A.N: I've had a little break from writing for a while...mostly because I haven't had a lot of inspiration to write, and because GCSE work is really going into overload right now. Bleh.
I wrote this to Lostprophets, 4AM Forever, just the first lines of "Yesterday I lost my closest friend" made me think of Sirius, so I just had to write something to it. Sorry if it's a little bit angsty-stuffs.
Disclaimer: Sorry, I dont own it. If I did I'd make Book 7 come out now and re-write all of Potter history. Ah well.
Sirius felt rather than saw the mark appear in the sky. Call it a dog thing. But looking up, he saw that it wasn't the usual mark in the sky. It was smoke.
Fire.
Wait-
Sirius began to walk in the direction the black cloud was placed in. He was taking cautious steps, his eyes never leaving the plume of smoke rising high into the sky.
"Sirius! James! Sirius is here!"
A young woman with an infant on her hip smiled at him, "Happy Halloween!"
"You too," Sirius grinned, picking up his god-son and lifting him into the air.
"Mate!" Her husband entered the room, "I hope you bought the stuff."
"What stuff?" asked Lily, her eyes narrowing as she retrieved her son.
"Oh bugger all-" Lily gave Sirius a reprimanding glare as he winced apologetically,
"-Sorry Red - I'll just nip back and get them. Wouldn't be Halloween without it, would it?"
He gave a cheeky grin, "Oh, and it's moon-night tonight. Remus is at home."
"I guessed," James answered, "Don't be long though, alright?"
"I never am!" The man yelled back, his bark of laughter echoing throughout the street as he kicked his motorbike into life.
His pace had quickened now. He was walking faster, his mind on auto-pilot.
Not them, please not them. Anything but them.
"Sirius, I swear I could've killed you for that speech."
"Ah, you know it's going to happen." The said man laughed, "I call god-father when it's actually conceived."
James spluttered, turning a little red, "I just made you Best Man of my wedding, and now you want to be god-father to my unborn child? That's pushing it, mate."
"You know I will be anyway," Sirius stated.
"Not with Lily around. She thinks you're a health-hazard; she wouldn't let you near a baby."
"I can convince her."
Sirius was running now, running as fast as he could. He rounded the corner and the smell hit him full on.
Oh, the smell.
It was burnt wood, smoke, ash. But worst of all: Death. Everywhere smelt of Death.
"You're what?"
"Getting married."
THUMP.
"I think Sirius just fainted, Prongs."
"I've gathered that, Wormtail."
"JAMES! LILY!" He began shouting for them, staring at the wreck that was once their house. Was their house five minutes ago.
He'd just left them; they were fine.
…Oh if only…If only…
"You bet on me finally getting Lily?" James was definatly not amused, a disgruntled look on his face.
"It was all Sirius' idea, I merely divulged myself in it," The young werewolf sitting beside him stated truthfully.
Sirius let out a splutter of indignance, "Bull, Moony. All bull. You betted first!"
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did no– Ugh, I will not resort to your level, Padfoot. I'm going to read."
Remus rolled his eyes and left as the other three Maurauders proceeded to laugh, wondering why his best friends were so insane.
James was found first. Sirius dropped to his knees in front of him, silently shaking his head.
This had to be some sort of dream. Some sort of horrible, unimaginable nightmare. This wasn't real.
They weren't gone.
"Failed again, Prongs. That's attempt number…four hundred and sixty, isn't it Moony?" Sirius let out a faux sigh, clapping a hand on his best friend's shoulder.
"Must be." The werewolf grinned.
"Shut up," James retorted, running a hand through his hair, "I'll get her. You just wait and see."
Lily was in front of her son's cot, as still as her husband. Sirius' mind felt like it was shutting down.
Why? How? No-one could've…
Peter.
Sirius' face turned into an expression of anger.
He glanced into the cot. A small baby was inside.
Sirius could hardly bring himself to look.
"You ran away?"
"I ran away," The young boy sat on the edge of his friend's bed, looking startled.
"Can I stay here?"
James scoffed, "Pads, you know the answer to that. O'course!"
Sirius grinned, the boys embracing, "You're my best mate, you know that?"
"Not best mate. Brother."
A murmuring from inside the cot made Sirius look inside.
Surely not…
Harry – He was alive?
He cautiously ran a hand through the toddler's hair as he turned over in his sleep, red marks on his cheeks from crying.
Turning on his heel suddenly, Sirius picked Harry up and left the room.
Rest in peace; Lily and James.
"But do you think the map will work?"
"Remus, Remus, Remus," Sirius chuckled, "We're Marauders! Of course it'll work. And we've got your brain to pick, haven't we James?"
"Agreed, Sirius," The messy-haired boy grinned.
"How do I get myself into these things…" Remus muttered.
"Hagrid, let me take him. He's my god-son." Sirius begged.
He needed Harry. He was the only family he had left now, as he was Harry's.
"No can do Sirius, sorry. Harry's off 'ter live with his Aunt an' Uncle. Dumbledore's orders." The giant looked apologetic, cradling the bundle in his arms.
Sirius sighed, "Alright. Here, take this." The young man inclined his head to he motorbike by his side, his once prized possession, "I won't be needing it anymore."
Before Hagrid could protest, Sirius turned away, fresh anger bubbling up inside of him.
The rat would pay for betraying them. He would pay.
"So…the Marauders it is then?" asked James, looking at the other three.
"Sounds good enough," Peter shrugged.
"Defiantly. It shows off our ability as pranking Gods." Sirius grinned.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Now you would say that, wouldn't you?"
"Guys!" James sounded impatient.
"Alright…Alright…"
A knife was passed around the group, each of them, even Remus, who was tentative about the whole thing, and Peter, who in the end just copied James, cutting their palms open, letting a stem of blood flow.
"Ok?" the hazel-eyed boy asked again, looking round at his three friends. He put his hand in the middle of the circle they had formed.
The others joined him, all four voices joining together;
"Mischief Managed."