What if Voldemort wasn't defeated that fateful night? And no, it wasn't because Harry had died, he didn't spare the boy or anything else like that, it was a bit more simple than that – Sirius was being his usual hot-headed self. And somehow, Lily would probably claim the imperious, Sirius managed to convince James and (most importantly) Lily to allow him to take their little child out on that old muggle holiday that Lily had talked about: Trick or treating.
It's simple as 2+2 – Harry wasn't home that night.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
"Away… Step away from the–" The black haired man made an odd slashing motion through the air as he peaked out the window. "That's fine leather you stupid little–"
"Any reason you're currently in our living room and cursing some," James peaked out the window in order to see what the man was looking at, "kid to high heavens?" Incredulously (or maybe predictably, it was well known that Sirius hated children, except, perhaps, his godson) he was cursing a child, maybe around nine years old, who was a little bit too close to his precious motorbike.
Sirius stared mutinously out the window before backing away from it, nearly bumping into James in the process. Both men turned around from the window. James glanced at Sirius in bemusement, "So?"
"So what?" He glowered at him defiantly, "That kid is one step away from ruining a perfectly good paint job!"
"Any reason that the great Sirius Black decided to grace us with his presence? I thought he'd be working with all the big boys now – which surprising considering you still seem to need a babysitter half the time."
"Which makes me question your sanity Lils," Sirius tilted his head a bit to get a better look at the red-head, "seeing as you usually get me to be the babysitter to that handsome little kid right there. Do I get a hug?" He cooed, sidestepping James as he took a swipe at the mans head and walked toward the mother and son standing in the doorway.
Lily allowed the man to lift the toddler out of her arms, brushing her hands against her apron as the "great Sirius Black" fussed over the fifteen month old. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, an old apron that her mother had given her thrown hastily on over her clothes (only an old pair of jeans and a soft green shirt that James insisted matched her eyes); she knew that she didn't look her best today, but they weren't planning on going anywhere anytime soon, and with all the messes that Harry managed to make, well, this, at least, would make it less clothes for her to wash.
"So, I'll repeat the question for that Darling over there," James tossed a wink at the redhead in bemusement, "any reason you're here now?"
The Black glanced up from the Eskimo kiss he was giving to the innocent child; Harry, noticing the lack of attention, grabbed a clump of his godfathers hair to chow on, "No reason at all," Sirius said, attempting to dislodge Harry's hold on his hair, "A guy is allowed to just up and visit his friends, isn't he? I mean, I just missed Lils' beautiful face – I could've lived without yours for a while more though Prongs."
"That is true," Lily laughed, overriding James' grumbling as she took her child back from his godfather, his hair falling out of the boy's mouth, "we just thought that you had to go to work today."
"Apparently," Sirius maneuvered around James once again to plop down onto their sofa, "Benjy Fenwick wanted more hours so he took mine, didn't want to risk his life out on the field for once either, which I can understand…" He tiredly rubbed his eyes.
Lily sighed, sitting on the caquetoire across from him. And she somehow managed to calm Harry down enough to sit quietly on her lap. James plonked down beside him.
"That's easy enough to understand." James said gruffly.
Sirius nodded, staring listlessly at the burning embers in the firebox, just beside Lily. He could understand Benjy Fenwick's sudden desire to stay as far away from the field as possible, the man didn't want to leave his mother behind, his widowed mother whose husband died not days ago.
That seemed to be happening a lot lately.
"So…" A mischievous grin spread across his face, dissipating the tense silence of the room, "Halloween, huh?"
James laughed at Lily's answering groan, "I can't believe you remembered that…"
"Yeah, I thought I saw a few more robed witches than usual on the roads today, and all of them young witches too, but sadly none my type…"
"They wouldn't have happened to be too young for you, huh, Padfoot?"
"Course Prongs, have you ever seen me turn down a healthy, young woman in need?"
"You two are disgusting," Lily cried out laughing, she grabbed the first thing she could find (unfortunately only a throw pillow) and threw it at the two men.
James caught it before it could hit him and wacked Sirius upside the head with it, "Yeow! Watch it Prongs, what it is, pick on Sirius day?"
"Until you tell us why you're here…"
"And I said–"
"We know what you said," the redhead cut across, "it's the believing it that's the problem, and after that Halloween comment…" She raised a delicate eyebrow.
Sirius laughed nervously at her expression, "Well… you know… it's a holiday and all that… good picture opportunities… and uh… fresh air?"
"Do you think you could expand a little on that Sirius?" James politely asked, or it would've been polite if he hadn't raised the throw pillow at him threateningly once more. Sirius swatted his hand away.
"What I think he's trying to say," Lily steadfastly ignored the two's antics, "is that he wants to take Harry out Trick-or-Treating."
"Harry can't go outside," James answered promptly, "It's too dangerous, and…" He paused a moment, a blush crossing his features, "uh… what's a trick-or-treating?"
"It's a muggle tradition that they do every Halloween where they go door-to-door and ask for candy," Sirius said swiftly, "What!" He exclaimed at their shocked faces, "I actually listened during classes, believe it or not."
"And you still continue to surprise us."
"I don't think its safe…" James said, putting an effort in to ignore Lily's astounded face, a grin threatened to break across his face regardless.
"Come on!" Sirius threw himself at James (rather awkwardly, seeing as they were sitting side by side) and managed to land half on him, half off. One of his legs was hanging off the couch, the foot resting by the door, while the other leg took up where Sirius had only been sitting a moment ago; and his hands clasped on his robes, his body lying clumsily on his side, "Please!"
"Really Siri? That's the best you can do?" James inquired, raising his own eyebrow, he untangled Sirius' hands from his robes, "You're going to have to do better than that."
"It'll give him some fresh air," Sirius said tantalizingly, "You don't want him to spend the rest of his life in some stuffy old house. And he might be able to meet kids his own age…"
"He's got Neville," Lily pointed out. She personally didn't see a point to such a risk.
"And how often to they see each other?" Sirius scoffed. "Once a month? Every other month?"
"It's difficult times Padfoot," James said, as if he didn't already know that, "We can't exactly set up play dates with a bunch of kids everyday."
"I know that," he argued wearily, "but we can't just have him grow up in fear, in seclusion; I mean, I care for him just as much as you guys do, it's just that, he has to," he grunted, making an odd, sporadic gesture with his hands.
The Potters, at least, seemed to understand what he wanted to say. Except for little Harry Potter who was watching the proceedings in a bored fashion, through half-lidded eyes, and leaning up against his mother, still wearing his footie pajama's that his mummy seemed to enjoy. They had little duckies on them.
"Neither do we," Lily said finally, breaking eye contact with her husband, "But Harry's safety is much more important at the moment, and with the Dark Lord after our tails…"
She shrugged helplessly.
"It wouldn't be for too long, just an hour or two – or whenever Harry begins to get fussy! He could dress up in one of his wizarding robes, and I could conjure up a mask, for both of us, so no one would recognize us! And we'd have Harry's emergency portkey on us at all times; it'd take us straight to Hogwarts – to Dumbledore! And we'd be in a village fairly far away, just a random one! Or one close to where Remus lives! Anything happens, Remus is just down the street! Come on Prongs! Mrs. Prongs! Little Prongslet needs to be free! Free as a bird!"
"Free as a bird?" James asked in bemusement, Lily tightened her hold on her son, "Last I checked, Harry's human, not a bird."
"You know what I mean though!"
"I know, but, what if, death eaters…"
"Portkey! Dumbledore! Remus! Masks! I could come up with others if you'd like!"
"Sirius…" Lily moaned, she loosened her grip on her son as she felt his squirm in her hold, "That's all well and good, but it's still a huge risk – and Harry isn't hold enough to defend himself, he can barely walk."
"And I realize that," the man stood up, brushing a hand through his hair as he'd seen James do a number of times, those bloody ass habits rubbing off onto other people, "but Voldemort won't think that he'd be out, with some heir for one of the dark families in an old muggle village!"
"That is true…" James muttered helplessly.
"And anyway, it'd be death eaters if we actually ran into anyone, I mean, what would Voldemort want with some little baby?" The Black heir caught an uneasy look pass between the two Potters.
He quirked a brow.
"I suppose one night wouldn't hurt…" Lily said slowly, "but you'd need to be back by eight o'clock – on the dot, and I mean it Sirius; one small whiff of what may or may not be Death Eaters and you're out of there."
Sirius proceeded to do a small victory dance, "Yes! I promise! Yes!" He grasped Lily's arms, and danced her around the room.
James quickly took hold of Lily before she could either (A) kill him or (B) drop Harry.
Either way, Sirius would've been dead in the end.
"We'll be perfectly safe," Sirius said, his eyes shown brightly, turning to beam at his godson, "don't you worry, and maybe we'll even visit Uncle Wormtail on the way home."
I'll continue this soon, this was an idea that I liked, and I've had it churning in my head for a while. I've finally got it down on paper.
Please Read and Review - I'd love to read your comments or suggestions