Secret Keeper, Re-post Edition

Chapter Two

October 25, 1981

            A young, tired-looking man with light brown hair and weary blue eyes sat at his desk facing the window through which the sunlight was pouring, shining brightly onto the blank parchment that lay in front of him. He tapped the end of his eagle-feather quill onto his desk in contemplation – what would he write? What could he write that would mean anything to his friends, friends who had just received the news that they had been targeted by one of the most feared Dark wizards of all time?

            Remus Lupin wasn't sure what he was going to say to James and Lily. Nothing he could think of seemed appropriate.

            "Hey, I heard that Voldemort wants to kill you... good luck!"

            He felt like hitting himself on the head with something very, very hard.

            An aura of gloominess descended upon him as he sat facing the light of the rising sun and brooded upon his fears and insecurities. It seemed like only yesterday that life had been so – so easy. Of course, being a werewolf, life had never really flowed as easily for him as he would have liked, but generally he decided that his life was good. He had gone to school, had had friends for the first time – Peter, Sirius, and James, all of whom had befriended him readily and had accepted him for what he was. Seven years had gone by in a blink of an eye, the four of them had grown and learned and become, and one of them had even found love and a family. Remus smiled bitterly as he thought of poor Harry. The kid hadn't even turned two years old and his name was already on the hit list from which no one ever survived...

            It felt like only one day ago that everything was so simple, laid down in front of him like a roadmap, but now... he felt lost, didn't know what to think. One of his closest friends was being targeted by Lord Voldemort... he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. James was fairly well-known for his outspokenness against the Dark Arts, and Voldemort and the Death Eaters were killing more and more each day, and marking still others for destruction... and yet, none of it had seemed real, none of it had punctured the thin bubble that surrounded his reality until the Dark Lord had decided that he wanted to kill the Potters... and the blessed euphoria that Remus had previously referred to as his life had deflated like a punctured balloon.

            Sighing in frustration, he slammed the quill onto the desk and held his head in his hands as he closed his eyes in resignation. He couldn't write. Not a letter. He couldn't.

            I'd better pay a visit to Lily and James in person, he thought tiredly to himself.

            Two tall, black-haired men stood side by side in the headmaster's office, one for the second time in two days, the other for the first time in almost four years. The former, the slightly shorter of the two, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while the other, a paler, blue-eyed man, shook his dark bangs out of his eyes as they waited for Professor Dumbledore to speak.

            "James, Sirius." The Hogwarts headmaster acknowledged them with a brief nod.

            "Professor Dumbledore," James Potter said respectfully as Sirius Black nodded silently in response.

            A small sigh escaped the older man as he looked upon his two former pupils. "Sirius," he said, turning to the taller man, "I suppose James has told you why you are here?"

            Unreadable blue-gray eyes flew up to meet the professor's bright blue ones.

             "Yes, sir," Sirius said quietly. "James told me about the... circumstances."

            "Very well then. Please, sit down, both of you, we have much to discuss," Dumbledore said, waving a hand towards two squashy armchairs which were sitting conveniently side by side. James and Sirius sat, though both looked slightly awkward and stiff.

            "Now, James, you've told Sirius about the Fidelius Charm? And how it works?"

            "Yes, sir."

            There was a slight pause that lingered in the air between the three men. Sirius looked down at his hands, which were collapsed together between his knees.

            Dumbledore allowed the silence to continue for a few more moments. Then-

            "Have either of you got any questions?"

            Sirius looked up slowly, an unfathomable expression drawing itself across his handsome features. "Yes, this – this Secret-Keeper. What would happen if he – or I should say me – told someone the – the secret?"

            Dumbledore bowed his head, looking extremely grave. "Should you happen to divulge this secret, Sirius, whomever you have chosen to share the knowledge it would have full access to it and would be able to use it to their full advantage – in this case being James and Lily's location."

            The younger man sat back for a moment, drumming his fingers on the edge of the chair contemplatively. "But what if," Sirius began slowly, "I told someone the secret, someone whom we wanted to know it, and that person went and told Voldemort? What would happen then?"

            "Nothing. Voldemort may be able to uncover the Potters' exact location, but without the knowledge coming directly from your mouth, or your writing, he will never be able to find Godric's Hollow," Dumbledore said quietly, his blue eyes focusing on the two young men sitting in front of him. "Is there anything else you need to know?"

            "I've got a question," James announced suddenly. "When we – Lily, Harry, and I – use this Fidelius Charm, what would happen if we needed to talk to someone else? Other than Sirius, I mean."

            "If Sirius chose to give the person in question the knowledge of your whereabouts, there would be nothing preventing you from having a normal conversation with them, as long as you are all within the confines of the protection of the Fidelius Charm," Dumbledore said, peering at James over his half-moon spectacles. "When we activate the charm, we will be concealing your address, and therefore hiding the presence of your house, not your person. The house, along with anyone inside of the house, would be undetectable to anyone except the Secret-Keeper and those the Secret-Keeper has shared the information with."

            "I see." The black-haired man sat up straighter in his chair. "And if Lily or I were to go outside the house? What would happen then?"

            Dumbledore's blue-eyed gaze became slightly more piercing as he scrutinized the asker of the question. "That would not be wise, James," he said solemnly. "If you were to step outside of the house, you would be leaving the protection of the Fidelius Charm, and therefore endangering your life."

            "Oh," James said faintly, leaning back into the plushy confines of the chair again as he digested this news. "All right, then. So how do we activate this charm?"

            Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him on his mahogany desk. "I will explain it to you both. But first, Sirius, I have to ask you, are you sure about this?"

            "Yes," the other man replied firmly, propping his arms onto his thighs. "I'd do anything for James," he added, a tone of fierceness behind the quiet qualities of his voice.

            "That was not what I meant," the professor said quietly, glancing still more closely at Sirius. "I know you're perfectly willing – but can you do it, Sirius? Do you realize the responsibility that this entails, how important this is?"

            "Of course," Sirius replied, not making eye contact, his voice steady, emotionless, yet shaking slightly with hidden fear. "Of course I know. I know that I'd have to go into hiding, I couldn't talk to anyone, I'd have to isolate myself, give up my life – I don't care!" There was a bite of indignation in his words. "I can do this, Professor Dumbledore. I do know what it means to be responsible, contrary to the opinions of my former schoolteachers."

            Dumbledore gave a small smile as he remembered the terror caused by the two best friends in their school days, and recalled with amusement the obvious elation of many of the Hogwarts teachers when the class of 1977 had graduated, and James Potter and Sirius Black had gone with it. "Of course, Sirius. I did not doubt your ability – I just had to ask, you see." The younger man nodded in response to this statement.

            The Hogwarts headmaster looked more wearied and tired than ever. "I'm going to show you how to activate the Fidelius Charm," he said slowly to the two men sitting in front of him. "But it won't be performed here – you will have to activate it at your house, James, with Sirius present as well."

            The two friends exchanged a quick glance between themselves before turning back to face their former headmaster.

            "Sirius, you will need to be the one who utters the incantation – the spell for the charm is 'abscondo fidelio'," Dumbledore said, shifting slightly to look at Sirius. "It is critical you pronounce the incantation correctly; otherwise, the charm will be faulty, and may... fail to work... as consistently as it ought to."

            Sirius, throat taut with nervousness and anxiety, only nodded, unable to speak. Reaching up instinctively with one hand, he brushed his bangs out of his eyes.

            "After Sirius casts the beginning of the charm, you, James," – Dumbledore turned towards the other man – "will need to state the information to be concealed, in this case, your address. You must say this to Sirius as he holds his wand, or the wand used to cast the charm, and you yourself must be holding your wand as you say this."

            James fidgeted slightly. "Yes, Professor," he said, his hazel eyes flickering slightly.

            "Once this is done, the two of you – James and Sirius – must touch the tip of your wands together to complete and seal the charm. If all goes well, a bond should be formed, and there should be a golden glow where your wands make contact. Remember, there must be a certain level of trust for the bond to be properly formed – although I doubt that should be a problem with the two of you." Dumbledore hesitated slightly before continuing again. "Also keep in mind that the connection must be given enough time to properly conceal the secret within Sirius' soul – if you break the connection too soon, there is no guarantee that the information will be properly hidden."

            Again, both men nodded, their faces looking grim yet determined.

            "One more thing..." There was another slight hesitation from the old wizard. "It is probably a little late to be saying this, but I must warn the both of you that the activation of the Fidelius Charm is far from painless... it involves the physical transfer of knowledge from one person's mind into the very living soul of another... the process may be very agonizing, especially for the Sirius."

            James shot a concerned look at his friend, who blatantly ignored it.

            "That's fine," Sirius said bluntly, swiftly setting aside his regard for himself. "Is there anything else of importance, Professor?"

            Dumbledore gazed upon the two friends quietly, the expression on his face kept carefully neutral. "No, I think not," he said softly, eyeing the two men with a fond regard.

            James gave his former professor a swift nod. "Thank you so much for your help, Professor Dumbledore," he said gratefully, standing up. Sirius followed his lead.

            "Thanks, Professor," he said, somewhat awkwardly as he, too, stood up, straightening his robes.

            "Of course." Dumbledore's voice was fatherly and reassuring. "I am always willing to help. I wish the two of you the best of luck."

            "Yeah, we'll certainly need it," Sirius said wryly, regaining some of his old sarcastic humor. James whacked him lightly on the upper arm.

            Dumbledore, too, gave a warm smile as he watched the playful exchange between the two friends. "You are more right than you know, Sirius," he said, chuckling. "Well, off with you two now! And James," he said, catching the messy-haired man in the eye. "Please send my warmest to Lily and Harry, and feel free to contact me if anything of importance arises. Use the Floo."

            "Of course, Professor Dumbledore, I will."

            And with that, the two friends stepped down the winding staircase of the headmaster's office and out through the stone gargoyle.

            A small, short man with wispy, colorless blond hair and watery blue eyes squirmed slightly as he quickly approached the towering figure in front of him and knelt down. Afraid to raise his eyes upwards, he instead stared at the ground to hide his fear and desperation.

            "Master."

            The Dark Lord looked down upon him, red eyes gleaming in annoyance. "Wormtail. How nice to see you again," he said lazily, his casually controlled voice containing a hint of subtly implied impatience.

            "O-of course, my Lord." More stuttering escaped from Peter's parched lips as he continued to kneel in front of Lord Voldemort.

            "Have you got any news for me regarding your friend James Potter?" The question was asked with an air of drawling indifference, and yet its back-tones impressed upon Peter the edginess of the Dark Lord's curiosity. He trembled slightly.

            "He – they... the Potters know," he managed to rasp out as he continued his staring contest with the ground in front of him. "They – they've spoken to Dumbledore."

            The information tumbled awkwardly out of the bumbling Death Eater as he cowered in front of his master.

            "P-probably going to – to use the Fidelius Charm..." Peter Pettigrew's eyes darted nervously from side to side, looking everywhere except at his master's face.

            "The Fidelius Charm?" For the first time, Voldemort spoke with an alert sharpness. "You are sure of this, Wormtail?"

            "I – yes, my Lord," Peter replied nervously, his voice growing somewhat steadier as he breathed to calm himself.

            Voldemort let the silence linger as his red eyes bore relentlessly into the top of Peter's head. "I see. And... their Secret-Keeper?"

            Peter found his body shaking more and more violently; for some reason, it was getting harder for him to speak. "S-secret-Keeper?" Something in his jaw tightened. "I - probably – m-most likely it would be Sirius, they're b-best friends, they-"

            "Black?" Voldemort asked, a hint of amusement in his cruel voice as he interrupted the quivering mass of nerves in front of him. "Sirius Black?"

            There was a contemplative tone to Voldemort's words as he drew them out almost playfully, allowing them to dance dangerously in the air.

            "Regulus Black's blood-traitor brother... I should have guessed. His friendship with Potter is very well known... you consider yourself to be friends with him as well, Wormtail?" A question lingered in those terrible scarlet eyes.

            "Y-yes, Master."

            Voldemort gave a small nod, the dim light reflecting eerily off the pale glow of his skin as he twirled his unnaturally long, spindly fingers that put Peter in mind of spiders.

            "I have a new task for you, Wormtail..."

            Sirius Black and James Potter walked towards the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry side by side, their footsteps a little less than synchronized as the two men strode through the castle they had once called home.

            "Sirius," James began tentatively, feeling slightly odd as he addressed his closest friend by his given name, rather than the old school nicknames they had always so affectionately used. "Are – are you sure you want to do this?"

            The other man's face grew closed as his intense blue eyes stared straight ahead of him, not flickering as he replied to his friend's sentiments. "That discussion is over, James," Sirius said with a tone of finality, also using his friend's given name to impress upon James the authority of his statement. "Of all the things in my life that I am sure of, this is definitely one of them," he said shortly.

            "If you're sure then..." James' smooth and steady voice trailed off into the bustle of the school. "We'll perform the charm tomorrow?"

            "Of course – your house, say, at two o'clock?"

            James nodded, running a hand through his messy black hair. "Yeah, you can meet me there... we'll perform the charm and all of us," – here he stressed the word 'all' – "will go into hiding and lie low for a while." He gave his friend a sideways glance to make his meaning clear.

            "Yes..." Sirius said musingly, his voice quiet. "I'll have to wrap up a bit of business first – tie up a few loose ends, so to speak. I suggest you do the same, Prongs."

            James thought about this for a moment, drumming his fingers on his upper arms pensively. "I suppose you're right," he conceded. "I'll probably go in to see Dumbledore again tomorrow, I'm thinking about leaving a few things with him..."

            Sirius smirked. "Your Chocolate Frog card collection of ten years, Prongs?" he asked, a mischievous twinkle reawakening in his blue-gray eyes. He shook his hair out from in front of his face.

            The shorter man pulled a face as he playfully punched his companion in the arm. "No, no, Padfoot..." he said musingly. "I was thinking more along the lines of... family heirlooms? I want to leave some of my things with Dumbledore – the rest of it'll I'll trust to Gringotts, I guess."

            "That's actually a good idea, Prongs," Sirius said, looking equally contemplative as well – a sight that was quite rare. "Send your stuff for safe-keeping... have you dealt with all the legal mish-mash?"

            James tilted his head to one side slightly. "Er – most of it, I think," he replied. "Just want to secure a few things – some old Gringotts stuff, my records, my will – but hopefully I won't be needing that," he added, smirking.

            "I should hope not." Sirius gave an exaggerated shudder. "Then I'd have to take care of Harry – I'd never get my beauty sleep!"

            "Oh no!" James exclaimed in mock horror. "A beauty sleep-less Padfoot, unleashed onto the world at large – what a catastrophe!" He snorted.

            Sirius gave a wry smile and laughed loudly. "Well of course, Prongs, you do know that I am a naturally good-looking man – I was born with the charm and good looks." He struck a comical pose. "The epitome of tall, dark, and handsome."

            "The beginning of the decline of Western civilization," James offered, his hand once again flying to his jet-black hair.

            Sirius shot his friend a playful death-glare. "The best-looking thing ever to grace Hogwarts with his presence."

            "The one whose face gives kids nightmares."

            The tall blue-eyed man gave a great sniff of indignation. "You're one to talk. Just looking at your hair is enough to give any grown woman nightmares for months on end." He snickered. "No wonder you didn't get more dates in school, Prongs – or was that because were you too busy fawning over a certain red-haired green-eyed young lady?"

            "I was, wasn't I?" James said thoughtfully, his face reminiscent as he stared vaguely off into space.

            Sirius gave his friend a sideways glance, noting with amusement the absentminded the expression that had crossed James' featured.

            "Yeah, Prongs, you sure were," he said quietly.

 *

Author's Note

            Hehe... I've got this fic (the original version) posted up on Fiction Alley (don't read it, it sucks!), and recently, I got a review complimenting my grammar, which I found extremely odd because one of my worst faults as a writer is my inability to proofread and find my mistakes until my work is actually posted... LOL – would you believe that English is my second language? Wow... someone complimenting my grammar and spelling... holy cow...

            Anyways... um, yeah, thanks to the reviewers, again, whose positive words keep me going... this is turning out a lot more nicely than I thought it would, I'm thinking of devoting most of my time to this story and putting "Crying Myself to Sleep" behind it a little... can't do too much at once, got to keep up with my hectic high school schedule... urgh, transition from eighth-grader to freshman is not good, thank GOD that only happens once in a lifetime... so... would appreciate feedback on this chapter... and PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I NEED SOMEONE TO BETA CHAPTER SIX OF CMtS! HELP! Okay, sorry, that was a little intense, but just check it out!

            Oh yeah... for those of you who are recommending that I read Robin's "Promises Unbroken"... I am a HUGE Sirius fan... I have too much spare time... I finished OotP in about four hours... DO YOU HONESTLY THINK I HAVEN'T ALREADY READ AND RE-READ THE WHOLE THING? Please. I have it saved on my desktop and printed. =)

*

            "Personally, I'd have welcomed a dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broke the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about and stretch your legs, get into a few fights... I've been stuck inside for a month." – Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Scholastic Edition, pg. 82