"Sirius, p-please give me a chance. I-I had no choice! He would have killed me; I had to give him what he wanted". Cowardly rat! He disgraces the name of Godric Gryffindor for every minute that he lives. It had been a long time since Sirius Black had experienced the rage he felt this minute; staring into the eyes of the man he had once affectionately called Wormtail, the bond between friends shattered and replaced with a furious desire to end Peter Pettigrew. "Then you should have died with honour and courage, rather than slink to the shadows and betray James to Voldemort. Prongs is dead because you! Lily is dead because of YOU!" Sirius bellowed without restraint, maniacal in his fury. All thoughts of self preservation were forgotten as he lurched towards his quarry, who shrunk under the hateful glare of his former friend. "There is nothing in this world that can save you from me Peter", Sirius voice barely restrained the fury and loathing in his heart; a scar that would never truly fade. He had lost the one person who had treated him as an equal and as a friend, James Potter and Sirius Black would never be united in this life again. The pain and the agony manifested in his mind and threatened to overwhelm him; only the thought of revenge stopped Sirius from breaking down and giving in to his grief. He couldn't help but feel responsible for the turn of events; it had been at his own suggestion that the Potters change Secret Keepers. In hindsight, it had seemed flawless. The bond between Sirius and James was well known in the Order and the Ministry, and it was an eventuality that the Death Eaters would target Sirius to try and get to the Potters. He would have gladly died for his best friend; he would have held that secret to his dying breath, no matter the pain and agony that Voldemort could inflict on him. The idea came to him shortly after it was made clear that the Death Eaters were targeting the Potters and the Longbottoms, though none in the Order knew why. Sirius had assumed that their pivotal role in the War meant that Voldemort considered them a threat. It was because of this that Sirius suggested a different Secret Keeper; one that even the Order wouldn't have suspected.
Sirius' grief would have to come later; right now he had a Death Eater to deal with. "We can't beat him Sirius. You of all people should know that the Dark Lord has no equal. Not even Dumbledore can defeat him", Peters pleading snapped him back to reality, and a primal snarl cut the words short. "COWARD! Your desire to save your own worthless life has blinded you Peter. Do all the years of happy memories mean nothing to you? James Potter was the best friend you could have ever asked for, but in your greed and fear you've lost everything", Sirius was on the verge of breaking down in uncontrollable rage and grief. The sight of the man before him brought thoughts incredible malice to the surface of his mind; thoughts which manifested as black vapour pouring from the tip of his wand. Peter gasped at the sight, his own wand clutched in fear. Peter never was a good duelist, this is almost unfair. The thought comforted Sirius, knowing that his revenge would come swiftly and easily. "Your fear and your betrayal has cost you more than you realise Peter". It had cost them all, he thought bitterly. Making Peter the Secret Keeper of Godric's Hollow backfired, and it has cost them the lives of the Potters. Word had come, that Voldemort's inner circle laid siege to Godric's Hollow for 3 hours. To their credit, James and Lily fought the Death Eaters to a standstill, broken only when Voldemort himself razed the house. Sirius didn't know the details, only that James and Lily had fallen, that a number of Death Eaters fell with them, and that little Harry had somehow survived the Killing Curse. That was the one thing that willed Sirius to live, the legacy of the Potters fell to Harry, his godson. "Padfoot, please you must listen to reason. The Dark Lord is the only hope of our world, lest the muggles rise up and exterminate us", Peter's rant would do him no good. Sirius Black marched forward, eyes only for his intended victim. "Prongs would want you to live! To serve the Dark Lord with me and to take our rightful place in this world". Peter's words stopped him dead. Fury erupted from the young wizard, waves of cascading black vapour emanating in all directions. His muscles were tensed as he unleashed a wild howl, which finally attracted the attention of the muggles nearby. "HOW DARE YOU USE THAT NAME! Prongs was your friend Peter, he was like a brother to us, and you traded his life for yours without hesitation!" Even as he advanced on the cornered rate, waves of black vapour obscured the wizards as Sirius' rage took control. "You might be safe from Voldemort, but he's not the one you should have feared Peter", Sirius' wand flashed in the air and sent a beam of red energy streaking towards Peter. The sheer power of the emotionally charged Stunner dissipated the black fog around the two, which struck the Death Eater on the shoulder. Crumpling to his knees, Sirius' stunner was followed by a thunderous crack and the terrified screams of muggles. Casting a glance over his shoulder, Sirius could make out only the obscured bodies of broken men and women, their bodies twisted at gruesome angles. Debris rained down upon them as the dust cleared, revealing a massive rupture in the street. Turning his attention back to Peter, Sirius glanced at his enemies' wand and was shocked to see magical residue emanating from it.
"Peter, what did you do?!" Sirius' confusion was understandable. Of all the Marauders, Peter Pettigrew was obviously the weakest amongst them. It had never been a topic of discussion within the quartet, but even to Peter it was painfully obvious. Sirius and James had been told many times by their teachers that they'd make powerful aurors, if only they could refrain from their childish pranks. Justifiably, Sirius couldn't quite understand how Peter had managed to cast a spell of such raw power; especially when he wasn't quite sure if even Voldemort's Inner Circle could manage to control such magical power. "The Dark Lord is generous to those who serve him faithfully. A little ritual, nothing too extreme, he gave me a power that the Light know nothing of", Peter's voice unnaturally calm. His wand held out in front of him, Pettigrew moved a quickness that caught Sirius by surprise; he didn't have time to react before the curse exploded at his feet, sending him into the air and crashing down hard on the pavement. Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought it would be, the thought both frightened and excited Sirius. The screams of the muggles brought his attention back to his foe, who was casually strolling towards Sirius with purposeful intent. "Another demonstration, perhaps, of the unrivaled power of the Dark Lord", even as he spoke Peters wand waved in a series of complex movements. All at once, a harsh icy wind swept across the street and dark green strands of energy impacted on the bodies of the murdered muggles. The energy smothered the bodies, and Sirius could see the muscles flex as the spell took hold. No, surely he wouldn't create them! He can't possibly have enough raw power to do this!, fear gripped Sirius' heart in a way that he hadn't felt since the night he fled the Inner Circle. "Peter stop this! You are committing crimes against nature by doing this, you don't know the risks of what you're doing!". Despite the unending hatred that he felt towards Peter, Sirius couldn't allow his former friend to succeed. "You aren't strong enough to control them".
A harsh cackle erupted from the lips of the Death Eater. "What's wrong Padfoot? Am I not the weak, helpless fool that you thought me to be? The Dark Lord has gifted me beyond all others, for delivering his enemies to him. Allow me to show you true power", Peters wand flicked once and the tendrils of green energy pulsed before fading. The bodies of the fallen muggles throbbed with energy from the spell, the corpses rising from the ground silently, their movements jerky and unbalanced. "Not even Bellatrix has the power to do what I just did Sirius! I am truly the Dark Lord's most trusted, his most powerful follower", Peter sneered at Sirius, his eyes shining with excitement and surging with power. "You should have joined me Sirius…", at once the Inferi lurched towards him, silent and lifeless. Sustained by the magic of their creator, Sirius' barrage of spells had little effect on the risen corpses as they edged ever closer, expressionless and blank; urged forward by their master. Peter was content to let his new creations kill Sirius for him; a perk of having his own minions. Sirius' fatigue was rapidly catching up to him as he fired spell after spell at the hoard of corpses. I can't do this forever. Blast! James would know how to stop these damn things.Even Sirius had to admit that his time might be closing in. Is it my turn now? Not without taking Peter with me. Summoning the last of his energy to the surface, with immense effort he apparated with a loud crack. "And he called me a coward...Sirius was a fool to reject the Dark Lord's gifts", Peter spoke quietly to himself. In his gloating, he never noticed the young wizard appear behind him, and could only turn in disbelief as a cry of 'Sectumsempra' erupted and the curse took effect. Peter's wand hand exploded in a rain of gore, the emotionally charged curse obliterating his hand. Chunks of flesh scattered at his feet, Peter could only stare in horror at the remains of his hand. Sirius' wand slipped from his own hand as fatigue threatened to consume him, and he fell to his knees, unable to support his own weight. Peter's cries of pain and shock muted to him, Sirius' attention diverted to the resurrected corpses that slowly lumbered toward them. I don't have the energy to apparate away. James...i failed you my friend. I am so sorry… Hot, wet tears spilled down his face; his fate accepted. Torn apart by Inferi, who could have seen THAT coming? The bitter thoughts gave him some peace of mind, knowing that, at least, his death was interesting. He closed his eyes and waited…
"A loud cry broken Sirius' trance, and he opened his eyes to the sight of Peter Pettigrew cowering before the horde of corpses that he himself had created. He couldn't control the magic!, the thought empowered Sirius. Dumbledore, as leader of the Order, took it upon himself to explain to his followers why Dark magic should not be used. Above all else, Sirius had learnt that Dark magic took a lot of power and control, and should either one be lacking, the end result could be disastrous for the caster. Such was the case with Peter's Inferi, which were closing in around the Death Eater. Grasping for his wand, Sirius winced at the sounds of Peter's crying abruptly silenced. Without a master, the Inferi were free to direct their ire onto whatever they happened across, and even as they tore him apart, Sirius felt no regret towards his former friend. Even this is too good for you Peter… The inferi took little time to dismember Peter; with their target now silent their attention was drawn to Sirius. Stumbling towards him, the wizard clutched his wand and willed himself to apparate, but found himself without the energy needed. Even now darkness threatened to take him; in his exhaustion he would pass out before the inferi could set upon him. His last frantic thoughts took him back to little Harry. A part of James and Lily lives, Sirius told himself, the thought comforting to him. He would see James again soon…
As he surrendered himself to unconsciousness, Sirius thought he heard the sound of wizards apparating. A gentle warmness closed in around him, a smile etched on his face as the sound of Harry's laughter echoed in his mind.