They were eating dinner when it happened- when all of their lives changed forever. Kari was in the middle of scolding her 21- month-old daughter Fiona to stop throwing food at her twin sister Aurora when Sirius opened the front door so forcefully that it fell off its hinges. He quickly stepped into the house and repaired the door with a flick of his wand.

"Sirius, what's happened?" Kari enquired in an extremely worried tone.

"That filthy, lying, weak bastard of a man has... he..." but he could not continue. Sirius struggled to fight back tears. Kari moved past the kitchen table and attempted to hold his shoulders, but he was shaking so violently that she couldn't get a hold on him.

"Lily and James... they're alright... please tell me they're alright..." She stuttered. Sirius quickly walked past her to the counter, leaving a shivering Kari standing next to the door, her arms still held out to hold her husband. The twins began to cry as their older brother Vaun looked on in fear.

"I have to find him. I have to destroy him..." Sirius whispered behind clenched teeth. His knuckles were turning white from holding the edge of the counter.

"Please don't say those things around the children." Kari replied in a rushed, would-be calm voice, shepherding their children to their bedrooms. The twins held fast to her legs and wouldn't let go until Kari assured them she just needed to talk to their father for a few minutes. Vaun followed his mother wordlessly as she led the way to his bedroom, closing the twin's door behind her.

"Is Daddy gonna be okay?" Vaun asked as his mother took off his robes and put his pajamas over his head.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Something terrible has just happened, something you're too young to understand." Kari answered, placing her son gently into his bed.

"Is Uncle James okay? And Aunt Lily? Why is Daddy sad? Why are you shaking, Mommy?" Vaun asked innocently, grabbing his mother's hand.

"I need to talk to your father... I'll come back to kiss you goodnight." Kari said, trying desperately to compose herself. She left the room before he could ask any more questions. As she shut the door behind her, she heard the sound of glass breaking. She rushed into the kitchen to find her husband throwing the dirty dinner plates against a wall. The twins were wailing. She rushed over to stop her husband, hoping he wouldn't turn on her. Much to her surprise, he fell to his knees the moment he saw her coming toward him. He lost all composure and began to cry. Kari ran to his aid and held him in her arms.

"It's my fault," he whispered bitterly. "I never should have switched... I should have gone into hiding.. they would still be alive if I hadn't been stupid enough to switch."

"Sirius, it wasn't your fault! You wanted to protect them! No one would have thought that Peter would do such a terrible thing. No one knew... "

"BUT I COULD HAVE PREVENTED IT FROM HAPPENING!" Sirius yelled. He began to rock back and forth like a child in Kari's arms.

"What about Harry? Where is he? You're his Godfather... is he alive?" Kari asked hesitantly. She knew a baby had no chance against Lord Voldemort.

"Dumbledore had Hagrid get him... he said Harry needed to be taken to the Dursley's... I wanted to take him, but Hagrid said that Dumbledore had his reasons... I was too... I couldn't argue. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I was trying to be calm... I gave him my motorcycle. He needed it more than I did." Sirius replied, his sobs lessening.

"Why did Voldemort leave Harry alive?" Kari asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

"He... he didn't. He tried to kill Harry, but the curse backfired somehow. He left a cut on Harry's forehead. It'll scar, but not another mark was on him. Voldemort disappeared."

"Harry... survived? Voldemort is gone?" Kari repeated in disbelief.

"Yes... but that traitor is still out there, and I have to find him..."

"Sirius, please don't... if you kill him, you will be sent to Azkaban, and you need to be here for the children... and for me." She added. At this last remark, Sirius looked up at Kari with tears in his eyes and said, "You and the children are the world to me. But that poor excuse of a man has murdered my best friend and his wife, has destroyed a child's life, and could be searching for his Master to restore him back to power. That rat cannot walk free." Sirius hissed with wicked contempt.

"Then find him, and send him to the Dementors."

"HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF LILY AND JAMES POTTER! This is a weight I myself must carry with me until justice has been served." Sirius replied fervently.

"Sirius, the court will judge him. That is not your responsibility." She put a hand up when Sirius tried to interrupt her, and continued, "If you go out looking for him so you can kill him, no one will know that he was the secret keeper. No one will understand. You will be charged with murder. It would be you going to Azkaban instead of a man who deserves it. Find him if you must, but bring him to the Wizengamot alive. Sirius, I'm begging you... don't become a murderer. You are better than that." Kari touched his face as she finished, and added, "Don't let revenge consume you. It is a quality of the Dark Side, no good can come of it." Sirius placed his hand on Kari's and moved it to his mouth. He gently pressed her hand against his lips and sighed. The twins had finally stopped crying.

"I will look for him tomorrow. If I find him, I will hand him over to the dementors. If I don't, I will tell the Wizengamot the situation, to prevent the return of Voldemort. In the mean time, I need the strongest sleeping drought we own so I can get some rest for tomorrow." He replied calmly, his voice breaking every now and then. Kari nodded and rose, whispering "Accio" to the top shelf for the sleeping drought. She had always kept it on the top shelf, to prevent her children from finding it. She poured some of it in a large glass, which she handed to Sirius. He looked at her gratefully and grabbed her hand, steering her into their bedroom. He shut the door as she stepped in and kissed her hard on the lips.

"My voice of reason in a world of confusion." He said into her neck as he pulled her close, although his hands were still shaking.

"I have to make sure the children are alright." Kari replied, pushing him away. Now was not the time for passion. She noticed the hurt look on his face as she turned to leave, so she stood on her toes and bent his head down to kiss him as lightly as possible on his forehead. "I love you, Sirius. Don't ever forget that."

"I love you too." Sirius said, returning her kiss. They smiled at each other as Kari went into the hall. She opened the door to the twin's room to find them wrapped in each other's arms, fast asleep. She smiled to herself and went into Vaun's room. He was sitting up in his bed, wide-awake and staring at his mother as she walked into the room.

"Is Daddy gonna be okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, he'll be alright," Kari replied, moving to the edge of Vaun's small bed, "but it would be best not to mention anything to him in the morning."

"Mommy, what happened to make Daddy so sad?" Vaun asked, his voice clear and confident.

"I'll explain some other time. Now you have to sleep. No more questions." Kari said, kissing her son. He smiled up at her and closed his eyes.

When Kari returned to Sirius, she found him sprawled out across their bed with all of his robes still on, the empty glass of sleeping drought still in his hand. She placed it on the bedside table and wrapped herself into Sirius' arms. She looked frightened, as if she had no idea what to do. A single tear fell down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away, telling herself she had to be strong for her family. She slept very little that night.

FIN.