So this is my first ever Harry Potter fic and I'm super excited. Please R&R

Rating is T for language.

No beta so please excuse any mistakes.

Azkaban was a place of horror meant to take away your very being. Leaving you just a blubbering shell of your former self. The Dementors held no care for the crimes that a person had committed and treated each person the same as if they were jailed for a hundred murders or for a simple charge of breaking and entering. Their presence slowly drained each person until they were the same as if the Dementors had preformed their kiss the very moment the person was jailed.

But for one man this was not true, for he alone amongst the prisoners locked away in the small ten by ten concrete cells was innocent. The knowledge that he didn't belong there was no comfort but it was enough to keep the Dementors from getting a true grip on him. His other saving grace was that he Sirius Black was an Animagus. So whenever the dark thoughts caused by the Dementors became to much he would flop down on his thin filthy mattress and transform into a massive black dog that was built similar to a German shepherd but had the long thick fur of a Newfoundland. Before Azkaban that coat would have been as soft as silk and gleaming with health. Now it hung matted coated with dirt and grease on the thin body which had once been muscular and fearsome. But to Sirius

that emaciated filthy dog was his sanctuary. For only when he was Padfoot was he able to think of the one thing that kept him going. It wasn't that he was innocent or that eventually someone would have to realize that he'd never been given a trial. No, his only hold on sanity was a little boy he hadn't seen since he seen in god knows when. Harry, his little Prongslet, the baby he'd watched being born. He'd sit there and imagine what Harry would look like. That was always a challenge since he didn't know what year it was and therefore how old Harry would be so the boy's age would get changed ` whenever Sirius managed to convince the Auror bringing in new prisoners to talk to him. The first time Sirius had believed Harry to be around 15 or so and had been shocked to learn that only a year had passed since his imprisonment. Time moved so slowly in Azkaban that he was sure more time had passed. As of his last chat with a person Harry would have been 5 so Sirius was quite sure right now he was around 7 or 8. Harry's image varied quite a bit in Sirius's mind but two things stayed constant: James's messy black hair and Lilly's emerald eyes.

He often wondered who had custody of Harry. Moony would be the obvious choice since he was as close to Lilly and James as anyone but Sirius doubted he had Harry for the simple fact that he was a werewolf. All of James's family was dead and Lilly only had her horrible Muggle sister which Sirius had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting several times and had left the meeting being dragged out with James by whatever person was brave enough to grab the pair of angry wizards. So Harry would definitely not be with them. He figured Harry must be with some wizarding family that had adopted him, maybe the Longbottoms he'd always liked Frank and Alice and knew they had a son around Harry's age. Harry's godmother had been a close friend of Lilly's Layla that had died at the hand's of Sirius's own brother Regulas so he knew she didn't have Harry. Hell for all he knew Mad-Eye Moody had Harry. That thought made him smile in his dog form. He could just see Moody carrying around a diaper bag pushing a stroller.

Since he rarely had nightmares as a dog and sleeping was near impossible as a human here Sirius was about ready to curl up and think about Harry when his sensitive hearing picked up on the sounds of footsteps. Dementors didn't have feet. which meant it was a person and he could ask the date and maybe talk them into telling him who had his godson. He always tried but had yet to learn anything since everyone thought he was the reason Harry was orphaned they thought he only wanted to know to gloat about it.

Quickly he changed back to a human and felt the chill take back over his body again and in his minds eye he saw James's lifeless body in the doorway of the collapsed house before he shook his head to clear it. All the happiness thinking of Harry had given him as a dog was gone and he was back to feeling like he was in a bottomless pit where death would be a release. He did his best to ignore it and dragged himself to the door peering out through the small barred window. Whoever was in the cell across from him seemed to either not want to watch or was incapable since he saw no other face and thinking of it he hadn't heard anyone screaming for quite some time in that direction so maybe the man had died and the Dementors hadn't noticed yet. He turned his attention to the left side of the long narrow corridor where the door was and saw a tall thin witch walking through the door her wand drawn and pointing at a terrified looking blond wizard who was shaking in his prison robes as he was forced to follow a muscular brown haired Auror man. The prisoner reminded Sirius oddly of Lupin though they looked nothing alike. The man had blue eyes and straw colored hair and was shorter then the werewolf by a good three inches and he was also young maybe seventeen at most. He was sobbing to the Aurors as they forced him to move along.

"Please you can't leave me in here. All I did..."

"All you did Parker was steal a Time-Turner from the Ministry of Magic. Your lucky your only getting ten years in here. If it was up to me you would be doing life." The witch sneered as her partner opened the door to the cell to the right of Sirius and he was roughly thrown inside before the door was shut with a bang. The witch went to lock the door but cursed. "Damnit I forgot his clipboard." She was referring to the clipboard that hung outside each cell so the prisoners could be identified with all their information. Sirius could see his covered in about an inch of dust and knew they were only used on the rare occasion the Minister showed up.

"Go get it, I'll figure out where I put the paperwork." The man began to rummage in the bag slung carelessly over his shoulder pulling out large amounts of parchment. As soon as the witch was out of sight he grumbled and rubbed his arms. "Don't see why she won't let me produce a Patronus. I doubt the prisoners would find it much comfort."

"Actually it would make it worse for us in the long run. We would have several minutes of warmth and be able to do more then wallow in our worst thoughts and when your gone it would plunge us right back into it with the memory of a Dementor free area fresh on our mind." Sirius answered watching as the Auror jumped and dropped the sheet of parchment he was holding. They weren't making Aurors like the use to apparently.

"I didn't know anyone was sane in this cell block." The Auror murmured scooping up the parchment he'd dropped.

"I know they make for very boring companions." Sirius forced his lips into a smile which he hoped looked friendly not like a grimace.

The Auror snorted and began to sort the paperwork again looking nervously around for the witch before pulling out his wand. He glanced at Sirius for a moment before whispering the charm. The Animagus smiled a true smile this time as the silver wisp took the form of a chipmunk and circled its creator. The Auror was close enough that Sirius was basked in the warmth from the rodent and he sighed in relief as every single one of his horrible memories was pushed to the back of his mind and for once he wasn't shivering from cold. It was even better then being Padfoot.

"Can I please ask you sir what the date is?"

The Auror glanced at him hesitating but obviously saw no harm in this and replied. "Its July 28th 1991."

Sirius chocked wondering how he managed to be so far off again on the date. But then another thought struck him. Harry would be eleven in three days. His little Prongslet would be getting his wand and going to Hogwarts soon. The Auror went back to sorting his parchment when Sirius decided that the man seemed to know nothing of who he was so maybe just maybe he could ask about Harry.

"Sir I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the Boy Who Lived? Harry Potter. I knew his father and I always wondered what became of him after James and Lilly Potter died."

The man seemed to see nothing odd about some prisoner who was in the solitary cell corridor that was normally reserved for Death Eaters and other people using the Dark Arts asking about the child that had lead to the Dark Lord's downfall. Maybe the man wasn't actually an Auror since he doubted one as dumb as this one would last long.

"Well his parents had it in their will that Sirius Black was suppose to get Harry. But of course even you must have heard that Black betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who."

You have no clue who your talking to do you? Sirius wondered as the man continued.

"So of course a lot of wizarding families wanted to take him. I heard the Minister himself wanted to adopt Harry but Albus Dumbledore got to him first."

Sirius sighed in relief feeling as if great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Dumbledore had his godson. He could sleep easier knowing that no dark wizard would get near Harry.

"And Dumbledore took Harry to his Aunt and Uncles house..."

Though the man continued to ramble on Sirius had stopped hearing. Harry was living with the Muggles? The ones that even sweet Lilly detested? The ones that James had been attempting to murder on his wedding day? The ones that hated magic? No, he couldn't be with them. Dumbledore had been at James and Lilly's wedding. He had been the one to restrain James from ending Vernon Dursley's life. What was his poor godson going through?

The Auror didn't seem to realize that Sirius was no longer listening to him. Instead he took advantage of the clarity the chipmunk Patronus was giving him and began to formulate a plan. He had thought of escaping before but he had never attempted it because he knew that it was a ten mile swim through frigid waters to reach land and in his weaken state it would most likely kill him. But the more he thought of Harry left alone with his Aunt and Uncle the more his feeling of dread grew. He had heard the saying that a parent would always know when there child was in danger and he wondered if it could apply to Godfathers.

Within minutes he was frantic as the worry built up in him and he was about ready to launch himself at the door and try and break it down when the warmth was gone so suddenly that it shocked him out of his state. Looking up he noticed that the Auror was gone and that a clipboard was now hanging on the cell to the right. Shaking his head he willed himself back to Padfoot and began to pace the cell the cold and hopelessness from the Dementors was pushed to the back of his mind as he began to obsess over how to get to his godson. He only stopped when the Dementor that brought food opened his door and shoved the tray in. The food was plain a bowl of thin stew and a slice of bread with a bottle of water but like always Sirius had no appetite. He had yet to be hungry in the decade he'd been there and he knew many prisoners starved to death in these walls but normally Sirius choked down enough food to keep himself alive. He sniffed the food with distaste and went to resume his pacing when a voice seemed to whisper through the cell.

"You have to eat Padfoot. And get some sleep. You won't stand a chance making that swim if you are starved and exhausted." The voice whispered and Sirius whimpered. He knew he was hallucinating since he'd heard the voice several times before and the man who the voice belonged to was dead. But he didn't care. Whenever the voice appeared Sirius knew that he was going to do something that would help himself.

"Yes, James." He thought back and like the obedient dog he was at least when James was concerned he lapped up the stew and downed the bread though it threatened to make him hurl. His stomach twitched uncomfortably unused to having so much in it though it was only half of what Sirius would have eaten had he been outside Azkaban.

He didn't dare turn human and have fear over his daring plans ruin his confidence so he grabbed the bottle of water between his paws and punctured it with one sharp canine fang before upending it in the bowl that had held the stew. After drinking it he curled up in a ball on his mattress knowing he wouldn't sleep but thinking it was better then pacing.

The plan he had was simple since the more complex a plan got the higher chance of failure. He would wait for the Dementor to open his door at feeding time and slip past as Padfoot. The creatures never seemed to sense him as a dog. Then he would only have to follow the scent of the two Aurors out of Azkaban and jump in the water. When he reached the shore he would find Harry. After that he had no clue what he would do but that was a problem for after he had his Prongslet safe in his arms.

Eyes closed Sirius found himself dozing but waking up at every noise and going to the door to investigate. Why was it when he wanted the dementors they didn't show up? Finally after what seemed like an eternity the door creaked open and the dementor glided forward to pick up the tray and Sirius took his chance and bolted out the door and passed the dementor which turned but didn't seem to find anything odd. Adrenaline pumped in his veins as he ran down the corridor rearing up on his back paws to open the door. Only in Azkaban would the doors not be locked. His sensitive nose told him to go left after the smell of the Aurors. He passed rows of cell a few people looked out at him rubbed there eyes and seemed to think they were going insane which Sirius had no problem with. He turned down countless corridors of cells many of them empty since Azkaban could hold about a 1/12 of the total wizard population and was designed to act as a place of shelter in case of an attack in addition to being a prison. His paws were beginning to ache from padding down a few hundred flights of stairs but he kept plodding along no longer running conserving his strength for the long swim ahead. Finally he reached the outside and for the first time in a decade he took a breath of fresh air. The air was frigid and smelt of the sea several hundred meters away across a rocky beach of black and gray stones. Sirius turned back to see the doorway which was carved into the large tower swing shut and he looked up at the imposing black tower that had been his prison for so many years. Slowly he made his way down the beach careful not to cut the pads of his paws on the sharp rocks but often failing and his pads were soon bleeding. He sniffed the dark water before placing one massive paw in it jumping back from the coldness. For one long moment Sirius actually considered turning around and going back to his cell but an image of little Harry on the night that Lilly and James had died came to the forefront of his mind. Harry had been on the floor screaming his little head off as he clung to his dead mother. Blood ran down his chubby face from the lightning bolt cut on his forehead. Sirius remembered running forward and scooping the toddler up and whispering a spell so his cut would stop paining him. Instantly Harry had quieted and he reached out his little arms and snuggled against his godfather with a whispered "Pawwdy."

Yet still Sirius hesitated, knowing that even if he survived the long swim through frigid waters he was going to have to live on the run and know that if he was ever caught he would be facing the Dementor's kiss.

Another memory older but with just as much meaning shoved its way forward. Sirius was standing in a hospital room newborn Harry asleep in his arms. Sirius had been in awe at the sight of the baby he'd just watched being born since Lilly and James had allowed him to stay for the birth. James had stepped forward the wide grin that he had been wearing since Lilly found out she was pregnant still on his face and laid his hand on the dog Animagus shoulder.

"Sirius I trust you more then I trust anyone else in the world. You've been my best mate since we were eleven. You were my best man and the only person I trust to watch out for Lilly on Order work when I can't be with her. Hell I even have your name tattooed on my skin. So your the only person I trust enough to be Harry's godfather."

Sirius remembered just starting at his best friend while silent tears rolled down his cheeks and he'd finally managed to whisper out a yes.

At that memory Sirius gazed down at his left leg and saw the lighter fur right around his arm. Sirius didn't have to even look at it to know what it meant. It was where he had the name Prongs inked into his skin. The O was in the shake of a golden snitch and curved antlers made up the P. James had the matching one with the name Padfoot the A being a pawprint and the O's matching stars. It was something James and he had done at James' bachelor party under the influence of way to much Firewhiskey.

The two best friends had another matching tattoo and with one look at it Sirius steeled himself and dove into the water. The cold knocked the breath from his lungs and sent icy needles through his body but he ignored it and began to doggy paddle. His thick fur weighed him down but it shed the water and without it Sirius would have died in minutes. Mile after mile passed under his paws and Sirius had long since lost all feeling in his paws. He could not longer feel his toes and ears and the world had taken on a gray quality but Sirius kept paddling. The waves threw his weak form around and yet he kept going only one thing keeping him swimming despite his body wanting to shut down. After hours of agonizing cold Sirius spotted land and managed to pull himself onto a beach just as the sun rose. Dragging his half dead body across the ground Sirius shook himself as dry as he could get before collapsing in a patch of sun. The last thing he saw before he let unconscious take him was the only spot of white on his black fur. Right over his heart the white fur formed beautiful calligraphy and the words Harry James Potter 31st July 1980.

You guys like? Please let me know if you want me to continue this story with a review. I wanna know if I need to improve anything. Harry will appear in another chap I promise. Then by chapter 7 were off the Hogwarts.