A/N: Another sad one.
It was dark on the night of Halloween when Sirius Black mounted his motorbike and with a roar it raised high in the sky and flew across the night, a mere speck of smoke against the clear sky. He had visited Peter in his hiding place, only to find that he was nowhere to be seen. With a lump of anxiety in his throat he attempted to push away his fears.
He was flying across the star painted sky when he almost collided with an owl. He screeched to a halt in mid air and quickly fumbled with the letter.
So Sirius Black scanned the letter, his eyebrows furrowing and his face paling more and more with each word he read. There were only three lines of writing, but never have three lines pained Sirius as much as they did then.
Pettigrew betrayed us.
Lily and James are dead.
Stay where you are.
If Sirius Black had been one to follow rules, and he had chosen to stop where he was and had he waited for further news, perhaps things would have panned out differently.
But he didn't.
Shaking uncontrollably, he crumpled the letter in his grip into a tight ball before throwing it as far away from him as possible. If Sirius had waited a while longer, he would have witnessed the paper plummet into the sky and be blown by a gust of wind fly into an open window nearby. He would have noticed it tumble into a crackling fire and be licked by its fiery flames. If Sirius had just waited a while longer, perhaps things would have panned out differently.
But he didn't.
He landed with a screech in alley only yards away from the Potter's home. He clambered off, still trembling frenziedly as he rounded the corner and his eyes met with the devastation. There was smoke erupting from one of the bedrooms, Muggles were crowded around in their nightwear, craning their necks and whispering furiously.
Much to the Muggles' frantic alarm, Sirius Black strode into the Potter's home. If Sirius Black had waited outside and regained comprehension, perhaps what happened next would not have happened at all.
But he didn't.
So Sirius Black strode into their home and doubled over at once, emotionally winded by the sight of his best friend, his brother, his life and his joy. James Potter – his body lay lifeless on the stone cold floor.
If Sirius had retreated then, perhaps he would have not have been frozen still by the sound of faint cries emanating from up the stairs. Perhaps he wouldn't have climbed them tentatively and then be stunned as he saw his Godson on the floor, crying his heart out as his hand lay on the lifeless body of his mother.
But Sirius Black had not retreated and he stared into Harry's eyes, his big green tearful eyes. And his heart broke.
Something inside Sirius snapped in that moment, probably the sight of his Godson clinging onto his mother, yearning for her warmth and him, Sirius, knowing that he would never receive her touch again.
His horror was replaced by anger as he moved towards Harry and numbly picked him up.
"Shh," he told him, gently and soothing. And that was all he said, for Hagrid appeared moments later, breathless and tearful and demanded Harry to be handed over.
Perhaps if Hagrid was not following Dumbledore's orders and Hagrid decided to listen to Sirius Black and Sirius Black continued to hold onto Harry…then perhaps what happened next would not have happened.
But it did.
Sirius marched into the night with a manic glint in his eye, tears of frustration and devastation and heartache building in his eyes. Breathing heavily into the icy cold air, he walked away. Away from the Potter's, away from his Godson and away from any sense of sanity. He stumbled forward, towards Peter, towards revenge, towards thirteen years of pure lunacy.
They say Sirius Black was insane before he was thrown into Azkaban.
They were probably right.
