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Chapter One: Things That Go Bump In The Night

Sirius had to have paced around Privet Drive at least a dozens times by now. He wasn't sure how long he just wandered along the Muggle neighborhood, thinking, waiting, and wondering.

It had been nearly two weeks since the Ministry ran into the filthy supposedly dead rat and questioned him. Now Sirius stood across the street staring wistfully at the Dursley residence, wanting nothing more than to see his little godson again. The custody papers all signed, their home ready and waiting, only the business of picking Harry up remained.

Of course, it probably wasn't the best idea to fly his motorcycle there at three in the morning. The abandoned undisturbed street was all he'd find at this hour. Harry was no doubt snug in bed sleeping soundly with the rest of the sane people of the world.

However, a faint crash caught Sirius's attention to prove there were others about at such an ungodly hour. Muffled sounds followed the crash and Sirius's eyes widened as he realized the source of the ruckus came from none other but his godson's house. He could have sworn he felt his heart come to a screeching halt as an eerie green light illuminated the windows of Number 4 Privet Drive.

Pushing panic aside and whipping out his recently returned wand, Sirius raced across the street and burst the front door open. Two Death Eaters turned just in time to him before his stunners found their mark. Three loud cracks from above told him others has just disapparated. He bounded up the stairs and opened the closest door to find the bodies of Dursleys and strangely enough a Death Eater, but no Harry.

Oh no. No. No. No. He's here. He's fine. He has to be, Sirius thought desperately. He refused to believe he had lost his godson, the only thing he had left to live for, when they were so close to being together again.

He cautiously opened the other doors down the door, bracing himself for the possibilities that could lie behind each one, but found nothing of his godson.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted, not ready to give up hope just yet, He searched under beds and small hiding places. "Harry! Come on out, kiddo! No one's going to hurt you!"

Coming back down the stairs Sirius noticed the tiny cupboard under the stairs. He instantly recognized the tingling sensation of powerful magic surrounding it. Sirius turned the handle and peered inside to find a small boy with glasses and a mess of untidy dark hair hugging his knees with tears down his cheek, pushing as far away from the door as the cramped space would allow.

"Harry," Sirius whispered, relief rushing through him like a flood,

"I-I'm s-sorry," Harry sobbed. "I d-didn't mean to hurt anybody. Aunt P-Petunia screamed and the gr-green light was scary. I-"

"Shhh. It's alright, kiddo," Sirius said soothingly. "You didn't do anything wrong. Come on out of there, Harry. They're gone now."

"Wh-who are you?" Harry asked nervously, not moving a muscle to leave.

"I'm Sirius, Harry, your godfather and a really good friend of your parents. I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" Sirius explained, holding out a hand to help Harry out.

Harry considered the hand for a moment before accepting it and allowing Sirius to carry him out of his cupboard. His godfather's arms felt strange and foreign to him, yet oddly comforting as well.

"That's it Harry. Now we're going to-"

But Sirius barely had time to think Merlin, this kid is small for five, before he heard someone creeping behind him and whirled around, Harry in one arm, his wand raised and ready in the other.

"Black. I should've known you'd come to your precious godson's rescue," sneered the voice behind the mask. "What would itty bitty baby Potter do without you protect him from the big bad Death Eaters?"

"Bellatrix?" said Sirius incredulously. "What-How did you-?"

"Escape Azkaban?" Bellatrix finished for him. "Well, not all of us get the get out of jail free card like you did cousin, but your good buddy Wormtail was a great help." Bellatrix laughed manically. "Now that we're free our master shall soon return as well. So, if would just hand over baby Potter there'll be no need for family quarrels, cousin."

Sirius gave Harry a reassuring squeeze before setting him down and placing himself in front of the boy. "You're raving if you think I'm just going to hand over Harry, Lily and James's son, the child I swore to protect and just wish you luck on the Voldemort search."

Bellatrix flinched upon hearing her master's name, but merely shrugged and said, "Suit yourself," before shouting "Come on out, boys!"

Suddenly dozens of Death Eaters were apparating out of nowhere, completely surrounding them. Harry fearfully took a hold of Sirius's hand, despite Aunt Petunia's voice in the back of his head scolding him for the action. He had to admit he was worried when the annoying lady asked Sirius told hand him over, but he got the feeling his newfound godfather would keep him safe no matter what.

"One more chance, Bla-"

"Go. To. Hell," Sirius said through clenched teeth, gripping his godson's hand tightly.

Bellatrix's eyes glinted gleefully as she nodded to the other Death Eaters. Every wand was aimed in their direction. There was no way Sirius could get the two of them out alive. Abandoned the idea of fighting them off, he bent down and wrapped his arms around his godson, shielding him from what would soon be a barrage of Unforgivables.

"As soon as the light goes away, I want you to run away as fast as you can and don't look back, okay Harry?" he whispered in the boy's ear urgently.

He felt Harry nod against his shoulder as the Death Eaters collectively muttered, "Avada Ked-"

A flash of light came all right, but the entire house was illuminated with a blinding red. Sirius looked up to find Albus Dumbledore with several Aurors in the doorway.

Harry and Sirius made a run for the door, Sirius stunning as many as he could on his way out. Casting a final longing glance at the duel between Bellatrix and Dumbledore, Sirius turned to the petrifying sight of seeing his little godson trapped in the arms of Wormtail with a knife to Harry's throat.

Sirius raised his wand to blow the filthy rat into the pieces he should have blown him into long ago, but felt his wand fall to the floor as Wormtail pressed harder on the blade and Harry winced. He could only stand and watch powerlessly, as the horrifying realization that Wormtail could end Harry's life forever hit him with the speed and force of the Hogwarts Express.

"If you hurt him," Sirius said through clenched teeth, "you know I'll see to it personally that you die in the most drawn-out and excruciating manner available."

"Th-that's if y-you c-can find me under my m-master's protection," Wormtail muttered nervously.

"Your master is as good as dead."

"Not for long," Wormtail said, revealing the vial in his hand and slowly piercing Harry's skin with the blade.

Suddenly a flash of red light came from behind the filthy rat and Wormtail fell to the floor as Remus stepped in, nodded to Sirius, and joined the fight.

Sirius ran to Harry and examined the small cut across his pale throat. Luckily it hadn't been deep enough to do any real damage. He then preformed a quick Cleansing Charm on the knife that had drawn Harry's blood, as it was obvious that was what the filthy rat was after.

Ignoring the crazy urge to plunge the knife into the filthy rat, Sirius picked up his godson and ran the rest of the way to his motorcycle. Putting on Harry's helmet and instructing him to hold on real tight to Sirius, they sped off into the sky.