Chapter 2

The next morning Sirius was woken up by a loud cry. Startled he shot up in his bed and looked frantically around, until realizing, where he was. He was still rather exhausted as he hugged Harry and tried to soothe him. The baby needed milk and something to eat, he thought a moment later. The question was only where he should get that. Then he remembered that the hotel provided breakfast. As he showered Harry briefly, his godson fortunately stopped his crying since he was playing fascinated with the water. Sirius sighed relieved. Harry's cries didn't exactly help to calm his nerves. After he had dressed Harry and himself, he wanted to go downstairs.

A loud crash prevented that however. He flinched, spun around and saw a brown-white ball gluing to the windowpane. It took a moment until he recognized his owl which was carrying a large white thing – it looked like the Daily Prophet. Sirius seated Harry on the bed and fetched his rather dishevelled owl inside. The bird chirped shortly and settled at the window seat. Harry, who had watched the events intently, laughed and reached for the owl with his tiny hands. In the meantime Sirius' gaze fell on the front page. There he saw a large photo of James, Lily and Harry. A photo of himself was also beaming back at him. How on earth had the Prophet got hold of these pictures? It seemed that the Daily Prophet hadn't been able to decide which headline to choose since there were several at once.

'You- Know- Who defeated by one year old Harry Potter'

'James and Lily Potter killed by You-Know-Who'

'Death Eater Sirius Black betrayed the Potters'

'Harry Potter kidnapped by Sirius Black'

If it hadn't been so terrible Sirius would have laughed about the Daily Prophet. But the pictures only reminded him of the previous night. He had hardly begun to read through the various articles as he was interrupted by Harry who started to cry again. Sirius laid the newspaper on the bed, picked Harry up and went downstairs to the dining room. Apart from them there were merely two other guests present. He sat down and began to feed Harry.

"Miks"

Sirius looked clueless at Harry, while pondering what Harry could mean with this.

"What do you want?"

"Miks." Harry repeated, raised his tiny hand and wanted to grab the cup.

"Milk! Be careful, Harry, otherwise you'll knock over the cup."

While Sirius tried to feed Harry und to eat simultaneously, he repeatedly cast short glances at the television which was standing in one corner and was switched on. He had been always fascinated with all the objects which had been invented by Muggles. The first television he had seen in Godric's Hollow. Lily had wanted one in her house.

Suddenly he saw something on the screen, what caused him – with a fiercely sweep of his hand – to knock over his glass of coffee. He saw himself.

As he was staring spellbound at the screen, he didn't notice that the coffee soaked the table-cloth and that Harry tried to paint a picture on the desk, using the soft butter. The voice on TV was saying that he was a dangerous criminal, who had killed a couple and had abducted their one year old son. Sirius felt how panic rose in him. Had anyone recognized him?

He was such an idiot. He had forgotten his wand or better said he had left it in his room.

Although he had learned as an Auror that that was the one thing you never – under no circumstances – were allowed to do. He had to disappear from this hotel as fast as possible. The owner would very likely recognize him once he had seen the news. Sirius stood up and picked Harry up as his glance fell on the table which looked by then as if there had taken place a battle. A moment Sirius looked at Harry's pictures which contrasted with the soaked table- cloth. Shaking his head he shrugged his shoulders, hid his face behind Harry's shock of hair and went out. Luckily he arrived at his room without any complications. He seated Harry on the bed and began to pack the few things. Then he stopped abruptly. Where should he go?

The whole thing was a nightmare; a terrible nightmare. He had to go away. That was for certain. That was most important.

The owner of the hotel whom he had paid yesterday could recognize him any time and could call the police. He finished packing and turned to Harry. Meanwhile the baby had decorated the blanket with its butter stained hands. Sirius stared unbelievingly at the blanket, then at Harry who was looking at him cheerfully. Careful Sirius picked Harry up and went to the bath-room.

Minutes later Sirius and Harry were flying far above the ground. His owl flew next to them. They were invisible – at least Sirius hoped that – since they used James' invisibility cloak. Occupied with developing a plan how it should go on, he was trying to hold his broom with one hand and with the other to clutch Harry. While it had been easy to fly with Harry only yesterday, today it turned out to be rather difficult. The baby writhed in his arm and reached with his hands for the clouds.

After a brief while Sirius was shortly before losing his nerve because Harry threatened constantly to slip out of his hands.

Suddenly he remembered that the Potters possessed a little house in Canada. James had told him once. It was unlikely that Dumbledore or anyone else would know about this. The idea was perfect; he had, however, a small problem. He didn't know the exact location of the house. As Canada was too big as he would have been able to search the whole country, there was only one possibility. He had to return to Godric's Hollow. Perhaps James had left something behind that would help him. Twenty minutes later he landed carefully in the garden of Godric's Hollow.

He was totally exhausted. To prevent Harry from falling down had been more strenuous than his Quidditch games in Hogwarts had ever been. With Harry in his arms, he went inside. There he felt how he was seized by an icy shivering. He felt trapped. Actually he had never had the intention to return to this house. His eyes fell on the spot where he had found James. It had happened only yesterday but to him it seemed like an eternity had passed already.

He took a deep breath and entered the study.

There would be the most likely place to find something useful. Harry mumbled something what he couldn't understand and began to cry while trying to free himself of his grasp. Sirius sighed. He felt so tired that he could have fallen asleep immediately. But he knew that he couldn't stay here for long. Aurors could come and look for him.

He put the crying Harry on the ground and began to search through the drawers of the desk. While doing so he felt like a criminal. He found some Muggle money, various keys and a pile of papers which he immediately skimmed. Finally he found what he had searched for, a little address book which was made of leather. When seeing the address of the house in Canada in front of him he would have loved to jump in the air.

He turned towards Harry but his godson had disappeared. Cursing he stormed into the hall. The baby was just stumbling upstairs. Sirius, who already imagined a falling Harry, raced upstairs and took him in his arms. Harry mumbled again something unintelligible and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Don't do this ever again." he said sternly.

"Yehthee." was Harry's answer.

Sirius went upstairs and in Lily's and James' room he fished out a large suitcase.

In a hurry he packed everything in that could be suitable. He packed nearly the entire content of Harry's cupboard and all of those toys he easily could reach. Since the suitcase was magically, there fortunately wasn't any problem. His broom also disappeared into the suitcase.

To ensure that he wouldn't be recognized immediately he cut his long hair short and changed it into a dark blond. He put a little green cap on Harry's head and then he left the house. In one hand he carried Harry, in the other the suitcase. As he had crossed the garden, he cast a glance to his owl who had made herself comfortable on one of the trees and shrugged. Well, she would find him, he thought. Two streets away he climbed into a taxi. Half an hour later he was at the airport. Three hours later he sank totally exhausted in the soft seat of the aeroplane and while clutching Harry to his chest he fell asleep at once.

Meanwhile some Order members and Aurors were standing in the hall of Godric's Hollow. They had followed Black's way. Yesterday they had gone to Grimmauld Place, only to discover tat it had been too late. Black hadn't been there anymore. Today in the morning the Ministry had heard about a phone call. A Muggle had rung up the police and due to this call they had been able to find the hotel. Other Muggles had called some time later and reported something strange they had seen in the air. It had looked like two legs, they described.

The last Muggle had seen this mysterious thing near to Godric's Hollow. So they had gone here. That nearly the half furniture had disappeared was the first thing they noticed. They had come too late again.

Remus Lupin was standing in Harry's nursery and was staring at the overturned cradle. Unable to move, he shook his head. Why had that happened? Why had Sirius done that? Why?

But he didn't find an answer, no more than he had found one the previous night which he had spent wide awake in his armchair. Only in the morning tiredness had finally overwhelmed him. As he had opened his eyes little later, he had an aim. Without eating breakfast he had left his flat. His thoughts were only governed by Harry. They had to find him. He didn't doubt that they would succeed. The ministry had instructed everyone with the search for Harry it could spare and the entire Order also helped. The government of the Muggles was informed, too.

Of course the Muggles hadn't been told the entire truth. The magical Ministries of the other countries in Europe were as well in the picture about the events.

While the magical world was celebrating the downfall of the Dark Lord, Remus knew that he could only be happy again when Harry would be found. And he would help the Aurors to find Harry. This aim, this task would at least distract him from the immeasurable grief.

He looked out of the window and thoughtfully regarded the garden. Where had Sirius gone to?

The following day at seven o' clock Sirius left the airport. In his arms Harry was sleeping. Sirius pulled his coat tighter to himself, he shivered. On the street a bit snow was lying and it was cold. A while later he was sitting yawning in a taxi. Although he had slept a little in the aeroplane he still was tired and exhausted. In the middle of the night he had been woken up by Harry and since then he had been awake; for the reason that Harry had wanted to play by all means and had thought nothing of falling asleep again. So Harry was napping now.

Sirius kissed Harry's dishevelled hair, turned his head and looked the remaining drive out of the window. The landscape which passed him, he, however, ignored fort the most part.

One hour later they arrived at their new home. After paying the taxi driver, Sirius focused his attention on the house in front of which they stood.

It was old and rather dilapidated. In the garden grew a lot of plants in a total chaos and the grass was at least a half metre high. It was more a rundown place, he thought with a sigh.

That he really had needed. He went across the garden, stopped in front of the entrance and searched for the keys he had found in Godric's Hollow. After an eternity he found the right key. Harry, whom he was holding with one arm, was watching him fascinated, as he unlocked the door.

Stepping into the house they were enveloped in a cloud of dust. Harry had to cough and began to cry. It was obvious that no one had lived in this house for years. So Sirius quickly went outside again, where he tried to bring Harry to stop his heart-rending cries.

"Do you need help?"

Sirius flinched and spun around. There on the street a young woman was standing. She had brown long hair, dark eyes and was wearing a blue tracksuit. She smiled at him.