That was far too easy, especially without a wand, thought Sirius Black as he continued out of the gates of Azkaban in his Animagus form. He had been imprisoned for nearly thirteen years for a crime he had not committed. Seeing his supposed victim and one-time friend, Peter Pettigrew, in a picture had been enough of an incentive to get the job of transforming done though.

The thought of Peter possibly being in close proximity to Sirius' Godson, Harry Potter, was another thing that urged him on, paddling through the chilly sea to the nearest bit of land. He would hopefully be able to procure a wand and set himself right in short order upon arriving there.

Weary and a bit frost bitten but otherwise feeling better than he had in years, Sirius began his search for a proper wand but was unable to find one. He had heard of other wizards using controlled magic without a wand on a regular basis, not the accidental magic he and numerous adolescents were party too, but true magic. Sirius had once read somewhere that the magic was in the soul of the wizard and the wand that chose him was only an instrument with which to harness that power in a directed way. He prayed that he would be able to direct his magic properly again without the aid of a wand as he prepared to transform back into his human form.

Fear berated Sirius' thoughts as he began the transformation and then pain like he had never felt, even during the change, racked his body. Merlin, the pain was excruciating! Something had gone horribly wrong.

Through a stream of tears he looked down at his body. It was that of neither a human, nor that of the large black dog that was his normal Animagus form. He was stuck some where in between. What had he done wrong? He was hideous!

Sirius knew that he couldn't stay like this forever. He would have to try the transformation again. Gathering up all his courage and strength and firmly setting his human-self in his mind's eye he attempted the change once more.

There was some pain again, but this time it was a familiar pain as bones began to slide back into place, muscles forming once more around them, and then the pain abruptly stopped. Sirius stood there for another minute or so, not daring to open his eyes for fear of what he might find. Slowly he peaked down and was greeted by the site of two human hands held out in front of him, his own hands, palm up. A feeling of relief spread throughout his body at that moment.