Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The wonderful JK Rowling does! I wish I did, then I'd be rich! Just kidding! Please don't sue me for writing a fan fic that I really hope you enjoy!
Last Chapter Summery: Harry learns to walk! Lily, James, and Sirius make a tape for Harry on his first birthday so in case Lily or James die they have this tape so he can remember them. Sirius gives him new Gryffindor Quidditch robes and James gives him a little broomstick. Remus confronts Sirius, demanding to know where Lily and James disappeared. Sirius has to lie and says all he knows is that they are hiding but he doesn't know where. James and Sirius take Harry on his first broom ride while Lily watches from below.
The Remus remembering idea was suggested by Laitaine84!
(A/N: ((sniffle)) The last chapter. Brace yourselves…it's going to be harsh.)
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October 29th…
James was cooking dinner while Lily was putting Harry to bed when Sirius burst in extremely loudly, exclaiming, "I have to talk to you!"
"Someone is trying to get Harry to sleep!" Lily called from the upstairs bedroom.
Groaning, Sirius called back, "This is important Lily! Come down NOW!"
Cradling a very tired Harry, Lily came thumping down the stairs, glaring at Sirius. "It better be important…it's extremely difficult to get him to sleep," Lily said as James arrived in the living room.
Sirius, dressed in a traveling cloak, began rapidly pacing the living room floor. Lily and James sat parallel to his paces on the sofa. Letting out little puffs of air now and then, Sirius suddenly turned and faced his best friends. "I came across a thought and I can't be your Secret Keeper anymore," Sirius said.
"WHAT?" both Lily and James yelled, causing Harry to stir from his light sleep and start whining.
"It's not that I don't want to!" Sirius said in a rush, "but I'm too obvious. Voldemort will come after me first. If we got another one that is unlikely then there would be a risk free shot. We could be positive you'll be protected. I would go into hiding so Voldemort can't find me and my choice would be able to perfectly protect you."
Stunned, Lily and James just thought about this for a minute. James shook his head and looked up at Sirius: his best friend since he could crawl. "You're sure about this?" he asked.
Nodding, Sirius said in a flat voice, "I've thought about this a lot. Trust me."
They kept eye contact for a while until James nodded. "Okay, we'll switch to Remus."
"No, I knew you would say that," Sirius said, once again pacing, "Remus would be the next choice. Plus I'm still not sure if he's a Death Eater or not—"
Letting out a grunt of frustration, Lily jumped up and said. "Sirius Orion Black, there is NO chance he is a Death Eater! We trust both you and Remus with our lives! Get over that bullshit when you accused each other of treason against our family!"
There was a small stunned silence until James looked at his wife in amazement and said, "You cussed…for real cussed—"
"Sirius needs to hear it so he understands the impact of what I'm saying," Lily said, glowering at Sirius.
"He still can't be it. Remus knows absolutely nothing right now and it's perfect, he can keep on living his life—"
"His life alone, away from all his friends!" Lily cut in. "We are his life, his friends are his life. Without us, he has nothing!"
Sirius stared her down for a long time before he said, "How do you think he is now? He rarely sees me anymore and he has no clue where you are. This would be for the best." After a moment he added, "Peter is the best choice, no one would suspect it."
"Even before we went into hiding, we hadn't talked to Peter in months," James said and skeptically asked, "Are you sure he's the best choice?"
"No one would hunt him down. As far as anyone else knows we haven't spoken to him in almost a year. It would work, trust me," Sirius said.
Lily and James looked at each other for a moment, debating with their eyes. Harry was still grumpily squirming in Lily's arms. "Can you get him over here now, Sirius?" Lily asked. "I want to see if he will do it."
Without saying goodbye, Sirius Apparated out of the house and came back a second later with Peter, who was nervously twisting his hands. "Peter…you know our situation correct?" James asked. Peter gave a short, nervous nod.
Lily walked over to Peter and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly, for some odd reason her hand was burning his skin. "We are putting our families lives in your hands. You need to do your best to save us and keep where we are at hidden…alright?" Peter nodded again, gritting his teeth against the burning on his arm where Lily's hand was located.
"It's done then, we trust you Peter," James said, clapping him on the back. Peter arched away, for some reason James' touch had burned too.
"You should probably perform it tomorrow night and then tell Dumbledore about it as soon as possible. Then Peter, you can go into hiding so Voldemort can't find you," Sirius put in, ruffling Peter's hair (which felt like it was on fire as soon as Sirius' hand touched it).
The next day they had officially switched, but when they fire called Dumbledore an unknown teacher answered saying he wasn't going to be back until November 1st. "It's fine," James said, shrugging it off to Lily, "We'll just wait until then."
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October 31st…
"Hey," Remus greeted as Sirius came into the apartment, throwing his leather jacket and motorbike keys on a nearby chair.
"Hello," Sirius replied, collapsing onto the sofa. "Any sugar high kids come by yet, begging for more sweets?"
Chuckling, Remus said, "A couple, but it seems pretty quiet tonight." Sighing, he added, "I wonder what Harry's Halloween costume is…"
Guilt once again stabbed at Sirius heart and he knew he couldn't leave his best friend out in the dark. "I've got to tell you something, but you have to promise you can't get mad…" Sirius said quietly.
Concerned, Remus nodded, saying, "No, I won't get mad. What is it?"
Sirius decided it was best for him just to get it out instead of trying to think of a way to dance around it. But he couldn't tell him about Peter, no one could know about that to ensure James and Lily's safety. "I lied to you before…I never went to Dumbledore asking where Lily and James were. They came to me and asked me to be apart of the Fidelius Charm and be Secret Keeper. They wanted you also but Dumbledore said only one. So for the past few months I have always been at their house, trying to help them in anyway I can," Sirius paused for breath, "I've been feeling so guilty about not telling you, and I am sorry. I'm going into hiding so Voldemort can't find me. So I guess this is goodbye…"
Remus just stared at his best friend for a long time; something was very unsettling in the pit of his stomach. He knew Sirius was leaving something out, and Remus could not place his finger on it. But Remus just shrugged it off and feigned a smile. "It's fine Sirius, I understand why you hid it from me," Remus said, holding out a hand. Sirius took it, trying to force a smile. "When you know you are safe, I'd be happy to have you as a room mate again."
"That means a lot," Sirius said, "I'll be back, I promise."
After Sirius packed a few clothes and got the rest of the money he had in the house, he got on his motorbike and went to check on Peter's hideout. He was staying in a run down muggle motel many cities away from Godric's Hollow. As Sirius flew over glittering cities, he reflected on everything the past few weeks and hoped he made the right decision by switching.
When Sirius arrived at the motel, he slipped the night clerk a few pounds in exchange for Peter's room key. But when he unlocked the room, it was empty. In fact, it looked like it hadn't even been used. Sirius checked in the closet and all the drawers, there were no clothes in them. He checked everywhere for Peter's bag, but it was nowhere to be found. Bewildered, Sirius left the motel and got back on his bike, revving the engine as he decided to go see Lily and James and tell them he couldn't find Peter.
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"Dada!" Harry said, giggling. James was balancing on his head. He suddenly lost his balance and fell over, his face red as can be.
Lily was extremely amused. "I never knew you could do that!"
"It's just another useless fact about me that you'll have to put up with," James said, wearing a classic Marauder grin.
Lily laughed and put Harry on the floor. He stood and clumsily walked over to a red fire truck, plopping down and pushing it around, making siren noises. There were many trick or treaters outside in their neighborhood.
"I wish I could give them candy and see all their little costumes," Lily said, sighing.
James' face fell. He scooted over to Lily and gave her a hug. "It's for our protection, you know that," he whispered into her hair.
Lily just nodded, thinking of the threat on their lives, and Harry's. "Please don't leave me James," Lily whispered, tears escaping her eyes.
Laying his head on her shoulder, James said, "You know I can't promise that. I will fight to make sure I am always by your side, but I can't promise," James pulled away, kissing her lightly and taking her hand, holding up her engagement ring to her face. "You remember what this says?" he asked.
Lily nodded and smiled. "Of course I do. We will always be together, in life or death, as one…"
"And that's how it will be. I will always be with you, no matter where you are," James said quietly.
The night got later as Lily and James continued to play with Harry, too nervous to sleep like so many nights before that. Soon they couldn't hear any trick or treaters outside. "Maybe we should put Harry to bed," Lily said.
Alarms went off in the back of James' mind. "No, let's just stay up a little longer together," he muttered, not knowing why he said it. Then all of a sudden, a memory hit him full force. James moaned, clutching his head. He was remembering something from a dream.
He saw Sirius, the older Sirius in a ratty prison uniform and no laughter in his eyes. "Peter Pettigrew sold Lily and James to Voldemort!" Sirius said in a raspy voice. Then it all came back to James. A sudden dread filled his stomach and moved to his heart. Peter was their Secret Keeper.
"Lily!" James said, but before he could get a word out, there was a noise outside. Lily and James froze. James pulled out his wand, but Lily couldn't find hers. She quickly scanned the room but knew it wasn't around.
There were feet walking down the driveway and moving to the stairs leading to the entryway of the home. There was a bitter laugh outside the door. "Reducto!" the cold voice said.
Lily screamed. James stood and shouted. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off—" Lily nodded, tears in her eyes. She scooped up Harry and ran up the stairs, stumbling along the way, and burst into Harry's room. Lily could hear his cackle, so high-pitched and evil that it sent a shiver down her spine.
"Please God, please let us make it, please God," Lily prayed over and over again. But deep down she knew they wouldn't make it. No one defeated Voldemort.
Downstairs, James stood in front of one of the most evil sorcerers that had ever walked the planet. His small red eyes were staring at James and a cynical smile placed on his lips.
"Bastard," James breathed. No words were needed as Voldemort and James circled each other dangerously. Hate was dancing in James' eyes, fueling his drive to murder the man, no, thing standing before him. Voldemort seemed to play along with James' game, looking bored, as if there was no doubt in his mind that he would triumph tonight.
"Would you like to bow before me first, or do you want to put up a noble fight, like your own weak father?" Voldemort said, almost bored.
"Crucio!" James said, channeling all his hate in his wand. Voldemort shielded himself and the spell bounced back to James.
James felt white-hot pain piercing his body and they wouldn't go away. Voldemort let the spell off many minutes later and James lay on the floor, sweating and gasping.
"So much like your father," Voldemort said cruelly, "Imperio!" Voldemort said. James closed his eyes and fought off the spell.
Voldemort looked taken aback. "This is your last chance. Join me, and you and your family lives. Fight me, and you die, along with your pitiful wife and son."
"No way," James said, his voice deep with anger and his eyes blazing a fiery red. "Avada Kedarva!"
The green jet of light shot towards Voldemort. Come on, James thought. The light drew nearer and Voldemort's eyes widened. But it missed. The curse flew just over his shoulder.
"Goodbye Potter," Voldemort spat. "Avada Kedarva!"
The jet of light seemed to move towards James slowly. Memories flooded through his mind.
James' parents were waving him off as James got on the Hogwarts express for the first time. James ran into Lily and almost couldn't speak because of her beauty. James was on a broomstick, flying with the Quaffle securely under his arm, racing faster and faster to the goal posts. James was kissing Lily for the first time, snow all around them. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting around him in the Marauder Headquarters, all laughing and talking. James was in the middle of the lake with Lily, on one knee and proposing, his heart leaping as she said yes. The Marauders, Lily, Marissa, and Kiah were having a huge snowball fight. James and Lily had a huge snowball hit them and they both sprawled on the ground, covered in snow. James put a hand on her stomach and kissed her deeply.
The green light hit him in the chest, and James gasped. The memories were coming faster now.
Sirius and Marissa were walking hand in hand by the lake. Remus and Kiah were sitting at a far table in the common room, talking quietly to each other and kissing every now and then. Lily, Marissa, and Claudia were sitting by her pool, laughing and splashing each other. James' parents were dancing around the kitchen, singing at the top of their lungs. Lily and James were pointing out honeymoon locations, sharing secrets and laughing quietly. The Marauders were carefully casting spells for their next prank. Lily, Marissa, and Kiah were dancing around a tree, trying to memorize information for an upcoming test. James and Sirius were singing on stage with Lily and Marissa, the crowd cheering them on.
The air was getting colder as James slowly fell. Memories of love and happiness were all around him.
Lily was walking down the aisle with her father, looking like an angel straight from heaven. Lily and James were dancing together, quietly singing in each other's ears. Lily was bouncing around the house and setting up all of their new things. Lily just told him she was pregnant. Everyone was gathered around Lily; Harry was kicking for the first time. Lily was in the hospital, very red and tired, but holding Harry, looking at him with so much love. Remus, Sirius, Peter and Marissa were dancing around the waiting room, shouting, "Harry's here!" Lily was sitting in a rocking chair, feeding Harry and talking about Hogwarts quietly. Sirius, Remus, and James were crawling after Harry, who was giggling madly and hiding behind corners. James was on his broom, Harry sitting securely in front of him in little Gryffindor Quidditch robes. Lily and Harry were asleep on the bed; James snuggled up to them, saying I love you.
And with one last final breath, James fell hard on the floor, his eyes looking up, staring without seeing. No laughter or love was dancing within his them. Voldemort laughed cruelly and stepped over him, heading up the stairs.
Lily was cradling Harry, tears streaming from her eyes. "Mama loves you, Harry. Mama loves you so much. Nothing will happen to you, I promise."
Harry looked into his mother's teary eyes and touched her chin with his baby hands. "Love you Mama," Harry said quietly. Lily started crying harder.
Then she heard those fateful words coming from Voldemort. She heard James gasp and fall to the ground. She heard Voldemort laugh and make his way up the stairs.
Lily sobbed, cradling Harry. "No, no! Not James! Please not James!" she whispered. She couldn't go on without James; she loved him too much for him to be gone. "Harry, your Dada loves you too. So much. We love you Harry."
Harry looked up curiously at Lily. "Dada?" Lily nodded. Harry scrunched up his face and started crying along with Lily.
The door to Harry's room burst open. Lily screamed and shielded Harry. The most feared wizard in the world strode into the room, a disdainful smile placed on his face as he looked upon Harry. "Let me have the boy and you will live," Voldemort said simply.
Lily shook her head. "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"
"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!" Voldemort said lazily.
Lily put Harry on the ground, kneeling before Voldemort and protecting Harry. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
Voldemort began getting more impatient. "Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside now…"
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead! Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…" Lily begged and pleaded.
"Enough!" Voldemort roared. He pointed his wand just beneath her throat. Lily looked him directly in the eye, tears still cascading down her face. She would not be afraid, she had to save Harry. She had to make this monster regret what he had done to her family, her friends, everyone. "You will pay for your foolishness. Say goodbye to your son." Lily raised her chin defiantly.
"Avada Kedarva!" Voldemort hissed. Lily screamed.
And she remembered.
Lily had gotten her Hogwarts letter. She remembered seeing the Hogwarts Express for the first time and saying goodbye to her parents. The Sorting Hat was on her head; she waited anxiously but let out a sigh of relief as it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" James was in the hospital in third year, Lily trying to sort out all her feelings, grief, worry, and love. She had finally kissed James, Marissa and Sirius were dancing and jumping around in the snow behind them. Lily was helping Claudia with her charms, talking and laughing. Marissa and Lily were in class, passing notes to each other about what the Marauders were up to.
Lily felt cold sweep her body. Memories consumed her as she slowly collapsed to the floor.
Remus was with Kiah at Hogsmeade, he nervously slipped his fingers in her hand and she smiled. Sirius was chasing Marissa around the lake, finally catching her and kissing her deeply. James was proposing to Lily, beauty surrounding her. They were quietly discussing the wedding, and guessing what their lives would be like. The Marauders were sprawled across the common room, talking and laughing while drinking Butterbeers they snuck from the kitchens. Her parents were playfully arguing over a game of chess, ending with her mum taking his queen off the board and her father chasing her through the house.
There was little life left in her. Lily was still screaming as she saw Harry crying, looking at her with confusion. Mama loves you Harry…
Lily saw James standing at the alter, love reflecting in his eyes. Lily and James held each other, excited yet afraid at bringing new life into the world. Lily laughed as James stumbled around, feeling her pain about being eight months pregnant. Harry was in her arms, slowly blinking at her through green eyes. Harry was walking towards her, giggling and saying Mama. James, Remus, and Sirius were tossing Harry around like a football, standing half a foot apart, Harry was laughing so hard. James was swinging Harry around the room on his hip, dancing around to the Temptations. Lily watched as her two favorite boys flew around in the air, hoping against everything Harry would be safe.
"Mama?" Harry asked, confused at why his mother was laying on the ground. Why didn't she get up? Harry rubbed his eyes and crawled over to Lily's dead form, pulling on her shirt. "Mama?" Voldemort laughed cruelly.
"She's dead, Harry. She's never coming back," Harry narrowed his eyes at Voldemort, "You're an orphan, but not for long."
Voldemort aimed his wand at Harry's forehead. Harry rubbed his eyes, looked at Lily, then at Voldemort. "Bad man! Mama? Dada?"
Pure evil laughed again. "And they say you can defeat me," he muttered, "Avada Kedarva!"
The green light zoomed towards Harry, who closed his eyes tight. It hit him in the forehead and Harry screamed, his eyes still closed, as his body scooted back a few inches on the ground from the impact. But the green jet of light still hung in the air, connected to the infant's forehead. Voldemort looked at it, perplexed. The jet formed into a ball of green and began spinning. The green ball grew larger and turned red, screams of past victims emitting from it. Then the ball turned a deep brilliant shade of gold.
Harry opened his eyes in a quick blink. The golden ball zoomed towards Voldemort, hitting him in the chest. Voldemort gasped and flew backwards on the ground. He began twitching and screaming. "Nooooo!" he moaned as the foundation of the house exploded, his soul leaping out of his body and zooming away into the night. His lifeless form disintegrated into a wisp of smoke.
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Confusion. That was the best word to describe the scene in front of Sirius. Confusion…and perhaps anger. Yes…a lot of anger.
The house he knew so well and spent so much time in was destroyed. Lily and James, his two best friends, lived in the house that no longer stood. All Sirius could do was just look at the smoking rubble, dumbstruck. He hoped against hope they escaped with their son, Harry, and got out—or possibly they destroyed their enemy and are still alive. Maybe they were lying in the rubble, seriously injured, or…
The possibilities were endless and every single one passed through Sirius Black's head as he looked at the destroyed lot. His mind desperately scrambled to get away from the terrible truth but it continued to pop in his head.
Maybe his best friend of twenty-one years and another of ten years are dead, along with their fifteen-month-old son.
Now Sirius' head was spinning even more than before. The whole world was a blur and all he could think about was everyone he lost. In one night his world seemed to end.
His whole body shaking with fear, Sirius got off his motorbike, walked up what was once the driveway. His head filled legs carried him through what was once the threshold of the loving home. Sirius shuffled numbly into what was once the living room.
Sirius' mind reeled, looking for a solution, anything but the fact his friends were gone. He could find them in the ruins alive—he could! They could be here, unconscious, but still alive. They could come back.
That's when he saw a weathered hand sticking out from under a large piece of wood. Sirius' heart jumped from the pit of his stomach to his chest as he ran over, pushing the wood off to the side. He was right…they were fine; everything was going to be fine.
James Potter was lying in the has been living room; his hair messier than usual, his round glasses crooked on his dirt covered face, his body rigid and his eyes wide open, frozen in fear and sorrow. Sirius knew that look all to well—that was what happened when you were killed by the Avada Kedarva curse.
Yet still Sirius wouldn't believe. He sunk to his knees next to his oldest friend and checked his pulse, letting his limp hand fall back to the ground. Nothing. He checked his breathing. Nothing. He put his ear where James' heart was. Not a beat. "James?" Sirius croaked, shaking James a little. He still lay there, completely unmoving. "James?" Sirius repeated, more urgently. Then it hit Sirius full force. He was gone. Sirius sat at his best friends side, unblinking with cascades of tears running down his young face. Gritting his teeth, Sirius slammed his fist to the ground and let out a choked sob. "No…" he said quietly, almost unbelieving. Then he screamed a loud, short, "NO!" and dissolved into silent tears.
"You can't leave me here," Sirius said shakily, running his sleeve across the bottom of his nose, "We're the dream team, the dynamic duo. You've always been there, you can't leave me here…"
A memory flashed into Sirius' head of James, almost like an old time black and white silent film; he walked down the steps into the Gryffindor common room, laughing and going to Sirius. He clapped an arm around his shoulders, discussing quietly a great prank he thought of the night before. Sirius let out a few more quiet sobs and rested his head on James' stomach, not moving for a long time.
In the distance Sirius heard brick crumbling and used all his energy to leave James behind and look for Lily in the disarray.
Sirius walked along the old foundation of the house very weakly, memories flooding his mind as he imagined the walls that once stood. He saw where the stairs would have been and figured the second level of the house must've fallen on top of the first. He was about to turn into what used to be the master bedroom when he saw long auburn coming out from under a pile of bricks.
With his hope slowly disintegrating, Sirius began moving the bricks out of the way, seeing Lily Potter on her side, her brilliant red hair covering her face. Weeping, Sirius rolled her over and moved the hair out of her face, seeing eyes he didn't recognize. Once a vibrant, sparkling emerald, Lily's eyes had changed into a dull green, a completely blank expression on her face. Another memory came the same way to Sirius of Lily on her wedding day, dancing around the room with James, her eyes vivacious and shimmering with happiness.
"Oh God, not you too, Lily…" Sirius whispered, starting to hyperventilate. Sirius scooped up Lily's body and held her close, screaming in agony and then collapsing into raking sobs. "You don't deserve this, Lillian, you are such a good person. You and James don't deserve this," he hiccupped.
Then a thought occurred to Sirius that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of before. Peter was the Secret Keeper. There was no way Voldemort could've found the Potters unless Peter went to him and told him where they were hiding. It couldn't be…Peter would never do that. Sirius tried to reason, but there was no other way. Peter sold Lily and James to Voldemort, probably to save his own pathetic life. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place. He knew why Peter was suddenly so busy with a job that shouldn't take up much time; he was most likely a Death Eater. And it was all Sirius' fault. If he hadn't made them switch…
But Sirius couldn't dwell on Peter's treason; there was still one more member of the Potter family he had to find. He had to find resolution and pray that infant Harry Potter was still here. After all, Sirius was godfather; it was his duty to take care of him. "Harry?" Sirius called, hoping the baby would make a noise. "Harry, it's Uncle Sirius!" Sirius tried again. When there was no response, Sirius calculated the nursery would've been above where Sirius was standing, so Harry must have been around that area. "Harry, say dada!" Sirius called, more tears welling up in his eyes.
"Dada…" came a small muffled voice three feet to the left of Sirius. Immediately Sirius went to where the noise was and started digging through the remains of the house. He saw a tuff of black hair and a dirt covered baby arm. Eventually, Sirius pulled out Harry, whose face was tearstained and his eyes red.
"Oh, Harry, you're okay," Sirius said, smiling at the baby. But that smile quickly turned into a frown when he saw the child's forehead bleeding severely.
In attempt to find something to clean the blood off with, Sirius saw one of Harry's baby blankets half buried on the ground next to him and yanked it out, swiping it across Harry's forehead. "Ow!" Harry said, trying to push Sirius' hand away. Underneath the blood Sirius saw a jagged, lightening bolt-shaped scar.
Stunned, Sirius just stared at the scared and shivering baby until he muttered, "You defeated him…" For the second time that night, the puzzles clicked into place. Peter went to Voldemort and told him where they were hiding. Voldemort came in and Lily probably ran upstairs to hide Harry in the nursery. James tried to kill him, tried to save Lily and Harry but couldn't and was murdered. Voldemort went up the stairs and Lily sacrificed herself for Harry. They loved him so much, and Lily and James were so powerful. Their love must have protected Harry somehow and Voldemort wasn't able to hurt him. "The curse must've rebounded back…and killed Voldemort," Sirius whispered, then looked at Harry and pushed the hair away from his sticky forehead, "You wouldn't still be here, little man, if Voldemort triumphed. That's why the house is gone…"
"Oy, Sirius!" a voice called from behind him. Sirius whipped around and saw Hagrid standing in the has been front lawn, looking at Sirius curiously. "What're ye doin' here?"
Since Harry was shivering from the cold October night, Sirius wrapped the dirty blanket around him and made his way over to Hagrid. "Lily and James…they're—they're—"
Giving a loud sniff, Hagrid nodded his great shaggy head and said, "They're dead, I know." Sirius nodded along, shaking all over as his legs gave out beneath him. Hagrid reached out one of his hands and caught Sirius, standing him upright. "There, there," Hagrid said, taking out a handkerchief the size of bed sheets and blowing into it, "They were great people, Lily an' James. I always enjoyed them at Hogwarts, no one nicer, along with ye an' yer friends." Hagrid said, dabbing at his eyes with the sheet like handkerchief.
"Wh-why are you here Hagrid…" Sirius muttered, looking down at Harry and tried to rub some of the dirt from his face.
"Right…abou' that," Hagrid said, tucking his sheet away, "Dumbledore instructed me ter come an' collect little Harry so he can live with his aunt an' uncle."
Sirius stared at Hagrid for a moment then shook his head slightly, "I'm sorry…what?"
Clearing his throat, Hagrid said, "It's jus' me duty, Sirius. I need ter take him ter Lily's sister's house."
Shaking his head, Sirius said desperately, "Give Harry to me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him."
"Sorry, Sirius. I have me orders from Dumbledore. There's nothin' I can do," Hagrid replied.
"Please…I'm all he has left!" Sirius said, begging for a chance. Harry lay in his arms, looking doubtfully at Hagrid. He had never seen such a big man before. "His aunt and uncle are horrible people, they hated Lily. They won't take him in. I'll love him like he should be loved. Please Hagrid, let me take him…"
Sniffling again, Hagrid said, "No, Sirius. Dumbledore's orders."
Hanging his head in defeat, Sirius nodded slowly and kissed Harry's cheek. "I'll be back for you, Harry. There's no way I'm going to leave you," Sirius whispered in Harry's ear. Hugging Harry close to his chest one last time, Sirius handed him over to Hagrid. "You can take my motorbike," Sirius said, his heart breaking, "I won't need it anymore. It will get you there faster."
"Tha's mighty kind o' ye, I appreciate it," Hagrid said, thumping Sirius on the back. Hagrid then tucked Harry protectively into his coat, who started whining and reaching for Sirius.
"I'm going to talk to Dumbledore, Harry, I'll get you back," Sirius said, trying to smile comfortingly at the baby. Hagrid got on the motorbike (which sunk down quite low) and revved the engine, taking off into the night sky.
Taking a deep shuddering breath, Sirius tried to compose himself and turned one last time to the ruins of the house, seeing Lily and James' bodies not to far off. "I won't fail you, I'll take care of Harry, I promise. I love you guys…" then Sirius walked away from the past, now having a new goal—to find and kill Peter Pettigrew.
Sirius wasn't sure how far he wandered, just picking over the last forty-eight hours in his mind, but before he knew it he was scuffling along a muggle street in the early morning. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't even notice there were many more people than usual out dressed in flowing robes, whispering excitedly to each other, and didn't really register the fact he just bumped into someone very rudely.
Snapping out of his reverie, Sirius turned to the man and gave a small sorry, then did a double take and realized the person he bumped into was none other than the rat, Peter Pettigrew. Peter seemed frozen to the spot the moment Sirius bumped into him. His pudgy face had gone pale and his hands were fidgeting. Snarling under his breath, Sirius growled, "You…" and started to rapidly advance on Peter, backing him against the wall of a store.
Before Sirius could get to him, the words that came out of Peter's mouth, now grinning slyly, stopped him in his tracks. "How could you, Sirius?" Peter said shrilly, inclining his head so his voice carried further. Many people in the streets turned towards the new noise. "How could you sell Lily and James to Voldemort? They were your friends! How could you betray them?" Gritting his teeth in anger, Sirius reached for his wand, ready to kill the lying bastard. "I won't let you get away!" Peter screamed, pulling out his own wand and putting it behind his back. In an instant, Peter cut off his index finger and let it fall to the ground. Then he muttered a few words and there was a loud bang, causing a crater to appear in the middle of the road. In a matter of three seconds, Peter had disappeared, leaving what looked like twelve muggles dead or unconscious in the street.
Yet still Sirius stood there, his wand aloft pointing to thin air, completely stunned. Confused, Sirius slowly moved to the point where Peter once stood, looking down at the ground. Below he saw a plump finger and next to it a sewer. Inside the sewer there was Wormtail, scurrying off in the murky waters. Sirius was dumbstruck, his mind trying to process what happened, then slowly it all made sense. Tonight everything was clear in his mind. What an ingenious plan! Peter planned it all out and staged it so Sirius would like the bad guy. After all, no one knew that they had switched to Peter at last minute.
And for some unexplainable reason, Sirius started laughing. At first a small chuckle, but it turned into deep maddening belly laughs. Sirius didn't know why, but it had something to do with the fact that Peter—Peter!—Silly little Peter could think of something so magnificently marvelous as this.
Eyewitnesses today say that Sirius Black, now considered mad by the world, was still laughing as the Ministry of Magic carted him off to Azkaban without a trial.
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The rumors Remus woke up to turned out to be true, even against all of Remus' beliefs. Voldemort killed Lily and James Potter, but their infant son, Harry, had defeated him for good. There was no way it could've been true, at least that's what Remus thought. He went to their house and saw nothing but smoldering vestiges. The house was destroyed and Lily and James must be gone. But that left Harry…where was he?
That didn't matter at the moment, all Remus could think about was all of his best friends, gone. Kiah killed by Death Eaters, Marissa died unexplainably, Lily and James killed by Voldemort, Peter killed by Sirius and Sirius taken to Azkaban for murder. He was totally alone.
It didn't make any sense to Remus. Sirius would never betray his friends. Sirius could never commit murder. But the night before there was something Sirius didn't tell him and he looked so guilty and hurt. Maybe he was capable of killing, after all he sent Snape into the Whomping Willow so Remus could kill him in werewolf form, just because Snape was bugging him.
But it still couldn't be true. He knew Sirius, he was his best friend. He didn't have it in him to do something like that. Even though everything fit, something still wasn't right.
Out of nowhere a memory came to Remus. It came to him so fast it made Remus' head spin. Crying out, Remus sunk to his knees and grasped his head with both hands.
Remus remembered a dark forest, the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, and incredible pain. There hooded figures all around him and one was talking, but the voice was muffled. The figures departed until one was left.
"I'm sorry," the last one muttered. Somehow Remus knew it was Peter.
"Don't talk to me traitor," Remus heard himself say.
"Please Remus, I had no choice…"
"Yes you did! You didn't have to join!"
"But there was so much power involved, you guys have always treated me rotten."
"We have never treated you rotten! We play around and make fun of each other! We have been your best friends since forever! And you just turn sides, and join up with that idiot!"
"Remus, listen to me!"
"No! Have you not seen how much pain he has caused? Did you even see James after his parents died? Do you remember the reaction to Claudia's death? You were even friends with Claudia! How could you?"
"Crucio!" Peter yelled, his voice full of fury. He let Remus scream for a few minutes, the present Remus felt the pain all over again, then Peter lowered his wand. "Don't ever insult me again! I have more power than you'll ever have.
"You don't have power, you have nothing. You're a coward. Here's what I think of you," Remus rasped, then spit in his face.
"You'll regret that, someday you'll see what I can do!" Peter said angrily, then turned on his heel and headed towards the castle.
That's what happened seventh year in the forest! Peter was the Death Eater, not Sirius! Peter must've somehow found out about where Lily and James were and reported it to Voldemort! Remus thought excitedly. Lily and James were beyond saving, Remus wished with all his might they could come back, but Sirius he could still save. There was hope.
A second later Remus appeared outside the Hogwarts gates and rushed into Dumbledore's office, where he was sitting at his desk, very tiredly staring bleakly into the surface of the wood. Snapping his head up, Dumbledore gave Remus a weak smile. "Hello, Remus, I suppose you've heard the news—"
Cutting him off with an impatient wave of his hand, Remus said, "Yes, I know, I was just at Godric's Hollow. Sir, Sirius is innocent!"
A silence filled the room as Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Do you have evidence to back up this statement?"
"Yes! Well…no," Remus added as an afterthought, "Do you remember in seventh year when I disappeared and you found me in the forest?" Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I just remembered while I was at Godric's Hollow, Death Eaters took me there! I don't remember why exactly, but Peter was there. He was a Death Eater. He performed the Cruciatus Curse on me and said Voldemort had so much power and he had no choice but to join. He seemed to think he was almighty because he was a Death Eater. Somehow Peter must've figured out where they were hiding, because Sirius would never—"
This time it was Dumbledore's turn to cut Remus off. "I hate to interrupt, but this theory is practically irrelevant. There is no proof to go with your claim. What you remembered could be true or it could be something you made up, a vision that came to you in your disillusionment."
"I didn't make it up! I know what happened!" Remus said indignantly. "We can still save Sirius and get him out of Azkaban. I wish I could have figured it out sooner or I could have saved Lily and James as well."
Shaking his head solemnly, Dumbledore replied, "This is post-traumatic stress. You are obviously grief stricken from loosing everyone you love in twenty-four hours time. You were closer to Sirius than Peter, therefore you insist on placing the blame on him. Peter is dead, there is no way we could convict him. There is also no way Peter could've known where they were unless he was Secret Keeper. Obviously Sirius went to Voldemort out of fear and told him where they were. He killed Peter because he was yelling to the world what he had done. Sirius is guilty, as much as I hate to admit it."
Remus just looked at Dumbledore for a few moments, then sunk into a chair, sighing heavily. "I know what I remembered was true. But I also realize my story didn't add up. The last time I saw Sirius he told me about Lily and James hiding and how he was Secret Keeper, but he was going to go into hiding so Voldemort couldn't find them," Remus paused, "He seemed like he was hiding something from me. It could've been that he was a Death Eater, or…or maybe they switched to Peter! Is that possible?"
"Lily and James would have alerted me immediately to the switch, there is an extremely slim chance," Dumbledore said, "This still doesn't explain why Sirius killed Peter and why Peter blatantly said Sirius sold them out. And why Sirius was laughing when they carried him away."
All Remus could do was try to figure it out in his very perplexed mind, but it was a jumble of confusion. "Where's Harry?" he asked numbly.
"I have put him in the care of his aunt and uncle, Lily's sister. I believe he will be safest there, away from all the newfound fame he has just received," Dumbledore said, getting up from his chair and standing behind Remus. "You look exhausted, why don't you get back to your apartment and get some sleep? I'll owl you in the morning…"
Nodding slowly, Remus stood and opened the door to Dumbledore's office, standing there for a long time looking at the ground. With a heavy sigh, he left the office, debating within himself what really happened October 31st, 1981 and wouldn't stop debating for twelve years until he learned the truth.
Back in Godric's Hollow, among the smoke and rubble of the house, the house once filled with so much love and care, was something that Sirius, Hagrid, and Remus missed. It was a lily, the most beautiful lily with all of the colors of the sunset. There it was, floating in the middle of the ruins. It was still perfect from the day it was created in 1977. No petals have fallen; no withering had touched the flower's beauty. It remained whole and pure, a symbol of love between two people.
Then, out of nowhere, a small piece of parchment popped next to the lily, hooking itself to the stem. The parchment read, "We love you Harry, and will always be with you, no matter what. James and Lily." And slowly, the lily faded away into the night, awaiting the time when a young man with messy black hair, round glasses, and sparkling emerald green eyes would find it, and finally feel the completeness he needed to carry on.
A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottle, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter—the boy who lived!"
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Author Notes: As I was about to write Sirius finding Harry in the rubble, I realized I should double-check my information with the confrontation between Hagrid and Sirius. So I went upstairs and got PoA and started flipping through it. I found a couple things that I was wrong about.
1) Dumbledore couldn't have known the Marauders were Anamagi, nor could Snape.
2) The Fidelius Charm was performed a week before Lily and James died, not months before. I can't change it; it would mess up the whole story.
3) Peter and Remus knew Sirius was the Secret Keeper and that Lily and James needed to go into hiding because of the prophecy. But Remus couldn't have known that they switched to Peter.
"But then..." Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently it seemed he was trying to read his mind, "...why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless"--Lupin's eyes suddenly widened as though he was seeing something beyond Black, something none of the rest could see, "--unless he was the one...unless you switched...without telling me?" (Chapter Seventeen Page 344 in the American Paperback Version.)
I originally had it as Sirius also telling Remus that they switched to Peter but then I started reading through what happened that night and realized that couldn't have been right so I had to change it. I also saw that when Sirius came Hagrid was already there, wrapping Harry up. But I already had the scene written and I didn't feel like changing it. If anyone would rather read it the Hagrid finding Harry way, please tell me and I'd be happy to re-write it and stick it in there, but now I'm too tired to go through all of that.
So I made many mistakes in this story I wish I could change but I don't see a way I could do it now. If I ever write another post-Hogwarts story I will be sure to remember these details but it was so hard to write this portion I don't believe I could do it again and make it more different and original than what you just read.
But otherwise…how did everyone like it? Please R/R with heavy heavy and I mean HEAVY critiques. I don't like most of it, and I would adore suggestions on what to change.
I will take this valuable space to thank each and every one of you that has ever read this story! Your input made my day every day and I am so glad I shared this story with you. Your feedback has helped get the determination to attempt to carry out my dream as a novelist. I hope you will read the books I (hopefully!) put out one day and come to any book signings so I can meet you and you can say "I read your fan fiction!" and I'll be like yay you rock! Okay…so that probably won't happen, but I can wish can't I? So if you are still reading the blurry screen, due to many tears, THANK YOU!
Gosh…re-reading all that has made me realize how extremely sad it is that I'm done with my first fan fiction, my baby. It's over! ((sniffle)).
Now you can click that little arrow button and separately review the epilogue and give me more suggestions on that!
And if I forgot to mention this somewhere, please R/R!