'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. '

            -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, UK Edition, p 245

Our Choices

Disclaimer:  How do I own Harry Potter?  Let me count the ways… one… two… hmmm…three- oh, wait!  Hold on!  I don't actually own it!  I suppose I got just a bit confused, there, and thought for a moment that I was JK Rowling or Warner Brothers, Inc.  I am not actually either of those persons/franchises, so I suppose I'm doing this purely for fun ;). 

Author's Notes:  This is a story which explores the world Harry Potter as it would be if Sirius Black had remained the Potters' Secret Keeper, and not changed to Pettigrew.  I suppose it should be considered an 'Alternate Universe,' or 'What if?' fan fiction.  It is rated 'PG-13' for language, alcohol, minor drug references, perhaps sexuality and domestic disturbance types of violence.  Not to mention werewolves, which can be a rating unto themselves.

Chapter II: Hallowe'en 1981

~Saturday, 31 October 1981, 5.47 pm~

            'Why isn't he here yet?  I'm really getting worried…' Lily Potter wrung her hands anxiously as she peered out of the sitting-room window.  Her husband was strongly and distastefully reminded of Lily's sister, Petunia, for one horrifying moment.

            'It's alright, love, he's not due for another ten minutes,' James Potter reassured, seizing her hands gently and bringing them slowly up to his lips, 'there's nothing for you to worry about.'  Lily blushed a bit as her husband grinned mischievously at her.  There had been little time for romance since Harry had been born a few months prior.

            'But what if he's early?'  Lily teased, grinning as well, 'you'd never live it down if he-' but sadly for Lily Potter, her husband cut her off with a rather passionate kiss.  James guided Lily towards their couch and gently cradled her in his lap.  Just as he ran his fingers through her long, auburn hair, Lily began to kiss him back fiercely. 

            'Oh!'  Lily cried out suddenly, 'The doorbell!  I'll get it.'  She hurriedly straightened her orange and black satin Hallowe'en dress and readjusted her hair.  She flung open the Potters' front door to reveal Sirius Black leaning cockily against their door post, dressed frightfully as Count Dracula himself. 

            'Good evening, young woman,' he said slowly, careful to pronounce the words so that his flashing canine teeth would be sure to show prominently, and using a heavily accented voice that he clearly thought sounded Transylvanian.  Clearly he had never been to Transylvania.

            'Oh, hullo Sirius.  You're early!'  Lily told him, stepping aside to allow him to enter after carefully checking to make sure no one was out listening in. 

            Sirius swept dramatically across the entry to the sitting room and seated himself across from James.  James was still sitting sprawled on the couch, his glasses askew, his hair rumpled (well, more rumpled than usual, though how Sirius could tell the difference no one could say), and his Hallowe'en jumper pulled up as though someone had half-way removed it.

            'Hope I did not, interrupt, anything,' Sirius continued in his fake accent, looking slyly at James.

            'No!'  James explained, his voice cracking, 'Er- no.  Lily and I were, er, showing Harry all the sweets!'  He gestured to Harry, who was quite busy using his small digits to unwrap as many sweets as possible from the huge holiday basket that had been left within his reach. 

            'So,' Sirius asked cautiously, 'how are things?'

            'Well, we're all ready for the party.  Everyone's all set to arrive at half-past- Lily's got the Polyjuice ready so you can take it whenever you want, and as you can see, Harry is prepared for the party to start.'  James recapped.  Harry sat contentedly with a festive pacifier alternating between his mouth and his toes, dressed up as the fattest pumpkin Sirius had ever seen. 

            Sirius smiled at his godson and began gibbering at him in a nonsense language.  Harry laughed as only a baby can, and grabbed hold of Sirius' abnormally long fangs. 

            'Mind that he doesn't cut himself, now Sirius.  Be careful.'  Lily warned fearfully, eying the tips of Sirius' teeth with newfound precaution.

            'Bugger off, Red, you know I'm always extra special careful with gourds.'  He dismissed, picking up the orange sphere that engulfed Harry and bouncing it on his black-clothed knee.  Lily wrapped her arm around her husband's waist as a very convincing Count Dracula bouncing her pumpkin of a son to the time of an old Beatles' song. 

            'They really are sweet together,' James murmured softly into Lily's wonderful hair.

            'Yes,' she replied, looking at her son and Sirius, though not really seeing them.

            'We could probably leave Harry with him some weekend if we wanted to take a mini-break…' James continued in a low voice.

            'No, we can't,' Lily swatted her husband playfully, 'Harry's much too young to be left alone like that.  Besides, we can't really be thinking about things like mini-breaks just now.  The wars still on.'  Before her husband had a chance to respond, Lily's pale face had gone a shade of crimson that outshone her hair:

            'SIRIUS BLACK!'  She bellowed, swelling up like an enraged bull and striding over to her son, 'WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT DOING THAT IN MY HOUSE!?'

            'Sorry, Lily, I just for-' Sirius shrank away from her, holding Harry protectively so as to shield him from his mother.

            'You FORGOT?  Do you want Harry to die?  You could be killing him right now!'  Lily raged on.

            'Sorry, I-' Sirius began again.

            'You thought you'd just light up in my house?  With the baby in your lap?  What were you thinking?'  Lily raised her wand angrily, and Sirius flinched.  With a sharp wave of her wand, the lit cigarette in Sirius hand had been turned into a freshly sharpened pencil.

            'This,' she continued, snatching the pencil from him and tossing it into a drawer with about one hundred of its fellows, 'is to remind you of how many times you've done this to me- done it to Harry.  And if you ever-' 

            'Lily, love, let's go and see if the next batch of cookies are ready, come on.'  James rescued Sirius from another furious diatribe and led her into the adjoining kitchen.

            'You're mum's in a right state, kid, I hope you don't get her temper,' Sirius told Harry softly.

            'Pa'foo!' Harry cooed happily, clutching at the black satin cape Sirius had jauntily thrown about his shoulders.  Sirius watched quietly as James pored Lily a strong shot of some sort of liquor and she drank it down quickly.  She then giggled and tossed a handful of flour into James' face.  They had been baking for the party.

            This was how things should have been.  At twenty years old, Lily and James should be enjoying their young married lives- enjoying Harry's childhood.  Sirius felt that he and James should have been out getting smashed, not going to extremely lengthy meetings of the Order.  Not that Sirius didn't want to help the Order of the Phoenix- he was ready to do anything necessary to bring about the demise of Voldemort, but he wished dearly that it wasn't needed.

            Sirius was brought out of his musings abruptly by the sound of baby Harry choking.  It seemed that the cigarette smoke Sirius had just created was drifting downwards towards him.  Sirius muttered a spell and the smoke vanished and was replaced by a vague lemon fragrance.  He thought he heard some giggling coming from the kitchen, and several metallic kitchen devices were knocked to the floor amid clattering. 

            James and Lily came back into the room, both distinctly ruffled and both covered in a large quantity of flour.

            'Guess what I am?'  James asked.  A number of very inappropriate things came to Sirius' mind, but, after shooting a cautious look at Lily, settled on replying:

            'A snot-faced git?'

            'No, I'm a ghost!' James slurred happily.  It seemed that he had partaken in the pre-party consumption of their Hallowe'en liquor as well. 

            'What's that, then?' Sirius asked, gesturing to Lily, 'Bride of the Ghost?'

            'Oh!' Lily tittered, 'James, you've gotten me covered as well!'  She was quite red in the face and her eyes were rather glazed over.  Lily was never very good at holding her drink.  She and James sat down on the sofa together, sending a cloud of white powder up around them.  Lily coughed and then giggled madly.

            'I can't believe what poor examples you're setting for your young and impressible son,' Sirius told them in mock-outrage, 'And what will Remus say when he gets here, eh?  I thought your mother had raised you better than that!'

            'Pa'foo!'  Harry agreed happily. 

            'Where are Remus and Peter, by the way?  Aren't they supposed to be here about now?' Sirius asked, glancing up at the clock, which read six twenty-three. 

            'Oh, I'm sure they'll be along soon,' James said happily, gazing into Lily's eyes, 'Oh, speaking of which, Sirius, shouldn't you be changing soon?'

            'That reminds me!  James, I've had a new idea!' Sirius said excitedly, leaping to his feet, 'Here, Lily, take the child,' Sirius said, gently plopping the obese pumpkin into Lily's lap. 

            'A new idea?  Wicked!'  James said with equal enthusiasm, 'Let's go work it out!'  On that note, Sirius shot a furtive glance at Lily before following James into the large cupboard-sized room which contained the greater amount of the Potters's magical items.

~Saturday, 31 October 1981, 8.07 pm~

            'Dammit, Lily!  We can't just sit around and wait like this!'  James cursed angrily, slamming his hand on the table. 

            'Shhh!  You're going to wake Harry up,' Lily softly chided, worry apparent in all of her features.

            'Don't fucking ignore him!  We have to do something, and if you don't go, I will!'  Sirius, irate, rose from the chintz arm-chair before the Potter's fire and made to go for the fire-place.

            'James, Sirius, we're supposed to wait!  Dumbledore'll sort this all out, we just have to be patient.'  Lily reasoned, pulling Sirius back down into his chair and resting her hand on James's knee to prevent any more irrational actions. 

            'Remus isn't home and Peter's fireplace's been blocked up.  Don't tell me to be patient!' James said, grabbing his wand off the coffee table. 

            'I know…' Lily sighed, cradling her forehead in her hands, 'I know… it's just that, well, Dumbledore-'

            'Shit, Lily, don't bring him into this!  I'm sure 'he's got our best interests at heart,' but I for one am not going to sacrifice Remus to secure myself!' Sirius bellowed, rising once more, 'I'm going to check through the Floo one more time, and if Remus doesn't answer, I'm going to find him.' 

            'Sirius, please, you know the Floo network isn't secure, we've already taken so many risks tonight-'

            At that moment, a number of strange things happened: as Sirius leaned towards the fireplace, a blast like a cannon sent him flying across the room amidst a cloud of debris, still fully dressed in 'Dracula' garb; Lily was thrown by the blast into James's lap; and Dumbledore, accompanied by a very weary-looking Remus, appeared out of thin air  onto the coffee table.

            'Sirius!'  Remus gasped ashen-faced and holding on to Dumbledore for support, 'It was Peter!' 

End of Chapter Two

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in such a long while.  I took a mini-break weekend last, and I've been busy playing catch-up ever since.

Thanks to Inuyasha-lover601, Cate-Rowden, Broken Infinity, LeCoeur, Liebling, Sylvia, sa-chan5, Tani, Padfoot, OriginAnonymous, thewalrus1, marauders4ever, BlackPhoenixTears, and Trance3 for your reviews!  They really mean quite a lot to me, and the more I get, the more inspired I become to write more.  Perhaps I shall have more detailed responses in the future, but I'm trying to hurry up a bit and get this chapter out!

~Julia Rose