A/N: O' come all ye `what if' lovers! Welcome for my second go at a `what if' fic, and once again I'm taking a road less traveled. Actually, I don't think it has been traveled at all. So I'm creating it! Aren't you proud of me? Okay, enough babbling from the soon-to-be-babbling queen, and onto the story.
What if Sirius Black was given a second chance that fateful Halloween night? What if he never went after Pettigrew and stayed with Harry, but not quite what you're thinking. This `Sirius stayed with Harry' fic has one huge twist, but you have to read to find out.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious thanks to my betas, Immia (she gave me the title for this story) and Dumbledore's True Love! Without them I would have scrapped this whole thing immediately. So if you really like this story line thank them for encouraging me to write it.
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own the plot and a few original things.
A Wizard's Best Friend
Prologue: Darkness and Light
~*~
Clang!
The treasured motor bike fell carelessly to ground as the smell of smoldering wreckage hit Sirius Black's nostrils the moment his feet touched the pavement. The sidewalk was covered in rubble, the fence was broken, a few small fires were still burning, and what had been the home of his best friends' was reduced to nothing but ruins.
Sirius stood there for might have been moments or hours (he was never quite sure) simply staring at the wreckage of what, only an hour ago, had been a house filled with light and warmth.
As if in a daze, Sirius managed to move his legs which suddenly felt as though someone had attached lead weight to each of them. His mind was in a fog. This is a nightmare, he thought as he stepped over a splintered fence board. I'm going to wake up in my bed, and James will be there telling me that I had blackout and dream this all . . .
Crunch!
Sirius jumped a foot in the air at the sudden burst of sound in the silence of the night. He looked down to see what he had stepped on--a pair of glasses. Thick, black framed glasses. James Potter's glasses.
His breath caught in his chest as he stared at the shattered glasses. Then, as if some mystical force was forcing him to, Sirius lifted his head--poking out of the rubble was the last thing Sirius wanted to see, a hand. On the ring finger was a gold band.
Sirius lunged at the hand. "JAMES," he cried as he started clearing away the rubble. "You can't die! Not yet anyway," he mumbled senselessly as he tossed bits of rubble over his shoulder. He worked at it tirelessly until finally he had cleared enough to pull James out.
James's eyes were closed, his face white as a ghost's. His lips were an icy blue, but twisted into a smirk. Trembling, Sirius laid two fingers on his best friend's wrist, searching for a pulse.
"It's not there," said a gruff voice behind him.
Sirius raised his head slowly. "And Lily?" he choked out.
The giant nodded, "Aye. You-Know-Wh--"
"I know damn well who Hagrid!" Sirius shrieked, jumping to his feet. His face was white; he felt surges of adrenalin mixed without sorrow rack his body until he started to shake uncontrollably.
Hagrid laid a trashcan lid size had on Sirius shoulder, "Take it easy Sirius."
Sirius spun around, and let out a long string of curses before collapsing to his knees in the wreckage. Quivering still, he ran a hand through his long, raven hair. It was his, Sirius's, fault! He had suggested the switch, and now he might as well have blood on his hands. Swallowing hard, choking back his tears, Sirius asked, "D-did h-he k-kill H-Harry too?"
Hagrid's beetle black eyes crinkled into a smile, "No Sirius."
At these words, Sirius's head shot up, and for the first time he got a good look at Hagrid. As usual, he looked simply too big to be allowed with his tangled masses of long black hair and beard. He was wearing his moleskin overcoat, and in his vast, muscular arms was a bundle of blankets.
Sirius scrambled to his feet, it was too good to be true. "Harry?" he called.
The delighted squeal of "Sirius!" came from inside the blankets.
At this Sirius could have jumped for joy, Harry was alive! In a moment he was at Hagrid's side, looking happier than a child on Christmas morning. He peered into the blankets at the infant curled up there. "Harry?" he called again to his godson.
A pair of bright green eyes stared back at him, looking almost relived. "Siri," Harry gurgled, reaching out to his godfather. This simple motion caused Harry's bangs to fall back revealing a deep, bleeding, red gash across his forehead.
Sirius gasped while pulling a bandana out of his jacket pocket, mopping up the blood.
"How did he survive? Voldemort never leaves any witnesses."
Hagrid shuddered at You-Know-Who's true name, before saying, "I dunno Sirius, Harry must of stumped `im, Dumbledore says he's gone. You said Harry was special, didn't yeh?"
"I never thought he would be this special," Sirius said just above a whisper. They stood there for several minutes in awe of the child that had rid their world of the most horrible tyrant since Grindelwald.
Hagrid cleared his throat loudly, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.
"Sirius, I have to go meet Dumbledore now, so I'll be--"
"WHAT?!" Sirius snapped terrified at what he thought Hagrid meant.
"I have to take Harry to his aunt and `ncle," Hagrid said thickly. "Dursley I think their name is."
Sirius moaned in anguish. "Are you mad?! Those people--Lily's sister and her hippo of a husband--loath, despise and abominate magic in every form. They will kill Harry, not protect him."
Hagrid tried again, "Sirius, Dumbledore wants Harry to go there--"
"I don't give damn what Dumbledore wants! Let me take Harry, it's in Lily and James's will, in the event of their demise Harry goes to me, not Lily's psycho sister," Sirius lost whatever bit of his temper he still had then. "Goddamn it Hagrid, it's in their will, in black and white, clear as crystal! I don't care what Dumbledore wants! He's wrong and he can shove it!"
Hagrid's chest puffed out, and his voice turned hard, "Sirius Black, I have Albus Dumbledore's orders and nothing you can say or do will avert me from fulfilling them as I have been instructed, understand?"
Sirius felt his blood freeze, he hated to admit it but he was afraid of what the giant could do to him. "But Hagrid," he said weakly.
Hagrid shook his head.
Sirius turned away from the giant, but his shoulders dropped in defeat. Emotions bounced off his inners like basketballs dribbling on a court. `Find Wormtail,' he thought, `he betrayed Lily and James, now you will avenge them.' "Take my bike," he said through gritted teeth.
"Eh?"
"You heard me Hagrid; take my bike to get Harry to Dumbledore," Sirius growled.
"Are yer sure?" Hagrid asked sounding flabbergasted.
"I'm sure, I won't need it anymore," Sirius said, turning back to Hagrid and handing him his keys to the bike. "But may I say good-bye to Harry though?"
Hagrid gave him a smile, nodding. Sirius stepped forward, and stroked Harry's cheek.
"I love you Emeralds, but I have to go away for awhile, okay?" Sirius murmured.
Harry whimpered, single tear rolling down his cheek.
"Hey, don't cry for me, I'm not worth that. But if you ever need me just whistle down the wind got it?" He kissed Harry's forehead, just above the gash, quickly mumbling, "Adios amigo." With that he turned away from them, and began to leave.
"But Sirius," Hagrid tried again.
"Just take it, I won't need it anymore," Sirius called back as thoughts of revenge filled his head. He didn't care what happened to him anymore, just as long as Peter got his comeuppance. Only one voice broke through his enraged thoughts, a panicked cry of,
"Sirius!"
Harry's call made his godfather stop in his tracks. All the million and one crazed plans, schemes, and ideas that were passing through Sirius's mind at that moment stopped. All, except one. In one swift motion, he turned around, and sprinted back to his bike and to Harry.
Hagrid was just about to turn on the ignition when Sirius knocked his hand out of the way. "Sirius, what are yeh doing?" Hagrid snapped.
"Going with you," Sirius said simply, jumping on the bike in front of Hagrid, and shoving the key in the ignition.
~*~
On a darken street, Privet Drive the street sign said, in the town of Little Whinging stood two figures. One figure was tall, thin, and judging by how long and how silver his hair and beard were, very old. He had twinkling light blue eyes that were hidden behind half-moon spectacles, and a very long nose that must have been broken at least twice. He was Albus Dumbledore. The other figure was slightly shorter then Dumbledore, had black hair that was drawn back in a tight bun. She too was wearing spectacles with a stern expression on her face. She was Professor M. McGonagall. Both were wearing robes.
"But how is the boy getting here" McGonagall asked, eying Dumbledore's cloak.
"Hagrid's bringing him," Dumbledore replied.
"You think it--wise--to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"
"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.
"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but can't pretend that he's not careless. He does tend to--what was that?"
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar at the looked up at the sky--and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
"Hagrid," Dumbledore said sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motor bike?"
"He didn't get it," said one of the last voices that Dumbledore and McGonagall expected to hear. "He's hitching a ride."
"Mr. Sirius Black," Dumbledore said delicately.
"That's my name," Sirius said swinging off the bike with ease. "Here Hagrid, I'll hold Harry while you get off."
"Mr. Black, what a surprise," said McGonagall, looking at Dumbledore meaningfully. Dumbledore nodded.
"Yeah," Sirius said offhandedly, hugging closer Harry to him. "I have a reason for being here actually."
"And what is that?" asked Dumbledore sounding faintly curious.
Sirius sighed deeply, "I know what you are thinking, and I did not betray Lily and James."
"Really?"
"Yes, I . . ." Sirius stopped, adverting his dark eyes from Dumbledore's and gazed down at his godson who was sleeping peacefully. The serene face seemed to give him the courage to look Dumbledore square in the eye and tell the truth. "I was not Lily and James's Secret Keeper."
"Preposterous!" cried McGonagall.
"'Ear him out, Professor," Hagrid said abruptly. "I hear the whole story on the way here and I believe him."
McGonagall sighed. "Well, out with it," she demanded.
Sirius gave Hagrid a grateful smile. "Professors, I have not betrayed James and Lily, I as good as betrayed them though. I convinced James to switch to Peter Pettigrew a week ago and . . ."
"Why did you ask him to switch?" questioned Dumbledore.
Sirius's expression turned to one of ashamed. "I did not believe that I could protect them," he said, he voice starting to crack with sorrow. "I thought that I was the obvious choice and therefore I would be the one he would come after. So in hopes that I would not reveal their "Secret" I suggested James to chose a less likely Secret Keeper . . ."
"Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes sir, I figured that Voldemort would never suspect James to choose such a weak, harmless wizard to protect his family and his life. Therefore when Voldemort came after me, I would not fear of disclosing the hiding place under the Imperious Curse. But I did worse, I convince James to switch to the very person who handed his family to Voldemort on a silver platter."
Dumbledore regarded Sirius with a solemn expression.
Sirius continued, "Last night I arranged to check on Peter, and when I arrived at his flat, it was deserted. No sign of struggle or anything. Realizing what Pettigrew must have done, I rushed to James's only to find the house reduced to wreckage. That is where I met with Hagrid and was told of your plan to leave Harry here. So I decided to tag along so to speak." Sirius paused to take a breath. "You must believe me sir! I would never betray my best friends. They were all I had, and now they are gone. And now you wish to leave their only son to the worst people in the universe? I can't allow that. If I lose Harry, coupled with the lost of my two best friends in the world I will go and hand myself to the Azkaban guards right now because without them I have nothing to live for."
A long silence followed this speech. Sirius wasn't sure what Dumbledore was thinking, but it probably wasn't in his favor.
Finally, Dumbledore spoke; "Do you believe him Hagrid?"
"Yes, Professor," Hagrid said firmly.
"Then I do also."
Sirius nearly dropped Harry in surprise.
"What?" he stammered.
"I said I believe your story Mr. Black," Dumbledore repeated.
"Thank you, sir."
"But Albus," McGonagall broke in. "What about the boy?"
Dumbledore frowned, "As much as I would like to give you Harry, Mr. Black, it would be against my best judgment to do so."
Sirius paled, "Why?"
"For the reason that I would like to keep Harry away from our world until he reaches the proper age where he can handle his fame."
"But," protested Sirius, "what if I live in the Muggle world with him?"
McGonagall snorted, "I do not believe you could survive an hour let alone ten years without the use of magic. Your blood is as pure as they come; you have not spent a day of your life without . . ."
"I know," Sirius interrupted. "But I would do anything to see to Harry's safety. To see that he's taken care of, appreciated, loved. The Dursleys won't give him anything beyond the means of food and water because he is one of us. I've seen the way Petunia treated Lily, like she was a dry rot. I refuse to let Harry be treated in the same manner."
"Passionate words, Mr. Black but I am afraid that I will stand firm on my decision," said Dumbledore.
Sirius's head dropped in defeat, "But . . ."
"You will see him again in ten years, and then he may live with you," McGonagall suggested as Dumbledore held out his arms to take Harry from Sirius.
"Ten years is a lifetime," Sirius grumbled as he reluctantly handed Harry over.
"Pity there isn't some way you could stay with him `ere," Hagrid murmured.
A grin overtook Sirius's face as an idea sprang to mind at these words. "Professors!" he shouted. "I have an idea!"
Dumbledore, who was about to lay Harry down on the doorstep, straightened up and turned to Sirius. "Yes?"
"What if there was a way I could live with Harry, and take care of him while he's at the Dursleys? Then could I stay with him?"
"Well yes but I don't see how you could," McGonagall said while Dumbledore gave Sirius a curious look.
"I could live here," Sirius grinned.
McGonagall laughed softly. "That is impossible! The Dursleys might take on another child but certainly not another adult. I don't think even Albus could explain that in his letter."
"But I wouldn't stay as an adult per say."
"Then as what? A dog?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
Before Dumbledore, Hagrid, or McGonagall could react to this words Sirius was gone, and in his place stood an enormous, shaggy, black dog.
"You're an Animagus!" McGonagall gasped.
"Your nicknames," Dumbledore breathed. "Moony-Remus, Prongs-James, Wormtail-Peter, and Padfoot-you."
The dog nodded before giving Dumbledore a pleading look.
"What are you going to do Albus?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "I do believe I'm going to have to revise my letter to include a dog named Padfoot."
~*~
What if Sirius Black was given a second chance that fateful Halloween night? What if he never went after Pettigrew and stayed with Harry, but not quite what you're thinking. This `Sirius stayed with Harry' fic has one huge twist, but you have to read to find out.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious thanks to my betas, Immia (she gave me the title for this story) and Dumbledore's True Love! Without them I would have scrapped this whole thing immediately. So if you really like this story line thank them for encouraging me to write it.
Disclaimer - This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I own the plot and a few original things.
A Wizard's Best Friend
Prologue: Darkness and Light
~*~
Clang!
The treasured motor bike fell carelessly to ground as the smell of smoldering wreckage hit Sirius Black's nostrils the moment his feet touched the pavement. The sidewalk was covered in rubble, the fence was broken, a few small fires were still burning, and what had been the home of his best friends' was reduced to nothing but ruins.
Sirius stood there for might have been moments or hours (he was never quite sure) simply staring at the wreckage of what, only an hour ago, had been a house filled with light and warmth.
As if in a daze, Sirius managed to move his legs which suddenly felt as though someone had attached lead weight to each of them. His mind was in a fog. This is a nightmare, he thought as he stepped over a splintered fence board. I'm going to wake up in my bed, and James will be there telling me that I had blackout and dream this all . . .
Crunch!
Sirius jumped a foot in the air at the sudden burst of sound in the silence of the night. He looked down to see what he had stepped on--a pair of glasses. Thick, black framed glasses. James Potter's glasses.
His breath caught in his chest as he stared at the shattered glasses. Then, as if some mystical force was forcing him to, Sirius lifted his head--poking out of the rubble was the last thing Sirius wanted to see, a hand. On the ring finger was a gold band.
Sirius lunged at the hand. "JAMES," he cried as he started clearing away the rubble. "You can't die! Not yet anyway," he mumbled senselessly as he tossed bits of rubble over his shoulder. He worked at it tirelessly until finally he had cleared enough to pull James out.
James's eyes were closed, his face white as a ghost's. His lips were an icy blue, but twisted into a smirk. Trembling, Sirius laid two fingers on his best friend's wrist, searching for a pulse.
"It's not there," said a gruff voice behind him.
Sirius raised his head slowly. "And Lily?" he choked out.
The giant nodded, "Aye. You-Know-Wh--"
"I know damn well who Hagrid!" Sirius shrieked, jumping to his feet. His face was white; he felt surges of adrenalin mixed without sorrow rack his body until he started to shake uncontrollably.
Hagrid laid a trashcan lid size had on Sirius shoulder, "Take it easy Sirius."
Sirius spun around, and let out a long string of curses before collapsing to his knees in the wreckage. Quivering still, he ran a hand through his long, raven hair. It was his, Sirius's, fault! He had suggested the switch, and now he might as well have blood on his hands. Swallowing hard, choking back his tears, Sirius asked, "D-did h-he k-kill H-Harry too?"
Hagrid's beetle black eyes crinkled into a smile, "No Sirius."
At these words, Sirius's head shot up, and for the first time he got a good look at Hagrid. As usual, he looked simply too big to be allowed with his tangled masses of long black hair and beard. He was wearing his moleskin overcoat, and in his vast, muscular arms was a bundle of blankets.
Sirius scrambled to his feet, it was too good to be true. "Harry?" he called.
The delighted squeal of "Sirius!" came from inside the blankets.
At this Sirius could have jumped for joy, Harry was alive! In a moment he was at Hagrid's side, looking happier than a child on Christmas morning. He peered into the blankets at the infant curled up there. "Harry?" he called again to his godson.
A pair of bright green eyes stared back at him, looking almost relived. "Siri," Harry gurgled, reaching out to his godfather. This simple motion caused Harry's bangs to fall back revealing a deep, bleeding, red gash across his forehead.
Sirius gasped while pulling a bandana out of his jacket pocket, mopping up the blood.
"How did he survive? Voldemort never leaves any witnesses."
Hagrid shuddered at You-Know-Who's true name, before saying, "I dunno Sirius, Harry must of stumped `im, Dumbledore says he's gone. You said Harry was special, didn't yeh?"
"I never thought he would be this special," Sirius said just above a whisper. They stood there for several minutes in awe of the child that had rid their world of the most horrible tyrant since Grindelwald.
Hagrid cleared his throat loudly, breaking the silence that had descended upon them.
"Sirius, I have to go meet Dumbledore now, so I'll be--"
"WHAT?!" Sirius snapped terrified at what he thought Hagrid meant.
"I have to take Harry to his aunt and `ncle," Hagrid said thickly. "Dursley I think their name is."
Sirius moaned in anguish. "Are you mad?! Those people--Lily's sister and her hippo of a husband--loath, despise and abominate magic in every form. They will kill Harry, not protect him."
Hagrid tried again, "Sirius, Dumbledore wants Harry to go there--"
"I don't give damn what Dumbledore wants! Let me take Harry, it's in Lily and James's will, in the event of their demise Harry goes to me, not Lily's psycho sister," Sirius lost whatever bit of his temper he still had then. "Goddamn it Hagrid, it's in their will, in black and white, clear as crystal! I don't care what Dumbledore wants! He's wrong and he can shove it!"
Hagrid's chest puffed out, and his voice turned hard, "Sirius Black, I have Albus Dumbledore's orders and nothing you can say or do will avert me from fulfilling them as I have been instructed, understand?"
Sirius felt his blood freeze, he hated to admit it but he was afraid of what the giant could do to him. "But Hagrid," he said weakly.
Hagrid shook his head.
Sirius turned away from the giant, but his shoulders dropped in defeat. Emotions bounced off his inners like basketballs dribbling on a court. `Find Wormtail,' he thought, `he betrayed Lily and James, now you will avenge them.' "Take my bike," he said through gritted teeth.
"Eh?"
"You heard me Hagrid; take my bike to get Harry to Dumbledore," Sirius growled.
"Are yer sure?" Hagrid asked sounding flabbergasted.
"I'm sure, I won't need it anymore," Sirius said, turning back to Hagrid and handing him his keys to the bike. "But may I say good-bye to Harry though?"
Hagrid gave him a smile, nodding. Sirius stepped forward, and stroked Harry's cheek.
"I love you Emeralds, but I have to go away for awhile, okay?" Sirius murmured.
Harry whimpered, single tear rolling down his cheek.
"Hey, don't cry for me, I'm not worth that. But if you ever need me just whistle down the wind got it?" He kissed Harry's forehead, just above the gash, quickly mumbling, "Adios amigo." With that he turned away from them, and began to leave.
"But Sirius," Hagrid tried again.
"Just take it, I won't need it anymore," Sirius called back as thoughts of revenge filled his head. He didn't care what happened to him anymore, just as long as Peter got his comeuppance. Only one voice broke through his enraged thoughts, a panicked cry of,
"Sirius!"
Harry's call made his godfather stop in his tracks. All the million and one crazed plans, schemes, and ideas that were passing through Sirius's mind at that moment stopped. All, except one. In one swift motion, he turned around, and sprinted back to his bike and to Harry.
Hagrid was just about to turn on the ignition when Sirius knocked his hand out of the way. "Sirius, what are yeh doing?" Hagrid snapped.
"Going with you," Sirius said simply, jumping on the bike in front of Hagrid, and shoving the key in the ignition.
~*~
On a darken street, Privet Drive the street sign said, in the town of Little Whinging stood two figures. One figure was tall, thin, and judging by how long and how silver his hair and beard were, very old. He had twinkling light blue eyes that were hidden behind half-moon spectacles, and a very long nose that must have been broken at least twice. He was Albus Dumbledore. The other figure was slightly shorter then Dumbledore, had black hair that was drawn back in a tight bun. She too was wearing spectacles with a stern expression on her face. She was Professor M. McGonagall. Both were wearing robes.
"But how is the boy getting here" McGonagall asked, eying Dumbledore's cloak.
"Hagrid's bringing him," Dumbledore replied.
"You think it--wise--to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"
"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.
"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but can't pretend that he's not careless. He does tend to--what was that?"
A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar at the looked up at the sky--and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.
"Hagrid," Dumbledore said sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motor bike?"
"He didn't get it," said one of the last voices that Dumbledore and McGonagall expected to hear. "He's hitching a ride."
"Mr. Sirius Black," Dumbledore said delicately.
"That's my name," Sirius said swinging off the bike with ease. "Here Hagrid, I'll hold Harry while you get off."
"Mr. Black, what a surprise," said McGonagall, looking at Dumbledore meaningfully. Dumbledore nodded.
"Yeah," Sirius said offhandedly, hugging closer Harry to him. "I have a reason for being here actually."
"And what is that?" asked Dumbledore sounding faintly curious.
Sirius sighed deeply, "I know what you are thinking, and I did not betray Lily and James."
"Really?"
"Yes, I . . ." Sirius stopped, adverting his dark eyes from Dumbledore's and gazed down at his godson who was sleeping peacefully. The serene face seemed to give him the courage to look Dumbledore square in the eye and tell the truth. "I was not Lily and James's Secret Keeper."
"Preposterous!" cried McGonagall.
"'Ear him out, Professor," Hagrid said abruptly. "I hear the whole story on the way here and I believe him."
McGonagall sighed. "Well, out with it," she demanded.
Sirius gave Hagrid a grateful smile. "Professors, I have not betrayed James and Lily, I as good as betrayed them though. I convinced James to switch to Peter Pettigrew a week ago and . . ."
"Why did you ask him to switch?" questioned Dumbledore.
Sirius's expression turned to one of ashamed. "I did not believe that I could protect them," he said, he voice starting to crack with sorrow. "I thought that I was the obvious choice and therefore I would be the one he would come after. So in hopes that I would not reveal their "Secret" I suggested James to chose a less likely Secret Keeper . . ."
"Peter Pettigrew?"
"Yes sir, I figured that Voldemort would never suspect James to choose such a weak, harmless wizard to protect his family and his life. Therefore when Voldemort came after me, I would not fear of disclosing the hiding place under the Imperious Curse. But I did worse, I convince James to switch to the very person who handed his family to Voldemort on a silver platter."
Dumbledore regarded Sirius with a solemn expression.
Sirius continued, "Last night I arranged to check on Peter, and when I arrived at his flat, it was deserted. No sign of struggle or anything. Realizing what Pettigrew must have done, I rushed to James's only to find the house reduced to wreckage. That is where I met with Hagrid and was told of your plan to leave Harry here. So I decided to tag along so to speak." Sirius paused to take a breath. "You must believe me sir! I would never betray my best friends. They were all I had, and now they are gone. And now you wish to leave their only son to the worst people in the universe? I can't allow that. If I lose Harry, coupled with the lost of my two best friends in the world I will go and hand myself to the Azkaban guards right now because without them I have nothing to live for."
A long silence followed this speech. Sirius wasn't sure what Dumbledore was thinking, but it probably wasn't in his favor.
Finally, Dumbledore spoke; "Do you believe him Hagrid?"
"Yes, Professor," Hagrid said firmly.
"Then I do also."
Sirius nearly dropped Harry in surprise.
"What?" he stammered.
"I said I believe your story Mr. Black," Dumbledore repeated.
"Thank you, sir."
"But Albus," McGonagall broke in. "What about the boy?"
Dumbledore frowned, "As much as I would like to give you Harry, Mr. Black, it would be against my best judgment to do so."
Sirius paled, "Why?"
"For the reason that I would like to keep Harry away from our world until he reaches the proper age where he can handle his fame."
"But," protested Sirius, "what if I live in the Muggle world with him?"
McGonagall snorted, "I do not believe you could survive an hour let alone ten years without the use of magic. Your blood is as pure as they come; you have not spent a day of your life without . . ."
"I know," Sirius interrupted. "But I would do anything to see to Harry's safety. To see that he's taken care of, appreciated, loved. The Dursleys won't give him anything beyond the means of food and water because he is one of us. I've seen the way Petunia treated Lily, like she was a dry rot. I refuse to let Harry be treated in the same manner."
"Passionate words, Mr. Black but I am afraid that I will stand firm on my decision," said Dumbledore.
Sirius's head dropped in defeat, "But . . ."
"You will see him again in ten years, and then he may live with you," McGonagall suggested as Dumbledore held out his arms to take Harry from Sirius.
"Ten years is a lifetime," Sirius grumbled as he reluctantly handed Harry over.
"Pity there isn't some way you could stay with him `ere," Hagrid murmured.
A grin overtook Sirius's face as an idea sprang to mind at these words. "Professors!" he shouted. "I have an idea!"
Dumbledore, who was about to lay Harry down on the doorstep, straightened up and turned to Sirius. "Yes?"
"What if there was a way I could live with Harry, and take care of him while he's at the Dursleys? Then could I stay with him?"
"Well yes but I don't see how you could," McGonagall said while Dumbledore gave Sirius a curious look.
"I could live here," Sirius grinned.
McGonagall laughed softly. "That is impossible! The Dursleys might take on another child but certainly not another adult. I don't think even Albus could explain that in his letter."
"But I wouldn't stay as an adult per say."
"Then as what? A dog?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
Before Dumbledore, Hagrid, or McGonagall could react to this words Sirius was gone, and in his place stood an enormous, shaggy, black dog.
"You're an Animagus!" McGonagall gasped.
"Your nicknames," Dumbledore breathed. "Moony-Remus, Prongs-James, Wormtail-Peter, and Padfoot-you."
The dog nodded before giving Dumbledore a pleading look.
"What are you going to do Albus?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "I do believe I'm going to have to revise my letter to include a dog named Padfoot."
~*~