31 October 1981-Godric's Hollow

As Sirius slowly walked through the hall to the door, baby Harry in his arms, he froze.

The tell-tale cracks of wizards Apparating into an area had just come from outside.

Sirius knew that if it were the Death Eaters, they would be looking for their Master and for Peter, and they would most likely try to kill both him and Harry. If it was the Order or the Ministry, he and Harry would be surrounded and they would try to force him to give Harry away.

'They all think I did it,' he remembered. 'Everyone thinks I was the Secret Keeper, not Peter. Everyone thinks I betrayed my friends, and my godson, to that sick bastard. The ruse worked, then. It seems it worked too well.'

Stepping closer to the doorway, patting Harry on his back to calm him down some more, he saw it was Dumbledore and McGonagall. Both of them had their wands out and appeared to be waiting for him to come out of the cottage.

"Sirius," called Dumbledore calmly, "could you please step outside? We know you're in there."

Sirius thought about his response, feeling unsure about what he should say.

"Don't send any spells at me," he replied, louder. "I'm holding Harry."

McGonagall gasped. He wondered if they were getting the wrong impression about everything, that the two of them were thinking he was negotiating his own escape in exchange for Harry.

"I will not do such a thing unless you provoke us," said Dumbledore, "but I cannot speak for Minerva."

From the doorway, Sirius could see McGonagall lowering her wand and taking in a deep breath. He edged closer. Harry's eyelids were now drooping, his crying having tired him out.

"Sirius, come on out with Harry, unharmed, and I will let you explain yourself," called out Dumbledore.

"Is that a guarantee?" Sirius cried back.

"Just get out here, Black, before Harry breathes in more smoke," barked McGonagall quickly.

Sirius looked back, noticing only now that a fire had now started and the inside of the cottage was filling up with smoke.

"Will do!" he answered, pushing the door back open with his leg and walking out slowly. Harry let out a big cough from the smoke, prompting him to walk faster from the cottage.

"They're-they're gone," he stammered, looking at his two former teachers. "James and Lily…he killed them both. How Harry survived, I don't know."

Dumbledore nodded, his gaze moving towards the scar on Harry's forehead. He knew now that Harry Potter's destiny was to destroy Voldemort for good, now that he had been marked by Voldemort as his equal.

McGonagall held a handkerchief to her eyes, wiping away the tears and sniffing.

"It's…It's all my fault," said Sirius sadly. "What's happened here. It's my fault, it's my fault they're dead, both of them."

"Damn right it is," muttered McGonagall, toning down the rising fury in her voice.

Sirius began to feel the tears well up again. "It was my idea…all of it…we had no idea he'd do it…"

McGonagall and Dumbledore looked at one another with suspicion.

"James and Lily…they wanted me to be Secret Keeper…'but that'd be too obvious,' I told them…"

"Sirius, are you implying that you were not the Secret Keeper?" asked Dumbledore.

Sirius looked at the Headmaster, successfully stopping himself from losing control. "No. I wasn't the Secret Keeper. I was never. Peter was. It was always Peter."

McGonagall gasped and put her hands to her mouth in shock. Peter Pettigrew, the small boy who always followed James and Sirius around, who was never considered special in his own right, had been the one to betray the Potters' whereabouts to You-Know-Who?

"Are you certain it was Pettigrew?" asked Dumbledore.

"I'll use Veritaserum, if you want anything clearer," replied Sirius. "And…he was here. V-Voldemort. It's just his cloak now. Don't know where his wand went."

For a brief moment, Dumbledore was lost in thought, but then he regained focus, glancing at his watch, and turned to McGonagall and Sirius.

"Sirius, Minerva and I are going to escort you and Harry to Hogwarts," he explained with some hurry. "The Ministry should be here in about 5 minutes. They will doubtlessly hold you responsible for this tragedy if you remain, and with Crouch running the DMLE, I doubt you'll even see a trial, even if I try an intervene. You come with us, and your name will be cleared much faster."

He turned more directly to Sirius. "Do you feel in a position to Apparate to Hogsmeade?" he asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Not with Harry, anyway," he replied. "Although I could use a Portkey."

Dumbledore smiled. "That can be arranged."

Picking up a pebble, muttering "Portus," and handing it to McGonagall, who placed her hand and Harry's onto the newly-created Portkey. Sirius soon did the same.

Almost immediately, the familiar uncomfortable sensation that came with the use of a Portkey took hold, and the three adults and baby soon found themselves in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

Sirius looked around. Dumbledore smiled sheepishly. Evidently, he needed to clean it up.

"I think I should take him to the Hospital Wing," said Sirius. "If that's alright with you."

"It is," replied Dumbledore. "Though Minerva can escort you there."

Nodding politely, the young wizard and the middle-aged witch went down the steps to the corridors, through the gargoyle-guarded entrance, and began making their way to the Hospital Wing.

With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore had soon cleaned up his office and moved to sit down behind his desk.

'Sirius Black was never the Potters' Secret Keeper,' he thought with sadness. 'Instead, it was Peter Pettigrew. It was clever of them to do that, actually. Unfortunately, it seems to have worked too well, seeing as Sirius will be needing to work very hard to clear his name and prove his innocence. However, it seems that now, I can say with some confidence that Pettigrew was also the spy in the Order for Voldemort. No doubt Severus will have mixed feelings from this revelation.'

Dumbledore's thoughts then turned to Harry. 'He survived. By God, he actually survived the Killing Curse. Lily must have done it. Yes, there is only the matter of the scar on his forehead, but the good thing is that he is still alive. But he has now been marked as Voldemort's equal, and if there is any chance that he is still alive, then it is all too likely he will try to regain strength to finish what he has started.'

The two trains of thought were then allowed to collide. 'Sirius is clearly wracked with guilt by not becoming Secret Keeper. He feels responsible for the deaths of James and Lily. But it is not his fault-a Secret Keeper can only divulge his or her secret willingly. It was Pettigrew's decision to betray his friends to Voldemort. That needs to be made clear.

'Then there is the fact that Sirius will not allow Harry to leave him. He is doubtlessly aware of the strain in the relationship between Lily and Petunia, and if I inform him of what needs to be done to keep Lily's protection strong in Harry, he will not be happy. And I do not think taking Harry by force from his godfather will be wise-especially at this point.'

He put a hand to his chin. "Perhaps something of a compromise can be worked out," he muttered. "Harry does not need to spend every single day with his aunt's family-since he will be coming here in a few years, that would greatly inconvenience his magical education. There is one idea I could try out, but I'm not entirely certain that that would work for, especially not if Sirius and Petunia disagree with it.

"In addition, I highly doubt that Lily and James told him about the prophecy, or anyone else for that matter. And seeing as Sirius looks like he wants answers and wants to know just why his friends and godson were targeted, then it would perhaps be for the best that he become aware of its existence as well."

At this moment, remembering the prophecy made by Sybil Trelawney, Dumbledore realised the Longbottoms were still at risk of a Death Eater attack.

He rose quickly from his seat and ran out of his office towards the Potions laboratory for Veritaserum. Sirius Black needed to be absolved of his alleged crimes, and he needed to tell Sirius everything that he knew.

AN: This is probably where events will diverge greatly from canon.

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