Summary: When Harry Potter disappeared as a baby, Remus Lupin's heart was broken. He believed - as did everyone else - that Sirius Black had been a traitor who had turned Lily and James in to Voldemort. When he finally finds Sirius and Harry, however, he finds something completely different.

Author's Notes: This is another one that I had started before I lost my flash drive. I'd forgotten about it until I read another fic where Sirius took Harry and left the country. Once I'd remembered this fic I simply had to re-write it. I hope you enjoy this and remember to leave a comment.

Callidora

Prologue

Sirius Black had never felt more alone in his life. He stood, staring up at Malfoy Manor with wide eyes. The baby in his arms wiggled a bit in his sleep, trying to get comfortable again and Sirius shifted him. He hadn't always believed that the Malfoy's were good people. In fact, he'd once thought them nothing more than Death Eater vermin. A letter from his cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, had changed all that. She'd written him three days ago, telling him a story he'd never imagined. Lucius wasn't a true Death Eater, she said, but a spy for the Ministry in Voldemort's ranks. He'd been forced, by Voldemort, to kill she and baby Draco to prove his loyalty. He'd used a curse he himself had invented, one that mimicked the Killing Curse but did not kill. After faking their deaths, she said, he had sent her and Draco to France. Narcissa and Draco were now living under the Fidelius in a Manor house in Southern France.

She'd written him because she knew that there was a traitor in the midst of the Order. She wanted him and the Potters to have a place to go in case of emergency. In her letter, she'd told him to go to Lucius in event of an emergency. Lucius would take them to the French estate where Narcissa was living. Sirius figured this was a pretty big emergency. With the Aurors after him for a crime he hadn't committed and best friends dead, traitors, or against him, Sirius had nowhere else to go.

In Sirius' arms was Harry James Potter, all that was left of the Potter line. James and Lily had been killed that evening, leaving little Harry alone in the world. Dumbledore had sent Hagrid after the boy, possibly to send him to live with Lily's muggle sister, but Sirius had stunned the half-giant and left Godric's Hollow with Harry. He'd come straight to Malfoy Manor and was now entering the gates.

He was met by the tall, blonde figure of Lucius Malfoy just beyond the gates. Lucius' face was lined with exhaustion, the very same exhaustion that Sirius himself felt. Sirius stepped towards him, Harry still in his arms. Wordlessly, Lucius led him into the Manor. Inside, they were joined in the sitting room by Severus Snape. Severus stood at the Sirius, his eyes widening when he saw baby Harry in Sirius' arms.

"Am I to believe that James and Lily are indeed dead, then?" Severus asked quietly.

Sirius nodded. "Yes. I had to stun Hagrid to get Harry out. Dumbledore believes what everyone else does. They think I'm a traitor. And because I have no real evidence that Pettigrew is the traitor...I'm a wanted man."

Lucius nodded. "I received word from the minister himself not moments ago that you were a dangerous man. They're looking for you quite heavily."

Severus swore. "Can't Lupin vouch?"

Sirius shook his head. "James and I never told him of the switch. We felt it safer for him if he didn't know. Greyback was already after him. If word got out that he knew who the Secret Keeper was, Remus would have been in even more danger. I couldn't risk it. And now...now I've lost him. By now Pettigrew will have spun his tale about me to everyone who would have listened to me. And, because Peter has always been a mediocre wizard at best, no one will think to disprove his claims. I think it's safe to say that I'm screwed as far as Remus goes. He's not going to believe me."

"You could always go to Dumbledore." Severus said, tone thoughtful.

Sirius and Lucius shook their heads. "Not true. Albus is convinced that the safest place for Harry is with the Dursley's. Even if he did believe me, he would likely not do anything about it. With me in Azkaban, there would be no one to contest Harry going with Petunia."

Severus looked shocked. "He can't possibly want Harry to go with them! Petunia's always hated Lily. Hell, she hates Magic. Harry would be neglected at best."

"Yes, but the old git has a plan in place, Severus. No doubt he thinks that a Harry Potter raised by the Dursley family would be susceptible to anyone who rescued him. Albus could arrange for him to come to Hogwarts, becoming that savior. Harry would instantly be enamored with him and would trust everything Albus said without question."

"Meaning he'd be the perfect pawn." Lucius drawled, glancing at the boy in question.

"Exactly." Sirius said.

"We've got to get him to Narcissa. That cut on his forehead looks like it needs attention and I'd prefer you both be in the safety of France. I've already had correspondence from the French Minister himself that you're safe there. He's not going to turn you over to the British authorities. He finds Minister Bagnold to be nothing more than a pompous dunderhead. There is a Goblin Healer of very good standing waiting at Malfoy Villa for you and Harry." Lucius said quietly.

"Thank Merlin." Sirius said quietly.

Severus glanced at him. "Take care of yourself, Black. I will visit as soon as it's deemed safe with news. Is there anything you'd like Lucius and I to take care of while you're gone?"

Sirius nodded. "Take money out of the main Black Vault every month and use it to get the ingredients you need to make Wolfsbane. If I'm not there to pay for it, Remus won't be able to get the potion. He's gotten rather used to having the potion and I'm afraid how painful the transformation would be without it. Don't tell him who's giving you the money to do it...just make sure he gets the potion. I'll send a letter to Gringotts authorizing you and Lucius to take money out of the Black Vaults."

Severus nodded. "I can do that."

"In the meantime, I'll send you over to the Malfoy Villa. Narcissa is probably on pins and needles waiting for you."

Clutching Harry more firmly to his chest, Sirius threw a bit of Floo powder into the fire and called out, "Malfoy Villa, France." He disappeared in a rush of green flame, reappearing in a rather lavish sitting room. In front of him sat his cousin, Narcissa Malfoy. Her long blonde hair was down and she was wearing her nightdress which Sirius took to mean that he'd pulled her from sleep. Seated beside her was a portly female goblin in Healer Attire. As he and Harry stepped out of the fire, Narcissa stood up and took Harry out of Sirius arms. Hugging him tightly, Narcissa ushered Sirius into a chair near the Healer.

"Sirius, this is Healer Bloodfang. She's a close friend of Minister Delacour. He sent her to us when Lucius called him."

"It's nice to meet you Healer Bloodfang. Harry's got a cut on his forehead. I think that's where He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named cursed him."

The healer nodded kindly, turning her attention to the now wide awake young boy. Harry was laying on a comfortable looking cot, staring up at the Healer with wide green eyes. Narcissa rolled her eyes and faced Sirius with a look she'd given him many times before.

"Sirius, use his name. Tom Riddle. Not Voldemort. Not that ridiculous hyphenated crap everyone else uses. He's a mere half-blood and a mediocre one at that." she said, sounding exasperated.

He smiled at his cousin. "Sorry. It's been a long night Cissa. I'm just tired." he said.

She smiled fondly, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "I know Siri. Don't you worry about it."

Before he could answer, the Healer gave a loud gasp. In a heartbeat, Sirius was on his feet beside her.

"What is it?" Narcissa asked, looking slightly afraid.

"The boy's scar. It holds a piece of the Dark Lord's soul. Ancient magic that is. And dark too."

Narcissa paled and Sirius felt his heart sink. Horcrux. Harry was a Horcrux for the Dark Lord. He'd heard of such things before, in the Black Family Library. But he hadn't ever believed that anyone would be so stupid as to create one of the vile things. The only known way to rid an object of the soul piece was to destroy it.

"What do we do?" Narcissa asked, staring at the little boy.

Healer Bloodfang looked at her. "I can remove the soul piece. Once it is out of the boy's scar, it will cease to exist."

"I didn't think that could be done." Sirius said, staring at Harry.

The goblin Healer scoffed. "The British Magical government is made up of a bunch of ignorant fools. They've completely disregarded goblins and the ancient, powerful magic we hold. Goblin's have been able to pull soul pieces out of their containers for centuries. It is not a hard process but the British government often overlooks us."

"Go ahead and remove the soul piece. I don't want any part of that bastard inside of Harry." Sirius said in a low voice.

He reached out to Harry as the Goblin Healer raised his hand above Harry's forehead. Harry grabbed onto Sirius' thumb, babbling away. Sirius understood part of what Harry was saying, of course. He wanted to know where his mother and father were. The thought brought tears to Sirius' eyes. He'd never believed that he would ever actually have to raise Harry. That was supposed to James and Lily's job. He was supposed to take the role of cool uncle and wise godfather. He and James were supposed to teach Harry all about the pranks they'd pulled and how to pull his own. Lily was supposed to make them dinner and chastise them for filling Harry's head with ideas. None of that would ever happen. James and Lily were gone and he was alone.

There was a screeching sound as the Goblin's hand hovered over Harry's scar. Harry whimpered a little, squeezing Sirius' hand a bit tighter, but did nothing more to show that he was in any pain. Narcissa watched the whole scene with kind, sympathetic eyes, her hand on Sirius' shoulder.

"He will be all right Siri." She said quietly.

"Let's hope so. I have a feeling a lot rests on his shoulders."

"The fate of our world." Narcissa said in a solemn tone, her gaze on the wriggling boy.

They watched the Goblin work for a few more moments before she finished her work, Afterwards, she stepped back and allowed Sirius to pick Harry up. Sirius picked Harry up, noticing that he was already falling asleep again, and smiled.

"Thank you Healer Bloodfang."

"It is not a problem Lord Black. In fact, it was an honor to heal the future Savior. I wonder if you would allow me to be his official Healer."

That was a big request. Sirius was honored that Healer Bloodfang would even ask. Normally, Goblins stayed out of the affairs of wizards. To want to take on the role of official Healer for a wizard was a big thing.

"It would be an honor, Healer Bloodfang, to allow you to be his personal Healer. If he's anything like his father and I were, he's going to be an accident prone little thing." Sirius said as he picked his godson up carefully.

"Thank you Mr. Black. I will take my leave now. Mrs. Malfoy has all of my information. You can call upon me at any time."

"Before you go, Healer Bloodfang, I want you to know just how important what you've done tonight is. By removing that Horcrux from Harry's scar, you have taken one step along a very long journey to destroying Tom Riddle." Narcissa said, her voice very quiet.

Healer Bloodfang nodded. "Thank you Mrs. Malfoy."

There was a small pop and Healer Bloodfang was gone. Narcissa led Sirius to the nursery where she'd already set up a second cot for Harry to sleep in. Her son Draco was awake, standing in his cot and watching the other little boy with rapt interest. As Sirius lay Harry down in his own cot, Narcissa went to her son. Over his shoulder, she shared a look with Sirius and told him without words that they would get through this.