Written for Meyumi (Fading To Black) for the Spring Fic Exchange over at HPFC
Written for Black Rose Blue's Favourite Character Boot Camp using the prompt 'death'
As Still As the Moon
Godric's Hollow was as still as death. Windows were shut, lights were turned off, and its residents were fast asleep in their warm beds.
Children were probably sick from all the sweets they had eaten that night, dreaming of ghosts, and ghouls, and other frightening creatures. Their parents would kiss them, and stroke their hair, assuring them that it was just a nightmare, and creatures like that didn't exist.
They would be sleeping peacefully; blissfully unaware that mere hours ago, something terrible had happened to a family they didn't even know.
What a tragedy it had been. What a shock it would be to the wizarding world when they woke up the next morning and heard the news.
James and Lily Potter were dead.
A gentle breeze blew across the village square, picking up the leaves, and carrying them away. The church door shuddered on its hinges, and from it came a large, black dog.
If anybody had thought to look out their windows in that moment, they would have seen that dog turn into a man. But no one did look. They were all sleeping.
The man who had been a dog just moments ago, made his way stealthily through the little village. His footsteps were light, inaudible to the unlistening ear. He was in a hurry; he had a purpose.
He knew where he was going.
He walked past the silent cottages, barely giving them a second glance. He continued walking, walking faster, until he finally found what he was looking for.
He stopped out the front of a house that looked as if a bomb had gone off inside. There was no roof, the door had been blown in, and the stone it was made from was singed.
In the silent air, the man's heart could almost be heard. It pounded against his chest so fast, that he thought it might explode. His eyes glistened with tears he hadn't dared shed until now. What a tragedy this truly had been. How many times had he set foot in that house? How many times had he embraced his best mate, kissed his mate's wife on the cheek, and held their baby son?
The number was too many to count.
"It's terrible, isn't it?"
The man turned his head sharply to the right, trying to identify the source of the voice. His eyes narrowed in pure fury once he did.
"You would know!" he spat. The figure he spoke to was a short, chubby man. His hair was shaven almost to his scalp, and he gave off an aura of devastation.
However, the one who had once been a dog, didn't fall for it. "What did he offer you?" he demanded. "What did Voldemort offer you to make you betray them, Wormtail?"
The shorter man named Wormtail jumped at the word Voldemort. He cowered away from the taller one.
"Tell me!"
"Sirius!" Wormtail squeaked.
"Tell me why you did it?"
Sirius was clearly furious now. He had Wormtail by his collar, and his eyes burned into him. "Tell. Me!"
Wormtail let out a high-pitched squeak. If he was trying to act brave, he was doing a poor job at it. "I-I didn't do anything," he stammered.
Sirius tightened his hold on Wormtail. Wormtail gasped for air. "You killed them!" he said. "You told him where they were hiding, and he came for them. He killed them!"
"Not all of them," Wormtail said quietly. "Harry –"
"You dare speak his name?" Sirius roared, finally letting go of the terrified man. "After what you did to them? They trusted you, Wormtail. I trusted you!" He turned back to look at the destroyed cottage, his face softening in that moment. "You killed them."
"I had no choice!" Wormtail cried. "He said he'd kill me if I didn't!"
"You always have a choice, Wormtail." Sirius' voice was calmer now. He'd lost the venom that had been there moments ago.
"You don't understand," Wormtail continued hurriedly. "You don't know what he's like… what would have you done?"
"Died, rather than tell him where they were!"
Wormtail let out a pained sobbed. "It was an accident. A mistake."
"No!" Sirius' eyes were on Wormtail once again, the fury returned. "A mistake was allowing you to be Secret Keeper… what a fool I was. What a fool I was to think Remus might have –" He stopped abruptly, shaking his head. "What a fool."
Footsteps echoed down the quiet lane. Both men turned to see who the intruder might be. As the figure emerged from the shadow, it was revealed that he was no more than a mere Muggle, unaware of what had just taken place. He wouldn't have been able to even see the house that stood, destroyed, before them.
The Muggle eyed them both suspiciously, but continued on his merry way to wherever it was he was going that Halloween night.
Both Sirius and Wormtail heeded him no attention.
"He's coming!" Wormtail squeaked. "The Dark Lord… he's coming."
"The Dark Lord is dead!" Sirius spat. "He's finished, gone. It's all your fault, Wormtail."
Wormtail seemed horrified, causing Sirius to grow a satisfactory smile.
"That's right," he said. "Voldemort is dead, because you led him to his grave. But, when he returns – and he will – how do you think he'll feel to know that one of his servants was the reason for his weakened state?"
Wormtail swallowed, his body shaking in fear.
"Not so confident now, are we?" Sirius mocked.
"Sirius…."
Sirius was no longer listening. From inside his cloak, he pulled out a long stick – the object wizards called a wand. Wormtail backed away as the wand was directed straight to his head.
"Take a look, Wormtail," he said harshly. He waved a hand in the direction of the broken house. "Take one last look at what you have caused, because it will be the last thing you see before I kill you!" His voice became louder towards the end, and a light flicked on in the house beside the Potters'.
Wormtail cowered away. "Sirius," he said shrilly.
Sirius jabbed his wand into Wormtail's chest. "Any last words?" he questioned, glancing uneasily towards the house next door.
"S-sirius," Wormtail stammered. "D-don't."
A figure emerged from the house. "What's going on here?" a low voice demanded.
"Avarda Kedavra!"
Sirius pulled away from the chubby man in front of him, horrified. "You!" he shouted.
Seeming to regain his composure, the wand Wormtail had in his hand – unnoticed by Sirius – was now pointing at his old friend.
The body of the man Wormtail had killed lay still behind him.
"I am the Dark Lord's most faithful servant," he continued, his voice rid of the terror that had overtaken him just moments ago. "He knows that." He had a knife in his hand now. Taking the blade to his hand, he sliced his smallest finger off. Sirius barely had time to react.
"Oh, no you don't!" he cried. His wand emitted a green flash of light, but it was too late. The short, chubby man named Wormtail was gone, leaving the taller one standing there in the presence of Godric's Hollow's residents, who had all left their nice, warm beds to witness the horror that had just occurred.
No one even bothered to look down. If they had, they might have noticed the rat that scampered between their legs, seeming to be in a hurry.
When I sat down to write this, this was not what I had in mind... at all. But apparently my fingers had other ideas and decided to type this. But, it's actually one of the best things I've written in a long time, in my personal opinion. And, Meyumi, I hope you like this. I know it's not really what you requested... I honestly had all intention to write all the Marauders...
I hope you all like!