Chronicles of Camelot

The Prisoner of Azkaban

"You," Harry gasped, pointing at Sirius in shock, his eyes wide with a mixed sense of confusion, betrayal and anger as he looked to the man that he had heard so much about, "How the hell did you…"

"Harry," Sirius whispered, keeping his voice low as he looked between Harry and Sebastian, "Please calm down: I don't want to hurt you…"

"But you will if you have to," Harry finished, Excalibur now in his hands as he pointed its tip at Sirius, "Well to hurt me Black, you'll have to get through this and don't think I won't use it."

"I know you will," Sirius remarked, his voice calm as he shared a glance with Harry, despite the sharp sword at his throat, "But I won't hurt you even if I have to: you're my godson and, on my life and honour, I can swear to you that I will never harm a hair on your head."

"Then…" gasped Harry, "What…are you doing here and…why did you try and hide as Padfoot?"

"All for you pup," Sirius replied, his voice still calm as he looked at Harry, "I wanted to protect you from the lies and manipulations that people would have you believe: you see, I know that you're a Holy Knight and I know that you have power and, to be honest, the one thing I'm not is afraid of this power. I know and understand that you could call on every storm possible and fry me to a crisp or drown me in rain, but I didn't expect you to discover my secret so soon."

"What are you doing here though?" asked Harry, "Why are you here? How did you escape from Azkaban and why did you come after me if not to hurt me?"

"I'm here to prove my innocence and to clear my name; I escaped from Azkaban through pure chance and taking a risk and I came after you, as you so bluntly put it, not to harm you, but to protect you and be in the one place that I should have been since Halloween night: at your side: is that all of them?" Harry was about to answer when he saw a playful look in Sirius' eyes; with an amused laugh, Harry realised he had just been the victim of a verbally-charged remark. Sirius was many things, he realised, but he wasn't a man who lied or wanted anything to do with harming Harry; no, what Sirius wanted was what Amelia had told Harry: he wanted a chance to clear his name.

"Stay there," Harry commanded, earning a bark from Sirius as if he were Padfoot; stepping back, Excalibur still in his hand, Harry nodded to Sebastian, who walked over and stood by his lord. "You knew?"

"I did," Sebastian replied, "I knew Sirius back when your Father was charged with my ascension and knew that he was an Animagus: someone who can change into an animal at will," he added at Harry's confused look. "I didn't reveal his secret to you because I felt that it was your right to learn of it, but, if there's one thing I know about that man, it's this: you, Harry Potter, are the one thing in his life that means more to him than his own life."

"Keep an eye on him," Harry commanded, turning away from Sebastian, his face staring out of the window as he opened the bond between he and Hermione. 'Can you hear me love?'

'I can,' Hermione replied, her voice filled with shock as she added, 'I can't believe it: our pet, your protector: it's him!'

'I know,' Harry remarked, 'But what do I do? If he stays with me, then there's a chance I may have to reveal him to Dumbledore or worse, to Amelia, just to allow him a place at Hogwarts with us.'

'Do you know why he escaped?'

'No,' Harry looked over his shoulder to where Sebastian was watching Sirius warily, Harry now holding Excalibur downwards as he spoke with Hermione, 'But I don't really want to betray him Hermione: he is my godfather after all.'

'Then do what anyone who can't bring themselves to betray someone they care about would do,' Hermione told him, her voice soft and her very presence within Harry's mind soothing the doubts and fears of the Knight of Thunder, 'Tell him to run!'