A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts. Prompts are below :)

Mythology Task 2: Write about an instance where fear spreads among a group of people.

May make this an MC of sorts if anyone's interested—each chapter will be able to be read on its own, but they'll follow a basic storyline.

Word Count: 3276

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.

Enjoy!

Avada kedavra.

The words kept echoing throughout Sirius' head. Avada Kedavra, Peter had whispered. Avada kedavra.

Even though he'd realized the extent of Peter's betrayal, even though he knew the man had given up the most wonderful family in the world to the darkest wizard ever known, it had been so startling to see such a powerful Killing Curse come from someone he called his brother. Twelve Muggles were dead. Everyone thought Peter was dead, too—killed by Sirius' hand.

He'd had the most overwhelming urge to laugh back there, from shock, mostly. Maybe from grief. But when he saw that rat disappear into the gutter, he knew that was not the move he should make. In the confusion it had been easy to transform into a big, black dog and flee the street.

Now he was padding through London, trying to reach the only person who could help him before the Aurors did—Remus Lupin.

Remus. Yet another person he had failed, in the worst way possible. The war had twisted his mind with fear, and he'd foolishly accused Remus of being the one to spy on the Order. Life hadn't yet taught him, apparently, that it was always the people you least expected that hurt you.

When Sirius reached Remus' apartment building, he ducked into a nearby alley and transformed back into himself before hurrying up to the room Remus was renting. He knocked on the door nervously. He didn't know how quickly the news of his supposed betrayal was travelling, but he had his wand at the ready just in case.

The door opened with a loud creak, and Sirius' grey eyes jumped up to lock onto Remus' amber ones.

The werewolf looked surprised. "Padfoot?" he croaked. "I didn't know you were coming. I thought…"

Remus trailed off, but Sirius felt a stab of guilt—last night had been the full moon, and he hadn't been there. "Moony," he said softly. "I…"

He suddenly couldn't speak. The events of the last twenty-four hours caught up with him, and he found himself hardly able to breathe. James was dead, Lily was dead, Harry was with Dumbledore, Peter had betrayed them all—

It was his fault. All of it. The wizarding world had that right—they just had the wrong how.

Remus opened the door more widely. "Come in, Padfoot. Merlin, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Sirius slipped inside, but was horrified to realize that yes, Remus hadn't heard news of James and Lily's deaths, either. He would have to tell the other man, but he didn't know where to begin.

Remus had shuffled over to a beat-up armchair, lowering himself down, face tight with pain. Nevertheless, he smiled invitingly at Sirius—much more reserved than he usually would have, but then again, Sirius deserved that.

Sirius walked over to the sofa and sank heavily onto it, feeling almost numb. He looked at Remus. "I'm so sorry, Moony. I… I ruined everything."

Remus frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sirius buried his head in his hand, shoulders tense. "I should never have doubted you," he said, voice shaking. "I promised I would never judge you by the wolf, but I just… I was so scared, all the time, and I needed to blame someone. It was… so easy to look at that part of you."

Remus didn't say anything, and Sirius risked looking up. The other man's face was carefully stoic, but Sirius had once been closer to Remus than anyone ever before. He could identify the hurt in those eyes, and he saw how scared Remus was of hearing this.

"But it's not you, Remus," he said firmly. "I'm so disgusted with myself for ever thinking like those bigoted idiots, and—I don't expect you to forgive me, but I want you to know that I really am sorry."

Remus closed his eyes. "I would never put any of you in danger. You're all too important to me, Sirius, and that… knowing that you thought I was capable of that…"

"I know," Sirius said hastily, "believe me, I know."

Remus exhaled shakily, running his long fingers through his tawny curls. "Padfoot… I'm really fucking mad at you." Remus laughed mirthlessly. "I don't think I've ever been this angry."

Sirius hung his head. "You have every right to be. But Moony, there… there's something else I need to tell you."

Remus stood up. "That reminds me, I have to tidy this place up a bit. Fancy lending a hand?"

Sirius didn't know how his words could have reminded Remus of anything of the sort, but he decided not to question him, lest Remus drop his friendly facade. He cleared his throat and stood. "Yes. But this is important, Remus."

Remus nodded, disappearing briefly into the kitchen before reappearing with a broom and cloth in hand. He tossed the rag to Sirius, then began sweeping the floor. He glanced up at Sirius. "What do you need to tell me?"

Sirius swallowed, throat suddenly dry. He didn't want to think about what had waited for him in Godric's Hollow, but Remus needed to know.

Remus turned back to the task at hand. "Hurry up, Sirius. Moody will be here within the hour. Says he has news for me, but something last-minute came up."

Sirius froze. "Moody is coming?"

"Yeah." Remus pulled the rag from Sirius' numb fingers and thrust the broom towards him.

He began dusting off the bookshelf, its crowded shelves proof of the scholar the werewolf was. Sirius watched him for a moment, heart heavy. It wasn't a peaceful life that Remus had, but it was better than the one he would have when… well, the one, Sirius supposed, he had now. And he needed to get the other man on his side before Moody came to arrest him.

He gripped the broom tightly. "Moony, I—"

Remus switched the radio on. "—irius Black is on the run, somewhere, Aurors believe, in London. Black is charged with consorting with You-Know-Who and giving up the location of James and Lily Potter, both dead, with only their son Harry to survive them. Black was confronted by old friend Peter Pettigrew this morning and cast a Killing Curse so powerful it left only Pettigrew's finger and killed an additional twelve Muggles on the scene—"

There was a shattering noise—Remus had dropped the picture frame he'd been holding. Before Sirius could react, there was a wand pressed against his throat and nowhere to run.

"Did you kill them?" Remus roared, more livid than Sirius had ever seen him. "Did you come to kill me, too?"

"No!" Sirius gasped, horrified. "I swear I didn't, Moony, it was Peter, we switched, but it's my fault because I didn't tell you like I was supposed to—"

Remus was breathing heavily. "Give me your wand. Give me. Your wand."

Sirius handed it over, shaking. The radio was still playing, the witch reporting shouting to be heard over screams and giving reports on the damage Peter had caused. He was terrified, but he was silent. Remus would determine his next move. The cards were in his hands.

Remus moved the tip of his wand from Sirius' throat, touching it instead to the end of Sirius'. "Priori incantatem," he whispered.

The two men watched as evidence of spell after spell cropped up, none of which were the Killing Curse. Remus' hands trembled as he finally backed away from Sirius. "Explain."

So he did. He told Remus everything, the words bursting forth like he'd only needed the other man's permission.

"It's my fault, Remus," he finished. Sobs racked his body, but no tears came. It was just the ugly, broken breathing that he despised. "James and Lily… they're gone because of me."

Remus didn't respond. He was back in the armchair, staring at the ground. Sirius watched as tears dripped from his long nose to the floor, and a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. He should have been thinking of Remus, who had just come out of a full moon alone, bruised and battered, to find out that two of the people he cared most about were dead, and that another was a traitor. It was a burden he shouldn't have to carry.

Sirius walked over to kneel in front of his friend—he wasn't stupid enough to assume they were still lovers, after everything he'd done—and laced their fingers together. "I failed you, Remus," he murmured. "I know that. It's not the first time, either. But I… I'm selfish enough to ask you to help me now. I don't know how to get out of this. I need you."

Remus took a shuddering breath in. "I'm always here when you need me, Pads. That's not going to change." He flinched when Sirius reached out a hand. "No, don't. I'm helping you, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven you yet. This is for Harry."

Sirius reeled back, stung, but he knew that Remus had every right to feel the way he did. Really, he was giving Sirius more than he'd hoped for. He cleared his throat. "Thank you, Moony."

Remus gave him a tired smile. He clasped Sirius' hand tightly, but his muscles were tense, as though ready to pull away. "We need to come up with a plan before Moody gets here. But—tell me something good. There has to be something I can—I can hold on to now that…"

He trailed off, but Sirius understood. He swallowed. "You're too good for me, Moons. All I can tell you is that—that Harry is safe. Voldemort couldn't kill him, for some reason."

Remus slumped in his seat. "You told me that already. But we still can't get to him, not right now. Soon, hopefully."

"There," Sirius began, licking his lips, "there is the fact that I love you, Moony."

Remus blinked, then winced, as though in pain. "Sirius… I—I love you, too, but I'm not ready…"

"I know," Sirius murmured. "I just thought you should know."

Remus nodded once. "Right." He swallowed, then shook his head. "Well, first things first, we need to leave."

Sirius glanced up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Moody will be here in roughly half an hour," Remus explained impatiently, hoisting himself up. "We need to disappear. Add kidnapping a werewolf to your list of crimes, Padfoot."

Sirius blanched. "How is that supposed to help me, exactly?"

Remus jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at the radio, which was still ringing out news reports. "They found Peter's wand. Obviously they haven't checked it yet for proof, which is just idiotic if you ask me, the witnesses were all Muggles unfamiliar with magic. Chances are, they aren't going to rectify that mistake any time soon. Until we find Peter, we need to conveniently disappear."

Sirius stood up. "But what about Harry? He's my godson, I can't just—"

"We'll come get him as soon as we find a safe hiding space," Remus promised. "Is your motorbike still in the garage?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, I let Hagrid have it."

Remus nodded. He flicked his wand at the broken picture on the ground. "Reparo. Right then, Sirius. You take my broom—it's in the bedroom—and I'll go get the bike. It's better I ride it; it's much more conspicuous than a broom, and I'm not a wanted man." He put the picture back on the shelf. "Meet me at my parents' old house. Disillusion yourself, and for the love of Merlin, don't get caught."

Sirius murmured out a response. "Remus," he croaked suddenly. "I just wanted to say… thank you. You're leaving all this behind, and I don't deserve this, I really don't—"

Remus put a hand on his shoulder. "Get to safety, Sirius. I'll be there soon—I have to make this place look like a fight went on. Then we'll talk."

Sirius accepted his wand back from Remus and went to grab the broomstick, a decent model James had gifted the werewolf in their last year of school. A jolt of pain shot through him at the memory, but he pushed it aside. He didn't have time to think about that right now.

He could hear Remus in the other room, knocking things over and making a careful mess of things. He closed his eyes, wishing there was a way he could make things up to the other man. The truth of the matter was that Sirius had ruined things forever, and that it would take a very long time for Remus to even trust him again.

He'd never been a patient man, but Sirius felt that he could wait for Remus a lifetime.

He quickly made himself invisible and flew out the window, careful to shut it behind him. He flew over London, sticking to the clouds just in case. Between the wisps of white, he could see people flooding the streets, cars backed up, and, when he flew over it, the very scene of Peter's betrayal.

Sirius ran a hand over his face. Even though Voldemort was dead, there was so much destruction. There were Death Eaters out there still, and the war wouldn't really be over until Harry was safe. Sirius grit his teeth. He and Remus had to pull this off—they could grieve properly later.

He hoped that, wherever he was, Remus was safe.

It wasn't hard for Remus to retrieve the bike from Hagrid. The half-giant was one of the few people who'd caught on to his relationship with Sirius, and seemed to understand Remus' need to have the motorbike, despite his lover's betrayal. Or at least, that's what Hagrid thought.

Remus had never been much of a fan of the motorbike, but he'd always been an excellent driver, so he took off with ease. As he flew over London, his thoughts wandered to the events of the past twenty-four hours. When he'd woken up that morning after his transformation back into a human, the last thing he had expected to hear was that James and Lily were dead. They loved each other, and their son, so much that they seemed untouchable, despite the danger.

James and Lily… they shouldn't have gone so soon. But Remus knew better than anyone that no one was safe from tragedy.

He blinked back tears. His body was still sore from his transformation, and he was fairly sure he'd fractured a rib, which made driving difficult. It was the emotional pain that hurt the most, though.

He pushed his thoughts aside. He had a job to do, now—there were people he needed to protect. Four hours later, he reached Wales.

He slipped off the bike, turning around just in time to be enveloped in a hug.

Remus spluttered and spat out some of Sirius' long hair. "Rib, Pads," he wheezed. "Rib."

Sirius released him quickly. "Sorry! Sorry. I just… you were gone a while."

Remus shrugged. "Hagrid was comforting me," he explained. He ran a hand over his face. "He was really shaken up, Padfoot. I feel bad about springing another tragedy on him."

Sirius looked at a loss for words. Finally, he looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "You don't have to do this, Moony," Sirius said softly. "You've done enough already."

Remus frowned. "I'm not leaving, you idiot. You'd be lost without me. Now, come on. I know a place nearly as heavily warded as Grimmauld Place."

He turned to lead the way—it was a long walk away, and they needed to get there quickly—but Sirius caught his arm.

"I'm serious, Moony," he said, sounding angry. "This is your life that I'm turning upside down, and even though we're to—even though we're friends, I don't have the right to do that. I don't want to shackle you to a life where you're unhappy."

Remus stared at him for a long moment, speechless. "Sirius, I… I don't know what to say. But do you really think that going back there will make me happy? I'll be worried about you and Harry, and about Peter and the other Death Eaters… I'm staying with you, Sirius."

Sirius' eyes were wide. He reached towards Remus, fingers hovering just inches away. "Can I…?"

Remus took a step back. "No. I'm not ready for that."

Sirius nodded. "Right."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Remus cleared his throat to break it. "We'll find Peter, Sirius. We'll fix this mess, I promise."

Sirius took a shuddering breath. "People are… they're afraid of me, Moony. Even more so than my parents. More than the real Death Eaters."

Remus' heart broke. "The war… it was hard, Sirius. We know that better than anyone. For them to find out that Voldemort was dead but the threats weren't gone… everyone's just trying to feel safe again. It's why the Ministry isn't making the right decisions, and it's why we have to remove ourselves until we come up with solid proof. This will blow over, mate."

Sirius swallowed thickly. "I guess it's time to hide, then."

He started to walk away, but this time it was Remus who stopped him. "Sirius, wait. You—you weren't entirely wrong to… to mistrust me." Remus lowered his eyes. "I lied to you all."

Sirius blinked. "What do you mean?"

Remus groaned. "I kept disappearing to… to the werewolf packs. I was keeping an eye on them, but I didn't tell you lot because I thought you'd try to talk me out of it. But helping out was important to me, even if it was dangerous—and I can't help but feel this is sort of my fault. I wasn't there for any of you, and gave you reason to think I was really up to something. I… I made everything easier for Peter."

"You're too smart to act like an idiot, Remus," Sirius said immediately. "And while I want to fucking strangle you for doing something so dangerous without telling us… we didn't suspect Peter because we were looking in the wrong places, not because you were doing the wrong thing." He paused, then sighed. "We should get going before Moody tracks you down."

Remus nodded, too choked up to respond. He led the way towards their safe haven, hoping that, for both his and Sirius' sakes, that this problem would be solved soon.

"With Sirius Black still at large, the masses are panicking. Is Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, safe? And what of Remus Lupin, friend of the late James Potter and Peter Pettigrew? He was found missing, his apartment ransacked, and Black is the prime suspect. No body has yet been discovered, but Aurors are—"

Sirius shut off the radio, a sour look on his face. "Bloody reporters are at it again," he called towards the kitchen.

Remus looked up from his newspaper. "If you don't want to listen to it, don't turn on the radio."

Sirius sighed. "Easy for you to say. You can leave… in disguise, maybe, but you can still leave."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Be patient, Sirius. The search for Peter is on. He can't hide forever."

Sirius wanted to point out that neither could they, but he didn't. He had faith in Remus' plan, no matter how maddening this waiting was. His eyes wandered over to Remus. Peter wasn't the only person he was waiting for.

Sirius stood up and stretched, a bit weary but impatient for change. As he walked into the kitchen, he reminded himself that this was just one more obstacle to overcome. They'd stop this panic soon, he swore to himself. They would bring Peter to custody, and then no one would ever have to be afraid again. It was a naive thought, but it was the only one he had.

A/N:

Writing Club:

Assorted Appreciation: 7. Hermione Granger — Write about someone who values learning.

Disney Challenge: Characters 1. Simba — Write about someone running away

Book Club: Will Traynor — (item) motorbike, (character) Sirius Black, (dialogue) "Tell me something good."

Showtime: 2. Welcome to Our House on Maple Avenue — cleaning/rearranging the house before a guest arrives

Amber's Attic: 19. Write about a spy

Em's Emporium: 3. (word) puzzle

Liza's Lodes: 3. Element: Air — Write about someone riding on a broom

Angel's Arcade: 7. Fi — (trait) supportive, (word) lace, (dialogue) "I'm always here when you need me."

Fortnightly Challenge:

Women's History: 8. Dorcas Meadowes — alt. (spell) Avada Kedavra

Cabin Fever: 3. (theme) angst

Alphabetti Spaghetti Challenge: Reparo