"Can you get me out of here, Dobby?"
The little elf's ears dropped. "Dobby can't do. Wards stop Dobby from taking Mr Dogzard out of Evil Place. Dobby bring Harry Potter sir's Dogzard food and clotheses."
Sirius thought furiously. The thought that Harry needed him cut through the accumulated years of depression and madness caused by the dementors. A mad plan started to form in his head. Of course it was insane- the entire concept of escaping from Azkaban was insane!
"Dobby, can you meet me when I get to shore with warm, dry clothes, food, and a wand?"
Dobby nodded sending his ears thrashing around wildly again. "Dobby do that. Bad Master has many wands. Dobby can bring. Oh! Dobby say bad thing about Master! Dobby must punish Dobby when Dobby get home."
Sirius had seen more than his share of oddly behaved house-elves growing up in the Black family. His mother's elf, Kreacher, was so bloody insanely devoted that he terrorized Sirius as a child simply because his mother didn't approve of her eldest son's attitude, while Regulus appeared to be the perfect Black son so the elf doted on him. However, Sirius had never heard of an elf so willing to go against its bonded family.
"When is the next new moon?"
Dobby peered up at the gaunt wizard. "Five days, Mr Dogzard."
Sirius smiled. "Okay, Dobby. Here's what we're going to do…"
....
21 May 1993
To Sirius's disappointment, and Dobby's increasing panic, Padfoot's escape had to be delayed until May.
The Azkaban's island was about a mile northwest of the Scottish island of Westray. Strong wards kept the island away from Muggle eyes and off their charts. The shipping charts showed a shoal that was a navigation hazard that had been used by the Royal Navy as a gunnery range. As such, both commercial and fishing vessels steered clear of the area. However, its position also left it exposed to the fury of the North Atlantic in winter. While the wards kept the worst of the wind out of the prison, the island itself along with the surrounding sea had no such protection.
Sirius realized he needed three things to successfully escape from the island. First he needed to be able to avoid the dementors once out of his cell. This was solved as Padfoot was virtually invisible to the demon-like creatures. Once outside the prison proper, he needed to avoid detection by the human guards. For that he needed the darkness of the new moon. Finally, he needed the weather to cooperate if he were to have a chance of swimming the mile through the cold water.
Padfoot slipped out of the cell after using a key Dobby had 'borrowed' from a guard. It was late and even the crazies were asleep, whimpering in their dreams. No one noticed the large, albeit emaciated, dog make its way silently through the prison. Prisoners stayed in their cells all day except for once per year when they are taken out for their annual cleaning and health check so Sirius was quickly in unknown territory. Fortunately, Dobby had scouted the safest path to a little used sally port left over from the prison's days as a functional fortress.
It was almost anticlimactic getting to the water's edge. Padfoot encountered no guards, human or dementor, and no alarms were raised. The swim was even worse than he'd expected.
The seas were relatively calm but the cold water was like a thousand needles stabbing him at once through Padfoot's fur. He kept his godson's image in mind and mental repeated, 'He needs me' as he kept paddling.
....
"Mr Dogzard feeling better?"
Sirius was confused as he woke up about where he was. A quick glance around made him quickly realize he was no longer in his cell. He'd done it! He seemed to be in a barn of some type based on the smell of clean straw.
"Here. Harry Potter sir's Dogzard drink this now." A warm cup of tea was pushed into the now sitting Sirius Black's hands.
"Thank you, Dobby. Where are we? How did we get here?"
"Dobby find Mr Dogzard washed up on shore. Dobby bring to farm owned by bad old Master's company. Dobby able to gather everything Mr Dogzard need here with no one seeing. If wizard Aurors come, they find bad old Master's things." Sirius snickered at the elf setting up Lucius Malfoy for helping his escape. Who knew elves were such devious little blighters?
Sirius realized his wet prison garb was gone and he was dressed in soft, warm wizarding robes that had seen better days but were still serviceable. The new clothes felt odd after wearing the same clothes every day for almost a year. A bowl of hot stew sat on a small table within reach of the pallet Sirius was sitting on. Sirius's stomach rumbled in response to the smells.
Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "This is perfect, Dobby."
"Dobby just want to make Harry Potter sir happy! Harry Potter sir save the school and the Looney One and then free Dobby from Bad Master even though Dobby not able to keep his promise to find the Great Harry Potter a new family in time!" Dobby started wailing with big tears streaming down his face. "Harry Potter sir is too good to Dobby!"
Sirius was torn between concern the elf's noise would attract attention and amusement at the little guy's devotion to his godson. Merlin, he was worse the Kreacher! If Harry wasn't careful Dobby would start stealing his dirty shorts to snog!
"So, Harry isn't in danger right now?" the escapee asked.
"Harry Potter sir is safe for now. Harry Potter sir makes it that way. Dobby make it so Harry Potter's Dogzard won't be missed from the Evil Place for while so Dogzard has time to rest before going to Great Harry Potter. Now Dobby must go."
The elf disappeared with a pop leaving the bemused… and exhausted wizard behind. Sirius finished his meal before snuggling back into his blankets to sleep.
...
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