Roll Me Away
Sirius Black felt lost and double-crossed that mid-morning he entered his flat, he was so sick of what was wrong and what was right . He was relieved to not see any of his flatmates, the fleeting thought that they were probably purposely scarce because of that mornings events did enter his mind but he chased the thoughts away. He knew he had little time to decide what to do. It was already late in the morning and Harry was doubtlessly with his Muggle Aunt and Uncle. Sirius felt remorse at the thought of never being able to see his Godson again, but he couldn't allow that sort of thinking right then. Silently he made his way out the back door and spotted James's bike he had hidden there from Lily, much like the one Sirius himself had owned and given to Hagrid that morning.
Sirius turned his head away, tired of his own voice, his own thoughts and took a look down the westbound road. Right away he made his choice and without a second thought he straddled the bike and took a bead on the northern plains.
Twelve hours later Sirius stopped in a bar to have a brew. Although he tried to stay to himself, he couldn't help talking to the young girl that was sitting near him. She reminded him of Lily, only because she had red hair. But where Lily had a stunning beauty, this girl was only slightly pretty. They ended up sitting in a booth together and had a few drinks. Sirius told her what he had decided to do and he watched silently as she looked out the window for a long, long moment. When she turned away she looked into his eyes and she didn't have to say a thing, he knew what she was thinking. Sirius paid the bill and they walked out to the bike, neither of them saying a word. With her arms wrapped tightly around his waist they rolled clean out of sight.
Sirius felt free as they rolled across the high plains, deep into the mountains. He felt good and he wondered when last it had been that he had felt that open before. He had always been a part of something. Always James' other half, Lily and James's best man, Harry's Godfather. Now he was none of those. Now he was just Sirius Black, a whole new encounter for him.
Somewhere along a high road, the air began to turn cold. The girl, Sirius realized he didn't even know her name, began to cry. She told him she missed her home. He dropped her at a nearby hotel with some cash and he headed back on alone.
Days later he stood alone on a mountain top, staring out at the Great Divide. Looking east then west, Sirius knew it was all up to him to decide. He could keep running forever, never to fix what had been done or he could go back, face what he knew was waiting for him back there.
A young hawk flew overhead as the sunset faded. Sirius felt his soul begin to rise as he thought of Lily and James, of Remus and of Peter. He thought of their past and what they had once believed to be their future. And Sirius knew that he couldn't stop there, he had to keep searching until he found what was right.
Looking up to the faintest first starlight, "Next time," he said, "Next time we'll get it right."
Title and certain lyrics throughout story are from Bob Seger's "Roll Me Away"