Chapter 6- What Should Have Been
*Death Eaters,* Sirius growled silently as he approached the house on his flying motorbike…he approached…what should have been the house. It was instead a large pile of rubble. "No…Prongs…Lily…" *Harry.*
He did not have the time or the inclination to chase or catch any of the Death Eaters. He had to be sure they were all right…but he already knew they weren't. It was always the way of it. Sirius landed roughly, cutting off the engine and swinging his leg over the side. He ran as quickly as he could to the house.
He began to rummage through the wreckage with his hands, but soon realized how long this would take him. Stepping back, he cast a spell to clear it away, leaving three still forms uncovered.
At the sight of James's facedown body, Sirius forgot all else. His best friend forever, was now…but maybe he wasn't. He had to be sure.
Sirius approached him, and kneeling, he turned James over to look at his face. He winced at the enraged and terrified expression of deathly stillness. "Prongs, this is horrible," he whispered. His voice was too hoarse for anything louder. He was suddenly aware that he was crying.
He next turned to Lily, who lay closer to her son than her husband. A look of fear and desperation lingered on her face- she had probably died not a minute before Voldemort turned to Harry.
Harry…Sirius now turned to the babe himself. He was so afraid of what he might see. Bracing himself for the worst, Sirius gently knelt toward Harry- who stirred in his sleep.
The largest sigh of relief Sirius suspected could exist escaped him when he saw his godson move. He picked up the sleeping child as quickly as he dared, glancing around wildly, daring any threat to come out to get them. "Hmm," he mused, "I won't be much of an opponent without my wand." He took it from his pocket.
Nothing happened for some time. He sat against his motorcycle, holding Harry in his arms. Once in a while, Harry would awaken, but not for very long. Sirius, having been thoroughly distracted by the death of his childhood friends, now took a closer look at Harry.
"What's this?" he said quietly, bringing his finger up to the child's forehead. When he touched the injury, he pulled his hand back quickly. Oddly enough, the movement did not jerk him out of sleep, as Sirius would have thought.
Now knowing not to touch the spot on Harry's forehead, he positioned himself and Harry for a better angle. It was a cut, but it did not bleed…and it was shaped like lightning.
"Now, that's one thing James never had. You won't look *exactly* like him, then, kiddo."
Sirius shook his head sadly. "We didn't want it to be like this. James and Lily, they were such wonderful people. They don't deserve to be snuffed out like this. They had much of their lives ahead of them…especially watching you grow up, Harry. They were supposed to be there for you, to guide you. There was nothing they wanted more. If only you could have known them. I know you won't remember, but I promise I'll tell you everything I know."
Harry shifted comfortably and gave a gurgling sigh.
A gargantuan crackling caused Sirius to jump up, wand pointed, leaving Harry on the ground. "Stay back! I mean…! Hagrid, is that you?"
"Black? Sirius Black?"
"Yes," Sirius replied warily.
"I thou' ye were on a job."
"Well," Sirius said, a sad half-smile quirking his lips, "I was, but I just had to come. To make sure…to…"
He had been about to say, "to make sure Lily and James were all right", but that would have sounded ridiculous. They weren't all right, as it was plain to see.
Hagrid followed his gaze, and saw the two dead Aurors among their destroyed home. "Oh, no," he said softly, and tears began to fall from his face. "No, no, NO! AAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!"
The cry was deafening, one that only a half-giant could have made. "Hagrid, shhhhh! You'll wake Harry!!"
"Harry?" Hagrid turned quickly. "Where is 'e?"
"Right here…" Sirius lifted Harry in his arms.
"Ah, there 'e is. I'll take 'im, Black." Hagrid held out his humongous hands for the child.
"That's all right, Hagrid. I can take Harry home with me. I am his godfather, after all."
"No, I 'ave orders, from Dumbledore hisself, to bring 'Arry back wit me. Ye can' really argue wit Dumbledore, can ye! I never would."
Sirius sighed. "You'll be fine," he said softly to Harry, stroking his temple. "Whatever Dumbledore has planned for you, I'm sure it's for the best."
He handed Harry over to Hagrid, who tucked him safely into one arm. "Hagrid, take my bike."
"Yer bike! But no, I can' take tha', ye've put so much work into it!" Hagrid protested.
"Don't worry about it. I won't be needing it anymore." Sirius shook his head slightly. "It may as well serve one more good purpose."
"Well, ah, thanks, Black. I'll be sure to tell Dumbledore how much ye've helped."
"Good luck, Hagrid. I'll be seeing you," Sirius said, though he had no idea when. He didn't want to see anyone just then…no one except Peter. Peter had some things to answer for, some quite unforgivable things…
Sirius considered it as though Pettigrew himself had held the wand that lay his friends to their rest.
"Goodbye, Black." Without another word, Hagrid was roaring into the night, James and Lily's son as precious cargo on board.
End Chapter 6
Eh. Delays, delays, apologies, etc. I just finished writing this chapter, so don't complain. I'll try to post the next chapter sometime this weekend.
Review for…um…hugs?
*Death Eaters,* Sirius growled silently as he approached the house on his flying motorbike…he approached…what should have been the house. It was instead a large pile of rubble. "No…Prongs…Lily…" *Harry.*
He did not have the time or the inclination to chase or catch any of the Death Eaters. He had to be sure they were all right…but he already knew they weren't. It was always the way of it. Sirius landed roughly, cutting off the engine and swinging his leg over the side. He ran as quickly as he could to the house.
He began to rummage through the wreckage with his hands, but soon realized how long this would take him. Stepping back, he cast a spell to clear it away, leaving three still forms uncovered.
At the sight of James's facedown body, Sirius forgot all else. His best friend forever, was now…but maybe he wasn't. He had to be sure.
Sirius approached him, and kneeling, he turned James over to look at his face. He winced at the enraged and terrified expression of deathly stillness. "Prongs, this is horrible," he whispered. His voice was too hoarse for anything louder. He was suddenly aware that he was crying.
He next turned to Lily, who lay closer to her son than her husband. A look of fear and desperation lingered on her face- she had probably died not a minute before Voldemort turned to Harry.
Harry…Sirius now turned to the babe himself. He was so afraid of what he might see. Bracing himself for the worst, Sirius gently knelt toward Harry- who stirred in his sleep.
The largest sigh of relief Sirius suspected could exist escaped him when he saw his godson move. He picked up the sleeping child as quickly as he dared, glancing around wildly, daring any threat to come out to get them. "Hmm," he mused, "I won't be much of an opponent without my wand." He took it from his pocket.
Nothing happened for some time. He sat against his motorcycle, holding Harry in his arms. Once in a while, Harry would awaken, but not for very long. Sirius, having been thoroughly distracted by the death of his childhood friends, now took a closer look at Harry.
"What's this?" he said quietly, bringing his finger up to the child's forehead. When he touched the injury, he pulled his hand back quickly. Oddly enough, the movement did not jerk him out of sleep, as Sirius would have thought.
Now knowing not to touch the spot on Harry's forehead, he positioned himself and Harry for a better angle. It was a cut, but it did not bleed…and it was shaped like lightning.
"Now, that's one thing James never had. You won't look *exactly* like him, then, kiddo."
Sirius shook his head sadly. "We didn't want it to be like this. James and Lily, they were such wonderful people. They don't deserve to be snuffed out like this. They had much of their lives ahead of them…especially watching you grow up, Harry. They were supposed to be there for you, to guide you. There was nothing they wanted more. If only you could have known them. I know you won't remember, but I promise I'll tell you everything I know."
Harry shifted comfortably and gave a gurgling sigh.
A gargantuan crackling caused Sirius to jump up, wand pointed, leaving Harry on the ground. "Stay back! I mean…! Hagrid, is that you?"
"Black? Sirius Black?"
"Yes," Sirius replied warily.
"I thou' ye were on a job."
"Well," Sirius said, a sad half-smile quirking his lips, "I was, but I just had to come. To make sure…to…"
He had been about to say, "to make sure Lily and James were all right", but that would have sounded ridiculous. They weren't all right, as it was plain to see.
Hagrid followed his gaze, and saw the two dead Aurors among their destroyed home. "Oh, no," he said softly, and tears began to fall from his face. "No, no, NO! AAARRRRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!!"
The cry was deafening, one that only a half-giant could have made. "Hagrid, shhhhh! You'll wake Harry!!"
"Harry?" Hagrid turned quickly. "Where is 'e?"
"Right here…" Sirius lifted Harry in his arms.
"Ah, there 'e is. I'll take 'im, Black." Hagrid held out his humongous hands for the child.
"That's all right, Hagrid. I can take Harry home with me. I am his godfather, after all."
"No, I 'ave orders, from Dumbledore hisself, to bring 'Arry back wit me. Ye can' really argue wit Dumbledore, can ye! I never would."
Sirius sighed. "You'll be fine," he said softly to Harry, stroking his temple. "Whatever Dumbledore has planned for you, I'm sure it's for the best."
He handed Harry over to Hagrid, who tucked him safely into one arm. "Hagrid, take my bike."
"Yer bike! But no, I can' take tha', ye've put so much work into it!" Hagrid protested.
"Don't worry about it. I won't be needing it anymore." Sirius shook his head slightly. "It may as well serve one more good purpose."
"Well, ah, thanks, Black. I'll be sure to tell Dumbledore how much ye've helped."
"Good luck, Hagrid. I'll be seeing you," Sirius said, though he had no idea when. He didn't want to see anyone just then…no one except Peter. Peter had some things to answer for, some quite unforgivable things…
Sirius considered it as though Pettigrew himself had held the wand that lay his friends to their rest.
"Goodbye, Black." Without another word, Hagrid was roaring into the night, James and Lily's son as precious cargo on board.
End Chapter 6
Eh. Delays, delays, apologies, etc. I just finished writing this chapter, so don't complain. I'll try to post the next chapter sometime this weekend.
Review for…um…hugs?