Return Of The Father (Harry Potter fanfiction) **COMPLETED**

:: Chapter 14: Third year ::

"We've been watching for hours! I'm hungry." Sirius said, staring at his watch.

"Alright, let's eat something," James agreed. He raised his wand and enlarged the table by muttering a simple Engorgio and drew up a few more chairs. They all sat around and began eating from the heaps of food that had appeared on the magic plate.

"So," James began conversationally. "How was third year? Please don't tell me you faced Voldemort again that year!"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I didn't. I met Sirius and Remus that year." He said, smiling.

The marauders beamed.

"You never told me how you escaped, Padfoot. I mean, it had to be a first!" James asked curiously.

Sirius's grin faltered and then vanished completely from his face as his jaw became taut.

"Azkaban was horrible," Sirius said sighing. "Locked up in a cell all day, with frequent visits from dementors." He shuddered. James noticed that Harry had gone pale at the very mention of the word dementor.

"The dementors passed my cell three times a day. Every happy thought, every happy memory was taken away and replaced by a - by a horrible depression. I would have gone mad if it weren't for Padfoot." Sirius continued.

"Your animagus form?" James asked confused, his hand raised midway to his lips, holding an apple.

"Every time the dementors passed my cell, I transformed. I wasn't human anymore, so the dementors didn't have an effect on me. I used to curl up in dog form and sleep in a corner, thinking. I knew I was innocent, nothing could change that. It kept me going. I always thought about our times together, especially about you Prongs - " he stopped. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Even the dementors couldn't take that away from me. I also thought about Harry, just wondering. Would he look like you? Would he have Lily's personality? Was he safe ? Did the muggles look after him well? These thoughts kept me going for twelve years, and I never stopped believing that I would meet Harry again one day."

James felt a huge lump rise in his throat. Sirius, at the mere age of twenty one, was thrown into the worst place imaginable, where dementors lurked in every corner. Sirius didn't deserve any of it, and it was all his fault. James knew that Sirius suffered because of him, even through the others had tried convincing him otherwise. Sirius wasn't done yet.

"And then, I kept myself going and managed to stay sane, you know? And then, one day, I found the perfect opportunity. I was thin, very thin at the time. I transformed and slipped through the bars and swam."

A tear rolled down Hermione's cheeks.

"Oh, Sirius !" She said.

"Don't worry, Hermione. It's all in the past. I'm here, aren't I? The marauders together again." Sirius finished, smiling genuinely.

James still couldn't speak and merely nodded, forcing a smile.

"It's a little after noon," Harry said looking at his watch. He was also slightly shaken at his godfather's revelation. "Shall we continue?"

The others nodded and, after the initial procedures, dived into the shimmering bowl.

The news was on.

"... the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous ...."

"Pshh, I didn't even have a wand on me." Sirius said, shaking his bed exasperatedly.

"The muggles probably mean guns." Remus said wisely.

"Who is aunt Marge?" Sirius asked curiously.