It was pitch black in the streets when he came back from his little walk. As he passed a street lamp, he looked up to see his shadow reflecting on a nearby fence: pointy ears, huge body, four legs. His black fur fitted perfectly with the darkness surrounding him, so he was able to hide himself from indiscrete looks. If someone would be looking out a window right now, he wouldn’t be mistaken by what was walking on the sidewalk: an enormous dog. Nobody could guess it wasn’t exactly the case, especially the Muggles living in this neighbourhood with little houses all similar to the others. He was no pet at all; he was a perfectly trained wizard. A wizard who had just escaped from the worst place ever constructed on this Earth. Known as Azkaban, guarded by horrible creatures called Dementors, this prison for criminals and dangerous wizards and witches was the one place you didn’t want to end up in. It was impossible to escape from there, first because it was well protected, but also because almost every prisoner stuck there went mad after some time. But he had managed to stay sane. And to escape from his cell, which was the most incredible thing. After thirteen years of imprisonment, Sirius Black was finally free and ready to prove his innocence. From the moment he had seen this newspaper, he knew what he had to do: kill that hideous rat, that man he used to call a friend many years ago. Peter Pettigrew.


Just remembering what had happened in that Muggle street, after the downfall of Voldemort, Sirius could feel a beast roaring with anger inside of him. It was already so unfair and so revolting to learn that the Potters had died, to watch Pettigrew do his little freak show in front of everybody and run off like a coward was at the time more than what Sirius could stand. And the worst thing about it was that it was his fault. Lily and James had died because of him, because he had convinced them to make Pettigrew their Secret Keeper. Back then, he thought he had had the most brilliant idea of his life; he was so sure they would be safe in the hands of Peter. But he was so wrong. That’s why he had lured the Dementors the other night and ran for his life. He had to make up for his mistake, to avenge his best friends’ death. And the only way it could be done was by finding Wormtail and killing him. He would find no peace before achieving his goal.


But tonight wasn’t yet the time to put his plan into action. He had waited thirteen years for his revenge, he could wait for another twenty-four hours. Reaching the corner of the street, the massive dog stopped walking. He looked around to make sure he was in the right spot. A little sign above his head with the words “Privet Drive” confirmed he was. He took some more steps before lying down underneath a big bush beside the house number four.


He knew he was living there. He had seen him during the afternoon, in the backyard. He was sitting on a white metal bench, all alone. Without seeing his face, he had known right away that it was him, because of his untidy black hair. It was exactly like his father’s… He had found him at last, James’s and Lily’s son: the famous Harry Potter. His godson. During his days in prison, all he was thinking about was his innocence. He needed to hold on to this thought, to not become mad. But now that he was a free man again, he wanted to make sure Harry was doing fine, that he was becoming a great wizard.


Sirius knew it was a waste of time to stay here; he would never be able to approach Harry the way he wanted to, and less more to talk to him. He needed to tell him the truth, even if it was a hard one to believe. Maybe he would understand. Or maybe not. Right now, he was probably thinking that Sirius was the worst thing walking on this Earth. He had good reasons to believe it, as this was everyone’s opinion. But he would wait for tomorrow anyway, for a last chance to see, at least, his face. After that, he would be gone to fulfill his quest. With this last encouraging thought, he laid down his head on his front paws and fell asleep.


***


The night after, Sirius was still there, waiting patiently. He hadn’t seen anybody during the day, except for a chubby man who got into his car in the morning and returned home when the sun was fading. He seemed pretty serious, straight and… well, he looked like a Muggle. He didn’t look at all like the type of person who could be related to Lily. If this was Harry’s uncle, then Sirius was having a hard time to imagine how his life would look like in this house. Was he well treated? Did he have some complicity with his aunt and uncle? Sirius sighed heavily at this thought, doubting that he would ever have the opportunity to share some good moments with his godson. Harry was the son of his best friend and he barely knew him. What a shame. And everything, once again, was Peter Pettigrew’s fault. How could this rat even be capable of sleeping at night, he had no idea. But he knew that soon, he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer before facing this traitor.


Suddenly, Sirius’ pointy dog ears stood up in the air. People were screaming in the little house of Number Four, Privet Drive. He got up on his legs quietly, trying to follow the action. He could hear loud noises and other screams. Without a warning, the front door opened abruptly and Harry got out, transporting a big trunk and an owl cage. Sirius hid himself just in time behind a hedge and watched Harry walked rapidly past him. This was his chance! He waited for two or three seconds and followed the boy carefully, running along the houses.


On the corner of the street, he hesitated again before taking another path; he didn’t want Harry to know he was behind him. He ran for a minute or two, wishing hard not to loose his track. He came to a halt, unsure which way to take and then headed for a dark alleyway. He couldn’t see anything at the end of it, so he took some more steps. And then, he saw him.


He couldn’t believe it. After all this time, he was there, right before his eyes, sitting on the sidewalk. Sirius knew he shouldn’t be seen, but he wanted to take a closer look at him. He took one more step and let his muzzle out of the alleyway. He looks so much like James, Sirius thought. At this moment, Harry must have sensed somebody was watching him, because he lighted his wand and pointed it in the direction of Sirius. His dog eyes met Harry’s bright green ones for about a second.


And then, everything happened really fast; Harry fell over his trunk and a bright light appeared, illuminating the whole street. It was the Knight Bus. Sirius let out a growl of frustration. At least, he had seen him, even if it was only for a second. Now was the time to go. Anyways, there was nothing more he could do around here. This is it, he thought, you must go. For Lily and James. And Harry. He turned around quickly and headed back to where he had come. He disappeared at the end of the alleyway, leaving Harry to stare in wonder at an empty spot.