This is officially one of my favorite stories.

The way you've written Sirius really tugged at my heartstrings. His suffering is so evident and so great but also somewhat quiet, which, in my opinion, perfectly fits his character. Minerva also seems super in line with canon, this more nurturing side of her seeming very realistic even though it was explored less in the series. Descriptions were also one of your greatest strengths with this piece, especially phrases discussing Sirius' appearance like "his form was made of sharp angles like glass shattered" and a scarecrow with the stuffing ripped out". Those sentences, and several others with similarly powerful word choice, truly gave me chills.
Their interactions and the dialogue they exchanged, especially at the beginning of their encounter, were incredibly well done. The two somehow went from a poignant reunion to playful (as close to it as they can get in these circumstances) banter, and every word they said just fit so well within this story/ how I imagine this sort of scene would have gone. I can not think of a better way to write something like this, and you've pulled it off so well. I truly don't think I can compliment this story enough. Amazing job!

This is considered canon in my head and nothing will change that.

Poor Sirius. Poor poor Sirius. I always love the way you write him! Here too, we see a glimpse of how much he had suffered and it's honestly so heartbreaking. And we see another side of Minerva here—a more motherly affection. It was rarely shown in canon but it seems very much like her to reach out to Sirius.

I love how they interacted in the beginning. It was so sad to read at first yet they apologised. It was so emotional. I love how they moved from emotional to playful—the dialogues were written so smoothly and it was lovely to read them.

I also love the way you've written you descriptions! You always ace at that so I'm still surprised. They managed to sent some shivers down my spine and I was in absolute awe as I read them.

Good job!

THE PAIN... ugh... so good. So well-characterised too!

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to review this story! I don’t think we ever see McGonagall and Sirius interacting in canon, but there are so many amazing head-canons about their relationship that I’m surprised I’ve never before come across a fic dealing with their first meeting after Azkaban. I love how you describe things, with all of the comparisons and metaphors, it paints such a vivid, unforgettable picture (I still think about how you likened Remus to a scarecrow in your Cradle and All story!) The description of Sirius’s physical appearance in this story physically hurt me, and McGonagall’s thoughts and observations on his mental state finished me off. The way the story fluctuates between the past and the present is gorgeous and fascinating, and the fact that the future is only mentioned when Sirius is no longer around was a subtle punch to the gut!

Ooh, nice! I really enjoyed reading this. I like that you’ve shown us where Minerva stands in this fic, how much she loves her Gryffindors even though she doesn’t let on much. We don’t get to see much of what she thinks about Sirius’s escape and sentence in the books, and I like that you’ve brought it out here. Flitwick being portrayed as annoying here to Minerva serves to emphasize her hurry to meet Siirus and her inner turmoil about the entire affair. Sirius is in character as well, still witty and friendly with Minerva after all those years in Azkaban, and I think this is part of what makes it such a joy to read. Great job!

Absolutely brilliant. Perfect characters.

Oh wow, this story was just so touching and I absolutely loved it.

First, I must talk about the way you wrote these characters. Minerva is written so well that it seems as though J.K. Rowling herself had written her in this story. Everything that she says and dies is so in line with canon. I really enjoyed the part with Flitwick, she was being polite and getting away at the same time. Sirius was written so well. He acts the same and just seeing the way he was here broke my heart. I felt so bad for him. The way Minerva is searching for the boy she once knew is so amazing and so well written. I love how although Sirius was pratically starving, he only let himself smell the food and made sure Buckbeak got some first. That seems like something canon Sirius would definetly do.

The promots you used were so good for this story. I especially loved the searching prompt as you can really see Minerva searching for the happy, young Sirius inside the broken man in front of her. You used the hurt/comfort genre beautifully, with both Sirius and Minerva at times needing reassurance from the other. The dialogue prompt was used well as that was how they met after all that time.

Your descriptions were so heartfelt and made me just want to jump into your story and give those characters a big hug. I loved the description of Sirius when Minerva sees him as a cat. The part about her never imagining that he would have let his hair become so filthy 14 years ago was so sad as it just shows how much he changed. My favorite part was where you mentioned that 'his grey irises still glittered with wit,' was really smart and well written.

Great job, this was an amazing read!

okay, im weak. this is a beautiful story and also canon. you cant change my mind lol

That was AMAZING!
Everyone is so in character and it’s wonderful! When McGonagall is rushing to meet Sirius and is almost held up by Flitwick, and she’s still so polite even though she’d rather not be, is so characteristic of her! McGonagall’s transformation from being a very stern person before she enters the cave to “feel(ing) tears building in the corners of her eyes” is truly in character. I love how you really show the compassion underneath Minerva’s outward harshness. It’s interesting how she reverts back to calling Sirius “Mr Black” when she is apologising to him because McGonagall. I really loved that little detail.
When Sirius lets himself live with his guilt rather than realise he’s in the wrong is also very in character. I found that quite sad.
One of my favourite bits of “Bridging the Gap” was when McGonagall and Sirius were finding seats on the rocks. McGonagall is uncertain where to sit, while Sirius just plonks himself down wherever. Incredibly in character!
This fic is incredibly creative as well. How do you create such an amazing story from a scene in a cave and 2000 words? The plot is so interesting and so emotional! The little details like Remus hating asparagus, Sirius’s reaction to his parents throwing him out are so cleverly entwined in the story. It creates such a sense of the reader actually being there.
Yet the descriptions are what really drew me in, and what I loved most about it. “Like a scarecrow with the stuffing ripped out” and the line “eyes were sunk into craters” really made me want to delve into my screen and hug Sirius. “His form was made of sharp angles like glass shattered and magicked back together at all the wrong places,” was particularly moving for me. There are so many more descriptions I loved so much, but if I listed them all this would be far too long a review.
The constant comparison by McGonagall between the younger Sirius and the Sirius she sees now was heartbreaking. You really show how much Sirius has changed. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a movie, everything about this was wonderful.
Once again, an amazing fic. Wonderful. Absolutely stunning.
-Always A Dragon

I love stories about the relationship between these two. It isn't played at all in the books, but he was the brilliant troublemaker in her House and of course the Animagi aspect... yes, I love to see the dynamic explored. But my very favorite bit of this story may be the aside that James hated asparagus enough to replace all the vegetables on the table with steak. Nice touch.

I absolutely loved this story. You've taken two of my favourite characters and brought them together during a time where there's a lot of ambiguity in the canon book, where we don't hear much from either of them. Your character portrayals were spot on. Sirius pre-OotP still shows some hope, despite everything. He's not yet had the additional stress of his childhood home weighing down on him, nor the knowledge of Voldemort's return. His eagerness to talk about the past, and to know more about Harry, feel so true to his character that it made my heart happy. Minerva is her usual dry self with the hidden inner heart, and getting to see her POV about the Marauders and the man in front of her is priceless. I love seeing her searching for the boy she once knew. It nearly made me tear up thinking of it.

Using post-Azkaban Sirius as your person on the outskirts of society was very well done. It's especially poignant as he was once the centre of his own society, so seeing him in this role is devastating for both the reader and Minerva. I giggled a bit at his talking to Buckbeak for the quote, but it was so very Sirius and just perfect. And as I mentioned above, Minerva's searching for the boy she knew is the core of the story. I'm not sure who is the one being comforted in this story, but I suspect it's both of them, on some level.

I think my favourite part of the story, though, was your descriptions. The description of her walk into Hogsmeade actually made me want to take a deep breath of the spring air, and the description of Sirius made me want to weep. Even with her hug, you describe the feel of his bones beneath her hands. It was beautifully done, and I felt each moment of it. When I beta read this story for you, there were a few places that I thought might not work, but you've taken it and polished it into a beautiful story that was a pleasure to read. Thank you for sharing it.

This is so heartbreaking! Sirius is my favourite character and you've captured him really well here. I also really like McGonagall and she's great here, letting herself appear kinder than she usually does. I loved the first lines of dialogue between the two of them. And the line about her searching for happiness in his eyes is beautiful and so sad. Well done!