Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything that goes along with it.
I do own this particular plot line, but it of course feeds off of what the
wonderful J.K. Rowling has already written.
This is an AU fic about what could have happened on the night of Lily and James death. I love reading stories about Harry as a young kid, and wanted to try my own. I hope you like it!!!!!!!
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Lightning flashed through the windows of the Potter's small house in Godric's Hollow, illuminating the face of baby Harry Potter who was cradled in his mothers shaking arms. James Potter was pacing the living room with a worried expression upon his face. That morning they had gone under the Fidelius charm with their friend Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper. The worry stemmed from the fact that Peter looked overly happy about taking on the dangerous job of secret keeper. They had known for a while that one of their friends had turned against them, but now they weren't so sure they had trusted the right one.
"I should have gone with Sirius.despite what he said," James thought to himself as he continued to pace. Lightning flashed again followed by a sharp crack of thunder, causing Lily to jump and baby Harry to cry. James went to them and sat down beside Lily, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame.
"It'll be alright Lil, it has to be. Don't worry," he whispered soothingly into her ear.
"You're worried too James, I can see it. This isn't going to work."
"It has to," James said, "it has to." Just as he said that there was a loud bang outside, only this time it wasn't thunder.
"Oh God!" Lily mumbled, jumping quickly to her feet.
"That damn bastard Peter.he betrayed us, he must have! It's him Lily, take Harry and run!"
"James-" Lily choked, sobbing now.
"GO!" He yelled as the front door crashed down followed by an evil cackle. Voldemort's silhouette was framed in the door way. Lily ran towards the side door and looked out to find twenty or so deatheaters standing guard. She turned back to James and saw him defiantly standing up to Voldemort. She couldn't hear what he was saying, everything was a blur until she saw him fall. Green light filled the room and Lily saw James sway and collapse. He was dead.
She raced up the stairs with baby in arms to the nursery. She knocked over the bureau and the crib and made a little fort for Harry and placed him under a blanket, hoping it would give him the most protection that was possible at that time.
She then heard him coming up the stairs and backed herself against the wall. Voldemort slowly entered the room and smiled an evil smile at Lily. He then turned away from her and walked toward the corner where Harry lay.
"NO! Not Harry. . .please!" she screamed. Voldemort just cackled and pointed his wand at the shaking blanket on the floor.
Lily ran in front of Voldemort's wand and looked up at him defiantly. She revealed the baby by stepping on the edge of the blanket.
"Move aside silly girl!" he demanded.
She turned and looked at her baby, crying on the floor and mouthed, "I love you Harry." The baby cried even harder and watched as his mother fell silently to her death beside him. He then looked up at the terrifying man standing before him and watched as the tip of his wand pointed near his forehead. There was another flash of bright green light and then a huge explosion. The young baby cried in horror as the walls around him began to tumble. He felt himself falling slightly and heard the loud crunching of the roof landing around him. His mothers shelter prevented anything from falling directly on top of him. Then there was silence except for the soft sniffling coming from the traumatized child lying among ruins.
Nearly an hour later authorities showed up at the house. They examined the ruins and pulled out the bodies of James and Lily Potter, but they didn't immediately find baby Harry. His cries led the officials to him and they found it miraculous that he had survived. The Potter's best friend Sirius Black showed up and fell to the ground sobbing. The guilt in his heart was overpowering him. Had it not been for his stupid plan to fool Voldemort, the house would still be standing, James and Lily would be alive, Harry wouldn't be crying.
"Harry," Sirius thought. "I'm his godfather.he's-he's mine now." This was equally depressing, Sirius had no idea how to take care of a child, but it was his responsibility. He walked up to the ministry doctor checking Harry over and asked, "How is he? Is he going to be alright?"
"The boy's fine except for this curse scar on his head. It appears he managed to repel Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. It's miraculous. I don't know how he did it. He'll have that mark for life, a sign that he's the boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he who repelled the killing curse. This boy is a living miracle."
Sirius smiled sadly at his godson and picked him up off the stretcher he had been lying on. He slowly rocked Harry in his arms and managed to get him to stop crying and fall asleep in his arms. Sirius took him and sat under a tree where he began to cry himself. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was ready to get up and take Harry home with him when a huge shadow fell over him.
"Sirius, mah boy, terrible isn't it."
He looked up with tear stained eyes to see Rubeus Hagrid standing over him smiling sadly. Sirius just nodded his head. "They're gone," he mumbled.
"How's young Harry?" he asked curiously, not wanting to reveal his real purpose there that evening.
"Doctor said he'll be fine.he survived the killing curse."
"Did he? That's 'mazing."
Sirius nodded sadly and kissed the baby on the crown of his head, just above the cut caused by the curse.
"I hate ta do this to ya, Sirius, but I got me orders from Dumbledore. He tol' me to bring young Harry to him at his aunt and uncle's house. He thinks that they should be the ones to bring em up."
Sirius looked up sharply. "I'm his godfather. James and Lily wanted me to raise him if anything ever happened to them. He's not going to go live with those muggles. I've met them, they're awful. You're not taking him anywhere Hagrid!"
"I'm sorry Sirius, but I got me orders," Hagrid said, trying to sound tough, though he really wanted to cry at the emotion in Sirius's voice.
"Screw your orders! It's not right, and I'm not allowing it. Harry's staying with me and that's that!" Sirius stood as he said this and glared defiantly at Hagrid. "Goodbye!" Sirius said and quickly apparated himself and Harry out of the yard.
They arrived inside his own flat that he shared with his best friend and former best friend Peter Pettigrew. Sirius couldn't believe what Peter had done. Luckily, neither of them were home. Peter was probably in hiding, knowing we would figure out what he had done. As for Remus, it was a full moon. He was locked away in a shack way out back.
"Remus," Sirius thought. "He's going to think it was me. He'll think I betrayed them." The idea sent chills down his spine. He tried to force the idea out of his mind, but as he packed his things it was all he could think about. Remus would be all alone. Sirius knew that by doing what he was doing he was causing his best friend more pain than he could ever imagine, but it was what he had to do.
Before he left for good, Sirius wrote Remus a quick note.
Remus,
Right now, you probably think I'm the scum of the universe. Well, you're wrong. Peter is. At the last minute we decided he should be the secret keeper, it would throw Voldemort off guard. But, we were wrong. Pete betrayed Lily and James, Harry, and you and me. He messed with our heads and now Lily and James are gone. Forever. Harry is an orphan, and I can't help but think it's all my fault. It was my idea for them to make the switch. But, everyone is going to think that I was the betrayer, and right now I do feel like one, and I bet you don't believe me right now, but please, you have to trust me. I would never do anything to hurt them.
So now, I'm leaving before anyone can throw me into Azkaban for something I didn't do, before I do something to Peter that I will later regret. I can't tell you where I'm going, in case you don't believe my story, but I'll tell you this, I'm taking Harry out of England. I can't allow him to be sent to live with his muggle relatives, you remember them I'm sure. You'll agree with me that that is no place for him to grow up.
So please, Moony, don't come looking for us. Whether you think me guilty or innocent of whatever the rest of England says, please don't come looking for me. Not for my own sake, but for Harry's. I promise you, I would never hurt a hair on Harry's messy head. I love him. I love you, and I loved Lily and James, and I'm so sorry to leave you all alone. Please forgive me Moony, please.
Sincerely,
Sirius Black
P.S. I intend to be in touch with you in some way or another within the next year. I'll find a way to do this without revealing myself too much to the rest of the world. Please don't turn from me when this time comes.
Tears streamed down his face as he wrote the letter, covering the paper with tiny water marks. Sirius hoped it would be a sign of his honesty, if they still showed that is.
He left the letter on the counter where the paper gets dropped off. Before Remus got back the paper would arrive and be set on top of it. Surely the front page would reveal the deaths of Lily and James and he would find out first through that rather than through Sirius's desperate letter. He then went to his sock drawer where the guys kept 2700 pounds of muggle currency in case of emergency, and left the house with Harry and his luggage. He apparated to the London airport and caught the first plane to America. He slept the entire ride with Harry curled in his arms, sleeping soundly.
The next morning Remus woke up in his shack feeling absolutely terrible. His wolf self had been particularly active the previous night and he was unsure why. He pulled himself painfully from the floor and hobbled back to the house. He went in to the kitchen and pulled out the daily prophet and nearly fell over. The headline read, "Lily and James Potter: Brutally killed in their home last night." He clutched his heart and read on.
". . .Early yesterday the Potter's underwent the Fidelius Charm after sources told them they were the next target of You-Know-Who. The Daily Prophet has heard from various sources that their secret keeper was one, Sirius Black, who disappeared two hours after the murders, with the lone survivor, Harry Potter (pictured below). . ." Remus looked at the picture of the ruins of the Potter's home and saw his best friend under a tree crying into the hair of baby Harry. Remus felt tears well in his own eyes, but he read on. "Miraculously, young Harry Potter made it out of the ordeal with only a cut on his forehead. Reports tell us that You-Know-Who attempted to kill the young boy after murdering his parents, but the curse used, Avada Kedavra, back fired. You-Know-Who is dead. . ."
At this point Remus dropped the paper on the floor and leaned against the counter. He felt faint and buried his head in his hands, trying to keep what little composure he had left.
"How could you Sirius," he thought as the tears began to fall. "How could you do this to James and Lily. . .to Harry. . .to me?" He banged his fist hard on the counter and made the note Sirius had left for him slide across the counter, bringing it to Remus's attention. He scanned it quickly and then started crying harder. He cried, and he cried, and he cried until finally he could cry no more. Then he read the letter again, more thoroughly.
A million thoughts raced through his mind. Could Sirius really be innocent of all this? If so then why did he run? An innocent man stays to plead his case, only a guilty man would flee. Though he did have good reason. He did it not just for himself but for Harry too. And doing what the paper suggested was completely out of character for Sirius. He would do anything for his friends.
One time in their sixth year James and Remus pulled a big prank on Snape, and were caught. Yet, Sirius, who was actually sick during the prank told Dumbledore that he had done it, and was suspended for a week while James and Remus were let off. Sirius would never betray friends he cared for like that.
In the letter Sirius had insinuated that Peter had been the real betrayer, and it was much more likely for him to do it. Peter would never own up to what he had done even if he was more responsible than anyone else. He let anyone take the blame without a second thought. He was out for only himself since they had first met. Now, Remus realized that Peter was never a good friend at all, Sirius was right. With this thought his heart went out to his friend. Sirius was running for a cause that had nothing to do with him. Something that he could not control.
Remus sat on the floor and contemplated his situation. He finished the article off and then re-read the whole thing. He then looked in the obituaries and read the write up on them. His own name was listed under the survivors section. Sirius's was conveniently left out. There was a picture of James and Lily at the top of the column. They looked radiantly happy with their arms around each other, blowing kisses at the camera. It made Remus smile a teary smile.
At the bottom of the column it said that the funeral would be the following day. Remus had every intention of going and was curious as to whether or not Peter would show up. If he was smart he'd stay away, but Remus hoped that Peter would think he had Remus's trust. That way he could catch Peter and bring him to court under veritaserum. Then Sirius's name could be cleared and he could return to England with Harry. That's how it was supposed to be.
Remus found that it wasn't that easy. All that day he saw no sign of Peter. At the funeral, there was also no sign of him, nor had he called or left a note. This confirmed Remus's belief that Sirius had told him the truth.
The funeral was the most difficult thing Remus had ever been through. Everyone they had ever known at Hogwarts was there, and everyone whom they had met since leaving was there. Yet, Remus wasn't close to any of them.
But what broke Remus's heart the most that the most important people to James and Lily couldn't be in attendance. They were gone. Harry never attended his parents funeral and Sirius missed it as well.
Remus cried silently through the entire thing as he sat in a pew surrounded by strangers. It was the first time he realized he was completely alone. He didn't have a real friend left to turn to.
He went home that night and laid back on the couch that was now just his. With a pad of paper in his lap and a pen in his hand he began to write a letter to his best friend. He was unsure of whether or not it would make it to him, but he had to try. Like the letter Sirius had written to him this one got covered in tears, smudging the words, but it was legible. After attaching a copy of the articles he had gathered about James and Lily's deaths, he tied the letter to his owl's leg with orders to find Sirius Black no matter what the distance.
Sirius and Harry got off the plane at about 7:00 the morning after the terrible event. They had arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. The first thing Sirius did was take what was left of his British currency and turn it into dollars at a bank. He had roughly $2,000 to spend. It seemed like a lot until Sirius thought about what he had to buy in order to live.
Sirius then hopped on a bus that was going South to Providence, Rhode Island. They arrived around noon and Sirius got lunch at McDonalds, feeding Harry tiny bits of French fries and slowly pouring milk in his mouth. From there they hopped on another bus and went to Newport, Rhode Island. Sirius decided that that was where they would finally settle down. He figured that by moving around those first few times would prevent anyone from easily tracking him.
His next job was to set out finding somewhere to lodge for the night. He found a cheap, yet clean, hotel that overlooked the ocean, paid the cash and locked himself inside.
Sirius gently set Harry on the bed and without taking his shoes off laid down as well. He put his arm around the child so he wouldn't fall off and fell into a deep sleep.
He was woken early the next morning to the sound of crying. Harry was absolutely screeching beside him, and Sirius couldn't figure out what the problem was. He then caught a whiff of the smell. Harry needed a diaper change, but Sirius had no diapers. Almost panicking, and near tears himself Sirius ran to the window and looked outside. Just up the street a little ways was a grocery store. He sighed in relief and picked up his godson, some money and his hotel key and headed out the door.
He walked speedily up the road and took a while finding diapers and baby wipes. For a while he examined them trying to figure out which ones would be best for Harry. He worried they would be too small so he got the second largest size they had.
Then, Sirius gathered a couple jars of baby food, a sippy cup and some juicy juice, as well as a bag of chips and a bottle of coke and headed for the checkout line. He was a little confused by all the technology of the grocery store, such as the conveyer belt, etc. He almost dropped Harry when he set the food down and it started moving away from him. The cashier gave him weird looks. Whether it was due to his reaction or the fact that Sirius was dressed in full on wizard robes, Sirius didn't know.
"Where's the costume party?" the cashier asked as he rang through Sirius's items.
Sirius was taken aback for a moment and then said, "No costume party, ran out of clean clothes."
The cashier laughed and said, "You're from England?"
Sirius nodded.
"Just visiting or did you move here?"
"Moved here."
"Did you have to go through all that immigration shit? That can be a real pain in the ass."
"Not yet. . .but I imagine I'll have to," Sirius said, thankful that the cashier had asked him that. Sirius then paid and waited for his change.
"Well, have a good day now."
"And yourself," Sirius said. He grabbed his bags and left the store. Harry started crying again on the way back.
"We're almost there, bud, just a few more yards."
Sirius was relieved when he got peacefully back into the hotel. He quickly changed Harry's diaper and through away the rancid one. "You ready to go back to sleep now?"
Harry just looked up at Sirius confused. Sirius brought him back to the bed. He was almost asleep when he thought of something. As of right now, he could still be tracked. A simple searching spell would show that Sirius Black was hiding in Newport, Rhode Island. He quickly performed a spell that would prevent anyone from finding them and settled back down. He stroked Harry's hair slowly and watched the baby fall asleep. Soon, he fell asleep as well.
When the two woke up again it was almost twelve and they had to be out of the hotel soon or they'd be charged for another night. Sirius quickly fed Harry a jar of baby food and gave him some juice. He then ate his own chips and drank his soda. After packing his things and then shrinking them down to fit in his pocket Sirius left the hotel with Harry in his arms. They boarded a trolley that would take them to the more urban part of town and Sirius began looking for an apartment. He found one that required a down payment of only $500, was large enough for the two of them and had small monthly payments. He then found a salvation army where he got some furniture for cheap and had it shipped to the apartment. With only $600 left to his name Sirius now had an apartment, with a bed, a crib, a couch and a few blankets and sheets. He had also picked up some baby clothes for Harry.
Now Sirius just needed a job. He bought a muggle newspaper from a machine in front of the apartment building and started looking through the want ads. Sirius was trained to do a lot of different things in the wizarding world, but found that his options were limited in muggle America.
He ended up calling the grocery store he had previously visited and got an interview for the next day.
By the end of that day Sirius was worn out. He put Harry in his crib and laid in his own bed. He had left the window open, letting some cool air in. He always slept better that way.
As tired as he was, Sirius couldn't sleep. He stayed up late worrying. If he did get a job, what was he to do with Harry all day. He couldn't very well leave him all alone. Yet, he had to get a job or he wouldn't be able to keep up a home for Harry and himself, and get food and such. Sirius could see no good way out of his situation.
He was almost crying out of stress, when his thoughts were interrupted by the flutter of wings at his window. An owl was hovering outside looking in. It looked right at Sirius and then flew in, looking very tired.
Sirius's first thought was that it was a tracking owl. His spell would block most owls sent directly to find him and disclose his location to authorities, but some owls could break it. But after a moment Sirius recognized the owl as Remus's. Sirius had actually given the bird to Remus for his twentieth birthday. The bird flew to his lap and Sirius undid the letter.
He read it to himself in a soft whisper.
Sirius,
I can't believe all this has happened. I'm numb with pain over it. I imagine you're feeling worse so than I am, being on the run and all. I found your note, and I believe you. I had my suspicions at first, but I trust you, I know you'd never do that. My beliefs were clinched when I noticed that Peter hasn't been home since. That dirty little bastard.
I just wanted to tell you that. I'm on your side, Sirius. If you're ever stuck and need a way out, I'll come. I wish I could be there with you and Harry now, but I know it's best that you're alone, wherever you are. Just remember, I'll always be here. I also plan to stay on the lookout. The first sign of him I'm going to stun him and take him to the ministry. He can't hide forever, right?
I've attached some things that I know you won't really want to see, but I think you should, so you know exactly what you're up against. Today was Lily and James funeral, a real wake up call for me. I sat there, all alone and realized I had no one left. All the people at the funeral were complete strangers to me. . .except Dumbledore of course. Sorry to depress you even more. It's just, hard, you know?
I guess that's all I wanted to tell you. That and I miss you already. Right now it seems like you'll be gone forever. Please tell me you won't be. I don't think I could handle that too well. You and Harry, well, you're all I really have left, and for all I know you're half way across the world. Don't forget me, Sirius, okay? I'm always here for you, if you need money, anything, just owl me. You know where to find me.
Love,
Remus
Sirius noted the tear spots and it brought tears to his own eyes. "Poor Moony," he thought. He then read through the newspaper clippings and cried even more. Remus had been right, it had been tough, and he now had more worries than keeping himself hidden from the ministry, he needed to find a way to survive.
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So what do you think? If you think I should continue please say Aye, if you think I should trash it, say Nay. Reviews are always appreciated, generally best with a little constructive criticism. Just please don't be mean! Oh, and if you have a problem with relocating a British story to America, I'm sorry, but it's what I wanted to do. I didn't want to send them to a country that didn't speak English, and I don't know much about Australia. I suppose I could have sent them to Canada, but. . .I love Rhode Island! I'm actually going to be going to school their next year, and it's honestly the most British like place I've ever seen in America.
This is an AU fic about what could have happened on the night of Lily and James death. I love reading stories about Harry as a young kid, and wanted to try my own. I hope you like it!!!!!!!
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Lightning flashed through the windows of the Potter's small house in Godric's Hollow, illuminating the face of baby Harry Potter who was cradled in his mothers shaking arms. James Potter was pacing the living room with a worried expression upon his face. That morning they had gone under the Fidelius charm with their friend Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper. The worry stemmed from the fact that Peter looked overly happy about taking on the dangerous job of secret keeper. They had known for a while that one of their friends had turned against them, but now they weren't so sure they had trusted the right one.
"I should have gone with Sirius.despite what he said," James thought to himself as he continued to pace. Lightning flashed again followed by a sharp crack of thunder, causing Lily to jump and baby Harry to cry. James went to them and sat down beside Lily, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame.
"It'll be alright Lil, it has to be. Don't worry," he whispered soothingly into her ear.
"You're worried too James, I can see it. This isn't going to work."
"It has to," James said, "it has to." Just as he said that there was a loud bang outside, only this time it wasn't thunder.
"Oh God!" Lily mumbled, jumping quickly to her feet.
"That damn bastard Peter.he betrayed us, he must have! It's him Lily, take Harry and run!"
"James-" Lily choked, sobbing now.
"GO!" He yelled as the front door crashed down followed by an evil cackle. Voldemort's silhouette was framed in the door way. Lily ran towards the side door and looked out to find twenty or so deatheaters standing guard. She turned back to James and saw him defiantly standing up to Voldemort. She couldn't hear what he was saying, everything was a blur until she saw him fall. Green light filled the room and Lily saw James sway and collapse. He was dead.
She raced up the stairs with baby in arms to the nursery. She knocked over the bureau and the crib and made a little fort for Harry and placed him under a blanket, hoping it would give him the most protection that was possible at that time.
She then heard him coming up the stairs and backed herself against the wall. Voldemort slowly entered the room and smiled an evil smile at Lily. He then turned away from her and walked toward the corner where Harry lay.
"NO! Not Harry. . .please!" she screamed. Voldemort just cackled and pointed his wand at the shaking blanket on the floor.
Lily ran in front of Voldemort's wand and looked up at him defiantly. She revealed the baby by stepping on the edge of the blanket.
"Move aside silly girl!" he demanded.
She turned and looked at her baby, crying on the floor and mouthed, "I love you Harry." The baby cried even harder and watched as his mother fell silently to her death beside him. He then looked up at the terrifying man standing before him and watched as the tip of his wand pointed near his forehead. There was another flash of bright green light and then a huge explosion. The young baby cried in horror as the walls around him began to tumble. He felt himself falling slightly and heard the loud crunching of the roof landing around him. His mothers shelter prevented anything from falling directly on top of him. Then there was silence except for the soft sniffling coming from the traumatized child lying among ruins.
Nearly an hour later authorities showed up at the house. They examined the ruins and pulled out the bodies of James and Lily Potter, but they didn't immediately find baby Harry. His cries led the officials to him and they found it miraculous that he had survived. The Potter's best friend Sirius Black showed up and fell to the ground sobbing. The guilt in his heart was overpowering him. Had it not been for his stupid plan to fool Voldemort, the house would still be standing, James and Lily would be alive, Harry wouldn't be crying.
"Harry," Sirius thought. "I'm his godfather.he's-he's mine now." This was equally depressing, Sirius had no idea how to take care of a child, but it was his responsibility. He walked up to the ministry doctor checking Harry over and asked, "How is he? Is he going to be alright?"
"The boy's fine except for this curse scar on his head. It appears he managed to repel Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. It's miraculous. I don't know how he did it. He'll have that mark for life, a sign that he's the boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he who repelled the killing curse. This boy is a living miracle."
Sirius smiled sadly at his godson and picked him up off the stretcher he had been lying on. He slowly rocked Harry in his arms and managed to get him to stop crying and fall asleep in his arms. Sirius took him and sat under a tree where he began to cry himself. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He was ready to get up and take Harry home with him when a huge shadow fell over him.
"Sirius, mah boy, terrible isn't it."
He looked up with tear stained eyes to see Rubeus Hagrid standing over him smiling sadly. Sirius just nodded his head. "They're gone," he mumbled.
"How's young Harry?" he asked curiously, not wanting to reveal his real purpose there that evening.
"Doctor said he'll be fine.he survived the killing curse."
"Did he? That's 'mazing."
Sirius nodded sadly and kissed the baby on the crown of his head, just above the cut caused by the curse.
"I hate ta do this to ya, Sirius, but I got me orders from Dumbledore. He tol' me to bring young Harry to him at his aunt and uncle's house. He thinks that they should be the ones to bring em up."
Sirius looked up sharply. "I'm his godfather. James and Lily wanted me to raise him if anything ever happened to them. He's not going to go live with those muggles. I've met them, they're awful. You're not taking him anywhere Hagrid!"
"I'm sorry Sirius, but I got me orders," Hagrid said, trying to sound tough, though he really wanted to cry at the emotion in Sirius's voice.
"Screw your orders! It's not right, and I'm not allowing it. Harry's staying with me and that's that!" Sirius stood as he said this and glared defiantly at Hagrid. "Goodbye!" Sirius said and quickly apparated himself and Harry out of the yard.
They arrived inside his own flat that he shared with his best friend and former best friend Peter Pettigrew. Sirius couldn't believe what Peter had done. Luckily, neither of them were home. Peter was probably in hiding, knowing we would figure out what he had done. As for Remus, it was a full moon. He was locked away in a shack way out back.
"Remus," Sirius thought. "He's going to think it was me. He'll think I betrayed them." The idea sent chills down his spine. He tried to force the idea out of his mind, but as he packed his things it was all he could think about. Remus would be all alone. Sirius knew that by doing what he was doing he was causing his best friend more pain than he could ever imagine, but it was what he had to do.
Before he left for good, Sirius wrote Remus a quick note.
Remus,
Right now, you probably think I'm the scum of the universe. Well, you're wrong. Peter is. At the last minute we decided he should be the secret keeper, it would throw Voldemort off guard. But, we were wrong. Pete betrayed Lily and James, Harry, and you and me. He messed with our heads and now Lily and James are gone. Forever. Harry is an orphan, and I can't help but think it's all my fault. It was my idea for them to make the switch. But, everyone is going to think that I was the betrayer, and right now I do feel like one, and I bet you don't believe me right now, but please, you have to trust me. I would never do anything to hurt them.
So now, I'm leaving before anyone can throw me into Azkaban for something I didn't do, before I do something to Peter that I will later regret. I can't tell you where I'm going, in case you don't believe my story, but I'll tell you this, I'm taking Harry out of England. I can't allow him to be sent to live with his muggle relatives, you remember them I'm sure. You'll agree with me that that is no place for him to grow up.
So please, Moony, don't come looking for us. Whether you think me guilty or innocent of whatever the rest of England says, please don't come looking for me. Not for my own sake, but for Harry's. I promise you, I would never hurt a hair on Harry's messy head. I love him. I love you, and I loved Lily and James, and I'm so sorry to leave you all alone. Please forgive me Moony, please.
Sincerely,
Sirius Black
P.S. I intend to be in touch with you in some way or another within the next year. I'll find a way to do this without revealing myself too much to the rest of the world. Please don't turn from me when this time comes.
Tears streamed down his face as he wrote the letter, covering the paper with tiny water marks. Sirius hoped it would be a sign of his honesty, if they still showed that is.
He left the letter on the counter where the paper gets dropped off. Before Remus got back the paper would arrive and be set on top of it. Surely the front page would reveal the deaths of Lily and James and he would find out first through that rather than through Sirius's desperate letter. He then went to his sock drawer where the guys kept 2700 pounds of muggle currency in case of emergency, and left the house with Harry and his luggage. He apparated to the London airport and caught the first plane to America. He slept the entire ride with Harry curled in his arms, sleeping soundly.
The next morning Remus woke up in his shack feeling absolutely terrible. His wolf self had been particularly active the previous night and he was unsure why. He pulled himself painfully from the floor and hobbled back to the house. He went in to the kitchen and pulled out the daily prophet and nearly fell over. The headline read, "Lily and James Potter: Brutally killed in their home last night." He clutched his heart and read on.
". . .Early yesterday the Potter's underwent the Fidelius Charm after sources told them they were the next target of You-Know-Who. The Daily Prophet has heard from various sources that their secret keeper was one, Sirius Black, who disappeared two hours after the murders, with the lone survivor, Harry Potter (pictured below). . ." Remus looked at the picture of the ruins of the Potter's home and saw his best friend under a tree crying into the hair of baby Harry. Remus felt tears well in his own eyes, but he read on. "Miraculously, young Harry Potter made it out of the ordeal with only a cut on his forehead. Reports tell us that You-Know-Who attempted to kill the young boy after murdering his parents, but the curse used, Avada Kedavra, back fired. You-Know-Who is dead. . ."
At this point Remus dropped the paper on the floor and leaned against the counter. He felt faint and buried his head in his hands, trying to keep what little composure he had left.
"How could you Sirius," he thought as the tears began to fall. "How could you do this to James and Lily. . .to Harry. . .to me?" He banged his fist hard on the counter and made the note Sirius had left for him slide across the counter, bringing it to Remus's attention. He scanned it quickly and then started crying harder. He cried, and he cried, and he cried until finally he could cry no more. Then he read the letter again, more thoroughly.
A million thoughts raced through his mind. Could Sirius really be innocent of all this? If so then why did he run? An innocent man stays to plead his case, only a guilty man would flee. Though he did have good reason. He did it not just for himself but for Harry too. And doing what the paper suggested was completely out of character for Sirius. He would do anything for his friends.
One time in their sixth year James and Remus pulled a big prank on Snape, and were caught. Yet, Sirius, who was actually sick during the prank told Dumbledore that he had done it, and was suspended for a week while James and Remus were let off. Sirius would never betray friends he cared for like that.
In the letter Sirius had insinuated that Peter had been the real betrayer, and it was much more likely for him to do it. Peter would never own up to what he had done even if he was more responsible than anyone else. He let anyone take the blame without a second thought. He was out for only himself since they had first met. Now, Remus realized that Peter was never a good friend at all, Sirius was right. With this thought his heart went out to his friend. Sirius was running for a cause that had nothing to do with him. Something that he could not control.
Remus sat on the floor and contemplated his situation. He finished the article off and then re-read the whole thing. He then looked in the obituaries and read the write up on them. His own name was listed under the survivors section. Sirius's was conveniently left out. There was a picture of James and Lily at the top of the column. They looked radiantly happy with their arms around each other, blowing kisses at the camera. It made Remus smile a teary smile.
At the bottom of the column it said that the funeral would be the following day. Remus had every intention of going and was curious as to whether or not Peter would show up. If he was smart he'd stay away, but Remus hoped that Peter would think he had Remus's trust. That way he could catch Peter and bring him to court under veritaserum. Then Sirius's name could be cleared and he could return to England with Harry. That's how it was supposed to be.
Remus found that it wasn't that easy. All that day he saw no sign of Peter. At the funeral, there was also no sign of him, nor had he called or left a note. This confirmed Remus's belief that Sirius had told him the truth.
The funeral was the most difficult thing Remus had ever been through. Everyone they had ever known at Hogwarts was there, and everyone whom they had met since leaving was there. Yet, Remus wasn't close to any of them.
But what broke Remus's heart the most that the most important people to James and Lily couldn't be in attendance. They were gone. Harry never attended his parents funeral and Sirius missed it as well.
Remus cried silently through the entire thing as he sat in a pew surrounded by strangers. It was the first time he realized he was completely alone. He didn't have a real friend left to turn to.
He went home that night and laid back on the couch that was now just his. With a pad of paper in his lap and a pen in his hand he began to write a letter to his best friend. He was unsure of whether or not it would make it to him, but he had to try. Like the letter Sirius had written to him this one got covered in tears, smudging the words, but it was legible. After attaching a copy of the articles he had gathered about James and Lily's deaths, he tied the letter to his owl's leg with orders to find Sirius Black no matter what the distance.
Sirius and Harry got off the plane at about 7:00 the morning after the terrible event. They had arrived in Boston, Massachusetts. The first thing Sirius did was take what was left of his British currency and turn it into dollars at a bank. He had roughly $2,000 to spend. It seemed like a lot until Sirius thought about what he had to buy in order to live.
Sirius then hopped on a bus that was going South to Providence, Rhode Island. They arrived around noon and Sirius got lunch at McDonalds, feeding Harry tiny bits of French fries and slowly pouring milk in his mouth. From there they hopped on another bus and went to Newport, Rhode Island. Sirius decided that that was where they would finally settle down. He figured that by moving around those first few times would prevent anyone from easily tracking him.
His next job was to set out finding somewhere to lodge for the night. He found a cheap, yet clean, hotel that overlooked the ocean, paid the cash and locked himself inside.
Sirius gently set Harry on the bed and without taking his shoes off laid down as well. He put his arm around the child so he wouldn't fall off and fell into a deep sleep.
He was woken early the next morning to the sound of crying. Harry was absolutely screeching beside him, and Sirius couldn't figure out what the problem was. He then caught a whiff of the smell. Harry needed a diaper change, but Sirius had no diapers. Almost panicking, and near tears himself Sirius ran to the window and looked outside. Just up the street a little ways was a grocery store. He sighed in relief and picked up his godson, some money and his hotel key and headed out the door.
He walked speedily up the road and took a while finding diapers and baby wipes. For a while he examined them trying to figure out which ones would be best for Harry. He worried they would be too small so he got the second largest size they had.
Then, Sirius gathered a couple jars of baby food, a sippy cup and some juicy juice, as well as a bag of chips and a bottle of coke and headed for the checkout line. He was a little confused by all the technology of the grocery store, such as the conveyer belt, etc. He almost dropped Harry when he set the food down and it started moving away from him. The cashier gave him weird looks. Whether it was due to his reaction or the fact that Sirius was dressed in full on wizard robes, Sirius didn't know.
"Where's the costume party?" the cashier asked as he rang through Sirius's items.
Sirius was taken aback for a moment and then said, "No costume party, ran out of clean clothes."
The cashier laughed and said, "You're from England?"
Sirius nodded.
"Just visiting or did you move here?"
"Moved here."
"Did you have to go through all that immigration shit? That can be a real pain in the ass."
"Not yet. . .but I imagine I'll have to," Sirius said, thankful that the cashier had asked him that. Sirius then paid and waited for his change.
"Well, have a good day now."
"And yourself," Sirius said. He grabbed his bags and left the store. Harry started crying again on the way back.
"We're almost there, bud, just a few more yards."
Sirius was relieved when he got peacefully back into the hotel. He quickly changed Harry's diaper and through away the rancid one. "You ready to go back to sleep now?"
Harry just looked up at Sirius confused. Sirius brought him back to the bed. He was almost asleep when he thought of something. As of right now, he could still be tracked. A simple searching spell would show that Sirius Black was hiding in Newport, Rhode Island. He quickly performed a spell that would prevent anyone from finding them and settled back down. He stroked Harry's hair slowly and watched the baby fall asleep. Soon, he fell asleep as well.
When the two woke up again it was almost twelve and they had to be out of the hotel soon or they'd be charged for another night. Sirius quickly fed Harry a jar of baby food and gave him some juice. He then ate his own chips and drank his soda. After packing his things and then shrinking them down to fit in his pocket Sirius left the hotel with Harry in his arms. They boarded a trolley that would take them to the more urban part of town and Sirius began looking for an apartment. He found one that required a down payment of only $500, was large enough for the two of them and had small monthly payments. He then found a salvation army where he got some furniture for cheap and had it shipped to the apartment. With only $600 left to his name Sirius now had an apartment, with a bed, a crib, a couch and a few blankets and sheets. He had also picked up some baby clothes for Harry.
Now Sirius just needed a job. He bought a muggle newspaper from a machine in front of the apartment building and started looking through the want ads. Sirius was trained to do a lot of different things in the wizarding world, but found that his options were limited in muggle America.
He ended up calling the grocery store he had previously visited and got an interview for the next day.
By the end of that day Sirius was worn out. He put Harry in his crib and laid in his own bed. He had left the window open, letting some cool air in. He always slept better that way.
As tired as he was, Sirius couldn't sleep. He stayed up late worrying. If he did get a job, what was he to do with Harry all day. He couldn't very well leave him all alone. Yet, he had to get a job or he wouldn't be able to keep up a home for Harry and himself, and get food and such. Sirius could see no good way out of his situation.
He was almost crying out of stress, when his thoughts were interrupted by the flutter of wings at his window. An owl was hovering outside looking in. It looked right at Sirius and then flew in, looking very tired.
Sirius's first thought was that it was a tracking owl. His spell would block most owls sent directly to find him and disclose his location to authorities, but some owls could break it. But after a moment Sirius recognized the owl as Remus's. Sirius had actually given the bird to Remus for his twentieth birthday. The bird flew to his lap and Sirius undid the letter.
He read it to himself in a soft whisper.
Sirius,
I can't believe all this has happened. I'm numb with pain over it. I imagine you're feeling worse so than I am, being on the run and all. I found your note, and I believe you. I had my suspicions at first, but I trust you, I know you'd never do that. My beliefs were clinched when I noticed that Peter hasn't been home since. That dirty little bastard.
I just wanted to tell you that. I'm on your side, Sirius. If you're ever stuck and need a way out, I'll come. I wish I could be there with you and Harry now, but I know it's best that you're alone, wherever you are. Just remember, I'll always be here. I also plan to stay on the lookout. The first sign of him I'm going to stun him and take him to the ministry. He can't hide forever, right?
I've attached some things that I know you won't really want to see, but I think you should, so you know exactly what you're up against. Today was Lily and James funeral, a real wake up call for me. I sat there, all alone and realized I had no one left. All the people at the funeral were complete strangers to me. . .except Dumbledore of course. Sorry to depress you even more. It's just, hard, you know?
I guess that's all I wanted to tell you. That and I miss you already. Right now it seems like you'll be gone forever. Please tell me you won't be. I don't think I could handle that too well. You and Harry, well, you're all I really have left, and for all I know you're half way across the world. Don't forget me, Sirius, okay? I'm always here for you, if you need money, anything, just owl me. You know where to find me.
Love,
Remus
Sirius noted the tear spots and it brought tears to his own eyes. "Poor Moony," he thought. He then read through the newspaper clippings and cried even more. Remus had been right, it had been tough, and he now had more worries than keeping himself hidden from the ministry, he needed to find a way to survive.
~~~~~~~~~
So what do you think? If you think I should continue please say Aye, if you think I should trash it, say Nay. Reviews are always appreciated, generally best with a little constructive criticism. Just please don't be mean! Oh, and if you have a problem with relocating a British story to America, I'm sorry, but it's what I wanted to do. I didn't want to send them to a country that didn't speak English, and I don't know much about Australia. I suppose I could have sent them to Canada, but. . .I love Rhode Island! I'm actually going to be going to school their next year, and it's honestly the most British like place I've ever seen in America.