Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition

Pride of Portree

Chaser three: Character A discovers Character B has committed a crime.

Optional prompts: 4. (word) forgive

11. (word) crime

13. (emotion) frightened

Word count: 2568

Betaed by Eben, Shannon, Oni and Heather. Thank you so so much!

Also thank you Shannon for sparking the idea! And a huge thank you to all Pride of Portree for being with me in this season! I love you people! This was a wonderful journey!

Author's note: The story could follow canon, but it's an AU where Sirius gets to the Potter's before Hagrid and doesn't run to kill Peter, but rather keeps somewhat sane for Harry. It tells the journey on how he discovered Peter's betrayal.

It was Halloween night, and if it had been any other year, Sirius would have gone out to celebrate, or maybe even gone for a round of trick-or-treating for sweets with his godson, but he couldn't. His godson Harry and his parents were hiding from Voldemort while Sirius was sitting in his house alone. All day, he'd had this weird premonition of doom. He'd contacted James several times to make sure they were okay, but the feeling hadn't gone after his best friend had answered. It had only intensified over the day, and from noon onward he'd started trying to contact Peter. If he was safe, then James and Lily were too. But as evening came and there was no answer from his friend, he started feeling worse and worse. He was scared and decided to go check up on Peter himself.

In fact, it could be said that Sirius Black had never been more frightened in his life. Peter hadn't answered any of his Patronus messages, and Sirius couldn't Floo-call him. Sirius himself had seen the fireplace blocked for Peter's safety. He had put the house under the best protection; only the Fidelius was missing. But that would have attracted unwanted attention. He should be safe. Safety shouldn't have been a problem.

And yet, here he was, thinking that said safety was compromised. Sirius had believed no one would ever think of going after Peter, that his friends would be safe this way; but if he'd been wrong all along...Merlin! He'd never ever forgive himself. For if Peter was gone...then James and Lily and oh—Sirius' eyes filled with tears—little Harry might be gone as well. And that meant Sirius broke his promise to keep them safe. He would have caused the death of three of his friends.

He shook his head. No, it couldn't be true. He took his wand and Apparated to Peter's house, only to find it empty. There was no one in sight.

"Peter? Peter?" he shouted, running towards the bedroom, just to see that it was empty too. The bed looked like no one had slept there in days. But...where had Peter been? Now, Sirius could see that if he looked more closely, the entire house looked unoccupied. Lifeless. Why? He moved around to look for any clues on where his friend could be, but there was nothing. He entered Peter's study and found it...so different from the last time he'd been there. All the pictures on the walls with him, James and Remus had been removed. There was nothing. Not even the picture with the four of them at graduation.

Sirius found he couldn't breathe. There were no signs of struggle; the house looked like no one had been there in days, and yet, he'd dropped Peter off numerous times in the past month only… So what had just happened? Why wasn't Peter at home? Why did it look like he hadn't lived there in weeks?

Maybe he actually had another safe house he hadn't told anyone about, or...he'd been staying with his sick mother? He knew Peter was going at least thrice a week to see her; maybe that's why part of his things were gone. Where else could he have gone? But as Sirius walked through the house, his bad feeling worsened. Where were the pictures from James' wedding? The ones from the study maybe he had taken with him to his mother's but...the rest? The collages they had made after fifth year? "If we survived the OWLs we can survive anything"? Where was that? Peter had put his in the living room. He'd been there when it happened! So where was it now?

Where were his cloak, his toothbrush, his wristwatch? All his clothes were still in the closet. The door hadn't been locked as if Peter hadn't cared who walked in, as if he had nothing to fear. But...he had everything to fear.

A horrible thought came into being, nagging him at the corner of his mind. The only way he wouldn't...fear was if...if the men he was fearing ...if he was one of them...

He'd heard that Death Eaters stayed sometimes with the Dark Lord for periods of time to test their loyalty. It couldn't be true though, could it? Peter, his friend, couldn't have...couldn't have...betrayed them could he? It fit, but Sirius was sure there had to be another explanation. Any other explanation. There was no way...it just couldn't...Peter was his friend! He couldn't have done it! And even if he'd gone to the other side, didn't friends come first? Friends before masters or bosses? That was the code of friendship.

And Peter couldn't have committed a crime to the friendship code! It had to be wrong! He'd been such a good friend! However, he still needed to explain some things...

As Sirius Apparated to the Potter's house, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was wrong; that something terrible had indeed happened and that he'd lost everything in the process.

Smoke greeted him and a half-destroyed house that, Sirius realised, could be seen by anyone.

"No, no, no, no!" he cried, falling on his knees.

"James, Lily, forgive me, forgive me!" Sirius felt like his world had crashed and the sun had forever disappeared. He picked himself up and with a heavy heart entered the house, frightened at what he would find inside.

What had Peter done?! He couldn't have...he just couldn't...He was their friend! There must have be something...a reason. Anything!

However, he wasn't prepared for what greeted him. James was laying on the floor, his wand two feet away. For a moment, Sirius hoped that his brother-in-all-but-blood wasn't dead, not yet, but as he got closer, that hope was crushed. James wasn't breathing and he was pale and when Sirius bend down to touch him, so very cold. His face wasn't showing any fear, just defiance, just like Sirius had known him to always be in a fight.

"No, I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry. Forgive me, please!"

He kneeled near the body and closed James eyes. His friend was gone. Why hadn't they put more safety plans in place? But then…maybe...Sirius remembered the half plan they had discussed, James to be a distraction while Lily took Harry and run. Maybe she and Harry were alive. Lily! Harry! He had to find them!

How had he forgotten about his godson?

Sirius started running up the stairs, frightened over what he would find. He prayed that they were alive and somewhere safe, somewhere away from here, but he didn't want to hope, not again. And he was so scared. He'd already seen James' body; he didn't want to see Lily's or Harry's. Little Harry, whom he'd sworn to protect. That would mean he had failed completely. He'd never forgive himself if that were true! Whether this was Peter's crime or not, there was blood on his hands, too. He was so afraid, and that's when he heard it. It was a sound of life, one that gave him hope.

A baby's cry. Harry's cry.

"Harry!" He started running faster, heart beating fast in his chest. They had made it! Maybe Peter had no other option? Maybe he'd found a way somehow to help them escape?

Sirius pushed the door open, and there he was: sweet little Harry, alive. His godson was alive. Sirius felt like he couldn't—he felt numb with relief. Harry was alive. Only a second later though, his heart took another blow: near the crib, on the floor, was Lily, her body spread on the floor, like a crime scene in those movies they used to watch at the Evans' house. Only there was no blood. Her face, compared to James's, had tear-tracks on her cheek, and her eyes held a prayer and the determination of a mother who would do anything for her son.

She had done everything, he thought, hearing Harry cry.

With a torn heart, he stepped over Lily's body; he would mourn later, but not now...Harry needed him. Sirius wanted nothing more than to hurt Peter after what he'd done, but he realised the crime his now former friend had committed was nothing compared to what Sirius had done. He had paved the path for the crime; he'd basically served his friends on a platter. Why? Why Peter?

The image of Peter's empty walls came to mind. How had their friendship gone so wrong? So much that he would do...this!

He really didn't want to doubt Peter, but what possible explanation could there be for tonight? For the death of their friends?

All he could do was cry as he picked Harry up; a sweet boy, who would never know his parents.

"Forgive me, Harry," he whispered, kissing the child's head. "I'm sorry," he murmured to Lily's lifeless body, passing over it. He had to get Harry out of here; it wasn't safe any longer.

His first thought was to go to Moony, but how could he face his friend now? How do you tell your best friend that one of your other best friends died? How do you tell him that this is how you discovered your other other best friend is a criminal because he committed the worst crime ever: selling his friends for his own skin? That's what Peter did, didn't he? But why? Why?

He moved around, to pack some things for Harry; as much as he wanted to confront Peter, he had to look after Harry. He'd promised James and Lily, he would. He had to do it!

When he returned to the living room he saw something that broke him completely. Near the door, he found Peter's watch. If Sirius had held out hope that Peter hadn't betrayed them, now it was clear. How had he not see it earlier? Why would a person tortured and near death be brought here? They wouldn't. He put the bag down and with Harry still in his arms he bent down to look at it.

The baby had finally calmed down, but he was still restless, making little noises every now and then. He had a scar on his head and for the life of him Sirius couldn't understand. What had happened? Where was the Dark Lord? Or Peter? It was clear they had been there; the bodies of his two friends and the watch were proof of that, but how was Harry still alive? How had had he survived? As an Auror, Sirius has seen many bodies, and he could tell both Lily and James had been killed with the Killing Curse.

They were dead, and it was his fault. Only his! He had been the one to suggest Peter as Secret Keeper, and now, he knew it had been a mistake. He should have taken the role himself. Seeing Peter's friendship watch near the door, laying as broken as the house they were in, Sirius realised where Peter's loyalties truly were. They'd been wearing the watches since second year, every day, without a faux; the only difference was that they each engraved their Animagus forms onto it in their fifth year; they had wanted something to show how deep their friendship was, but they hadn't wanted bracelets like girls.

Friends Forever! What a joke. Some things really cannot last forever. How could they when Peter had stood and watched their friend die? When he'd broken the very symbol of their friendship, not caring if anyone found it? So sure he had been that he was part of the winning side. Peter had been the one to commit the crime to sell their friends out, and yet, it felt like Sirius was the one responsible for it. Like he was the criminal. And now Harry…Harry was an orphan. He'd never forgive Peter for that. Or himself.

It didn't matter though. All that mattered was to get Harry safe, away from everything and then he'd deal with Peter. Tears started to fall again from his eyes. When did everything had gone so wrong?

Suddenly, a rush of fear surged through him.

Everyone thought he had been the Secret Keeper! What if they took Harry from him? He tightened his arms around the boy, who now was sleeping peacefully in his arms. No, he won't let that happen.

With a sense of resolve in mind, he headed for the exit, a bag in his hand. He couldn't take everything he wanted now, but he would come back later. After he had Harry safe somewhere far away from this...crime scene. Once he had the thought that someone could take Harry away from him, fright was what ruled his body. He couldn't allow that. He wouldn't. Everything would be fine as long as he had Harry. He wouldn't succumb to the wish to find Peter and end his life.

Remus had lost three friends tonight; he couldn't have him lose a fourth. It hurt so much to discover what his friend had done; that he'd gone to Voldemort. Sweet Peter who wouldn't hurt a fly was a Death Eater? How had that happened? When? How awful of a friend had he been for not seeing it? He wiped his eyes; everything was his fault. Just his fault. He'd allowed the crime to happen. What had happened tonight was because of him.

"Oh, Lily, James. I promise I will take care of him."

"Sirius?"

He looked up at the newcomer's voice and there stood Hagrid, who looked as heartbroken as he was.

"They're dead, Hagrid," he whispered. "Dead and it's my fault, my fault. Forgive me!" he cried, tears falling over.

The man in front of him took a step forward.

"Give Harry to me, Sirius. I have orders from Dumbledore to bring him to Surrey."

Sirius backed away, a frightened expression on his face.

"No, no! I can't let you take Harry from me! If you do, I won't have any reason not to go and kill him! And I want to kill him Hagrid!"

"Kill who?"

Sirius looked at him with crazy eyes, all signs of rational thought gone.

"Peter," he murmured. "I'll kill him for what he's done. I will!"

"I don't understand, what…?"

"We switched, he was...he was the Secret Keeper. And now they're gone! My best friends are gone! That rat will pay! Take Harry and my bike! I'm going after Peter!" He took something from his pocket and pointed his wand at it.

"Here it is! Take it and go!"

To say that Hagrid was confused was an understatement. Not only due to the fact that the man had his bike in the pocket, but because he felt that letting Sirius go would be a mistake.

"No, Sirius, no! Think of Harry!"

As if on cue, the baby woke up and began to cry.

Harry…

And with that, Sirius felt his clarity returning and crashed to the floor, cradling the baby in his arms.

"Shh, Harry, shh, I've got you now, I've got you!"

"Hagrid, could you please go and get Dumbledore for me? I will go to Hogwarts." he said calmly, a total change from the crazed man from earlier.

Hagrid could only nod as both man and baby disappeared from view.

"Oh, dear. Professor Dumbledore won't like this at all."