me, and I really do quite like her
voice, I think, though she just can't compare to Lixie
Pott.

I just wanted to ask you as I'm still home from school for
another week or so before I head into London with the
Grangers the Friday after next - should my Muggle
relatives be doing any particular thing to stay safe from
Sirius Black?

I saw in the paper that he'd killed Muggles, and I just
wanted to make sure they'll be alright once I've gone off
to school.

Harry Potter

It's a similar phrasing to what he uses with Amelia Bones, and he sends a small note to Professor McGonagall, too - he knows that Narcissa Malfoy or Theodore's dad would probably know more about the political side of Black's escape, but they wouldn't care about the well-being of any Muggles, related to Harry or not.

He gets responses in the next few days, but all of them remain utterly vague - the majority of Mrs Weasley's letter is about Celestina Warbeck's crooning songs versus the more updated, poppy style of Lixie Pott: she barely mentions Black at all, except to say that he probably shouldn't worry, and McGonagall's letter is curt and just tells him to remain safe.

Letting out a little groan, Harry drops face-first onto his bed and gives up for the time being. Even if Mrs Weasley won't say anything about this by post, he'll be able to get more out of her once he can see her in person, and for the time being, at least, he knows Sirius Black is heading North.

---

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about him, Mrs Granger," Harry says casually, "He probably didn't even survive the swim over to Britain, and even if he did, his wand will have been snapped and he won't be any threat." Mrs Granger breathes in, but then she gives a little nod of her head as Harry and Hermione move into the Leaky Cauldron.

"They don't snap people's wands for going to Azkaban," Hermione whispers. "That's only if you get expelled."

"Did you want to tell your mum the truth about the mass murderer who's just escaped from prison?"

"No," Hermione retorts, "I'm just saying my lie would have been based in more truth." Harry rolls his eyes, and he drags his trunk into the Leaky Cauldron. September 1st is on Monday morning, so the four of them are staying in the Leaky Cauldron until Hermione and Harry are put on the train, and then the Grangers are going to return home.

"Oi, Potter!" comes a loud yell, and Harry automatically grabs for his wand, but before he can draw it out of his trousers he's being wrestled to the floor, and Harry lashes out as best he can. George grabs at his wrists, holding them above his head, and Fred sits on top of him with a triumphant yell.

"Get off, you ginger bastards-"

"Fred! George!"

"George, don't do that-"

"I swear, I'm gonna kill you two before the year is out-"

"Get off him, Fred!" Harry twists his waist to the side, making Fred lose his balance, but he can't quite kick himself free of George's grip until Hermione smacks George upside the head, making him let out a wounded sound and release Harry's arms. Percy drags Fred up by his shirt collar, and Hermione shoves George in the chest, scowling up into his face. George is about a head taller than her, and she's forced to tilt her head up to look at his face.

"You seem a bit angry, Granger," George says playfully, not seeming to mind Hermione's obvious wrath at all. "Feeling a bit protective?"

"Don't call me Granger." George leans down a little, so that him and Hermione are nose-to-nose.

"What, we on first name terms now, are we?" Harry can see Hermione's skin darkening slightly as she blushes, and he winces as he watches George let out a little chuckle: Hermione delivers a sharp punch to George's chest, making him choke out a noise and bend over, gasping in his breaths. Grabbing at her trunk, she stomps up the stairs after her parents, and Harry shakes his head.

"You idiot," Harry says disapprovingly, "She doesn't take all that well to being teased like that. Too physical."

"So I've seen," George says hoarsely, and Fred laughs at him freely. Arthur sympathetically pats George's back, and Molly just makes her way over, pulling Harry into a hug: it's a much less aggressive greeting than the twins', and Harry relaxes into it, letting Molly hug him tightly. Harry gives Ginny, Ron and Percy a wave in comparison, but Percy seems to still be getting over the shock of seeing his brothers tackle another boy to the ground. Ron's arms are crossed over his chest, a scowl pulling at his face, and Ginny just seems to be enjoying the chaos.

Harry likes that about her.

"You want to carry my trunk upstairs, Fred?" Harry asks with a little raise of his eyebrows, and the older boy gives a mocking little bow.

"Mr Potter, I would be honoured," Fred says mockingly, grabbing Harry's trunk, and Harry grabs Hedwig's cage, letting her out. She decides to settle on George's shoulder, and he lets out a put-upon sigh as he follows his brother and Harry up the stairs. As soon as the door is shut behind them, Hedwig settles on top of her cage, and Fred and George throw themselves onto Harry's bed. "What did you want to know, then?"

"Everything you know about Sirius Black," Harry answers immediately, and the twins share a glance. They're taking Harry's demand seriously, though, and he can see the both of them mulling over the details they're aware of before they answer.

"Not much," George admits. "Dad said we had to be careful when we got back, and that he was really a risk."

"We heard him and Bill saying to Percy that he wasn't to let you wander off on your own without an adult behind you, though," Fred adds, and Harry groans, hiding his face in his hands. "He's head boy now, Harry, with all his adult responsibilities: he's probably got tucking you into bed at night on the top of his to-do list. What do you know about him?"

"Only what was in the Prophet," Harry answers with a shrug of his shoulders. "That's why I was hoping you'd know something." There's a knock on the door, followed immediately by the door opening, and Hermione steps in.

"We could have been naked!" Fred protests. "You're supposed to wait before you come in."

"Oh, shush," Hermione says, and she looks to Harry, "Mum and Dad are ready to go for books and clothes. You coming?"

"Yeah, sure," Harry says, nodding his head. "Have you guys got all your stuff yet?"

"Mum's splitting us into two groups. Us two, Dad and Percy are going around tomorrow, and Ginny, Mum and Ron are going around today. It's almost like she doesn't trust us," George says, and Hermione hmphs at him. Harry frowns at her as they begin to make their way down the stairs, but he doesn't actually ask any questions until they're walking to Flourish and Blotts.

"What's up with you and George?" Harry asks, and Hermione glances at him, frowning.

"What do you mean?" she asks sharply, and Harry can see she's a bit touchy about the subject, so he decides to back off.

"Nothing, nothing," Harry says, spreading his hands innocently, and they follow Mr and Mrs Granger towards the bookshop.

---

Harry slips carefully past Tom's front desk as he comes back into the Leaky Cauldron on Sunday afternoon, exiting into the Muggle side of London before Percy can follow him. Percy, true to Fred and George's word, had been watching Harry like a hawk the entire weekend, and by now Harry is more than tired of it - he can only hope he doesn't get the same treatment once he's at Hogwarts.

He walks a few streets away, slipping into a charity shop and beginning to browse. After weeks of solitude in Little Whinging, doing any and all shopping on his own and having time to just browse at leisure, it had been annoying to have the Grangers and the Weasleys telling him where to go and when.

Harry picks up a few Muggle paperbacks, and then he begins to browse through the records. He only ends up picking up a few compilation albums, though, and he pays at the counter just a few minutes before the shop closes its doors. He settles his purchases in a plastic bag before moving outside, taking a shortcut back to the Leaky Cauldron through an alleyway.

"Harry," he turns, staring at Black where he stands, shivering, in the middle of the little street.

"Why do you keep following me?" Harry demands. "You were one of Voldemort's followers, weren't you? A Death Eater?" Black shakes his head, letting out a little noise.

"Just wanted to check you'd bought some Boney M.," Black says, and then lets out a ridiculous laugh, tossing back his head. He sounds like he's been gargling broken glass, and Harry can't help but wince at the awful sound, despite Black's obvious humour. "I wasn't a Death Eater. Neve a Death Eater - he was."

"Who was?"

"The rat."

"What rat?"

"He's-"

"He's at Hogwarts, yeah, I know," Harry finishes, frowning at the older man. There must be something he can do - the man just seems damaged, not dangerous, and Harry doesn't want to just leave him to wander up to Hogwarts. "Look-" There's a clatter as a cat jumps onto a bin up the road, and Sirius flinches wildly, running away at speed. Just before he turns off the alley, Harry sees him morph, hitting the ground on four paws, and he can't help but stare after him.

No wonder he broke out of Azkaban. The man's an Animagus.

---

"You shouldn't have stayed up all night," Hermione says disapprovingly as they climb onto the Express, and Harry sighs. Even had he tried to lie in bed, he doesn't think he would have slept in the silence of Leaky Cauldron, so he'd stayed up the whole night playing cards with Fred and George.

"You shouldn't have bought a cat when you were meant to get an owl," Harry returns, and Hermione frowns at him as she sets Crookshanks down in the compartment, letting him clamber up onto one of the seats. Harry lies down across from him, setting Hedwig's empty cage on the floor, and Crookshanks immediately changes his mind: he launches his fat, bandy-legged body across the room, landing heavily on Harry's chest, and he groans.

"You shouldn't complain," Hermione says, popping their trunks up on the shelves and settling down on the floor, a stack of books beside her. "He loves you."

"I can feel that," Harry says half-heartedly, patting Crookshanks' head. "All two stone of it."

"He doesn't weigh two stone!"

"He will if you keep feeding him chicken."

"Oh, go to sleep!" Harry chuckles, closing his eyes: he strokes Crookshanks' back absently as the big, flat-faced monster purrs on top of him. Crookshanks' heavy weight is completely different to the occasional dainty step of Winston over Harry's pillow, but he doesn't really mind. The cat obviously means well, and Harry's glad to see Hermione's found a pet that suits her so much. "Are you worried about him? Black? I heard what Mr Weasley said to you at the station, about how you should be careful, about how you shouldn't seek him out."

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry lies, "I'm not going to do anything of the sort.