Chapter One: Take Me Instead.
"There was a loud popping noise in my kitchen. That's what woke me up. When I saw it was Sirius, that's when I got scared. He usually came on his flying motorbike."
O
Sirius was standing amidst the rubble of the house where his best friends had once lived. He was holding their only son, Harry in his arms.
Hagrid appeared and saw Sirius standing there with tears running down his face and horror in his eyes.
"Is tha' Harry?" he asked.
Sirius nodded slowly.
"Can you make me a portkey? I have to take Harry to his aunt and uncles house for protection," Hagrid said and as he began to recognize the feral terror in Sirius's eyes he continued quickly, "On Dumbledore's orders of course."
"Take my motorbike," Sirius offered, "I won't need it anymore." Sirius handed Harry over to Hagrid gently and kissed his godsons forehead tenderly before he walked over to the motorbike to kick start it for Hagrid.
Right before he started the bike Hagrid heard him say, "All my fault. God, if you exist, please forgive me."
O
"He stood looking at me from the entrance into the kitchen. I was standing in the living room, and when I looked into his eyes all I could see was despair. He was so anguished!" After saying this, the young woman giving the testimony was finally able to catch the doomed man's silvery grey eyes. She could tell he was angry, but also defeated. She knew, in that moment, that Peter had gotten away. "That's when he told me what had happened to Lily and James, and little Harry."
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"Avery, our. . . My. . . Your. . .They're dead Ave'. Peter betrayed them," Sirius said as he let his sorrow take control.
Avery went quickly to his side as he allowed himself to collapse on to the couch; she was whispering "No! Not. . . Not James and Lily! Not... God please not Harry too? God, Sirius please say no!"
"I couldn't even find James and Lily's bodies in what's left of their house. Harry somehow managed to survive," Sirius said managing to gain some control over himself.
Suddenly Avery's body went stiff; her eyes appeared to be locked on to something far in the distance. In her mind's eye she saw James lying on the floor limp,
Sirius saw her mouth open in what could only be a silent scream. He hugged her body as closely as he could.
The vision continued in front of Avery's unseeing eyes. Lily was standing in front of her only son's cradle tears streaming down her face and screaming, "Please not my Harry! Not my son! Not my only son, Please!" she pleaded desperately her brilliant emerald eyes searching for the hooded figures face. "Please kill me instead! Just spare my son! Spare my Harry!" she begged desperation evident in her voice.
The hooded figure raised his wand. It was the most expressive physical movement that Avery had ever seen; she could read the contempt even in that small gesture.
Lily became higher pitched as her voice tore through her throat amidst choking tears, "Please! PLEASE! Not Harry! Not my only son! Take me! Oh God, Please let him live! Let him-" She screamed as the hooded figure drawled out.
"Avada Kedavra."
Suddenly Sirius was shaking her, "Avery? Avery! Avery, are you alright? What did you see?"
Tears were flooding out of Avery's eyes as she cried, "I saw it. James was first, and then Lily while she was trying to protect Harry. It was awful!"
"Come here," Sirius said pulling her into his lap, "Shhh," he said trying to be soothing and stroking her long brown hair as he tried to process this new information about his best friend of twelve years and his wife.
"Sirius, I can't believe he killed them! I'll never see Lily or James ever again! That's it. They're just gone," Avery said heartbrokenly as she tried to wipe away her tears, but it was a wasted effort for they were immediately replaced with new ones.
Sirius felt his eyes begin to fill as well as he pulled his girlfriend closer. His pain and sorrow was tinged with guilt as his plan began forming in his head.
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"I had a vision about what had happened at Godric's Hollow that night. He comforted me and then stayed the night."
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After they had both been able to gain control of themselves, they found they still had no desire to break apart. They were both content to stay wrapped in each other's arms on Avery's couch.
Sirius stayed all night.
He had meant to leave in the middle of the night, but when she snuggled into him and sighed, finally falling asleep, he found he couldn't tear himself away. He stayed awake a little while stroking her long, soft, brown hair. He finally drifted off some time in the wee hours of the morning.
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"He left early that morning saying he was going to avenge James and Lily and that," The young woman stopped for a moment trying to catch the eye of the accused. She was unable to do so, so she continued, "And that he loved me and would miss me. I was still half asleep."
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Sirius slid out from underneath Avery.
She stirred and blinked her amber colored eyes up at him, "What's wrong?" she asked groggily.
"I am going to get Peter Pettigrew for this. It has to be him. I can't believe he would betray James and Lily like that!" Sirius said as his latent anger turning from the night before. His grey eyes met hers and he saw that she looked scared. "I want you to know, Avery, that I love you more than I ever dreamed I was capable of loving anyone. Please don't ever forget that," Sirius said from where he stood in a weak beam of morning sunshine, which was stalwartly streaming through Avery's curtains.
Avery looked at Sirius and said reverently, "I won't," Avery said standing up and kissing him determinedly in the feeble warmth of that ray of sunshine, "Just remember that I'll always love you too. Always. I could never be with anyone else after being with you."
Sirius kissed Avery one last time and he disapparated.
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The woman fingered with a strand of her brown hair as she tried desperately to catch the accused's eyes. Just one more time.
"Thank you Miss. Jones. You can step down now," The judge said kindly.
Avery stepped down from the chair and walked to a seat in the back of the courtroom.
Sirius turned his head slightly so he could see where she was choosing to sit, but he didn't turn his head enough that he was looking directly at her.
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Avery apparated quickly to the scene.
Sirius was screaming in the middle of the street, covered in blood, "You bastard! I'll find you! I'll punish you for what you've done!"
"Sirius!" Avery screamed frightened by his obvious anger.
His eyes locked onto hers just as ministry officials began arriving on the scene. He began to laugh bitterly, never allowing his eyes leave Avery's.
The ministry officials began the process of apprehending him, and Sirius began to laugh harder.
"Sirius!" Avery screamed as tears started rolling down her cheeks, "Sirius!" She screamed so hard she felt as though her throat were tearing apart.
Remus Lupin apparated near her and grabbed her around the waist as she started to run forward towards him. She stumbled and fell against Remus's supporting arms. In her grief and confusion she was unable to support herself.
"Sirius!" She whisper screamed unable to make any sound louder than that.
Remus apparated himself and Avery back to her apartment.
Avery was leaning all of her weight completely on Remus; she was unable to catch her breath as she continued to scream almost silently. Her face was contorted in pain. When he let her go she fell to the floor gasping, heaving with sobs and still trying to scream Sirius's name with no voice left to do so.
She lurched up, as if she were trying to get to her feet, and then leaned down and threw up on the floor. Remus had never seen someone so completely over wrought. He knelt next to her and put his arms around her gently as she continued to sob and gasp for breath, "Shhh," he said knowing it wouldn't be enough.
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Sirius kept his eyes closed for the rest of the trial. He couldn't bear this. He already knew what the outcome would be.
"Guilty." The judge said with a tone of finality that cut through Sirius's defenses. One tear slipped from the corner of his eye as he felt the sudden coldness that meant the Dementors had entered the courtroom.
Avery breathed, "Sirius," and from across the courtroom Sirius felt her breath on his face as if they were in bed together, as they never would be again. He closed his eyes tighter and tried to hold on to the feeling she gave him. He practically gasped her name in reply.
Avery choked on her tears as she tried to hold them back. She watched the back of the man she had loved these past seven years as he was led away by four dementors.
She knew then, suddenly and with perfect clarity that she wouldn't survive to see him again. She cried out as if in physical pain and fled the courtroom as the heavy wooden doors slammed shut behind Sirius.
AN: So that's Chapter One.. I would really appreciate your feedback. And just so you know (since it always bothers me when I read works in progress that I like) I have the whole thing written and saved, so you review and I'll update :)