October 31st, 1981

It burned. Sirius Black thought his heart was actually on fire as he awoke from another nightmare, this one more realistic than most. He had heard cruel, high-pitched laughter and watched as his best friend and blood-brother was killed in cold blood. Sirius felt cold dread and fear fill him once more when he realized that the ache in his chest had not gone away with waking. That could only mean one thing: James was dead.

The blood-bond that they had made to one another at the tender age of 12 had only grown stronger with time and always being in close proximity. Maybe their magic too realized that James and Sirius held the bond of brothers and wove them together even more until they essentially were as close as brothers could be.

Sirius' thoughts were flying through his head from the bond to the heartache to the realization that he needed to hold it together long enough to find out if Lily or Harry had survived. They would need him. He couldn't break apart just yet. The thought of Harry, his innocent and defenseless godson, needing him calmed his shaking hands enough to summon his clothes and worn leather jacket. The jacket given to him by James and Lily with the paw-print patch Lily hand sewed on because she thought it funny. That thought nearly broke Sirius as well. He shook his head and headed out to his flying motorbike. The cold air as he took off in to the night sky clearing his head some. He wasn't far from Godric's Hollow taking only a few minutes to arrive there. He saw from above the damage done to the house and his heart managed to drop even further at the sight. He parked his motorbike in the back yard as usual when he would come for a visit and moved towards the smashed in door. Sirius could clearly see the door had been blown in off of its' hinges by magic. Fearing the worst, Sirius headed into the front door and immediately saw the lifeless body of his blood-brother limp at the foot of the staircase. He ran to James' body and fell to his knees. Sirius' first thought was to fix Prong's glasses since they were thrown askew when he collapsed in death. He knew it was irrational and meaningless, but Sirius righted them anyway knowing how James hated when his glasses became bent if he fell asleep in them.

Sirius likely would have remained there for hours until someone, likely Remus, came along and forced him to get up and leave James' side. He heard a faint cry, though. It was coming from the floor above. Sirius knew that cry was coming from Prong's son. His heart lifted a fraction knowing that at least Harry was alive. Shaking, Sirius lifted himself from that floor and carefully moved around James's body in order to ascend the staircase. Sirius clenched his wand tightly in his fist, prepared to fight to the death if necessary to keep his godson safe. What he saw at the door of the nursery caused his shaking to intensify once more. Lily Potter lay lifeless, in a position similar to the one her husband lay in, on the floor of the nursery directly in front of Harry's crib. Sirius could see Harry sitting in his crib crying as he reached through the bars. Harry's tiny hand was opening and closing in a fist as he reached for his mum, as if to coax her into waking up and reaching out to sooth him. What was left of Sirius's heart broke at that sight. He knew that this scene would forever be burned into his mind. He knew at that moment that he would do everything in his power to keep his godson safe and happy. Sirius walked swiftly to the crib and refused to look down as he leaned over Lily's body to pick up and soothe Harry.

"You are my life now." Sirius whispered in Harry's ear as he helped his godson close while swaying gently. Sirius looked at Lily's body and silently promised her that he would try to do right by Harry for her and James.

A crash rang out from the floor below. Sirius was instantly on high alert clutching his wand tighter and baby Harry closer. Harry felt the shift in mood and began to cry once more. Slowly Sirius walked out of the nursery to the second floor landing. As he looked over the railing he saw an enormous and hairy half-giant weeping at the front entrance. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was only Hagrid.

"Well what the bloody hell are you doing here, Hagrid?" Sirius called out as he made his way down the stairs, Harry still fussing a little in his arms. Hagrid jumped in surprise and blew his nose in a dainty, pink hanky, letting out a nose not unlike that of a fog horn before answering.

"Dumbledore's orders, be why I'm 'ere Sirius. Ye see, He's asked meh to brin' Arry to 'im." replied Hagrid as he continued to weep.

Sirius was very confused by this, Dumbledore knew surely that he was Harry's godfather and should take custody of Harry now. Before Sirius could say anything about this though, Hagrid started speaking again.

"Dumbledore said yer might be 'ere. An if ye were to give tell ya tha' yuh should consi'er goin' after Peter 'fore he 'scapes. I don' know what tha' means, mind you. I'm jus' followin' me orders. Oh! Dumbledore also said he's take care of 'Arry fer yuh 'til yer done cathin' Peter." Hagrid said all of this then nodded as if going over the words he had just uttered to make sure he hadn't missed giving any of the instructions from Dumbledore.

Once again, Sirius was confused. That confusion was also overwhelmed with rage as his gaze moved from Hagrid to his dead best friend still on the floor in front of the stairs. Hagrid had moved closer to Sirius and reached out to take the now clearly dozing Harry from Sirius. Harry though clutched closer to Sirius and whimpered very faintly, in his dozing state Harry seemed to wish to stay in the comfort and safety of his godfather's arms. Sirius took a step away from Hagrid, now at war with himself. Should he go avenge his blood-brother and Lily by hunting down and confronting their betrayer? Or should he stay with Harry on the night his young charge would likely need him most? As he looked at Harry, his eyes now closed as he drifted to sleep, he watched as the child reached his tiny hand up and pressed it flat against the paw-print patch for just a moment before falling asleep completely. If a sign or conformation was what Sirius was looking for, he decided that was it. He needed that push to remind him that love and care for his godson trumped hate and revenge on the traitorous bastard.

Sirius looked at Hagrid, tears now filling his own eyes, and said hoarsely "No."

Sirius then walked swiftly around the half-giant and out the broken door, ignoring Hagrid's protests the whole way. He had forgotten a blanket to keep Harry warm on the trip back to his small house so he shed his leather jacket and wrapped Harry in it as best as he knew how, he was new to being a parent after all. Harry didn't wake up so Sirius must have done a decent enough job. Securing the now swaddled Harry; he then took off into the night-sky once again. They both desperately needed rest, but Sirius knew he could not do that just yet. He touched down and immediately sent a Patronus to Moony telling him to come immediately. It took Sirius more than one try to get a full Patronus with his head filled with images of his dead loved ones. The bright, light dog eventually materialized though and bounded off with the message for Remus. Once that was done he carried Harry inside and transfigured a crib from the coffee table in his living room to place Harry in for the night. Sirius then collapsed on the sofa and finally allowed the tears to fall as he looked at Harry sleepy so peacefully still wrapped in a warn, leather jacket.