I'm a bit of a Sirius fanatic, and this one has been in my head for a while, so instead of studying for my end of year exams, here I am ... ;)

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as I'm sure you know!


It was a dark, freezing Halloween night. There were signs of Trick - or - Treaters everywhere; sweet wrappers and lollipop sticks scattered across the road, coke cans dropped on the footpaths. Somewhere in a cluster of trees, a lone bird twittered, and above, the shadow of a black bat cut across the sky. A cricket chirped. A cat streaked along the road.

And then, a faint sound issued into the late night silence. Slowly, it grew louder, before becoming a loud roar, echoing through the chilly night. In the distance, a large shadow loomed in the heavens.

Suddenly, a cloud shifted, and there, clearly illuminated against the white circle of the shinning moon, was a flying motorcycle. Sitting on the great bike, was a young man in his early twenties. He had black, floppy hair that fell elegantly into his grey eyes. The expression on his carelessly handsome pale face was less than happy. His brows were contracted, and he was muttering distractedly to himself.

His name was Sirius black.

"Go faster," growled Sirius to the bike.

Sirius was on his way to check on his friend Peter, who was currently in hiding from the most evil wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, more commonly known to the wizarding community as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' or 'You-Know-Who'.

Peter Pettigrew was in hiding from 'You-Know-Who' because Peter was the Secret Keeper for his and Sirius's friends, who were also in hiding from Voldemort; James and Lily Potter.

A Secret Keeper is the key person in the difficult and complex Fidelious Charm. This involves the concealment by magic of one or more persons, the Secret Keeper being the only one to know their whereabouts. This meant that no one could find James and his wife Lily unless Peter wished to tell them, and the whole point of the spell was that he didn't, thus Voldemort never finding James and Lily.

It was very important that Voldemort didn't find them, as their one year old child, Sirius's godson, Harry Potter, was in great danger from Lord Voldemort. Voldemort intended to kill Harry. It was originally planned that Sirius would be the Potters' Secret Keeper, but at the last minute, Sirius persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter, intending to trick Voldemort, who Sirius was sure was coming after him. Sirius too was planning on going into hiding.

Sirius had now left the quiet suburban houses and was currently flying over countryside, which was steadily becoming more wild and tangled.

"Come on, fly," Sirius muttered irritably at the bike.

They flew over an old farmyard, with some broken down out-buildings. After passing over a succession of overgrown fields, Sirius sighed in relief and murmured, "Finally,"

The bike began to descend, Sirius peering down to make sure he was going in the correct direction.

The motorcycle touched down in a small, overgrown field. Nestled in a corner, on a raised mound, was a run down, mouldy old cottage with cracked and aged windows. Bits of broken glass and slate were scattered around the outside. A tangled mess of bushes stretched along the broken fence on the left side of the cottage, and another tangled mess along the fence behind. Across the field to the right, a dark, menacing forest loomed through a fine mist, and at the end of the field, opposite the broken down shack was a never ending stretch of wild countryside.

Sirius jumped off the bike and made his way towards the cottage, the slate and glass crunching under his feet.

"Peter," he called softly, glancing around as he went, and coming to a halt outside the shabby door.

There was no sound from within the cottages cracked walls.
Sirius frowned.

"Wormtail? Come on Wormtail, I'm in a hurry mate."

There was still no answer.

The wooded door creaked as a puzzled Sirius pushed it open, peering around into the gloom.

There wasn't much in the room; an uneven wooden table against a peeling wall on the far side, a small stool next to it, and a dusty bed with a jumble of blankets on it in the left corner.

Sirius stepped slowly into the room, feeling uneasy.

"No jokes Wormtail, where are you?" he said.

There was still no sound, except for the gentle echo of Sirius's last statement.

Sirius shook his head and began to wander round the table, looking for a note or sign or something.

Nothing.

He slid past the table and stuck his head around the door-less doorway connecting the main room to a tiny bathroom. He saw a cracked toilet, a filthy wash hand basin, and a small, tin bath, but no Peter.

This makes no sense, thought Sirius to himself, shaking his head. It's only a two roomed cottage, and he's not in either of them.

With a last uneasy glance around, Sirius turned and went back outside, closing the creaking door with a snap behind him.

Out in the moonlight, Sirius squinted around the field, the sharp thorns in the bushes surrounding the cottage seeming particularly menacing. He could see no one. Holding his breath and staying absolutely still, he listened for a sound.

Except for a single bird, he heard nothing.

Frowning, Sirius climbed back on the motorbike, pulling his jacket closer around him. His stomach felt queasy. There was no sign of a struggle, nothing to suggest that Peter had fled. To Sirius, it looked as though Peter had simply walked out.

"But why?" Sirius murmured. "Why would he leave? It makes no sense. He knew I was coming. He knew."

Sirius frowned. He would rather have jumped off his bike while flying than admit it, but he felt somewhat scared. This situation didn't feel right.

He revved up the bike, and with a loud roar, took off into the black, night sky.


Well there you go! Hopefully should have the next chapter up by tomorrow, if I get a review or two ... ;)