Chapter Two: October 31st, 1980

The key squeaked in the lock of Sirius's room, from where he sat against the cool wall he could see small flakes of rust fall as the handle turned. Slowly the door swung open and a thin slice of light fell onto his face, squinting against the sudden brightness Sirius tried to make out the face of the man who had opened the door.

But this wasn't any man.

Albus Dumbledore stood framed in the doorway as it finished swinging open, his silver hair shining intensely around his face. Two twinkling eyes pierced Sirius as he sat there, his face a mask of calm despite the rage of emotions within him.

Before he could say anything Dumbledore held up a hand solemnly, continuing to gaze acutely at Sirius. 'If I thought you had in any way harmed James, Lily or Harry we would not be speaking.' And beneath the composed face, Sirius saw fire flash through Dumbledore's eyes.

Leaving the door open Dumbledore walked away, the look in his eyes telling Sirius to follow him outside.

The large room outside the cell was the same concrete grey, benches and tables littered the room, most of them unoccupied. The others held a collection of wizards and witches, Sirius recognised most of them and the looks of anger they directed at him.

As he walked forward Sirius felt his head begin to swim, the wound there aching with each step, and a wave of blackness fell across his eyes.

Strong hands caught his stumbling body while another held something cool to the wound. 'Back off,' a deep voice growled in Sirius's ear and he felt the compress leave the back of his head. The rough hands put him down on a rough chair, as Sirius opened his eyes he saw Hagrid step back from the chair.

Someone's fingers snapped and Sirius felt chains fasten onto his wrists and ankles, another loosely held his chest so he no longer slumped forward. Through blurred eyes Sirius found the holder of the wet rag, it was Remus, his eyes the only ones beside Dumbledore's that were not hardened.

'Sirius,' Dumbledore's voice cut into his thoughts, 'we're going to give you a potion, please don't resist.' Nodding fuzzily, Sirius thought he heard Hagrid mutter something along the lines of wanting him to resist accompanied by the sound of cracking knuckles.

Another wizard approached Sirius with a vial of potion, held his chin and tipped the contents into his mouth, lifting Sirius's head as he did so. As his eyes focused on the wizard his entire body shook in the chair, rattling the chains.

'You!' he hissed, spittle flying out his mouth as the potion took effect and a peaceful slumber hit him, but still he strained against the chains. Sirius's hands grasped against the chairs in panic, 'You bloody trai…trai…' but the word wouldn't come out.

'Severus is no traitor, Sirius, and I don't believe you are either.' Dumbledore commented as Snape resumed his seat at the nearest table. In his daze Sirius noted that Snape's eyes were similar to Lupin's, not accusatory but still somewhat wary. 'In your own time, Sirius, tell us what happened tonight.'

Images immediately sprung into Sirius's head and he shuddered, rattling the chains around him even more. 'Was…waiting for…for Voldemort to come…'

'I knew it!' A voice shouted, 'he's in league with You-Know-Who!'

'Silence!' Dumbledore said, the whisper commanding the whole room to silence as discontented mutters began. 'Continue, Sirius, in your own time.'

'Waiting…' Sirius muttered, his head lolling about under the influence of the Veritaserum running though him. 'We wanted…wanted him to come after me…get him away…' a sudden sob broke into his commentary as a new image entered his head. 'Get away from Lily and James…Lily and James…oh God...'

'Focus, Sirius, tell us what happened.' Dumbledore's voice was iron hard and cut into Sirius's thoughts, destroying the images there and providing a brief respite for his tortured mind.

'Death Eater came to my house…took care of them…but knew it was wrong…should have sent more than one to capture me…wouldn't let them.' When he added this, his face hardened in resolve, and several people in the room nodded in agreement. 'Got out…took my bike…took it to James's…house looked…looked alive…'

Tears began flowing down his face again, but before Dumbledore could speak Sirius continued his faltering story. 'Found…found James on the stairs…just lying there…eyes were all grey…must have got Lily…Lily and Harry upstairs then…went back to face Him…didn't stand a chance.' At this point Sirius broke down completely, whole sobs wracking his body as tears flooded.

'Lily…she was in Harry's room…' he continued after his sobs died down, but others were crying in the room. 'Must have been…trying to protect him…Voldemort hit her in the back…think she was dead…God…didn't check her.' Out of Sirius's eyeshot Dumbledore turned his head to a pair of wizards who stood at the back of the room, both shook their heads, their eyes down-turned.

'Harry…Harry was alive…he was alive, Albus…' for the first time Sirius lifted his head. His eyes were totally unfocused but he still managed to stare at Dumbledore through the tears. 'Voldemort was still there…didn't see him…Christ…he killed Harry…he killed him didn't he?'

Lupin stormed forwards, shaking off Hagrid's hand, with a muttered word the chains fell loose from Sirius and he pitched forward into his friend's arms. His entire body was shaking with grief as Remus gripped his shoulders, 'It's not your fault, Sirius,' he said, staring into the grief stricken eyes.

'We thought it would work,' Sirius garbled, 'Voldemort would come after me and they'd be safe…they'd be safe.' The tears and sobs suddenly stopped, and his body went rigid in Lupin's hands.

'Where is he, Moony? Where's Peter?' His eyes were a blaze of fury the bored into Remus's own.

'Sirius, we don't know.' Dumbledore answered, 'but we're going to find him soon.' Walking up to him, Dumbledore helped Lupin lift up Sirius, his eyes once twinkling dangerously.

'I'm going with you,' Sirius replied, his arm gripping Dumbledore's firmly. 'Promise me, you won't go without me.'

'I promise,' Dumbledore replied, then he held Sirius tightly as once more he collapsed from exhaustion. Hagrid stepped forward, this time his hands gently took Sirius's form, lifting him easily from Dumbledore and Lupin.

Turning to Snape, Dumbledore held his gaze. 'I meant what I said, and Sirius knows it too – even if he may never admit it to you.' Snape simply nodded in reply, following Hagrid as he took Sirius to another room to sleep. 'Contact your sources, do what you have to – find Peter, Remus will help.'

* * *

'Where were you, Sirius?' James said, his grey eyes draining the life from Sirius as he stood over his body, his arm reaching down for him. 'You were supposed to protect us, Sirius…you let Lily and Harry die, Sirius…'

* * *

'Sirius.'

'NO!' Sirius yelled as a hand clenched his arm, his eyes were wide in terror before his mind caught up with him.

'It's me,' Lupin stated, his voice oddly emotionless, 'it's just me.' Sitting down on the bed he passed Sirius a glass he'd brought in.

'I...I saw James,' Sirius whispered, taking a sip from the water to dry his parched throat.

'You're not the only one,' Lupin replied, 'Molly and Arthur were up all night, so was Alice.'

'What about Frank?'

'He was watching Neville, he…he shared Harry's birthday.'

'Jesus,' Sirius whispered, shaking his head. 'I'll go see them later.'

'Don't,' Lupin said firmly, 'you'll only feel worse – or they will.'

'Will anything make me ever feel better?' Sirius asked, for a second the shadow of his old, wry self.

'Maybe,' Lupin replied with a grim smile. 'We found him.'

* * *

'It's not safe,' Peter Pettigrew grumbled to one of his Death Eater guard. 'Why can't I go to the Dark Lord now?'

'Because it's not safe, idiot.' The man mumbled contemptibly, not even glancing at peter but continuing to survey the street outside. The house where they hid looked onto a busy street in London, bustling with Muggles, all oblivious of the war around them.

As if to emphasise the Death Eater's point about security a sharp rapping sounded on the door. Nodding to the second Death Eater in the room, the first covered him with a wand as he grasped the handle and twisted it slowly.

Another nod and the door flung aside, revealing a black-cloaked figure, their hood covering their features in shadow.

'What took you?' the first Death Eater demanded, lowering his wand.

'Traffic was murder,' Sirius replied, his face now dark and foreboding in the shadows, shrugging back his hood and drawing his wand.

The first spell caught the Death Eater by the window full on in the chest, glass flew out into the street as his body plummeted to the hard cobbles below. The second fell as Sirius's fist lashed into his chin, spinning the man into the wall, his head impacting with a large crack.

Looking up from the Death Eater's crumpled body, Sirius was in time to see Peter's cloak lash out the window as he leapt to the street below. Cursing under his breath Sirius ran back out the door and down the stairs, bursting out into the street and emerging into the crowd around the body of the first Death Eater he'd downed.

On the edge of the crowd Sirius saw two Muggles fall, screaming horribly, and Peter broke away, his cloak whipping through the air behind him. Fighting his way to the edge of the crowd, Sirius considered drawing his wand for just a second, then he gave chase, following Pettigrew into the alleys of London.

The chase was over almost before it began. Not knowing the alleyways of London at all, Sirius found his target didn't either as they emerged into a dead-end street. 'No way out, Peter.' He said, his voice even and dangerously quiet.

'There's always a way out, Padfoot.' Pettigrew sneered in reply, his lips curling back in a deriding sneer. It was there for just a second, then his face transformed incredibly, his eyes welled up and sorrow covered his face.

'Try it.' Another voice growled, as deep and dark as Sirius's, and from the shadows of another alley Lupin emerged. 'If you even mention their names I'll tear your bloody throat out.'

The soft look faded from Pettigrew's face, instead he spat towards the ground, the sneer forming on his lips once more. 'Why couldn't you just die?' he said in Sirius's direction, 'but never mind, I can change that for you.'

Amidst the trio of wizards, Muggles continued walking by, completely ignoring the men in their strange garb. 'Quite a ruthless bugger, isn't he Padfoot?' Lupin commented, darkly, yet amiably, to Sirius as they began advancing on Pettigrew.

In a flash he drew his wand, and the whole street exploded in a blast of flames, a shockwave of fire and noise that threw Sirius and Lupin to the floor.

* * *

Screams resounded in Sirius's head, screams of the dead and dying, screams of the wounded and screams of onlookers. A hand tapped him gently on the side of his head and a voice thundered in his pounding ears. 'Sirius, can y…ear me? Si..us?'

His eyes flickered open and he saw a familiar face, blurred, yet somehow familiar. He felt a sudden warmth of caring, and a flickering of blue entered his vision as his bruises healed themselves rapidly. In a second his eyes were fully focused on the wizard in front of him, Albus Dumbledore.

He sat up hastily and black stars of pain exploded into his vision, swiftly destroying his vision of the elderly wizard. 'Your body suffered a severe shock, Sirius, move slowly or I'll put you back to sleep.' Opening his eyes again, Sirius saw that Dumbledore wore a small smile, but etches of sadness decorated his face.

'For a second there…' he began, but instead he shook his head. 'That was very foolish of you both to do, but I understand.'

'Peter?' Sirius rasped, running a hand over his once-again parched throat.

'Gone, no trace – not even a finger or toe left behind.' Dumbledore replied, conjuring a glass of water into his hand and passing the small goblet to Sirius.

'He's alive,' Sirius grunted after taking a small sip and feeling the coolness sooth his irritated throat and lungs.

'Well, I'm glad it's not just me thinking that.' Dumbledore replied, once more wearing the small smile.

'How's Remus?' Sirius asked, feeling a surge of guilt at forgetting his friend for just a minute too long.

'After a lesson in landing correctly in a trailer of marrows he will no doubt recover, Sirius. But for now you and Remus need just one thing.' Taking back the glass, Dumbledore placed his fingers on Sirius's temples before he could object.

'Sleep.'