This story is being cross-posted here by the original authors from Archive Of Our Own.

Padfoot,

Lily was hoping that you'd come by for Hallowe'en and carve pumpkins with us. She wanted to do it the Muggle way with Harry and I know you'd want to be here for it. Wormtail already has plans, but maybe you can grab Moony on your way and we can make it a most-of-the-family night?

Prongs,

Make sure she's prepared to teach a first-year class on pumpkin carving, because me and Moony are in!

It was October 31st which meant it was chilly, but driving an enchanted motorcycle high above the houses made the drive considerably colder. Sirius had made sure to wear a couple of his fraying sweatshirts he had stolen from James years ago with the warm pants Lily had given him when the season had just started to change. The matching knit hat, scarf, and gloves in Gryffindor colors he wore had been a gift from Arthur Weasley. Molly had knit them for him when Arthur told her about one time he had nearly gotten frostbitten on a mission for the Order.

The motorcycle touched down just outside the village near the Potter house and drove there with little noise. The few people who lived in Godric's Hollow were always nice and welcoming that Sirius hated to be too noisy when coming or going during the quiet hours. Sirius turned the motorcycle off and began heading towards the house, eager to get inside to a warm fire. Sirius took quick steps to get into the house, but as soon as he entered the front door he realized something was wrong.

His heart pounded mercilessly in his chest and as he stood in the entryway he could feel his head was being turned by instinct to find his cousin and best friend. Turning his head to the stairs his heart stuttered and clenched in a vice when he saw unmoving legs hanging down from the top of the stairs. Without thought he ran up the stairs to find his dearest friend, James Potter, unmoving. Sirius grabbed his friends neck in vain hope that he'd find some sign that his first impression was wrong, but found none. He whimpered in his throat as he looked into the blank eyes of his friend before his heart could no longer bear the thought of a lifeless James. With a whine that threatened to break into a howl of despair Sirius reached forward and lowered James' eyelids to stop the haunting gaze. The emotions within Sirius that began to bubble up were quickly forgotten when he realized he could hear Harry crying in his room down the hall. Oh! Harry!

Sirius left his friend on the floor, heart aching and broken but knowing there was nothing that could be done, and ran down the hallway to Harry's nursery. He pulled his wand out of his jacket as he rounded the corner, ready to fight whomever had attacked his family. What he found surprised and angered him. Snivilius, he growled internally. Snape was sitting on the floor of the nursery clutching Lily's body while crying softly. Snape was muttering words that Sirius didn't care to listen to. Sirius' first instinct was to curse the vile snake but as he lifted his lips to snarl the spell he noticed the incredibly opulent dress robes near the crib. Someone else had been here.

Sirius reeled at the implications. Severus was there uninvited, he knew for a fact. If he was here, that meant anyone could have found Lily, James and Harry. As much as Sirius hated to even consider it, evidence pointed to Peter having betrayed the Potters to Voldemort.

Harry made a soft howling sound, clearly an effort to get Sirius' attention, Harry had begun doing that after he began playing with Padfoot and watched by Remus. Sirius completely ignored the blubbering snake, there was nothing to be done for Lily and he'd rather leave the slimy git than have a confrontation when Harry needed him. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he went to Harry's crib. Sirius picked up the little boy with tears running down his face and looked him over. Harry had a large, thin wound on his forehead that looked like a lightning bolt spreading out towards his hairline. It wasn't bleeding nor did it appear to be causing him pain which meant it was caused by magic. But whatever kind of magic could have caused such a strange wound was beyond him.

Sirius recognized that he was standing at a crossroad. He knew he could stay and face the Aurors and Order members that were surely on their way. Everyone believed that he was the secret keeper and would assume that he had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. A total of five people knew about the last minute change to make Peter the secret keeper and it would invariably come down to his word against Peter's and as they say, perception is reality.

Sirius chose option two. He was leaving with Harry.

Without a second thought he put Harry into his jacket and zipped it up to protect him from the cold. He walked back out the room, leaving Severus to his disturbing display with Lily's body. He tried very hard not to allow his turbulent emotions to overcome him as he stepped around the body of his best friend. Now was no the time to break down as there would be time to mourn later. Now had to be about Harry.

Sirius ran out the front door, intending to jump on his motorcycle and leave in a hurry, but he only managed to dash straight into the stunned form of Remus as he tried to come in through the front door.

"Sirius! What's wrong with you?" Remus yelled out in pain as he clutched his shoulder. He looked Sirius over, noticing his deep breathes and little Harry, crying out in confusion at the jarring impact, tucked into his jacket. "Sirius. What's going on here? Why do you have Harry?"

"James and Lily are dead, Moony. Peter must have told Voldemort or someone else. I don't know!" Sirius took a deep breath, getting himself back under what little control he could manage. "I'm getting out of here," He spoke evenly, "Everyone is going to think it was me and I'm not leaving Harry behind"

Remus stared at Sirius for a long moment. "Ok," He breathed out as he collected himself, "Ok. Get to your bike and get ready to leave. I'm going to grab a few things from the house"

Sirius chuckled somewhere between hysterical and surprised. "You think you can just invite yourself along, Moony?"

"You'll certainly have succumbed to the Black family madness if you think I'm going to let you go alone," was the dry attempt at humor on this unhallowed eve. Remus walked into house without another word.

Sirius went to his motorcycle and got it started up. Harry whined when the engine started, but Sirius was able to calm him back down with little effort. They didn't have to wait long for Remus to return and take a seat in the sidecar. He stuffed his tattered messenger bag and the blue bag with brown trim that Lily called a 'Nappy Bag' onto the floor of the sidecar. Nappies. Of course, Sirius mentally sighed. Maybe he did need Remus. Sirius eyed Remus beside him and it was obvious that the werewolf had seen the bodies for himself. Without a word Sirius set off from the village and took off once he got enough speed. Once the village was beyond sight and it was clear that no one was following them, Remus spoke up.

"Where are we going to go, Sirius?"

Sirius sighed, but the sound was carried away by the wind. "Not sure," the sound just barely made it to Remus over the rumble of the engine and the howling wind that sounded like that of a mother ripped from her child. Sirius shook his head to clear his vision and pull himself back into the moment. Getting Harry to safety was his only priority.

"Head to Barleycove. It's at the southern tip of Ireland" came Moony's response after a moment of internal deliberation.

Sirius waited for Remus to elaborate, but none came. "Why?"

"It's a port town with a…" Remus searched for a word but gave up his hunt quickly, "…less than savory reputation. We can catch a ride out of the country from there with relative ease"

Once he processed the words, Sirius smirked at his fellow Marauder. "My my, Moony! Dealing with criminals now? Didn't know you had it in you" came Sirius's attempt at some humor.

Remus rolled his eyes in both exasperation and embarrassment. "I'm a werewolf, Padfoot. I've also been prowling around with you hooligans for too long, it must coloring my better judgment." He punctuated his friend's nickname in a clipped tone. "Can't always find honest work" He added too quiet for his friend to hear in the screaming wind.

Sirius chuckled as he changed course to head towards Ireland. The ride was long yet thankfully uneventful. Remus did lean over a few times to check on Harry, but the boy had fallen asleep snuggled up against his Godfather. The ride to Ireland was both too long and too short as the two Marauders spent most of it lost in their own heads. When they began to get close Remus directed them to land outside the small port and to drive straight through to the docks on the other side.

The town itself was comprised of many small buildings and homes that were in various states of disrepair. A couple of the buildings were near what could be considered 'downtown' had completely collapsed some time ago and been abandoned. Despite the streets being empty of all forms of life, Sirius couldn't quite shake the feeling of being watched. If the reputation of this place was even remotely true, then they were very likely being assessed.

"That building there," Remus pointed to a building that looked to be barely standing, but it was very likely it only appeared that way to hide it's illegal activities. "Park outside the door. I'll go inside and make the arrangements. You and Harry stay with the bike." Sirius did as he was told and parked next to the door. Remus got out of the side car with his tattered bag while leaving the Nappy Bag behind. "If there's any sort of trouble, leave immediately." Remus' eyes flashed with authority that even Sirius wouldn't countermand. Remus would not lose more family if things turned for the worst. "These types aren't to be taken lightly"

Sirius slipped a hand into the pocket of his jacket that held his wand and nodded his agreement and understanding. Remus walked inside the door and took what little security Sirius felt with him. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of the wind and sea, while the feeling of being watched never left. Thankfully it didn't take long for Remus to come back out and hop back into the sidecar. He pointed Sirius to continue on through the city and towards the docks.

"Good news. There's one free room on a ship leaving tonight. It's leaving within the hour"

Sirius sighed in relief. "What luck"

"What luck indeed," Remus chuckled darkly, thinking about the luck that had brought them here this evening. "I told the woman we were a family of werewolves, so she gave us a reduced rate"

"Your wolfyness got us a reduced rate?" Sirius smirked as he lifted one amused eyebrow and swerved around building debris in the road.

Remus glared at his friend, "No. Harry got us a reduced rate"

It wasn't long before they reached the docks. Sirius was hesitant taking the motorcycle onto the dock that was missing several planks and sounded like it was seconds away from collapsing. There was a haggard old woman sitting in a rickety looking chair at the end of the dock. She seemed to not notice them as they pulled up.

"Lovely night, innit?" The woman mutter in a thick Irish accent

"I always have a wrench," Remus replied watching for Sirius' bemusement.

Sirius looked to Remus in disbelief, but quickly understood when the woman motioned with a wand an invisible door opened. A grizzled man with several claw marks across his face and tattered clothes appeared.

"Move quickly," He spoke gruffly that could have been a bark. "Leave the bike for the elves." Sirius turned off the bike and grabbed the Nappy Bag while Remus handed a piece of paper to the man. The man looked from Remus to Sirius and then back to the slip of paper. "This says three." Sirius pulled his jackets open to show Harry's head, conveniently Harry howled again upon seeing his Uncle Moony peer down at him. The man nodded as he motioned them into the doorway. The man seemed please, not that either Marauder could really tell. "Weed will show you to your room"

The man stepped to the side and revealed a strange little house-elf whom was wearing a floral dress that was obviously well taken care of. She motioned them to follow her into the darkness behind the man. Weed beckoned them to follow her down the dark stairs and then down one of several long hallways lit almost too dimly to see. Every door they passed along the hallway was closed and a few had faint sounds of conversations or music coming through. Weed stopped next to the only open door.

"This is your room," She spoke with a clipped tone. "There's no leaving or wandering unless it's an emergency. Food trolley will be around once we get to open water."

Weed then left without another word. Remus went into the room first, checking all corners for dangers. He motioned for Sirius when he found nothing. The room was almost as bare as it could be, having only one small bed. Remus took the Nappy Bag back while Sirius secured the door. By the time Sirius had turned back around, Remus had pulled Harry's crib out of the Nappy Bag and had put it against the opposite wall from the bed with just enough space in between to maneuver between. Remus grabbed the howling Harry out of Sirius' coat as he struggled to take a couple of them off.

Sirius watched as Remus gently nuzzled Harry as he took off his coats and laid them at the end of the bed. Remus nibbled at Harry's neck, making Harry giggle. The sound caused everything to lurch inside Sirius. All the emotions that he had pushed back for the journey had broken free and taken him over. Sirius sat down on the terribly squeaky bed, trying to take his breath back from his now raging emotions.

James. Lily. Peter. He'd lost so much family this night. Now he sat on a ship heading for who-knows-where, meaning he had also lost any home he had ever known. He ran from his childhood home to live with the Potter's as a teenager and now he was running from something he didn't completely understand. Why wouldn't life just leave him alone and let him be happy?

Arms wrapping around him shocked him back to reality. Remus had put Harry in his crib at some point and had sat down next to him. Sirius tried to choke down his emotions in an effort to be strong for his friend, but he just couldn't manage it. Remus pulled him into a fierce hug, clutching at him just like a wolf would with it's prey. Sirius could only bury his face into Remus' neck and grab at him as he broke apart. He had no way of knowing how long he set there crying into his only remaining friend when the tears finally stopped. Sirius sat back from Remus, but kept his grip on his shirt. His chest felt empty, bereft of all his emotions and was now feeling utterly lost. Sirius looked up to his friend, only now seeing the tear trails on Remus' face.

"What's happening Remus?" Sirius' asked with a hallow voice. "What are we doing?"

Remus pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the tears off his cheeks before wiping his own face. "I don't really know, Sirius," Remus sighed, letting his hands fall into Sirius' lap. "Everything has gone all wrong"

The two friends sat in silence for another moment before they were startled by a knock at the door. Remus opened the door to reveal a beat up trolley with an incredibly old house-elf sitting on top of it and being pushed by two young house-elves.

"Want anything? Got sandwiches, crisps, and pudding," The old house-elf on top grunted

Remus turned his head towards Sirius. "I spent all my money on the fare"

"I got you," Sirius chuckled as he grabbed his coin bag from one of his inner jacket pockets and tossed it to Remus.

"Two sandwiches and some crisps, please"

Remus handed the money to the old house-elf and was handed some bagged food. "Thank you much, sir," the old house-elf muttered as the other two began pushing the trolley away. Remus secured the door once more and sat back down next to Sirius. Sirius tore into one of the sandwiches, realizing only then how hungry he had become. The emptiness within his chest remained, but the food helped a little. Remus chuckled fondly at his friend and ate his own sandwich, though far slower than Sirius. The two ate quickly while watching Harry toss and turn in an effort to get comfortable enough to sleep.

"I can only hypothesize about the coarse of events that transpired this evening," Remus spoke up after Harry settled down

"I already know how smart you are, Moony," Sirius grinned at the soft blush that appeared on Remus' cheeks. "Bring it down to my level, will ya?"

Remus cleared his throat before continuing. "I can only guess at what happened to James and Lily"

Sirius laid down with his head on the pillow. "Hit me with it then"

With a firm eye roll, Remus grabbed Sirius' feet and removed his shoes with practiced skill. "You may transform into a dog, but you still require manners." The comment made Sirius chuckle again. "Peter must have told Lord Voldemort their location. That's the only way the Fidelius Charm could have been broken,"

"Yes, but why?" Sirius gestured wildly while staring at the ceiling. "Peter's our friend!"

"Not even Dumbledore knew about the last minute Secret Keeper switch. No one outside the group would know it wasn't you. That means that Peter had to have willingly betrayed them to Lord Voldemort."

Sirius chewed on the information only to find no other way around it. "What about Snivellus then?"

Remus snorted at Severus Snape's Marauder coined nickname. "Don't remember Lily talking about him? They were friends once, but things turned sour just before he went full Death Eater. James always thought he wanted more than just friendship with her"

"Certainly would explain why he was there and so utterly distraught"

Remus sighed heavily. "The only thing I know of for sure right now is that we're both idiots for doing this," He motioned to the sleeping Harry. "We've basically stolen him and are running away. Less than legal, that"

"I'm his Godfather!" Sirius exclaimed, clearly affronted

"I am aware," Remus soothed his friend. "But there are steps that must be taken, Sirius. You have to allow the governing body to officially pass custodianship unto you. We have several good reasons, but the Ministry won't see it that way"

Sirius looked to his friend and could see the weight of their actions weighing him down. "Let's stop talking about this now. We'll have plenty of time for it later. We should rest, so get up here," He attempted to demand, but it really just sounded puerile. Remus snickered as he scrawled up the bed and laid down next to Sirius with what little room the small bed could afford. "Now, now, Moony," Remus could hear the smile in his voice. "No need for modesty between friends." All Remus could really do was roll his eyes as Sirius slipped his arms around him and pulled him into cuddling against his side. He rested his head in Sirius' chest, allowing the steady heartbeat to relax his body. "See?" Sirius rested his head on top of Remus'. "Isn't that better?" Sirius rumbled happily

"I hate you," Remus grumbled without an ounce of hostility

"Yeah, yeah. I know"