Chapter 1 The Escape to the Island

The hippogriff gave one sweep of its mighty wings and they were soaring upward again, high as the top of the West Tower. Buckbeak landed with a clatter on the battlements, and Harry and Hermione slid off him at once.

"Sirius, you'd better go, quickly," Harry panted. "They'll reach Flitwick's office any moment, they'll find out you're gone."

Buckbeak pawed the ground, tossing his sharp head.

"What happened to the other boy? Ron?" croaked Sirius.

"He's going to be okay. He's still out of it, but Madam Pomfrey says she'll be able to make him better. Quick — go —"

But Black was still staring down at Harry and then he nodded his head as he came to a decision. "Come with me, Harry," he said as he held out a dirty, bony hand. "Come with me, please, I'll take you somewhere safe."

"Harry, no!" shouted Hermione as she grabbed the back of the dark-haired boy's robes. "Harry, you can't. You'll be hunted," she pleaded with him, not wanting to lose one of her only friends, nor wanting him in danger.

Harry was torn, this could mean the family he always wanted, but Hermione was right, he'd always be on the run. He was thinking about it when a noise on the stairs brought him out of his musing. Making up his mind, he jumped on the back of the hippogriff and looked at his best friend. "I'll write, but I have to do this."

"Oh, Harry, please think about what you're doing," she begged as she backed away from Buckbeak, who was flapping his enormous wings to take off. "We're not supposed to change anything."

"I'm really not, he's already free and the world is still here. I have too, Hermione, he's the only family I've got," Harry said with determination. He looked at his best female friend and gave a water smile.

She shook her bushy head in denial, tears were rimming her eyes. "Harry, please…" she tried one more time.

Sirius kicked Buckbeak's sides, not giving them any more time to argue. The great beast leaped into the air and Harry watched as the only place he called home got smaller and smaller. For a fleeting moment he prayed he was doing the right thing, and then he held tight to his godfather.

The two men flew all night, stopping for a day so Buckbeak could rest and they could gather food and water with the bit of money Harry had, storing it in a conjured backpack. Sirius said they would be going far away, traveling for days without resting. They flew southwest and over the Atlantic Ocean, which was tiring and scary. Once they almost lost their seating when they ran into a storm, but Buckbeak was strong and went above and around it. It was still frightening.

They talked when they could, Harry telling Sirius about the good times at Hogwarts, and Sirius returned the favor, telling the young man stories about his father and some of the things they got up to. They each took turns sleeping, so one could keep the other from falling off the hippogriff. Sirius borrowed Harry's wand and used a spell to rid them of waste, but the spell was uncomfortable, so he only used it sparingly.

Buckbeak was not a happy animal, but they made sure the creature had food and water whenever they could. They traveled until they reached a small island. The second they landed, the hippogriff ran off into the trees, screeching his displeasure, scaring all the animals that had been looking at the new comers, from the bushes. None of them seemed large, but Harry kept his wand handy just in case.

Both of the men looked at the trees and ran to relieve themselves, now that those eerie eyes were gone.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, emerging from the bushes.

"This is Black Isle, it belongs to my family," Sirius all but spat the word as they met on the stretch of sand near the tree line. "It's somewhere off South America. Brazil, I think. There is enough food and game for us to survive, but I don't think we should stay here long. We'll make plans tomorrow. I'm knackered and I think we should both get to sleep."

"Yeah," the green-eyed boy said thoughtfully, still mulling over his impulsive move. What do I really know about this man? He thought. All I know is that he is my godfather and that he tried to protect me. How did years of Azkaban affect him? Is he sane? Can I trust him? These questions flitted through his mind and they were the same ones that circled his brain during the long flight. Then he looked at the escaped prisoner, who was looking at him with such kindness and love, so he let those thoughts drift away for now. It was a bit late to think about all that anyway.

"I know it's not much, but we'll have to make do," Sirius rasped, his grey eyes looking around the island.

There was a small hut that was just outside the trees, it was in somewhat good repair. It had one room, windows with no glass and a thatched roof. They made their way to it and looked inside, there were broken bits of furniture everywhere, a small fireplace that needed cleaning and the floor was warped and filthy.

Sirius turned to Harry and said, "If you'll let me borrow your wand again, I can make us some bedrolls for the night. Tomorrow we'll repair or transfigure these things." he waved his arm around the room indicating the mess.

Harry searched his robes and was surprised when he found two wands. Huh, wonder where that came from, and why didn't I feel it before? I might have but didn't realize it, it could have been the one Sirius used on our flight and I was just too worried about falling to notice, he thought. "Looks like I have another wand. Don't know whose or where it came from," he said aloud handing the other wand to his godfather.

"This is Wormtail's," the older man spat as he recognized the wand in his hand, and then shrugged. He needed a wand and this one would do. He started clearing a space, and noted the wand was sluggish for him. He'd have to see about getting a new one soon.

"Oh, yeah, I remember picking it up off the floor of the Shrieking Shack," the teen said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was going to give it to Professor Dumbledore, but I forgot when all that stuff happened with Snape, then going back in time to save you, well…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"Well, lucky for us you didn't remember to tell the Headmaster," Sirius said, ruffling the teen's ever messy hair.

"Leave off," Harry said, swatting the dirty hand away.

"Come on, let's get some sleep," the dogman said with a yawn. So he conjured some bedrolls and the two fugitives fell asleep, neither one peaceful.

Harry was thrashing about and causing his blanket to wrap around his body. He was dreaming that he and Sirius were running from the Aurors somewhere in London. The Dementor came out of nowhere and lowered its hood. The frightened boy woke just as he was about to be Kissed. He untangled himself and took some deep breaths to calm his racing heart. The shaken young man looked at his writhing godfather and knew there would be no help from him, but he couldn't leave the man in his dreams, so he crawled over to wake him. Maybe they could just sit and talk for a while, until they both felt they could sleep again.

Harry tried to wake the thrashing man and almost got a black eye for his trouble. He scrambled back and wondered what to do. "Sirius, wake up!" he shouted, kneeling just out of reach of those swinging arms. "Please, wake up. It's just a dream. Come on!" Then he took his wand and cast an Aguamenti, spraying the man in the face.

"What the hell?!" Sirius shouted as he bolted upright, water dripping off his face and hair, leaving marks in the dirt that still covered the escaped convict.

"You were having a nightmare and I couldn't get near you with your arms swinging about," Harry explained.

"Oh, yeah, well, thanks, kid," Sirius said, rubbing his hand down his face, leaving larger streaks. He then looked out the window and noted it was still the dark of night. "It's too early to go and see if the house is still standing, and it's too dark to find food."

"If you don't mind me letting a very good friend know where we are, I know someone who can help us," Harry said, thinking of the only person who would be able to assist them.

"Really? How can they help? How would you get them here? There are wards on the island; you can only come in if you're with a Black. Can you trust them?" the dogman asked warily.

"Yes, really, and he's a house elf, so all I have to do is call him and hope he hears me. I don't know of any wards that keep out elves. Of course, I trust him, he saved my life once," Harry explained, a bit put out that the man in front of him didn't think he knew what he was about.

"A house elf, you say? What family does he belong to? You're a bit young to own a house elf," Sirius said, thinking it might just be a good idea to have one of those beings around. House elves were very powerful and it could add an extra bit of protection. He was hoping this elf was nothing like that vile Kreacher. There was no way he'd call that elf, unless they were starving to death and then it would still be reluctantly.

"He is a free elf and a friend," Harry said defensively.

"Sure, call him and see if he'll come," the ex-prisoner decided.

"Dobby."

"The Great Harry Potter is wanting Dobby?" the excited little elf said as he popped into the room, bouncing on the balls of his feet, making the socks on his ears flap about.

"Hey, Dobby, how are you?" Harry asked as he looked at the tiny being that was dressed in a clean pillowcase and had socks adorning his feet, ears and hands. Sirius started chuckling in the background, until Harry shot him a quelling glare.

"The Great Harry Potter is asking how Dobby is. Dobby always knew the Great Harry Potter was a kind man," Dobby said as his huge eyes filled with tears.

Seeing an emotional explosion was about to take place Harry quickly asked, "Dobby, do you want to work for me?"

"Oh, sirs kindness knows no bounds," the little elf all but wailed. "Yes, Dobby would love to work for the Great Harry Potter." Dobby launched himself at the young man he worshipped and wrapped his spindly arms around the poor boy's knees, almost causing them to topple over.

"Well, ummm, that's great. So, we'll talk pay later. For right now, do you think you can find us something to eat?" he asked as he unfolded Dobby's arms from around his knees. "Try and get something from the island, if you can."

"Dobby can do," the little elf said and popped out of the hut.

Sirius gave Harry a look of pure amusement. "So," he said slowly, trying to hold in his hilarity, "that's your friend, oh Great Harry Potter." The laughter gave way and the older man held his stomach as he rolled on the dusty floor.

"Yeah, yeah, yuck it up, furball, he's going to be a great help," the green-eyed boy snapped, folding his arms across his chest in a completely affronted manner.

"Oh, of that I have no doubt," Sirius said, trying to get his breath. "I'm just amused at the hero worship."

"Whatever, I don't ask for that stuff, you know," Harry growled, glaring at the snickering man.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll try and keep my mirth to a minimum, but I haven't had a good laugh in over thirteen years," Sirius said, still chuckling.

"Right," the now thoughtful boy said. I had forgotten about that. If he wants to laugh, I suppose I can put up with it for a while. His thoughts were interrupted by Dobby popping back in the hut.

"Dobby is finding all sorts of yummy fruits for sirs," the laden elf said as he started handing out his bounty. There were bananas, berries and some weird pale orange fruit that had a funny shape to it.

Harry and Sirius fell on the light meal like starving beasts; they had traveled for days and the food they had ran out the day before, even with the rationing. Dobby sat and waited to make sure they had enough. Harry— seeing the elf wasn't eating —handed him a banana. The little guy's eyes watered again, but when Harry shot him a firm glare, he simply ate the fruit. After their stomachs were full, they all sat back and each gave a great sigh.

"You're a great guy, Dobby, thanks. I don't think I could eat anything heavier than what you brought," Sirius said sincerely, reaching over and patting the elf on the head.

"Harry Potter's dogfather is very welcome," Dobby said, beaming his satisfaction at a job well done.

"Call me Padfoot, Dobby," suggested the sedate man, still patting his full tummy.

"I can be doing that, Harry Potter's Paddy," the little elf nodded his large head. Sirius just shook his head and accepted the new name, very used to house elves' weird ways, though this one seemed stranger than most.

"Dobby? Do you think you can call me Harry?" the young man asked tentatively, not wanting to start another emotional outburst.

"Oh no, sir, Dobby is not sure he can do that," the little guy said, waving his hands in the air in front of him in protest.

"Why not?" Harry asked with a confused tilt of his head. "You called Sirius Paddy."

"House elves is not allowed to be calling Masters by theys first name. It is not our ways. Harry Potter's Paddy is not being Dobby's Master," Dobby explained slowly.

"But you're a free elf," the confused boy stated. Sirius was trying not to laugh at the byplay.

"Dobby is still being having to follow rules, and as long as yous bes paying Dobby yous is being his Master," the diminutive elf said, again slowly, like he was speaking to a child. "Doesn't Harry Potter has to be following rules?"

"Well, yeah, but, I broke a few of those a couple of days ago," he said sheepishly, glancing at his fellow fugitive, who was shaking with suppressed merriment.

"Oh," Dobby said. His eyes going round with wonder that the Great Harry Potter would do anything wrong.

"Right, we'll come back to that. I'm getting tired again and I'm sure chuckles over there needs some sleep as well. Can you do us a favor? If we start having nightmares, can you wake us up?" the young man asked, glaring at his godfather, who was still trying to control his amusement.

"Dobby can be doing that."

"Great," Harry said, and he went to his bedroll. He laid down and rolled over to face the wall, trying to ignore the laughing man in the corner. Soon enough he went back to sleep, this time peacefully.

In the morning the two fugitives woke up and, after a breakfast of fruit and bathing in the ocean, they decided to explore the island.

It was a small island dense with foliage and trees. They wound their way through the small groove and soon enough came to a clearing. The house Sirius had talked about the night before looked like a hurricane hit it and considering where they were it was possible. There was only a large skeletal frame standing, vines covering it like they were trying to chock it to death. Snakes slithered out around the standing posts, hissing at the humans in their territory. Harry refrained from hissing back, not sure how Sirius would take it.

When they were walking back to the hut, Harry asked how that happened, Sirius explained there weren't weather wards up, which actually smart of them since those storms were rare in this area, besides his family never worried about such trivial things. Magic can always be utilized in rebuilding, but it would take more than one prison weakened wizard and one still in training to build up the house. Dobby offered but they said the hut was fine.

There wasn't as much food as Sirius had thought. They could live here for a while, but game would become scarce in a few months, since there were only a few lizards, some turtles and loads of snakes on the isle. There were colorful birds in the trees, but Sirius said they were post birds and not to be eaten. The trees were also full of fruit, but the two Brits were more used to heavier meals, like bangers, sausage, roast beef, potatoes, beans and other fattening foods. They both felt they would quickly lose weight neither one of them could afford if they stayed here. Neither realizing they would actually be healthier.

Dobby protested, saying he could always go and get food from Hogwarts. To which Harry replied, "That is stealing and we're in enough trouble." Making the elf almost bash his head into the nearest tree, which in turn made Harry grab his pillowcase, causing the two to fall over, making Sirius bark with laughter once again.

This time Harry smiled at his chuckling godfather. It was good to see him heal a little. They do say 'laughter is the best medicine'. "So what are we going to do?" the young man asked when the older man stopped his snickering. "We can't stay here, where will we go?"

"Well we can't go back to England, no, Fudge would have put a price on both our heads. So we have to go somewhere they won't find us," Sirius said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Hey, Dobby, will you go and get my stuff and tell me if you hear any news about me?" Harry asked. "If you see Ron or Hermione, and they're alone, let them know I'm okay, please."

"Dobby can do." And so Dobby popped away to do as instructed. The two men scrounged up some lunch while the elf was on his mission and talked of nonessential things. After ten minutes, Dobby returned with Harry's trunk and news that they were looking for him and considered him a criminal.

There was a price on both the men's heads and a Kiss on sight order for Sirius, which wasn't news. Harry was to be retained and tried, if caught. Fudge was ranting that he should be expelled and his wand snapped the second he was found. Dumbledore was fighting a losing battle on this one. Both Hermione and Ron gave the elf a message for Harry to be careful and not come home. His two best friends also said they missed him, which caused Harry to tear up a little, until he looked at his godfather.

"Well, I figured they'd make me the bad guy. I'm used to it," Harry said with a small smile, thankful for his diminutive friend for talking to his two best friends. "Let's go through my stuff and see what's useful," he suggested as he knelt in front of the trunk.

They sorted through his things and didn't find much that could be helpful in roughing it. Parchment, quills and ink were put back in the trunk along with some of the books. The first and second year books put aside as useless. The cauldron was confiscated by Dobby so he could cook with it.

Sirius took some of Harry's hand-me-downs and gave them a distasteful look. "You wear these?" he sniffed like the Pure-blood he was raised to be.

"Well, yeah, it's not like the Dursleys spend any money on me," Harry said with a bite, always defensive about his upbringing.

"You were raised by the Dursleys?! How the hell did that happen?!" Sirius shouted, and then he saw his godson cringe from him and softened his voice. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Your parents put it in their will."

"How was I supposed to know that?" the green-eyed teen snapped, straightening up and standing his ground. "I didn't put me there."

"Never mind, we'll figure it out later," the older man said with a dismissive wave of his hand, letting his anger go for now. "Let me see what I can do with these rags." Taking out his stolen wand, he waved it over the clothes and made a few grow to his size and then narrow to fit his skeletal frame. He then looked at Harry and shrank a few to fit him. "They'll keep their shape for a few days, and I can do it again, but we're going to need new clothes soon."

They took another bath in the shallow pools found on the beach, this time using some soap plants Dobby had pointed out. Sirius used a hair cutting charm and rid himself of most of his matted hair and beard, and then they changed into the newly shaped clothes. They went back to the hut and started repairing the furniture and transfiguring new stuff, Sirius showing Harry how. Soon enough they had two twin size beds, one cot size bed and three chairs with small tables next to them for meals. The now repaired fireplace had a hook for the cauldron, Sirius making a mental note to find a rock big enough to make a bigger more permanent pot. Dobby flitted about, repairing the roof and the floor. He made sure the whole place was clean and fixed.

The three worked diligently through the day, only stopping for nature and food. By nightfall they had a cozy home for the next few months until they figured out where to go next. After an interesting dinner of roasted snake and boiled roots, they settled in the chairs to discuss what they were going to do.

"Can Dobby get into my Gringotts account?" Harry asked, turning to his godfather, since the elf was busy cleaning up after dinner.

"Dobby can do," answered the little elf, still doing the few dishes in a makeshift sink.

"Oh, sorry, Dobby, I just didn't want to disturb you," the young man apologized.

"Harry Potter will never bes disturbing Dobby," Dobby said firmly.

"Anyway," Harry said, rolling his eyes, "if you can get into my accounts then maybe you can get us some food in the nearest magical shopping district."

"Dobby can do. The Great Harry Potter only needs to be giving Dobby his key," Dobby reaffirmed, finishing off the last bowl, drying his hands and taking a seat on the smallest chair.

"That's great, Dobby, we'll see if we can get some measurements and you can get us some clothes. And let's not forget food. Maybe we can stay here after all," he turned to the silent older man.

"No, that's not a good idea; while there are wards around the place, there are ways to break them. It would take a while, but I don't want to be here if they do find us. This island is listed at the Ministry, who knows how long it will be before we're caught. No, we should think of somewhere else," Sirius said firmly.

"Oh, right, but where?" Harry asked, thinking over what he knew of the area they found themselves in.

"Well, if you're up for a little adventure, I know some place me and James always talked about finding," the dogman said with a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered some of the talks he and his best mate had.

"Where? How big of an adventure? What will we need?" Harry fired off questions, bringing Sirius back to the present.

"Oh, well, there's supposed to be a lost magical city somewhere in Brazil, ironically called the Lost City of Z. It's said to have gold and such. Many muggles have tried to find it, but its ward to prevent that, they were never heard from again. The magicals gave it up as a lost cause, since it would take too long to rebuild it, so they just left it to rot. We're right off the coast of Brazil. We'll need better clothes and hiking boots. Some backpacks, lots of food and water, books on spells for warding off the animals and insects in the jungle. Maybe we can convince Buckbeak to come with us," the older man answered, rubbing his chin as he went over the list in his mind.

"What are we going to do there? Should we empty out our accounts so the Ministry doesn't seize them?" the teen asked out of the blue, the thought just coming to him.

"Yeah, we might want to do that," Sirius confirmed. "I can throw some magical disguises on us and we can get to Alagoas, stock up and stay here and plan. There's a small magical community there with a Gringotts branch. We'll clear out the accounts, go to the book store and get all the gear we'll need. Maybe a saddle of some sorts for Buckbeak, if he'll allow it," the dogman said, then stifled a large yawn. "As to your other question, let's hit the sack and we'll talk more tomorrow."

"Okay," was the sleepy teen's reply.

So the three in the hut settled down in their beds and spent a fitful night sleeping. Dobby woke the two fugitives twice that night. They each thanked him and soon fell into a deeper rest.

The next morning Sirius did a self-transfiguration, making his face fatter and his hair blond. He then turned Harry in to a similar looking boy, so he could pass off as his son as long as Harry hid his scar, since they didn't know if he was well known here or not. The disguise would only last for the day, so Dobby went to find the nearest magical area, then came back and told Sirius the coordinates so he could Apparate there.

They popped into a rundown bar which had a few people who all looked to be resting. Sirius talked to the barman (Harry didn't understand a word) and got directions on how to get to the shopping area. In the back of the bar was a doorway that had to be tapped a certain way. The older man did as told and the door opened.

The area behind the door was bright and colorful. There were stores of all kinds, but Harry couldn't read the names, and booths with colorful cloths hanging as roofs to keep off the burning sun, selling what looked to be food and potion ingredients. Harry craned his neck trying to take it all in, but Sirius was in a hurry and tugged on the teen's arm, making him move along.

Gringotts of Brazil was not as large, but just as white, as the one in Britain. The two men hurried up the stairs, giving a nod of the head to the guards, who were looking at them suspiciously. Sirius pulled Harry along and went to the nearest open station.

"Good day, Steelblade," he said in English, reading the nameplate. "We need to talk to someone about emptying our accounts."

"Gringotts is not good enough for you, wizard?" the goblin sneered, looking the two up and down, taking in the ragged clothes and skinny frames. He also noted the glamours and scoffed.

"No, no, Gringotts is wonderful, but we're afraid there are… governments that will try and gain control over them," Sirius said, making placating movements with his hands.

"Come with me," Steelblade said, hoping from his stool, putting up a closed sign. He really hated it when he pulled front desk duty, but at least he could get away from the rude wizards for a few minutes.

The two humans followed the goblin through one of the many back doors that lined the walls behind the counters. They went down a long hallway, also lined with many doors, until they came to a door labeled, Steelblade: Account Manager, in bold black letters. The goblin opened the door and motioned them to sit in the visitors chairs. When they complied Steelblade said, "Remove your disguises."

Sirius shrugged and with a wave of his wand, did just that. "Sorry about that, we're kinda on the run," he explained.

"Oh, really? Then tell me why Gringotts should help you?" the goblin asked, tapping his fingers on his desk.

"Well, for one we're innocent. For two, we'll make it worth your while," the dogman said with a smirk.

"How worth it?"

"One-fiftieth of our vaults," was the casual reply.

"One-quarter," was the rebuttal.

The two haggled until the goblins got one-thirtieth of both accounts. The two runaways had to take a blood test and when they were done they got two Undetectable Extension Charmed bags, for a fee, to use to clear out the vaults that were magically transported to this branch. They were happy to receive those, because now they wouldn't have to get backpacks.

Harry was shocked and impressed by the use of goblin magic and the amount of gold in both the accounts.

After they cleared out the vaults and paid the goblins, who let them reapply their disguises, exchanging some gold to local currency (magical and non), they went to the stores.

The first place they went was the wand shop. Since Sirius knew what his former wand was, they were out in minutes. After getting every book the book store had, in all languages (because Sirius knew a translating charm), they went to the booths and stocked up on the local cuisine. They ran from store to store, buying anything that caught their interest; potions, snakebite antidotes, plant and animal ingredients, more cauldrons, rare books, hats, and especially magical camping and hiking gear, since they didn't know when they would be in civilization again.

They also went to the nearest grocery store in the non-magical side and cleared out as much as they thought they could get away with, which happened to be five carts full. They then went to the non-magical book store and again bought one of every book, making sure to get Dobby some cookbooks. The clerks looked at them strangely, but rang them up nevertheless. Everything they purchased went into the bags, the groceries and books they shoved in there after ducking in the nearest alley.

They left the village around the time it was getting dark. Sirius Apparated them back to the island and they fell to bed, fully clothed.

The next morning, after eating some breakfast burritos made with refried beans, rice and cheese, they started sorting through the things they purchased. Sirius turned all the books into English, with many waves of his wand. It took him hours since he could only do twenty at a time. Dobby sorted the food, and cast some stasis charms on the stuff they bought from the venders. Harry was sorting through the clothes and camping gear. It took them all day to get it all sorted. Food, cookbooks and cooking utensils went into one bag that Dobby would carry; everything else went into the other, which Sirius was in charge of.

"When are we going?" Harry asked that night after a dinner of fried meat and rice.

"I want to get in better shape first," Sirius said, chuckling weakly. "You saw how tired we were just from shopping. There's no way we can hike the Amazon Rainforest in such sad shape."

"How are we gonna get in shape?" the teen asked, taking a sip of the strong tea Dobby just handed him. It was different.

"Well, starting tomorrow, we're going to do some exercises like running and swimming. We still need to find Buckbeak and make sure he's okay," the older man commented as he looked out the dark window, also sipping the strong tea.

"We can look tomorrow. I'm sure he's forgiven us by now," Harry said, patting his godfather on the hand.

"Yeah."

They went to bed soon after and actually had a good night's sleep. After breakfast, and cleaning up, they did as Sirius had suggested and ran as far as they could, which Harry found was a lot harder to do in the sand. Then the two played in the surf until they got too tired, then they wandered the small jungle to find their wayward feathered friend. Sirius spotted the hippogriff resting near a small pool of water. They approached carefully, not sure how the beast would receive them.

Buckbeak opened one eye and glared at the older man. Sirius bowed, making sure to keep eye contact, until the hippogriff bowed back. Harry repeated Sirius's motions and soon enough they were petting and cooing over their friend.

"Do you think he'll come with us when we leave? It might cut down on our hiking and we wouldn't need to stay here to get into shape," Harry asked as he petted the hybrid's neck.

"Oh, I believe he'll enjoy that," Sirius said, patting the hippogriff on the rump, causing the creature to glare at him. "However, the jungle is dense, so we wouldn't be able to see through the trees. No, we'll still have to get in shape so we can do a fair bit of hiking."

"Oh, that sucks," was the disappointed reply.

"Come on, we have some studying to do," Sirius said, giving Buckbeak one more pat and turned to the hut.

Harry sighed and followed, wishing Hermione were there, making a mental note to write his friends. They spent the night reading book after book on the Amazon, the Lost City of Z, hiking and camping. Harry found a book called 'Government Structures for the Complete Moron'. He chuckled and set it aside, since he didn't need it right now, however, there were plans forming in the back of his head.

That set the pace for the next month and a half, with Dobby the only one leaving the island, to get more supplies from other villages. He even hit Diagon Alley.

Soon enough our two adventurers were ready to set off. They gathered everything into Sirius's bag and mounted Buckbeak. Dobby would wait for them to call. In the early morning light Sirius, Harry and Buckbeak flew off into the sunset. Destination: the Amazon Rainforest.