Hey, I hope you enjoy this chapter, cause I was almost in tears writing it. One more chapter, to sum it all up. I'll post that tomorrow night. Please R/R, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and I don't own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does! THANK YOU for reading!!
**
It was quiet, a gentle breeze had settled in around the houses and the neighbors hearing no more noise had gone back to sleep. It was almost three hours later and a loud roaring noise interrupted the quiet of the neighborhood. A motorcycle came into view, right out of the sky. It landed in front of the house where little Harry Potter, now the hero of the wizarding world slept, too tired to worry about a lightening bolt on his forehead. The driver jumped off the bike and ran into the house surprised to see the door blasted off its hinges. With a sense of foreboding he went in carefully.
There in the middle of the room was the image that would haunt his dreams for years to come. In the middle of the room was James, his brother, lying on the floor. He ran over to him and knelt, "James… James… wake up." He said poking him. He was lying on his stomach and did not answer him.
"Enervate!" He now took out his wand and pointed it at him. "Come on James, wake up. Enervate! ENERVATE!" He turned him over, he wasn't responding. He knew though, he knew why he wasn't waking up. But he wouldn't accept it… he couldn't. "DAMMIT YOU'RE NOT DEAD! ENERVATE! WHY AREN"T YOU WAKING UP?" He screamed at his brother. "YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"
He started to cry, the reality set in, he couldn't cry… no, he never cried. He didn't cry over Simon's death, or his parents. "James wake up! Don't leave me James!"
He looked into his brother's face, while other victims looked surprised in death, he looked strong and in control. Sirius buried his face in his shoulder; he could almost feel his brother's strong arm patting him on the shoulder telling him everything would be all right. But it wasn't all right, and James wasn't there to comfort him. There was no one to comfort him. He put a hand to his heart, he felt like half of it was gone. He was still crying silently, this wasn't how it was suppose to be. James no… he couldn't be dead. He was too strong. He sat there next to James unwilling to let go. Leaving James would be pronouncing him dead it would be final. He would have to accept it. He held James' hand; he didn't want to let go. This wasn't happening; he was going to wake up now. It was all a bad dream, he would wake up safe in his flat and James would be sleeping in his bed next to Lily, thinking about Harry.
He shook his head, this wasn't right. He held on to James tighter, he was going to wake up now and ask, "What the hell are you doing?" It was all a dream… just a bad dream.
How long he sat there he didn't know. Nothing could make him move nothing except… was that Harry? He thought he heard a baby's cry. He let go of James and made for the stairs. He had never been in this house before, but somehow he knew where to go. At the top of the stairs he had a choice of three rooms. He looked into the first room; it was Lily and James' bedroom. No one was in there. He went for the next room; the door was half-open. He went in and almost tripped over something. He looked down, it was Lily. He knelt again and turned her over, for she was also on her stomach. He felt a fresh wave of tears falling. No… not both of them. As he cried he heard it again. He thought he had been imaging it.
"Pad…Pad…Pad," the cry came. There by Lily's side was his godson. He was wrapped tightly in blankets. He gaped at him and then looked back down at Lily, how, how did this happen? He almost tripped over his robes as he tried to get to Harry. He scooped him up in his arms and held on tightly. How did this happen? Why wasn't Harry dead? How did two of the world's best wizard and witch fall to Voldemort and their son was fine. He quickly took the sleeve of his robe and wiped away the blood that was on his forehead. He looked at the blood and then back at his forehead. There was a scar… in the form of a lightening bolt. How… what… what did his godson do? He looked down at Harry; the boy had settled himself in his godfather's arms and fell asleep again. He held onto the baby as tight as he could, he tried to stop more tears from falling but they fell.
"Come on, let's get you properly cleaned up," He spoke to his godson. He hesitated though; the sink was downstairs, where James was. This was a cursed night, two of his best friends dead and their son alive with a scar on his forehead. When was he going to wake up?
"Who's there?" He heard a deep man's voice from downstairs. Still holding Harry, he got out his wand. He stepped over Lily carefully and went to the top of the stairs. There are the bottom of the stairs was his friend, Hagrid. "Sirius is that you?"
"They are dead Hagrid," he choked out. He started to cry again. "Harry… he's alive."
"Dumbledore sent me," Hagrid nodded. Of course Dumbledore would know. "Sent me to fetch young Harry. He's going to live with Lily's sister."
"NO!" Sirius turned his back to Hagrid as he started to walk up the stairs. Sirius shielded his godson, Lily's sister? She hated wizards! He couldn't let Harry go there! He was his godfather; he would look after him! It was what Lily and James would want. "No… I won't let you have him!"
"I've got me orders," said Hagrid.
"No… not Harry. I'm his godfather, I'll look after him," Sirius told Hagrid still with his back turned. "You can't take him to Petunia! She's mistreat him, she hates wizards. They won't like him, he deserves better!"
"Sirius, I've got orders from Professor Dumbledore. I have to do it, he told me to, he's counting on me," Hagrid begged him.
"I can't Hagrid. James and Lily told me that if anything happens to them, I'm to look after him," Sirius looked down at his godson. "I'll look after him properly."
"You have te talk to Professor Dumbledore about it," Hagrid extended his arms ready to take Harry.
Sirius looked down at him again. Harry had woken up and made a wild grab for his hair. Sirius smiled, and buried his face I his blankets. He wept his shoulders shook. He didn't want to let go, he couldn't. But Dumbledore…
"How are you getting there?" He turned around and looked up.
"Flying!" Hagrid said happily.
Sirius shook his head. He looked down at his godson again, "Take my bike. Harry loves it. It's safer."
"Don't you need it?"
"No… I don't need it. You did though, for Harry. For my little Prongs," Sirius bit his lip.
At last he gave over Harry. He gave him a kiss on each cheek and then a hug, a bear like one. "I'll get you back, don't you worry, Paddy will always be there for you." Hagrid took him.
"Where are you going now?" Hagrid asked. They walked down the stairs. At the bottom his eyes settled on James. "Business." He looked at Hagrid, "Take care of him."
Hagrid went outside. A second later Sirius heard his bike start up. He went to the door. "I'LL GET YOU BACK HARRY!" He yelled to his godson.
Sirius looked around the house, his eyes once more settled on James. "I'll kill you Peter. I'll kill you." He knew what had happened, he remembered Peter's house, he wasn't there and there was no sign of a struggle. How could they have thought Remus was the traitor? How could they have been so wrong? It was Peter… not Remus. Peter though, weak, power hungry, stupid Peter. Why? Why? Why would he betray James? James always looked out for him; he protected him through school.
Betrayal had taken place this night and Sirius was out to justify it. He could hear Jams in his head telling him no, to stay calm and don't do anything stupid. But he looked back at James, he hated betrayers, they deserved to die. Brothers, they had been brothers. His own brother had betrayed them. He wiped his face; tears were still streaming down it. "I'LL KILL YOU PETER!" Hate boiled inside of him. With one look around the house and at James Potter, his true brother he disapparated.
**
It was a terrible full moon. Remus had sat in the basement all night by himself. He had fallen asleep but sometime during the night he woke feeling more horrible than he had ever when he transformed. The feeling stayed with him for the rest of the night and he was unable to sleep anymore. He felt sore all over and weak. When it was morning he stumbled upstairs to find the Daily Prophet on the table. He made to go over to it but tiredness over took him and he fell on the couch and fell asleep.
When he woke again it was to someone gently shaking him. He rubbed his eyes and yawned to find Dumbledore looking very solemn and tired.
"Sir," Remus sat up.
"Assuming by the way you greet me, I guess you have not seen a paper this evening," Dumbledore said with no twinkle in his eyes.
Remus stomach felt sick. He glazed at he paper on the table. He opened it up; it was the Evening Prophet. He took one look at it… one look at his best friend and he fell to his knees. It was Sirius, bodies could be seen around him and he was laughing in the moving picture. He was laughing… his face was looking at the sky, but his shoulders were shaking, he was laughing uncontrollable. It was sick. Remus felt sick to his stomach.
YOU-KNOW-WHO'S SECOND IN COMMAND STRIKES AGAIN
The paper fell to the floor in front of him. He stared down at it; his stomach was in his throat. He choked back, unable to speak. He did not cry, he found no tears. He just stared at it, not seeing anything. He felt so weak.
He got up and backed away from the paper as though it was harmful to him. He looked at Dumbledore and found his voice, "What does it mean… strike again?" He asked though unsure he was prepared for the answer.
"Black," Dumbledore said in a hate filled voice, "betrayed Lily and James. They are dead, and Harry is living with Lily's sister." His voice softened, "Peter is now dead and Black is in Azkaban."
Remus' eyes got wide. "NO!" he yelled. "He wouldn't! We swore never to betray each other! Sirius… he wouldn't! He hates Death Eaters or don't you remember? He said you would have to kill him before he turned! Not my friend… not Sirius." He couldn't believe it, not Sirius. How many times had he ranted about Death Eaters? He would never! But dead… James and Lily… Peter… no, how could all of this happened?
"No… I'm going to wake up now… it's just a nightmare."
"I'm afraid not Remus," Dumbledore shook his head.
"He wouldn't… he wouldn't," Remus wasn't ready to face the facts that his friend had betrayed him… betrayed them.
Dumbledore came to up comfort him but Remus pushed him away. "I don't believe you! Sirius, his parents, he hated them! Simon, he would never."
"Black already killed once, he was more than capable of killing again," Dumbledore told him.
"Black? That's how you call you now… no more Sirius. This is all wrong!"
"He was the Potter's Secret Keeper, and he betrayed their location to Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He then killed Peter. Voldemort had a spy near James and Lily. It was Black."
"No," Remus was now crying. Everything was settling in… it wasn't a dream. He rushed outside into evening November day. The sun was setting, Remus looked up at it, and it was taunting him. The sun was setting; it was falling, just like his life. He cried out loudly, he couldn't believe it. Sirius, he was the last one to go to Voldemort! He yelled, he yelled as loud as he could. He let everything out. All the hatred that was starting to build up in him. He fell to his knees again.
"JAMES! SIRIUS! PETER!" He yelled. "WHY?" He sobbed into his hands. "Why?"
"WHY ME? YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER BETRAY US! YOU SWORE!" He broke down; he fell face first onto the grass. He pounded the grass much like a small child. He couldn't help it; his world had tumbled down in an instance.
The sun had fallen when he lifted his head. He got up he couldn't stay here. He went blindly into the house and to his room. He packed a few belongings and went back downstairs. Rosy stood by the stairs.
"I'm sorry Rosy," he told her and left without another word. He never looked back, he couldn't. There was too many memories, too many laughs. He couldn't laugh anymore; his heart had been torn out and stomped on. Everything he was no longer mattered. Out of all his friends, the one who wanted to die, who deserved to die was the only one still really alive. It wasn't fair, life wasn't fair. This wasn't how it was suppose to happen, they were suppose to cause chaos for years to come. His wasn't how they planned it. With tears blinding him he left without a look around him, he left leaving Moony behind. No longer was he a Marauder, no longer did he care about anything. There was nothing to care about. He wiped his eyes and left, he didn't know where he was going to go, but at this second he didn't care.
