"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off—" James shouted, his voice panicked.
Lily was stricken. How could she possibly leave her husband, the father of her child, the love of her life? How could she leave him to was certainly his death. She couldn't. She would fight with him, beside him. She was about to retort when he turned towards her, brown eyes wild, face taut, yet with a firm resolve in the set of his jaw and hardness of his mouth. Her eyes welling with tears, she mouthed 'I love you,' her voice not seeming to work, and she did what he said. She scooped up Harry and ran from the room, stumbling over the hem of her long, green robes, as she did so.
She could hear the front door blast off its hinges as she raced through Harry's room. There was a flash of green light a second later, that seemed to envelop the entire house, momentarily blinding her. The theatrics were followed by a cackle of high-pitched, almost inhuman laughter. She heard Voldemort's footsteps thudding down on floorboards behind her as she ran. Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her shoulder and with incredible force, she was thrown across the room. She turned her body to block Harry from Voldemort's reach and shielding him; trying to make it so he couldn't aim his wand on Harry to use the killing curse.
Lily screamed as Voldemort bore down at her. "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please—I'll do anything—"
"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!" Voldemort bellowed.
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily begged. Tears ran down her face.
"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…"
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead—"
Voldemort laughed, high, mirthless.
"Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…"
Voldemort's laugh was cold and shrill this last time, and he raised his wand. Lily screamed, all the while still blocking Harry's from Voldemort's reach. Green light erupted from the end of his wand, it seemed to grow larger and spread out until it consumed the room. Voldemort kept up his sadistic, high-pitched laugh. The green light seemed to burn into her corneas. A panic as to not being able to protect Harry raced through her mind before Voldemort's cruel, horrible laugh became the last thing Lily Potter ever heard.
Her form crumpled, devoid of life. One wand flick and Voldemort flung Lily's body out of the way, and raised his wand once more, this time to the infant, Harry James Potter. He roared the words to the curse, which had killed many wizards and witches, 'Avada Kedarva'. The green light erupted from his wand for the third time since arriving at Godric's Hollow only moments before. It touched Harry's forehead…and rebounded as if it had hit a mirror. The green light engulfed Voldemort, and he screamed as he was pushed out of the house. Then there was a huge, loud explosion, the force of which blew up Godric's Hollow, and ripped at Voldemort's flesh. Voldemort screamed once more as he felt his powers, his magic, ripped from his body.
Sirius stood outside the door to Peter's house. He was coming to check on the Potter's Secret-Keeper at precisely the appointed time. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again but still no one came to the door. Finally he took out his wand and aimed it at the door.
"Alohomora!" He shouted.
The door sprung open and Sirius ran in. All of Peter's belongings were gone from the house. The overwhelming dread nearly knocked Sirius to his feet and it hit him what must have happened. He swore loudly, ran back out of the house, jumped onto his motorcycle and drove it straight up, into the air.
Hagrid was stunned when he arrived at where Godric's Hollow had stood less than an hour before. James and Lily Potter's house was destroyed; completely blown apart. Debris was strewn across the grass: shards of window glass, pieces of stone and brick…
Hagrid made his way through the rubble, a sob rising in his throat.
There was the roar of a motorcycle from behind him, and he turned around. Sirius landed his motorcycle so fast it almost crashed. He jumped off of it the moment it touched ground and sprinted over to the house.
"NO!" He shouted, seeing the rubble. He climbed over it, looking for James and Lily and Harry. They're still alive. They're still alive. He kept telling himself over and over. He saw a piece of blue cloth, just sticking out from a huge pile of rubble. Cold, hard, dread coursed through his body. He had seen James, Lily, and Harry only hours before, and that was James' robe. He'd know it anywhere.
He ran over to it, almost tripping over the remains of the house three times in his mad dash. He threw himself down upon it and began to rip away the rocks and debris with his bare hands. He cut his hands on the broken rock so many times that they bled, but he didn't seem to notice it in his adrenaline rush. Finally, the rubble was gone and there was James' body…he was dead. Sirius let out a scream of grief and of rage. He knew James was dead, but he couldn't believe it.
"Prongs! Prongs wake up!" He shook James but nothing happened. Tears began pouring from his eyes and falling onto James' torn blue robes. "NO!"
Hagrid grabbed Sirius around the midsection and hauled him to his feet. Sirius was sobbing and shouting; he didn't want to leave James' side. Sirius had been so overcome with fear and worry when he'd arrive at the wreckage to the Potter's home, that he hadn't even noticed Hagrid already there.
"Come on Sirius, there's nothing you can do…"
"NO! GET OFF! GET OFF OF ME!" Sirius screamed, thrashing and pulling from Hagrid's grip, like a small child.
"Sirius, get a hold of yourself."
Sirius turned and saw something…something red…not too far away…maybe a yard away…blowing slightly in the wind…
Sirius knew her hair, how many years had he seen her fuss about it? Her long, beautiful, dark red hair…
Sirius lashed out violently, pulling himself free at last of Hagrid's hard grip. He ran over the rubble, threw himself at the red…he hit his chest on a particularly sharp edge of rock, it tore through his leather jacket and black robes, cutting deeply into his skin. He put one hand to the gash and it became covered with blood. Sirius mentally slapped himself. How could he care about himself at a time like this?
Sirius reached the red he had seen and he knew he had been right. "LILY!" He screamed; his voice distorted from pain and anger.
He had let her down; he had let James down. He had promised James he would take care of her if something ever happened to him…and here she was, dead. Her long red hair, which Lily had always said was the thing she liked most about herself, covered her face and body. Sirius pushed it gingerly from her face, his hand trembling. Tears stained her face and were welled in her glassy green eyes, which were normally so bright, so full of life. Sirius kissed her forehead, before beginning to sob.
"Sirius, come on now, come on there's nothing you can do." Hagrid called from behind him.
Sirius looked at Lily, who long ago had said she was Sirius' surrogate sister…and he suddenly gasped. There was a movement…by her arms…was she alive? Sirius shook his head, knowing that was just a false hope. He gently moved her limp arms—they seemed to be covering something—and he pushed back her hair which had blown over them.
"Hagrid!" Sirius choked out. "It's Harry!"
Hagrid was instantly at his side, and sure enough, Harry Potter lay, wrapped in blankets, sleeping, in his mother's arms. She must have been protecting him with her last moments of life. Sirius gingerly picked up his godson and held him in his arms.
"Heya Harry."
Harry opened his sleepy eyes and peered at his godfather. "Pazfit?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's Padfoot." Sirius replied.
A smile split across both Sirius and Hagrid's faces.
"Yeah, Harry's alive." Hagrid said to the stunned Sirius. "I was sent here to get 'im."
"But—how?" Sirius asked.
"No one knows." Hagrid pointed to a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. "You-Know-Who used the curse on him, but it didn't work. And now, You-Know-Who's gone, and Harry's a hero."
Sirius stroked Harry's messy black hair. He was the spitting image of James, except for his eyes; his bright, green, sparkling eyes, exactly like Lily's. Harry giggled at him, reached up and grabbed a lock of Sirius's shoulder-length black hair.
"I wuv Pazzie." Harry gushed.
"I love you, too." Sirius said to his godson.
Harry looked around suddenly, his emerald eyes wide and afraid. "Mama?"
"Mama's not here." Sirius said. "Shh, Harry it's OK. She's watching you."
"Daddy?"
"He's watching you, too."
"Moo-ey?"
"Moony's not here either."
The worried look in Harry's eyes lessened slightly. "Pazzie here."
"Yes, Pazzie's right here."
Harry reached up and patted Sirius' face. "I wuv Pazzie. Pazzie good doggie."
"Sirius, I've got to take him now." Hagrid said gently.
"No! Hagrid let me take him. I'm his godfather."
Hagrid shook his head and took Harry from Sirius' arms. Harry cried out in protest.
"Pazzie!"
"I would if I could Sirius, but I have me orders from Dumbledore. Harry is ter go live with his aunt an' uncle."
"Not them! You can't give him to those muggles! They're horrible!"
"I know Sirius, but it's Dumbledore's orders. I have ter."
"Please, Hagrid!"
"This isn't up for debate. Dumbledore knows best and who are we to second guess?"
Sirius bit his lip. He knew Hagrid was right. His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know. Hagrid, can you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Make sure Harry knows I love him. Tell him someday."
"Sirius, won't you visit him sometimes?"
"Please, promise me!"
"Alright."
"Take my bike to get Harry to Dumbledore. I won't be needing it anymore." He turned to walk away.
"Where are you going?"
"I have something to take care of." Sirius turned back and kissed Harry once more, right next to his scar. "'Bye Harry."
"Pazzie?" Harry asked, his voice timid. "Pazzie go?"
"Yeah, Pazzie go." Sirius tried to smile at him, but he just couldn't. "You'll look just like your dad when you grow up. I'll see you sometime."
"Pazzie good doggie?"
"Shh, Harry go to sleep."
"Pazzie good doggie?" Harry asked again, sounding slightly worried, but he was already getting sleepy. It was like Sirius' words had a magical effect on him, even though Sirius didn't use a spell.
"'Bye Harry." Sirius turned and fled from the wreckage of the house, not looking back. As he ran, he heard baby Harry's last words to him.
"Pazzie good, mama happy."
Sirius frowned slightly, wondering exactly what Harry's ramblings meant. Tears fell down his face again as he remembered James and Lily and the life he was about to leave behind. He was going to avenge James and Lily's death; he had to.
Hagrid watched him fade from sight, before climbing onto Sirius' motorcycle with Harry safely in his arms. He started up the motorcycle and it revved, driving forward a foot or two. Then it took off up into the air.
It was just after daybreak when Sirius found what he told Hagrid he needed to take care of. It was a muggle street somewhere out near Coventry. It was surprisingly crowded for so early in the morning; people coming back from late Halloween parties or heading to work, no doubt. There…up ahead…Peter Pettigrew.
"PETER!" Sirius roared, so loud people turned and stared.
Peter stopped and turned to face him, his eyes wide with terror. "Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?" He was sobbing, and the sight of it enraged Sirius.
How dare he accuse me of killing Lily and James? The thought raced through Sirius' head and seemed to fill every fiber of Sirius' being with white-hot rage. His black eyes flashed. He reached for his wand, to kill this filthy piece of vermin in front of him.
Peter had, unbeknownst to Sirius, already drawn his wand and was holding it behind his back. Suddenly there was the loud sound of an explosion…and the street behind Peter blew up. A huge crater was formed, so deep it exposed the sewer and cracked a water main, sending up a stream of cold water into the air. People screamed.
Sirius saw Peter through the dust caused by the explosion. He moved his wand in a quick motion, using a severing charm on one of his fingers, and then he transformed. He transformed into his Animagus form of a rat and scampered away into the sewers that the blast had uncovered.
Sirius couldn't believe it. He was gone. Everything Sirius knew was gone; it had all disappeared in that one night. James…Lily…Harry…Pettigrew, his one hope for avenging James and Lily's death…his freedom…himself…. There was nothing left. Sirius looked around at the deep chasm he stood just beyond, and in one quick movement, he threw back his head and laughed. It was a horrible, sadistic sound, one that could chill you to your inner core.
Ministry wizards began Apparating onto the scene. The screams of people who watched as their friends and family died, as a result of the explosion, rang in Sirius' ears. Still, he kept laughing, it was the only thing he could do. His mouth was open to the frigid, early November first air, and he stood in nothing more than a long, black robe, tattered from digging through the rubble of the Potters' home. Everywhere around Sirius there was blood, bright from the morning sun reflecting on it. In a sick way, it reminded Sirius of Lily's beautiful red hair, and how it had seemed to cover her like a blanket, in her death. Just at the edge to the chasm, not too far from Sirius' feet, was a pair of broken, wire-rimmed glasses which had been thrown off from some victim during the explosion. Sirius saw them and they reminded him of James and Harry…Harry would definitely have glasses some day. Sirius' laugh intensified, both in pitch and in force.
He felt hands grab him as Ministry wizards Apparated right behind him. He still held his wand aloft in one, bloodstained hand. The wand was wrenched from his fist. Sirius looked across the crater he stood in front of, and saw some familiar faces. Fudge was there, and so was…Remus.
Sirius caught Remus' gaze and held it. His hand jerked slightly, in a small wave. Remus gaped at him, obviously shocked. Sirius laughed harder, laughed until his breath came in ragged gasps as he was dragged away by six Ministry wizards. Remus couldn't stand the sound and couldn't bear to look at what he thought was his friend. He turned his head away and covered his ears.
"Mr. Lupin." A familiar voice called from behind Remus.
Remus removed his hands from his ears. There was blood everywhere, people were dying in the streets, and Sirius, who had thought was his friend, had caused it. He'd ratted out James and Lily to Voldemort, Remus thought. He felt nauseous and also angry. He watched as Sirius was dragged away, and was absolutely shocked to see Sirius wave to him, before his horrible laugh intensified. The horror of it all left him frozen, his mind whirling with the betrayal. No. It couldn't be. And yet… Sirius was a murderer and a traitor and he wasn't what Remus had thought he was. Sirius Black was not his friend and probably never had been.
"Mr. Lupin." The voice called out again.
Remus turned around. It was Fudge. "Yes?"
"You're going to have to come with me." Fudge barked.
"Why?"
"Questioning as to the deaths of Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, the attempted murder of Harry Potter, and conspiring with the suspected murderer, Sirius Black."
Remus was shocked to be even thought of as being an accessory in the murders of his best friends or even more so, to be thought of as being a coconspirator, plotting the deaths of them. Still, he allowed Fudge to lead him away.
"State your full name for the record." Fudge said to Remus. They were sitting in Fudge's office, Fudge at his desk, Remus in a chair facing him. Remus' hands had been bound.
"Remus John Lupin." Remus replied.
"Age?" Fudge asked.
"Twenty-two."
"How would you describe your relationship with the Potters?"
"We were like family, surrogate siblings."
"And with Peter Pettigrew?"
"And extremely close friend."
"Were you 'extremely close friends' with Sirius Black?"
"I thought I was."
"Did you conspire to kill the Potters?"
"NO!"
"Are you now or have you ever been a Death Eater or have you ever supported You-Know-Who in any way, shape, or form?"
"No!"
"Have you ever even thought about supporting You-Know-Who?"
"No!"
"When was the last time you saw the Potters?"
"The day before they were murdered."
"Do you believe that Sirius Black was working against the Ministry and with You-Know-Who? To kill the Potters or otherwise."
"It looks that way."
"Do you believe that Black was a spy for You-Know-Who?"
"It looks that way."
"Where you aware of the Fidelius Charm being performed?"
"Yes."
"Who was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?"
"Sirius."
"You are a werewolf, are you not, Mr. Lupin?"
"Yes, I am."
"You are registered?"
"Yes, I am."
"You are aware of the penalties for mixed loyalties among…halfbreeds?"
Remus's breath caught in his throat. He could barely manage a nod.
"Mr. Lupin! A nod is not sufficient."
"Yessir, yes, I am aware."
"You realize the penalties for lying to an enforcer of the law?"
"Yes, I do. Sir."
"A werewolf a witness in a murder investigation. Most unlikely."
"Uh, sir, there was no question there."
"No, I did not feel one was necessary. I will be in touch with you Mr. Lupin."
"Yes, sir."
"Well then." Fudge narrowed his eyes slightly. "That is all. You may go."
Remus nodded and got up on shaky legs.
"Oh, and Mr. Lupin?"
"Sir?"
"I will be contacting the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I am sure they will want to check up on your status, see that your papers are in order…investigate further."
"Yes, sir."
He left the Ministry offices and headed home, sorrow filling his heart, weighing him down, flooding him, drowning him, making it hard to walk. They were all gone…all of his friends…
Lily, the nicest, smartest woman he had ever known. He could see her in his minds' eye: Running down the steps to her home, her beautiful, silky red hair flying out behind her like a ginger veil as she ran; her hair was so long she could sit on it. Remus could see her running to James, throwing her arms around him and hugging and kissing him, her green eyes sparkling, her cheeks flushed with joy, a huge smile on her face.
James, dear Prongs, brilliant, skilled in so many things, who had loved his wife and child more than anything in the world. Remus could see him too; his black hair a mess and sticking up all over the place, his brown eyes sparkling with delight, behind his glasses, as he embraced his wife. His tall, gangly stature exemplified by his muscles earned from hours of Qudditch practices and morning exercises, and his famous mischievous grin that always showed the fact that he was planning a joke.
Little Harry James Potter, named after his father, and the spitting image of James as well. Remus could see him, being hugged by his mother and his father, his green eyes, inherited from Lily, bright and gleaming. He would giggle and grab for a lock of Lily's long hair, wanting nothing more than that red strand, dangling just out of reach.
Sirius: funny, totally un-serious Sirius. Remus had thought Sirius was his, James, and Lily's friend, but it turned out he was really just double-crossing them. Sirius, with his long, sleek black hair, roguish grin, leather jacket, and motorcycle. He had always been the risk taker of them all, he always had the most energy, but the thing that nagged at Remus' brain the most was that Sirius always did have a mean streak. He would spur on James and Lily's fights, he would tease his friends even when they explicitly told him not to, and he wouldn't mind endangering someone's life over a prank. But could Sirius really be a Death Eater?
Then there was Peter Pettigrew. He might have been annoying at times, and a bit of a scaredy cat, but he was a friend. Short, stout, balding Peter who used to hang around with James, Sirius, and Remus himself; he had definitely proved his worth this day. He had hunted down Sirius, the turncoat, even when he was hopeless at dueling, and he got himself killed, all to avenge the death of Lily and James.
Remus looked around him, pulling his overcoat closed to try and block out the freezing, November wind. His eyes watered and tears began to silently pour down his face. He passed wizards jumping about, talking excitedly, partying; just rejoicing that Voldemort was no more. Remus didn't join in any of the festivities. Voldemort was gone for now, yes, but he doubted the Voldemort was destroyed. Something tugged at his heart and Remus wasn't exactly sure what it meant. Then he realized: he secretly wished that he could do the day over, prevent James and Lily from ever being killed, even if it meant that Voldemort would be alive. He wished he could have killed Sirius before he could have gone to Voldemort. This thought chilled Remus and made him stop dead in his tracks for an instant. If he felt that he would kill one friend to save another, isn't that a form of betrayal as well? Wouldn't it make him worse than Sirius?
As Sirius was dragged towards the confines of Azkaban, he turned his head to Bartimus Crouch. Crouch stood with perfect posture as he ordered the Ministry wizards to make their hold on Sirius stronger. He could feel their grip tighten on his arms, so much so he almost cried out in pain. Sirius took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to speak. He turned his head to Crouch, who looked at him, his eyes hard and cold.
"Trial?" Sirius managed to say, his voice rasping.
A devilish gleam appeared in Crouch's eyes. "No."
Sirius' eyes widened as Azkaban loomed closer. "No?"
A grin spread across Crouch's face. He was clearly enjoying this. "No, not ever."
Sirius knew at this moment that he was truly damned. He hung his head.
Sirius was thrown into the small, dark cell in Azkaban where was supposed to spend the rest of his life. He shivered; there was no warmth in this place at all, not physically or mentally. He huddled in a corner in his cell, while Dementors passed by it, sucking away all his happy memories. He was the most heavily guarded in Azkaban, which meant he never had a moment when there wasn't a Dementor there, he never had a moment where he could remember all of the nice times in his past. He was left with just the misery and pain. And the fact that he was innocent. He was condemned to a horrible fate and he was framed. This, not being a happy thought, couldn't be taken away.
Sirius transformed into his Animagus form. Shadows fell over his form as the Dementors glided by. Screams and sobs and incoherent ramblings from the other prisoners fell upon Sirius' ears. Sirius curled up and went to sleep, blocking out the horror around him, that was Azkaban. His final resting place.