The night was silent, eerily so after the noise that had filled the air only one hour earlier. If anyone had looked out of their window, they wouldn't have seen the man that appeared on the street, they would have felt an unbearable urge to go and read the dictionary. And that was just what the man wanted.
He walked up to the shell of a house that had been a home until a short time ago and he pushed open the door, shutting it behind him. The body on the stairs had its eyes open and it seemed to the old man that he was staring accusingly up at him, knowing what he was about to do. The old man just stepped over him, not caring when he kicked him slightly in the process.
Ahead of him, the only room in the house with a light still on. He stepped inside and smiled at the scene in front of him. A woman, lying as though sleeping, her red hair flared out on the floor as one hand clutched the bar of a cot. And in the cot, a small boy, staring up with confusion and fear in his eyes. A lightning bolt scar stood out in stark relief to his pale face and the old man's smile grew.
"Where is she Harry?" the boy didn't answer, he just stared. The old man shrugged, he didn't need the boy to tell him, he could just pull the answer from his mind. He placed his fingers on the boys temple and closed his eyes, searching for the location of the one he was looking for.
The sound of his parents shouting. His mummy running into the room with the tiny doll and rushing to the dresser. His daddy suddenly silent. And then a scream 'not Harry' and a flash of green light and then his mummy fell and the scary man turned to him. Wait! The dresser.
The old man crossed to the dresser and pulled open the secret compartment he knew was there. A tiny bundle of blankets lay there silent and still. He pushed back the coverings and smiled again at the sight of the tiny newborn baby.
"Kaitlan Lily Potter, you're a very special little girl. I'm going to make sure you're the most powerful you can be." He lifted the tiny girl and carried her from the house, looking back once, before disappearing again.
"Remus, let me go!" the two men fought hard against each other as the shorter tried to stop the other from leaving the house.
"Sirius, listen to me! They're gone, nothing we can do will change that! You can't go chasing off after that bastard by yourself, not like this! Let the Ministry deal with it!" Sirius shook his head, tears streaming down his face as he continued to fight his lover.
"I can't! James and Lily are dead and he did it! He killed them! I was supposed to be the secret keeper but we switched it to keep them safe! This is my fault, let me sort it! Please Remus, this is my fault-" he dissolved into sobs and slid down the wall, Remus going with him until they were wrapped in each others arms, both crying.
The Aurors in the kitchen had told them that there were people already at the house searching for Pettigrew but it didn't help, both of them knew they'd never find the rat, he would be long gone. For now, all they could do was wait with Aurors posted watching them, to protect them or imprison them they didn't know.
The knock came just over three hours later. They were both still wide awake, still sitting on the floor. Neither of them moved to get it, the Aurors could do it, they didn't care who it was.
"Oh boys," McGonagall rushed in and crouched down beside them, taking both their hands and squeezing them tightly. Remus smiled sadly at her, needing to try and take control, to find out why she was there.
"Do you know how it happened?" she nodded and Sirius looked up, speaking haltingly.
"Did it hurt?" she shook her head, placing a hand on his cheek and blinking away her own tears.
"They were frightened but it was painless, he did not torture them." Sirius seemed able to breathe easier and Remus spoke again.
"And Harry, did he hurt Harry before he-" he was unable to continue because McGonagall cut across him immediately.
"Harry is alive. The spell backfired and you-know-who was vanquished. Dead or just to hide, we don't know, but Harry is alive." Both men scrambled to their feet, looking around frantically, and McGonagall stood as well.
"Hagrid has him, he is on his way here now."
"And we can keep him? We will be able to raise him?" she nodded, unsurprised by Remus' new tears, and watched as Sirius pulled him into his arms.
"Let them try and stop us."