Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; the usual rules, you know (And I got the original idea for this from 'Harry Potter and the Time Mage', even if I took the time-travel aspect out of the equation)

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Harry Potter/Granger and the Prisoner of Azkaban

"So," Professor Dumbledore said, looking solemnly between Harry and Hermione as they stood in his office a couple of hours later, Ron still recuperating in the hospital wing as his leg healed, "you were discovered by Sirius Black while leaving Hagrid's hut, he attacked Mr Weasley and took him to the Shrieking Shack, you pursued him in an attempt to rescue your friend, and in the process, Black revealed that he was actually not guilty of the crime that he has been in Azkaban for since the death of your parents?"

"I told you, he didn't have anything to do with that; it was all-" Harry began.

"I appreciate the story you have told me, but you understand that I cannot present this information to others without clear evidence," Dumbledore said. "I can make arrangements for Sirius's case to be re-examined, but lack of evidence against his guilt is not the same as evidence supporting his claims of innocence, particularly when we have a full street's worth of eyewitness testimonies to confirm that Sirius murdered Pettigrew, and I myself affirmed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper."

"But Professor Lupin-"

"Won't be listened to because he's a werewolf?" Hermione cut him off, looking between her brother and the headmaster with an expression of solemn understanding

"Quite," the headmaster nodded, although the regret on his face made it clear that he understood her sympathy for the prejudice Lupin faced. "Add in the fact that he and Sirius are old friends, and it is unlikely that any would listen to his support for Sirius. It would be far too easy to assume that Sirius had Confunded you to believe that he was innocent, and you must also acknowledge that his actions since his escape have not necessarily been those of an innocent man, considering his attack on the Fat Lady and entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife. Without Pettigrew, dead or alive, we have no chance of overturning the current testimony."

"But you believe us?"

"Yes, I do," Dumbledore said quietly. "But I have no power to make others see the truth, or to overrule the Minister of Magic…"

Damnit, Harry thought to himself, glaring around the office in frustration.

"In any case," Dumbledore noted, "you are fortunate that Sirius was never discovered during these events; as it stands, Professor Snape could have come across you before you made it back to your rooms."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"He was attempting to deliver Professor Lupin's latest supply of the wolfsbane potion when he found Professor Lupin had departed," Dumbledore explained. "Based on your story, I can only assume that he had already left to follow you into the Whomping Willow; you are fortunate that he was unable to follow you."

"Personal issues?" Hermione asked.

"Let us just say that their past interaction leaves me doubtful that Professor Snape is capable of being fully judgemental in matters concerning Sirius Black," Dumbledore replied solemnly. "In any case, all we can do is focus our efforts for the future on finding any evidence that may encourage the Ministry to reconsider Sirius's case when the time comes for a less… volatile potential arrest."

"In other words, when he's not in a position where the Dementors will try to Kiss him as soon as he shows himself?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore nodded. "I will also talk with the Ministry about getting the Dementors withdrawn from this school; if they came that close to attempting to Kiss you, they clearly cannot be trusted as regular guardians of the school."

It wasn't the best news Harry had ever heard, but he just had to hope that this latest turn of events would set things up so that somebody would find something to prove what had really happened…

"You're leaving?" Harry said, looking indignantly at Professor Lupin as he hurried in to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, having only just heard the news after breakfast the next morning when he ran in Hagrid celebrating Buckbeak's escape. "What are you thinking?"

"That I cannot face the kind of close call we experienced last night from happening again," Lupin said solemnly.

"But… look, nobody seriously thinks you were helping Sirius, do they?"

"No, Professor Dumbledore was able to argue in favour of my ignorance," Lupin acknowledged. "However, regardless of your true intentions, I cannot escape the fact that you were in danger when I was out there that night without my potion, and Professor Snape has strongly implied that he will… let the truth slip sooner rather than later."

"He can't do that-!"

"He is under no clear obligation to keep my secret, and would actually be required to warn the parents that I am a potential danger to you all," Lupin noted with a wry smile. "This time tomorrow, the owls will start arriving from parents about a werewolf teaching their children… and after last night, I can see their point; I cannot take the risk of biting a student again."

"You're the best Defence teacher we've ever had!" Harry said.

"And I appreciate that, but I cannot take that risk," Lupin said, looking solemnly at Harry before he smiled uncertainly at Harry. "For what it's worth, from what the headmaster told me, you managed to save several lives last night, Harry; I suppose that, if I can be proud of anything, I can be sure that I made a significant impression as a teacher."

"Well… thanks," Harry smiled.

"On the topic of making an impression," Lupin smiled inquiringly at Harry, "that map you mentioned… can I assume you activate it by solemnly swearing you're up to no good?"

"You really made it?" Harry smiled.

"One of our greatest accomplishments," Lupin grinned. "And I can say with full certainty that James would be very glad that you've received it; he would have been highly disappointed if you'd never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."

A knock on the door prompted Harry to glance anxiously back, but he relaxed when it was only Professor Dumbledore. Showing no sign of surprise at Harry's presence, Dumbledore simply told Lupin that his carriage had arrived before the werewolf departed, leaving Harry alone with the headmaster.

"Why so glum, Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"You have to ask?" Harry countered, knowing that he was sounding bitter but unable to muster the energy to care. "We went to all that trouble and Pettigrew still escaped…"

"But you uncovered the truth and saved an innocent man from a terrible fate-"

"And a guilty man still got away," Harry noted. "A man who's probably going to run off… to Voldemort…"

His voice trailed off as he realised what he'd just said. "He'll go to Voldemort!"

"To Voldemort?" Dumbledore repeated, looking at Harry in a probing manner. "Harry, that is a serious assumption-"

"But where else is he going to go?" Harry countered. "Voldemort's followers could think Pettigrew had something to do with what happened when he attacked my parents, everyone against Voldemort thinks he's dead, and he can't just… bring himself back to life after this long without serious questions; the only thing he can do is try to find Voldemort!"

"A… fair assessment, certainly," Dumbledore said, looking thoughtfully at Harry for a moment before smiling. "Still, you must not blame yourself for this, Harry; actions may have consequences, but consequences are such tricky things that there is no guarantee for anything."

"But… but he's doing it because I told Sirius and Remus not to kill him! Doesn't that-?"

"It is not your fault, Harry. And even if he does go to Voldemort… well, I find it unlikely he will be completely satisfied with a deputy who is in your debt. When one wizard saves another wizard's life, it creates a certain bond between them... and I'm much mistaken if Voldemort wants his servant in the debt of Harry Potter."

"I don't want- he betrayed my parents!"

"It is a deep and impenetrable part of magic, Harry, but trust me on this; you made the choice that your father would have made if he was in the same position as yourself."

Harry wasn't sure what he should say to that, so decided to simply remain silent. He still wasn't sure if saving Pettigew had been the right thing to do in hindsight, but the knowledge that his father would have done the same thing…

It was a small comfort, but it was encouraging to think that he had that much in common with his biological father, even if he couldn't imagine how his dad would react to a situation like this.

Oh God… we are going to be in so much trouble when we get home…

The aftermath of Sirius and Buckbeak's apparently independent escapes sparked a variety of reactions from the students. Harry was sure he'd heard at least ten different theories about each different escape before lunch, none of which were close to the truth. Malfoy seemed to take it as a personal affront that a gamekeeper had outwitted his father even if he couldn't understand how it had happened, and Percy was more focused on talking about the perceived flaws in magical law enforcement and what he'd do about them once he was in the Ministry.

Naturally, Lupin's resignation had also attracted a few questions from the rest of the students, most of them brooding about the loss of the best Defence teacher they'd ever had, and a few debating who or what would be hired for the role next, although Dean had suggested a vampire. After some talk amongst themselves, the three had agreed to tell Ginny the truth about what happened (Harry just felt she deserved to know after her involvement in last year's Voldemort-related events; he wasn't thinking about the fact that he'd shown more interest in telling her than her own brother…), but otherwise the rest of the student body was ignorant of what had happened. On a bright note, Dumbledore was as good as his word in terms of arranging for the removal of the Dementors,

The worst part was that Harry was still struggling to work out how he should actually feel about this turn of events. Even if he still wasn't entirely certain what he should feel about the idea of meeting a friend of his biological parents, and he was fairly sure that he wouldn't have 'abandoned' the Grangers for Sirius, it would have been nice to have the option. As it was, asking Sirius to spend time with him outside of school as himself would have been too dangerous if anyone saw him near their house, and asking him to become a dog on a long-term basis would have felt demeaning at best, even if the Grangers would have been comfortable with such an idea. The lack of news about Sirius at least confirmed that he had gone into hiding successfully, but Harry would still have liked to have some idea of where his godfather had gone after such a dramatic meeting.

On a positive note, the exam results came out on the last day of term, and Harry, Ron and Hermione passed every subject (Ginny had done particularly well, but in her case she had an advantage over most of her year as Hermione had lent her most of her notes from her own revision). Harry speculated that Dumbledore had stepped in to ensure a good mark from Snape, who had been looking at him with a new level of vindictiveness in his glare ever since Sirius's escape, but decided to focus on the good news rather than fret about questions he couldn't answer. On a wider note, not only had Percy got his top-grade NEWTs- although Fred and George had only scraped a handful of OWLs each- but Gryffindor had won the House championship thanks to their efforts in the Quidditch cup, allowing for another enjoyable feast at the end of the year.

The subsequent train-ride back home was another breath of peace after the unanswerable questions of the last few days, as the four of them relaxed and talked about recent events. There had been some debate about whether they should tell Ginny anything at first, but Harry had argued that they might as well keep it balanced so that two of each family had someone else they could talk to about what had happened until they next met (even if he had noticed the way Hermione smiled at him when he gave that excuse). Ron offered to invite their whole family to the upcoming Quidditch World Cup being held in the latter half of the summer, claiming that Arthur was able to get tickets from work, which at least gave Harry something to look forward to, but his mood only truly picked up when a small owl appeared outside the window of their carriage, clutching a letter that was much too big for it. Quickly opening the window, Harry grabbed the owl and brought it carefully inside, surprised at how it felt like a very fluffy snitch. As soon as the window had closed, the owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around the compartment, hooting gleefully in a manner that prompted a disapproving beak-click from Hedwig. Noting the way Crookshanks glared at the small owl, Ron snatched it out of harm's way as Harry picked up the letter, spotting his name on it.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked, smiling at her brother as he opened the letter.

"Sirius," Harry confirmed, as he began to read the letter.

Dear Harry,

I hope this letter finds you soon enough; I get the impression your family will want a full explanation of what's been going on this past year.

On a personal note, I want to explicitly apologise for what happened when I tried to go after Peter earlier in the year; I'd hoped that some of our old tricks to get past the Fat Lady while we were at school would still work, and when it failed, I let my temper get the best of me.

Right now, Buckbeak and I are in hiding, although I won't tell you where in case this letter is intercepted. I have some doubts about this owl's reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.

I believe the Dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.

There is one other thing I never got around to telling you during our meeting. It was I who sent you that Firebolt, after I found your home address by keeping an eye on King's Cross and following you back for the Christmas holidays; even if I'm a large dog, it's hard to see a black dog in the dark. Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me; I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own vault, which was fortunately never officially closed. Please consider the Firebolt thirteen birthday presents' worth from your godfather.

Please tell your adopted parents that I deeply regret not being able to meet them directly, but assure them that, from what I have seen of them and you, James and Lily would be grateful to have such fine people looking after you.

If you ever need me again, send word. Your owl will find me.

I'll write again soon.

Sirius.

PS. I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.

"Keep him?" Ron said, looking at the small owl in surprise as it hooted excitedly, before holding it out to Crookshanks. "What do you reckon? Definitely an owl?"

Crookshanks purred in what seemed to be confirmation.

"Good enough for me," Ron smiled. "He's mine."

"And at least that clears up the mystery of the Firebolt," Hermione noted with a smile.

"Quite," Harry smiled, before his expression became more solemn. "We should start keeping an eye out the next time we're going home…"

"Sirius had a very unconventional skill-set, and one reason animagi register with the Ministry is that it takes a great deal of time and effort to do the job properly," Hermione noted with a smile. "It's unlikely anyone who might want you dead can do anything like that, and I think we can assume that somebody took precautions once people learned where you were."

"My life is very complicated," Harry reflected, folding the letter to put it into his pocket.

"And that's before Mum and Dad have a chance to talk to you about this," Hermione noted with a slight smile.

"How much did you tell them?" Ron asked.

"Enough to be honest, not enough to make them too worried before we were ready," Hermione said, her smile faltering. "I just hope they haven't heard too much about Sirius before we can tell them everything…"

"That's going to be awkward," Harry mused. "Still, at least we can honestly say we didn't go looking for the psychopath who betrayed my parents…"

He glanced over at Hermione, who was looking uncomfortably out of the window. "How about you?"

"Me?"

"Well…" Harry said, briefly wondering if he should ask Ron and Ginny to leave before deciding that they could make up their own minds on that front. "I just… we've all been through some… difficult topics this year…"

"And I think we all… have a better understanding of it now," Hermione said, reaching over to give Harry a brief hug. "I know I… well, I didn't take it that well when we heard about Sirius at first… but you wanted to know about your biological parents; I can't exactly say that I understand how you feel, but looking back at the way you were when we met… how long it took you to actually call Mum and Dad that yourself…"

"They still are," Harry said, looking at her with a reassuring smile. "And you'll always be my sister; it's just… well, there's a reason I didn't drop 'Potter' from my name even before we knew about all this."

"Talking of family," Hermione said, after the two groups of siblings had spent a moment in reflective silence, "correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the year Natalie comes to Hogwarts?"

"Oh yeah," Harry smiled at his sister.

"Natalie?" Ginny asked, before she nodded in recollection. "Oh yeah; that's your cousin, right?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded at the youngest Weasley. "She's looking forward to meeting you all."

"Sure we'll like meeting her too," Ginny smiled back at Harry, stirring something in him that he couldn't identify.

It was going to be a long month or so until the Quidditch Cup, but they were going to have a very interesting time once they came back together, so long as the Grangers weren't too angry about what had happened in the last month or so.

AN: I freely acknowledge that I still haven't significantly diverged from what happened in canon in this series yet beyond some personal twists, but I have every intention of changing that once we get to Goblet, as I have a few ideas about how I'll alter events during my personal favourite book in the series (I just can't guarantee when that will be, as I have a few shorter projects I'd like to finish first before tackling something that big, as well as an original novel I need to work on).