DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the content referenced/quoted. Warning for swearing

...

The Halloween

Em knows she shouldn't be here. The rain is battering down on the cobbled street, thunderous clouds blocking out the little light of the moon as they roll across the sky. She can barely see through the sheet of rain, but what little she can see looks so vastly different from the street she could remember.

Lights flicker eerily. The grand old buildings that once loomed over the tiny square have been replaced with rickety flats, decaying and crumbling with age; the once pristine streets now streaked in grime and thick mud that make the journey over the cobbles a slippery one. Rubbish bags are strewn about, their plastic skins torn open to reveal their rotting innards. Em lingers on the corner of the square, looking over at the row of tenements. A light flickers in one window, cracked open slightly to release a cloud of smoke. Her eyes narrow on it.

Em starts forward, pulling her jacket closer around her. She slips and slides across the cobblestones towards the flat door. Her eyes sting from the stench. With a quick glance around, she leans closer to inspect the scratched up lock; a thin smile stretches across her lips.

A quick push here, a jiggle there, and - the door swings open. Em internalises her inner cheer.

The door closes behind her with a soft click. It echoes in the empty stairwell, thick with the stink of piss and bad booze. Em starts up the stairs, ignoring the squeak of her sneakers against the steps. She counts each door as she passes, one, two, three, four. She draws to a stop outside a bright red door on the second landing. The wood is deeply gouged with thick claw marks. The 'welcome' mat is squinted, and dust covers the doorbell. Em takes a deep breath, her hand hovering the wood. Her other hand, deep in her pocket, brushes against crumpled paper.

Come on, you big wimp.

She knocks, and the sound of flesh against wood echoes within the tiny flat beyond the front door. There is no reply.

Em counts to ten before knocking again, then counts to five before knocking again. She continues until she hears a groaning within, followed by a shuffling and a grumble. The deep baritone sound washes over her and settles in her stomach like a rock.

Finally - finally - the door clinks and opens, revealing tired grey eyes under the bedhead. Those eyes blink once, twice, then widen.

"Emilia."

"Sirius," she replies quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius glances up and down his close before pulling the woman into his apartment. The door clangs shut behind them, the lock automatically sliding into place.

Sirius stares down at Em, mussed and bleary-eyed. He is half-dressed, sporting a large bandage on one shoulder, his wand twirling anxiously in the other. His stare makes her nervous.

"Have you seen Peter?"

Sirius stares at her baffled, his hand twitching anxiously at his side, "Have I...Have I seen Peter? Are you joking with me, Em? What on Godric's green earth are you doing here asking me about Pete?"

"Something's not right, Sirius." She pulls at her hair, anxiety leaking into her expression, "Something's not right and I can't sleep and I keep hearing these words in my head, but last night was different, last night was something new-"

"What's going on, Em?"

She bites her lip, and Sirius reaches out to grasp her hand.

"I'm not letting you out of here until you tell me what's going on."

"I was supposed to go to you, if something went wrong, if I felt like something wasn't right, you were supposed to be the one I could trust."

Sirius drops her hand like he's been burned.

"Albus sent Remus back to the packs, to try and talk sense into them. He refused, Sirius, he refused to let me tell you anything."

Sirius says nothing, just studies her face as if hunting for something.

"He's been with the packs this entire time?"

"He's been with the packs for the last year and a half. I've not heard from him in months."

Sirius looks like he might throw up. Em is not surprised.

"But if he's not…" Sirius' eyes widen and she tenses at the sight. "Fuck."

The man jumps into action, sprinting down the hall like Hades himself was on his heels. Em startles at the sudden movement, watching as Sirius rushes from one end of the flat to the other, a shirt caught over his head and a wand in his other hand.

"Sirius…"

Grey eyes turn to her frantically, "We've got to go."

"Sirius, what…?"

A pale hand clamps down on her arm and before she can even protest, Sirius is dragging out the tenement and back onto the sodden streets. He's in such a rush, Em almost crushes a carved pumpkin underfoot as he drags her around another corner.

...

When the world finally stops spinning, Em doubles over and empties her lunch over Sirius' shoes.

"Really?" The man holds up a sneaker in disgust. She wipes her mouth with a grimace.

"Remind me why we couldn't take the flying motorcycle?" She asks weakly.

"Not fast enough, scourgify." He waves his wand impatiently, and before Em has a chance to recover, he's pulling her along again.

"What's going on, Sirius?"

"Shh."

"Sirius!"

"Shh, just keep quiet, Em."

He pulls her past another neat row of quaint cottages. He's taken her somewhere rural. She's not sure why.

The streets give way to a small village square, filled with the golden glow of streetlights. Sirius starts to slow, lurking behind some hedges on the outskirts of the square. Everything is still, quiet.

Sirius surveys the little row of cottages, his gaze deep and probing each one, until - he exhales in relief. Collapses on the ground beneath the hedge.

Em stays standing, looking out over the square. It seems peaceful, too peaceful almost. Now that she is looking properly, there was something about this place that looked almost familiar, almost like…

"Sirius…"

Crack.

Em ducks behind the hedge as the sound echoes across the square. Sirius goes very still beside her. After a moment, she can hear a shuffling sound, like robes dragging across the cobbles. The air grows thick, so thick it sticks in the back of her throat; cool fingers slip down her spine, and she shivers. The sound grows closer and closer, and closer. Sirius' body begins to shake, and he clenches his fist around his wand. Em knows who has arrived.

Lord Voldemort.

There's a soft murmur, and suddenly a gate slams open in the garden beside them. Sirius looks at her and she looks at him, and all she knows is that if Sirius doesn't move, the bloody Dark Lord is going to turn and see them and what a fat lot of help they would be dead, and how much Remus is going to go mental when he finds out and she wonders if magic could bring back someone from the dead because if it could Remus would bring her back and kill her again for pulling a stunt like this and - then Sirius is up and turning towards the demon before she can even say a word.

There's a shout, a flash of light. Em is blinded, but she can feel Sirius' hand pressing into hers, dragging her away from the serial muggle murderer just feet from them. A door slams behind her. She blinks away the last of the flashes of light behind her eyelids to see Sirius and James talking rapidly over the top of her head, and then Lily appears at the top of the stairs with Harry - tiny, tiny Harry - in her arms. She's about to take a step forward when - bang.

The door implodes behind them. Sirius crashes through the stairwell as Em flies back into a wall. Her head thunks against plaster, and she can't contain the hiss of pain that comes. Everything goes blurry. Lily disappears from view, and James is shouting loudly, his wand flying wildly as a dark figure advances on him. Em can see Sirius' shoes poking out from behind the stairwell. He's not moving.

She gathers herself unsteadily to her feet. The two duellers pay her no attention as she stumbles closer and closer. For a moment, it seems like James is winning, the figure is backing off, moving away.

Then James trips. Voldemort leans back ready to deal the final blow.

Em is moving, until she finds herself between the men, her hands catching on James' shirt to pull him out of the way. They land on the ground with a grunt.

She stares up at the ceiling as everything grows quiet again. Em wonders if she managed it, whatever it was she was trying to do.

A scream pierces her thoughts. It's getting harder to breathe.

The last thing Em remembers is the roof caving in.