Sirius in Azkaban

[finwitch]

No: HPFGUIDX 41958

SMiller wrote:
> I'm new and haven't gotten through all the archives yet to know if 
> this issue has been raised, but my question is - 
> 
> Why did Sirius stay in Azkhaban those 12 years if he could 
transform 
> into a dog and escape, apparently easily, at any time? 

We're talking about a magical prison, a prison from which none had 
escaped before. It sure was _not_ easy. And it wasn't just the 
prison, it was on an island in north, surrounded by water that's so 
cold that an ordinary human would freeze to death in a matter of 
minutes. Being animagus helped in this, too. Newfoundland - a big, 
black dog that is also an excellent swimmer. That also helped a bit 
for him to hide from Dementors. Innocence was what kept him sane.

About his escape once he saw Pettigrew-- well, Sirius probably 
thought he could not leave. Like a mother _can_ lift a car to save 
her kid, but would never even consider being able to otherwise, that 
picture was concrete threat to Sirius' godson - unless Sirius got 
out. So he got out.

Maybe he just walked trough the wall (There just must be some ancient 
magic enabling one to do that!) in some kind of magical trance, 
transformed into a dog and woke up from that trance only after he was 
safe somewhere in Scotland, still worrying about Harry?

> He knew that Peter was alive and would have been motivated to clear 
> himself and find Harry, who, as his godchild, he had an obligation 
to 
> take care of.

I'm sure he was - he just didn't know how, didn't he could. Dementors 
probably made him depressed, and depressed people are unable to do 
anything. Fudge might like to have a Dementor as a bodyguard - one 
Dementor. At times, there might have been several dozens bothering 
Sirius, keeping him in deep depression-- Easy? It's not easy to stay 
sane, planning escape would be impossible. Sirius didn't plan it; he 
just did it.
 
Finwitch