Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Forever Friends

By: ChoCedric

"Sirius, are you absolutely sure about this?" Lily Evans-Potter asked softly, holding on tightly to Sirius Black's hand. She and her husband James couldn't believe it had come to this. They were going into hiding with their fifteen-month-old son, Harry, and they were asking Sirius to be their secret-keeper. Sirius had been James's best friend since they'd started Hogwarts back in 1971, and since he and Lily had started dating, Lily and Sirius had become very close as well.

"You know you don't have to bear this burden," James said, looking his friend in the eye. "We're asking you to put your life in danger, and it's not fair of us to put this on you."

"That's bull," said Sirius, a determined gleam in his gray eyes. "You know I'd die for both of you and Harry in a heartbeat. Of course I'm sure I'll do it, there isn't even a question."

James and Lily immediately pulled Sirius into an embrace. Lily had tears in her eyes as she ruffled his black hair. James looked at him with honest gratitude. "You're a good mate, Padfoot," he whispered emotionally. "We can't even express how we feel about you doing this for us."

"You guys are the most important people in my life," said Sirius. "You saved me from turning out like my family. I don't know who I'd be without you. I won't let you down, I promise you that. Forever friends, right, mate?"

At this, James squeezed Sirius even tighter. "Forever, mate," he answered. They pulled away from the embrace, and Lily tearfully raised her wand, ready to perform the Fidelius Charm. Remus and Peter were also standing in the room, as was Professor Albus Dumbledore.

As Lily cast the charm, there was an enormous white light. She pointed her wand at Sirius, and uttered a string of very complicated Latin. The light grew brighter, and it engulfed Sirius before disappearing into him. Sirius felt as though he were floating on air before landing back on Earth, hard. He was on the floor before he knew it, with the other Marauders and Lily helping him up.

"Are you okay, Padfoot?" Remus asked concernedly.

Sirius gave Remus a hard stare. "Yeah," he replied in a clipped tone. It was obvious that tension was thick between Sirius and Remus. It was well-known that someone very close to the Potters was revealing information to Lord Voldemort about their movements, and Sirius suspected Remus. The other man had been so distant lately, disappearing for long periods of time and not telling anyone where he was going.

"Who wants a glass of champagne?" James asked, trying to break the atmosphere of wariness that had entered the room after Sirius's almost hostile answer to Remus's question.

"Sure," Peter said, his eyes darting all around the room. James disappeared into the kitchen and came back a moment later with a bottle of champagne. He conjured a few glasses, and soon, everyone was drinking. "Here's to friendship," James said, and the Marauders, Lily, and Dumbledore raised their glasses in a toast.

xxx

It was a day later, and Sirius had gone into hiding himself, in a little apartment he had rented. There were charms all around the place, and only James, Lily, Dumbledore, and Peter knew where he was hiding. Since Remus was under suspicion, Sirius had not told him where he would be located; it was too risky.

He couldn't believe that the state of things was the way it was. There was a traitor among the Marauders, a group of four friends who thought they'd be that way forever. Pain and betrayal seized Sirius whenever he thought about his werewolf friend. He and the others had done so much for him, giving up loads of time so that they could become Animagi for him, and what did Remus do? He turned right around and joined Voldemort! The thought of Peter joining was just laughable, and of course the traitor couldn't be James or Lily. And no way was it Sirius himself, so Remus had to be the only solution.

He was still pondering this as he heard a POP! and realized that someone had apparated on to his property. He knew it wasn't someone that could harm him, because the charms would only let Peter, James, Lily, or Dumbledore in. They could let someone else in if that other person happened to be with those particular people, but Sirius didn't think that they would bring anyone else with them. Little did he know that this mistake in thinking would cost him dearly.

There was a knock on his door. Wondering who had decided to visit him, Sirius went to answer it. Standing on his doorstep was Peter Pettigrew. He had a very unusual look on his face, and Sirius immediately got an uneasy feeling as he looked at him.

"Hello, Pete," he said. "What's up?"

"S-S-Sirius," Peter stuttered. "I-I-I ..."

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked in concern. "Did something happen to James and Lily? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"J-J-James and Lily are fine," said Peter, another weird expression stealing across his face, "but you won't be soon."

"What?" said Sirius, bewildered. "What are you going on about, Peter?"

"I have two people with me which I'd like you to meet," said Peter. "One of them, I think you know quite well. Remove the cloak, won't you, Madame?"

An invisibility cloak was whipped off, and standing before Sirius, in the flesh, was his vile, despicable cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Why, hello, cousin," she cackled, a sinister smile adorning her face. "I hear you have a little piece of information for my Lord and I."

"YOU!" Sirius snarled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Turning to Peter, he demanded, "WHY DID YOU BRING HER HERE?"

Peter started to laugh, but it was not the gentle laugh he'd shared so often with the Marauders. This one was mirthless and sounded downright evil. "You are a fool, aren't you, Sirius?" he taunted. "I didn't have to do much, did I, to make you suspect Remus? Who would think that someone like me would be smart enough to join the likes of such a powerful Dark Lord?"

Realization suddenly hit Sirius like a ton of bricks. Peter was the traitor, not Remus! All that time he'd sworn up and down that Remus was spying on them for Voldemort, it had been this little urchin, Peter! Every cold remark, every glare he'd given to Remus came back to him with terrible clarity; he couldn't believe he'd been so wrong. "YOU FILTH!" he roared at his now ex-best friend. "HOW COULD YOU? I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Peter, catching Sirius off-guard. "I don't think you're going to be capable of that now, are you, Padfoot?" he leered maliciously.

"Now, now, Wormtail," came another cold voice from the shadows, and Lord Voldemort swept off his own invisibility cloak. "You may ridicule Mr. Black later, after he and I have had a little talk. Very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Black. It's a pity you're not like your dear cousin; she is extremely useful to me." He, Peter, and Bellatrix, uninvited of course, walked into Sirius's house, Sirius right behind them.

"Get out of my house!" spat Sirius. "And I'd never be like Bellatrix! I'd never stoop so low as to lick your boots!"

Voldemort smirked. "Manners, young Sirius," he reprimanded quietly. "Crucio!" Sirius fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony.

"Wittle baby Siwius has a seeeeeecwet," Bellatrix taunted in a sing-song voice once Voldemort lifted the curse. "And wittle baby Siwius knows he must tell his cousin and her Lord where his wittle fwiends are."

"I'll never tell, you foul bitch!" Sirius panted, trying to recover his breath. "I don't care if you kill me, at least I'll go down fighting for my friends!"

"Ah, such a fool," Peter snickered. "The Dark Lord is taking over everywhere, don't you understand? There's no use fighting him!"

Sirius struggled to his feet, glowering furiously at Peter. "We loved you!" he snarled. "We Marauders and Lily loved you, and you threw us away for this psycho? I would've died for you, Peter!"

"A likely story, when all you thought of me was that I was a slow, cowardly little rat!" spat Peter with equal venom. "Just weak, talentless, pathetic, plump little Peter Pettigrew, always in your shadow! I wanted to be accepted, so I joined the one person who made me feel wanted!"

"YOU SCUM!" Sirius roared, lunging at Peter, but a spell from Voldemort caused him to crumple to the ground, holding his side in pain. Blood was spurting from it, and Sirius glowered at the Dark Lord, hatred in his eyes.

"Pity, pity," Voldemort smirked. "Where did you go so wrong, Sirius? You would have made an excellent Death Eater, you know."

"I'd never join you!" Sirius yelled. "I'd rather die!"

"That can be arranged, itty bitty cousin," giggled Bellatrix. "Your only other option is to tell us where James, Lily, and their brat Harry are! We know you're their secret keeper!"

"I'll never tell!" Sirius shouted. "Hurt me all you want, but I'll never tell!"

"Very well," said Voldemort. "Crucio!"

And the curse hit Sirius again, and he lay screaming on the floor for what felt like hours.

And it continued to go on and on. Bellatrix, Peter, and Lord Voldemort laughed uproariously as Sirius shrieked in agony, tears coursing down his face. Every time Voldemort lifted the curse, Sirius would be asked again whether he would talk, and Sirius, loyal and protective of his friends to the last, still did not answer. Many other curses were cast on him, making him bleed in places he couldn't even fathom.

"Are you going to beg for me, little cousin?" screeched Bellatrix. "Are you going to beg for death?"

"You can always tell us where the Potters are if you want this to stop," hissed Voldemort.

"Yes, be a good boy and tell our Lord where dear James and Lily and their worthless son are located," said Peter shrilly.

Sirius, his face streaked with tears, spat some blood out of his mouth and tried his best to speak. "I'll ... never ... tell... you!" he managed to croak out hoarsely. "I'd ... rather ... die! Go ... to ... hell!"

"No, my dear boy, it is you who will be going there shortly," said Voldemort. "You are a stubborn mule, or should I call you a stubborn mutt?" He laughed delightedly. "Crucio!"

After a few more agonizing minutes of unbelievably painful torture, Bellatrix said softly, "I don't think his body can take much more, my Lord. He is barely alive as it is."

Voldemort lowered himself to Sirius's level and whispered in the fallen man's ear, "I will get the Potters in the end, never fear. You may have allowed them to live another day, but the great Lord Voldemort will learn how to get through all barriers!"

With the last of his strength, Sirius spat more blood into Voldemort's face. "You'll never ... get them!" he panted. "The secret will ... die ... with me!"

Voldemort kicked Sirius in the ribs before addressing Peter. "Wormtail, take him back to the ones he swore to protect," he said, smiling nastily. "Show them what their trust in him has cost them. Maybe I will allow them to live for another little while. After all, living without him will cause them more agony than death, especially because his condition is their fault."

"Yes, my Lord," said Peter obediently, bowing to Voldemort and picking up Sirius's bloody and barely conscious body.

"Goodbye, cousin," smirked Bellatrix, giggling demonically.

"I ... hate you," Sirius whispered.

Bellatrix just smiled. "The feeling's mutual."

The last thing Sirius saw before he felt the sensation of apparition was Voldemort raising his wand and casting the Dark Mark.

xxx

James and Lily were sitting in their living room when they heard the pop of apparition. Shortly afterwards, they heard another pop. Either two people had apparated in, or someone had apparated and then disapparated. Confused and tense, James and Lily went outside to investigate.

Words couldn't describe the shock and horror they felt when they saw Sirius Black, lying broken and bleeding, near their front door. The man was barely keeping his eyes open, but was struggling valiantly to hold on to consciousness. Their worst fear had come true.

"Padfoot?" James cried, running over to his friend and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Padfoot, what happened? Sirius, talk to me, please!" His heart was pounding painfully in his chest.

"Peter ..." Sirius gasped. "Peter ... Voldemort ... traitor ..."

"What?" shrieked Lily. "No! You've got to be joking! Peter ... Peter's the traitor?"

"Yeah ... I swear ... I didn't ... betray you ..." Sirius choked out.

"Shhhh, Padfoot, don't try to talk anymore. It's all right now, you're going to be fine. We'll get you to St. Mungo's," James said, panic gripping at him. He couldn't even think about Peter right now, even though he'd just learned that he was the traitor. All he cared about was Sirius's welfare. "Lily, you stay here and look after Harry," he plowed on. "I'm taking Sirius." Lily nodded numbly, and Sirius managed to give her a weak smile. James immediately disapparated, his friend safely in his arms.

They landed on the street right outside St. Mungo's, and James proceeded to carry him inside. "Told you ... I wouldn't ... let you down ... Prongs ..." Sirius said weakly as he smiled gently at his friend. "Thanks for ... everything. Tell Remus ... I'm sorry ... for ever ... suspecting him."

"Padfoot, no!" James cried frantically. "Don't talk like that, you're going to be fine! You can't leave me, we've still got so much more to do! More pranks to pull, more mischief to make! Oh Gods, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!"

"No, it's not," Sirius rasped. "Never ... your fault. Love you, mate." With that, he closed his eyes.

"SIRIUS, NO!" James shouted hysterically as he walked into the reception area. Sirius was still breathing raggedly and James was praying that it wasn't too late. A Healer immediately spotted the scene and came running over, lifting the now unconscious Sirius from James's arms.

James hurriedly explained what the situation was, and they went up to the Spell Damage ward. The Healer ran to an empty bed, putting Sirius down on it. He gave James a somber look and said, "You must leave me be, Mr. Potter. I must assess Mr. Black's injuries."

"No, I'm staying with him!" James pleaded, his eyes overflowing with emotion. "You've got to understand, it's my fault he's like this!"

"I understand your pain, Mr. Potter, but in order for me to try to heal him, I must be left alone."

"Fine!" James fumed angrily. He ran out of the room and to a fireplace, making a floo call to Remus. Before he knew it, Remus had stepped out of the fire and both friends were locked in a tight embrace. James felt tears spring to his eyes, and the massive weight of guilt crashed down upon him. "I can't believe this happened, Moony," he cried, the weight of Peter's betrayal also sinking into him. "I swear, I'll kill that rat!"

Remus looked dazed and numb with shock. "I would never have thought it was Wormtail," he said softly. "I hate to say this, Prongs, but I thought it might have been ..."

"I know, you thought it was Padfoot," James sighed. "Why, though?"

"The werewolf prank in our sixth year," Remus said ashamedly. "I thought, since he could give away my condition like that to Snape, maybe he could ..." He didn't finish his sentence; he hung his head in remorse.

"There's nothing that can be done about it now," James said miserably.

"I have a feeling now that he thought it was me," Remus said sadly.

"He told me to tell you he was sorry for ever thinking that," said James.

The two of them were silent for a few minutes, both sitting anxiously on chairs in the waiting room. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the Healer came out of Sirius's room with a grim look on his face. James and Remus's hearts toppled out of their chests.

"How is he?" James asked at once. "Is he going to be okay?"

The Healer looked at them sadly. "I'm afraid there is nothing I can do for him," he said, shaking his head. "His injuries are too severe. He's bleeding internally; I tried giving him blood-replenishing potions, but they're not going to work in time. He's lost too much blood."

James jumped to his feet, anger and disbelief taking a hold of him. "No, you're wrong!" he roared. "You're lying! He ... he can't die! This is Sirius we're talking about! This is my fault, all my fault! You have to do something to save him, you have to! It can't end like this!"

But the Healer just shook his head again and said, "You may go in to see him now if you like. There's not much time."

James glowered furiously at the other man. "Thanks for nothing," he snarled.

He and Remus opened the door to Sirius's room, and walked inside. Their friend was lying on the bed, breathing slowly and raggedly. There were bandages all over his body, but already, they were blood-soaked. James collapsed to his knees by Sirius's side, taking hold of one of his hands while Remus took the other. Neither man could believe what was transpiring right in front of their eyes; Sirius had always seemed so invincible, as if he were immortal. He had always bounced back from everything. He'd received his fair share of injuries during Quidditch matches but had always laughed them off, declaring to be as healthy as anything once Madame Pomfrey had mopped him up.

James felt his eyes fill with tears as he looked at his broken friend. "Gods, Pads, I'm so, so sorry," he said, a choked sob forcing its way out of him. "If only we hadn't made you secret keeper, this wouldn't be happening. But I'll avenge you, you can be sure of that. Wormtail will pay, I promise."

"Padfoot, I'm so sorry I ever doubted you," Remus whispered, choking back his own tears. "I told you I forgave you for the mistake in sixth year, but I guess a part of me still thought about it sometimes. But I should've known better than to ever think you'd go to Voldemort."

"We love you, dear friend," James sobbed. Remus put an arm around him, and James's shoulders shook as all his guilt and grief bubbled forth. "Thanks for what you did for Lily, Harry, and I, we'll never forget you," he choked. "And thanks for all the times you gave to us Marauders: your pranks, your mischief, your laughter, your friendship. You mean more to us than you'll ever know. I promise, I'll make it known to Harry when he grows up about what a wonderful man you were, and the sacrifice you made for us. Forever friends."

"I love you too, Siri," Remus said, squeezing his friend's hand. "Forever friends."

And moments later, Sirius Black took his last breath, with two of his dearest friends weeping beside him.