Disclaimer - J.K. Rowling owns us all. Or, at least, the plot of the whole series.
- Night of Death –
Sirius awoke with a start. He flung his eyes open and blinked several times and breathed very fast. It couldn't be true, he thought. He slowly closed his eyes and the same picture appeared again. A ruined house, a well-known street. Screams. Pale, dead bodies between the ruins of the smashed house... Sirius opened his eyes again. He had to check. He slowly rose, and drew his hands through his hair and held them over his face. It had been so real. He looked at Veronique, who lay quietly beside him and sighed, then took a quick glance at the digital clock on the nightstand. 04:20 blinked in red neon light. He swung his leg over the bedside. The moment his feet touched the floor, V.'s eyes opened.
"Sirius?" She asked. "What's going on?" He looked at her. Her pale skin shone in the dark, the long, black hair was laying wavy across the pillow, and those blue eyes stared at him. "Where are you going?" she asked quietly.
"I have... I have to check something." He sighed and rose from the bed. Sirius turned around and looked at V. once more. She hadn't moved an inch.
"Sirius, these last two days... I feel that there's something going on. Something you're not telling me." She sat up in bed, never breaking eye-contact. "Something important."
Sirius closed his eyes. "I'm going to James and Lily's. I... just before... I had a dream. And every time I close my eyes... it reappears... so clearly." He opened his eyes again. He'd started shivering.
"You sound like my sister now," V. said. She crawled across the bed, sat up at the other side of bed and looked at Sirius. "Sirius, I heard from the others that you're the Secret Keeper. Unless you aren't or unless you told Voldemort, there's nothing to be afraid of." He swallowed, and looked the other way. "You... you haven't told Voldemort... have you? Sirius?" V. looked at Sirius with concern in her eyes.
"I haven't told Voldemort. I'd never... I never would. I never will." He went to the closet and ripped some random clothes from the hangers, and changed.
"Do you want me to come along?"
He sighed. "No." Sirius turned around and looked at V. She lowered her arms. "But can you do me a favour?" She nodded. "If anything happens...". He swallowed again. "If anything happens to me... hide our rings... ". Sirius had wiggled his ring off, and put it in her hand. He nodded, mostly to encourage himself, turned around again, and put on his shoes.
V. opened her hand and looked at the ring. "Something's really happened, right?" She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she could feel Sirius´ breath on her face.
"I love you..." he said.
"Take c-..." she started, but Sirius had leaned in and kissed her, stopping her midsentence. She smiled and pushed him away a bit. "I love you too." They looked at each other for some time. They were both at loss of words. Finally Sirius silently nodded. He walked passed V., who weren't looking after him, and out through the door. She only turned, when he had disappeared into the dark night. "Take care of yourself..." she whispered after him.
Sirius had went to the garage and gotten his motorbike. With a last gaze towards their small house, he flew out into the night, towards Peter's hiding place. It was only a dream, he kept telling himself:Peter is at the hiding place, and James and Lily are alive. And so is Harry. Nothing's wrong.
After what seemed like hours, he arrived. He quickly placed the bike, and ran towards the front door and flung it open. Empty. The house was empty. Sirius started shaking. He searched the entire house, but no Peter. Something was wrong. No sign of abduction. "James," Sirius whispered and ran out of the house, leaving the door open.
When he arrived at the street, there was no house anymore. Only a ruin. Sirius almost fell of the bike and silently walked towards the remains of the Potter house. He felt the blood leave his face. "What have I done...?"
He suddenly heard a noise from the ruins and quickly pulled his wand. "Who's there?" More stones moved, and a giant figure appeared.
"Don' attac'!" he heard the figure yell. Sirius lowered his wand and cocked his head (Dog's habit).
"Hagrid? Rubeus Hagrid? What are you doing here?" He saw the figure straighten out and fight his way through the ruins to the light of a twitching lamp.
"Sirius Black?" Hagrid asked. Sirius silently nodded. "It's... it's so horrible... Lily and James. I know how close you were. You and James..." Hagrid went towards Sirius, and padded his back with great force. Sirius noticed that Hagrid had something in his other arm.
"Hagrid? What's that?". Hagrid looked down at the bundle. "Harry..." Sirius gaped. "He... he survived? What's happened to his forehead?". Hagrid shook his head.
"I dunno 'ow and why. But the scar..." Sirius crinched. "The scar's probably th' reason 'e's still breathin'..."
"Hagrid, give him to me. I'm his godfather. I'll take care of him." Sirius held out his arms, but Hagrid shook his head.
"Dumbledore gave me orders to get Harry... if 'e was there. He's to live at Lily's sister's."
"The Muggles?" Sirius asked. "The ones who hate magic?". Hagrid shrugged.
"Yeah..." he answered.
"Why shouldn't he live with his godfather?" Sirius asked. Hagrid once again shrugged his giant shoulders.
"I s'psse Dumbledore 'as 'is reasons."
Sirius thought back at the last few days. Everyone thinks I'm the Secret Keeper. They think I'm the bad guy. Sirius stared at the ruins again. "And...". He swallowed. "James and Lily? Did you see them?"
Hagrid lowered his head. "Dead before I got 'ere."
Sirius closed his eyes. The dream. It wasn't a dream. It was a vision of what happened another place. What had happened. He suddenly felt a strong pull from behind and opened his eyes.
"It'll be all right." Hagrid said to Sirius, even though it sounded more like a reassurance to himself.
I have to run. I can't stay, Sirius thought. I have to find Peter. The thoughts flurred inside Sirius´ head. "Hagrid," he said hoarsely. "Take my bike. It'll take you to Dumbledore faster." This time is was Hagrid who gaped.
"Really?" he asked. Sirius nodded.
"I don't need it anymore. Promise me to take care of it." He smiled faintly. "James gave it to me." Hagrid nodded. Sirius looked at Hagrid. "Can I hold him? Just one more time?" One last time, he thought.
Hagrid looked down at the bundle, muttered a 'Sure', and handed Sirius his precious cargo.
Sirius looked down at his godson. He was so big. One year old and an orphan, now doomed to live a life with people who hated him. He didn't deserve that. Sirius' eyes wandered to the child's forehead, which sported a mysterious scar, shaped like a lightning. Harry opened his eyes slowly, and Sirius got teary eyed. Lily's eyes. The only thing left of her. Right then and there, Sirius swore, that he would get things right. He would make it okay... and even if it took him a hundred years; Harry would come to live with him. He heard Hagrid cough. Sirius handed the last evidence of James and Lily's life to the giant and wiped his eyes with his hand. With a nod he turned towards the ruins once more. "We'll have to get away now... before the neighbours appear.". With a goodbye Hagrid walked towards Sirius´ bike.
Sirius watched the silhouette disappear into the dark. He went down the street, and with a last look at the ruins, we transformed himself into a great, black dog, and ran towards Peter's house once more.
