Author's note:

I made a mistake with the last sneak peek; it was not Marlene, just Remus. I edited it.

I do not own the Harry Potter universe or anything that comes along with it. That honor goes to its magnificent creator, J.K. Rowling. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

(Edit 12/5/2021: This was first published in late 2020.)

Chapter 6: A Sly Rat

Sirius Black, as a dog, sat shivering in the cold outside 4 Privet Drive, waiting, hoping, for a sign of life other than Lily's foul relatives. Fate had its way, and none came. Little did he know that whether Harry had been kidnapped or not, there would still be no sign of him. He had no indication that at that point of day, Harry would have been either locked in his cupboard or scrubbing the bathroom, both of which made little to no noise, unless he was getting yelled at.

Sirius knew how awful and... muggle-like Lily's sister (what was her name, Patricia?) was; Lily had complained about it enough to James who had been kind enough to relay their whole conversations to him. Once Lily had opened up to him, he got to hear her lamenting first-hand. Oh, joy.

Anyway, if the Dursleys were anything like how Petunia was supposed to have been, they probably had disliked Harry. Sirius couldn't fathom why Dumbledore even thought of handing him to them. But still, they must have treated Harry decently; they were family, after all, right?

Sirius changed back into his human self and apparated away, confident he had not been seen. Meanwhile, Arabella Figg spun around from her position at the end of Privet Drive and rushed off to tell Marlene about her new finding.

~~~scene change~~~

"Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban," Remus muttered to Marlene as they watched Harry practice his penmanship. It was about a week into January, and everybody's spirits were down.

"I know, Arabella owled me to say that she saw him outside the Dursleys' home," Marlene commented, "Funny he didn't think of killing someone while he was there." Marlene was still hurt by Sirius's betrayal. Right before we were going to get married, Marlene thought bitterly.

"We need groceries." Remus abruptly changed the topic. He knew the topic of Sirius was a sore spot for her. "I'll go out to get them."

It was two days after Christmas, and the snow from the storm had completely melted into slush as the weather spontaneously warmed up. It was still cold, though, so Remus held his coat tight around him as he navigated the crowd and puddles of wet ice. Anybody who falls down today is going to be a very unlucky person, he thought.

There was a putrid smell hanging in the air; Remus could smell it. He looked around him for the source. He recognized that smell.

A family of redheads caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Remus immediately recognized them as the Weasleys; Molly and Arthur had been a few years above him in school. He ticked them off in his head. Molly, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George (the twins), Ron, and Ginevra (was it?). Arthur was probably at work.

And then his gaze fell on it. Not Percy, but what was in his hand. He could recognize that rat anywhere. Disregarding all better judgement, he lunged at the animal, which hopped out of Percy's hands and scampered away.

"Peter!" Remus growled, at the same time that Percy shrieked "Scabbers!" And the chase was on.

But Remus was not the only person to have spotted the animagus. A familiar black, hairy dog was also bounding through the crowds towards the tiny rat.

Remus switched his focus to Sirius. The rat was the least of his worries at the moment; if Sirius was found out, he would surely get the Kiss. That would have been awful for Remus even if he had believed his friend to be guilty, but now, with proof otherwise, one reckless move could wrongfully cost Sirius his life. But he was in a crowded street full of muggles; what could he do?

Impedimenta! Remus thought with all his might, discreetly pointing his wand. Wordless magic was difficult to do while also trying to conceal the light produced by the spell. Oh well, the Ministry would be needing to call in a team of Obliviators once the whole fiasco was settled.

But Remus had picked the worst time to cast it. The jinx hit the mutt just as it was morphing into a human, and everybody stared as a very tired-looking Sirius Black appeared out of nowhere and tripped and fell to the ground.

Immediately, Sirius was surrounded by Ministry Aurors. "Pettigrew! He was just there —" the convict trailed off as he looked around for any sign on the traitor. But Peter had taken the opportunity to scamper away into a drain while nobody was looking. Sirius's claims sounded like the pleas of a madman.

Remus could only stand there as Sirius was dragged away by the Aurors and the Obliviators rushed on scene to modify the memories of the muggles that were there. And at the last moment, Sirius caught his eye, first looking at him in confusion, then sadness as he noticed the wand in the werewolf's hand, not in anger nor hurt, just sadness, before being apparated away. All Remus felt was guilt, knowing that it was him who had condemned Sirius.

It was all his fault. All those seven years when he believed that Sirius would betray him, Lily, and James, he could have saved him. Remus could see into Sirius's eyes, darting and nervous, his movements sharp and jerky. Even if Sirius survived, he would be broken and worn, the years in Azkaban having eaten into him.

With Sirius's breakout being right after Harry's disappearance, Remus guessed that the only thing that kept him going was the prospect of seeing his godson again. That, and avenging Lily and James's death by killing Pettigrew.

I have to save Sirius. And with a pop, he was gone.

Sneak Peek Into Next Week:

Can Remus and Marlene save Sirius before it's too late?