CHAPTER FOURTEEN: AFTERMATH

A few short hours before the tragic events unfolded at Godric's Hollow and while the Potter's were sitting so peacefully together, without a worry in the world, Sirius Black made his way to check on his friend Peter Pettigrew, who was in hiding. Sirius was relaxed for once. He'd had some time to himself over the last few days and he had finally been able to convince himself that Lily and James, his closest friends, the nearest thing he had to a family, would be okay. Everything that could be done to keep the Potter's safe from Voldemort had been done, the family was safe and there was no need to worry.

Sirius flew on his motorbike in a leisurely way to Pettigrew's hideout, feeling glad that the evening had dried up after the storm that had continued well into the day. He was planning to go and check on Peter, and then he was going home to wrap some gifts for Harry Potter, his Godson, who was fifteen months old that Halloween. Sirius smiled happily to himself as he pictured Harry, his little face lighting up with joy at Sirius's latest gift. Sirius was going to spend the next day with the Potter's and he couldn't wait.

On arriving at Pettigrew's hideout he looked around to see if there was anyone else around, it was vital that no one knew where Peter Pettigrew was, in case Voldemort found out and used him to get at James, Lily and their baby. As soon as Sirius could see the coast was clear, he waved his wand, and the front door of Pettigrew's hideout, a small sparsely decorated house, opened. Sirius went inside and looked around. 'Wormtail, it's me, Padfoot!' he called, as he shut the front door. There was no reply. Sirius rolled his eyes and called louder, 'Oh come on Wormtail! You can come out, it's me, Padfoot!' Still, there was no reply. Sirius started to feel irritated now. Surely Peter must know it was just him there to see if everything was all right! He opened the door to the small kitchen and peered inside calling, 'Come on Wormtail, stop pissing about, I've got things to do!' Once again there was no reply.

Sirius suddenly started to feel anxious. A feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that something wasn't right. He moved swiftly to the living room calling Peter Pettigrew's name as he went. When he again had no reply he went upstairs quickly and searched the two tiny bedrooms. They were empty. There was no sign of Peter Pettigrew anywhere in the house. He had either gone out, which he knew he couldn't do in case Voldemort saw him, or…… Fear rose up inside Sirius Black. 'He's been taken, Voldemort's found him!' he told himself, his heart thumping in his chest. He tried to collect himself amid a wave of overwhelming fear, not only for Pettigrew, but for his friends the Potter's.

Sirius went to rush from the house, and then something stopped him. He took in the house again and realised something that filled his heart with dread. The house was perfectly tidy. There was no sign of a disturbance or any kind of struggle. If Pettigrew had left, he had done so of his own free will. Panic rushed in on Sirius Black making his mouth go dry and his palms sweat. 'The Potter's…need to get to the Potter's….James….Lily…..Harry' he told himself, desperately trying to get his fear under control, while once again he was gripped by the realisation that something was terribly wrong.

Sirius quickly tried to pull himself together, desperately trying to hold down the rising panic inside him and think clearly. He moved towards the front door automatically in his urgency to get out of the abandoned hideout. The feeling that he needed to get to Godric's Hollow as quickly as possible was growing inside the pit of Sirius's stomach, which was writhing fearfully. The sense that something was terribly wrong was gathering pace in Sirius's mind with every passing second.

Sirius Black leapt onto his flying motorbike and viciously kicked it into life. As he did he prayed frantically that when he got to the cottage Lily Potter would go mad at him for bursting in and waking the family at such a late hour. Sirius realised that he'd spent so long looking for Peter Pettigrew, it was now after midnight.

The flying motorbike roared through the night sky as Sirius Black flew. As he guided the bike through the darkness, Sirius suddenly became aware of how many other witches and wizards were out. When he'd checked on Pettigrew at night earlier in the week the skies were empty, but now he had to steer the bike carefully to avoid brooms. He groaned in frustration as the witches and wizards surrounding him laughed lightly and wished one another happy Halloween. Halloween! Sirius groaned again, in his panic he'd forgotten about Halloween altogether. Distracted for a moment, Sirius hardly saw a witch who was flying towards him, her broom moving with breakneck speed. 'GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU YOUNG FOOL!' the witch screamed, as she jerked her broom out of the motorbikes path. In spite of the fear inside for his friends, Sirius Black stretched out an arm and over his shoulder, did an obscene gesture with a finger. As he raced away, Sirius heard the older witch saying something about '…young wizards, racing around the skies on…' Sirius smirked, the witch obviously had very little idea just exactly what he was flying on! 'Must remember to tell Prongs about that one' Sirius told himself, before his stomach twisted and he realised once again why he was so urgently trying to get to his friends in the middle of the night. He pushed away any other thoughts and flew on, apprehension and fear rising inside him once more.

Sirius raced on through the night sky and eventually reached Godric's Hollow, the village his friends lived on the outskirts of. He looked down and could see dim lights coming from the houses below. Flying lower over the village, Sirius could see pumpkin lanterns glowing and the faint shimmer of candlelight in some of the windows of the houses. Normally this sight would comfort Sirius, but this night it filled him with a sense of foreboding. His heart turned over in his chest as he began to wonder what he would see when he got to the Potter's cottage. He prayed there would be some light, which he could use to assure himself the family were fine, or that if they were in darkness they were just in bed, safe and sound….but even as he thought, Sirius pushed away another reason the family might be in darkness….

Suddenly, as Sirius neared the edge of the village, a faint smell of burning wafted through the night air. Sirius's stomach gave a nervous twitch as he realised that in just a few more moments he would be at the Potter's cottage. Just a couple of minutes later Sirius looked down and a wave of terror struck him so strong it nearly made him fall from the flying motorbike. With shaking hands and his mouth so dry he couldn't swallow, Sirius's voice screamed inside his head. 'OH GOD! PLEASE….PLEASE, ANYTHING BUT THIS, PLEASE!'

The sight that greeted Sirius Black was worse than anything he could have ever imagined. The Potter's cottage lay almost completely flattened. Two small walls remained at the front of what used to be a building. Sirius knew straight away these once stood on either side of the front door, which had completely disappeared. Sirius could hardly see as he landed the motorbike on the ground and cut off the engine. He was immediately struck by how silent the night had become. Only the faint burning smell in the air and the shattered remains of the cottage gave any idea that something dreadful had taken place that night.

Sirius landed the flying motorbike without even thinking about it. All he could do was stare fixedly at the smouldering wreck of his friend's home. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest, he felt sick to the pit of his stomach and his head screamed at him. Sirius just stood and stared, leaning against the motorbike, unable to think or act. He felt numb. His mind refused to take in what his eyes were seeing. It was as if he thought that if he just stared at it long enough, it would make it less true.

Suddenly Sirius was startled from his shocked state when he realised someone was climbing over the flattened house. Sirius abandoned his motorbike where it stood in the front garden and ran up to the ruined cottage. He felt a rush of anger towards whoever was climbing all over the wreck, all he could make out was their large shape. As he moved closer to the smouldering remains of the building a familiar voice called out; 'Sirius! Quick, 'elp me look for James an' Lily, they're still in this lot!'

Sirius almost felt relieved, it was Hagrid, Hogwarts gamekeeper! Sirius clambered up to where Hagrid was balancing on a huge pile of rubble, which radiated warmth under his feet. 'Hagrid….what….I don't…' he said, unable to form a sentence. The thought that his friends were still in the wreckage gave him a glimmer of hope, they might still be alive! Hagrid threw aside large chunks of bricks and blackened pieces of wood as if they weighed next to nothing, not looking at Sirius again, he spoke, 'Dumbledore sent me, asked me to check on 'em, when I got 'ere, I found this!' Sirius began to lift bricks and timber too, his shaking hands hindering him, 'Hagrid….have you….have you heard any…any sounds from under the…' Sirius could hardly bring himself to ask the question, he was afraid of the answer. Rubeus Hagrid turned his face towards Sirius Black and solemnly shook his head. Something rose up inside Sirius, anger, urgency and fear hit him, 'Well they're alive! I know they are, so we're not giving up yet, not by a long way!' he cried frantically, his eyes wide. Hagrid met Sirius's wild gaze sympathetically, 'Now look, Sirius….' The younger man dismissed him angrily. 'Come on, we haven't got time to talk! We have to find them!' Hagrid gave up for the moment, sighing heavily he turned back to his task.

The two men dug through the shattered building with their bare hands, every now and then stopping and checking for signs of life, before going on again. Sirius worked doggedly, all the while his sharp ears attuned to any noise. The dark night went on, the stars shining brightly down on the men as they worked, almost as if they were casting their light to help them in the search. After at least an hour of frenetic activity Hagrid appeared to go rigid. He emitted a deep sigh. Sirius looked up at him, his stomach lurching painfully. 'Hagrid…..what…what is it?' he asked hesitantly. Hagrid sighed again, 'Sirius, go and stand out the way, I can manage' he replied, his voice strained. Sirius's eyes widened in irritation, 'Now hang on, if you've found something I….!' Hagrid met Sirius's angry eyes with a sad expression. 'Sirius…just…just get out the way…you don' need….' Suddenly Sirius was filled with fear, his anger died away as icy terror crashed in on him. Without even thinking about it, he nodded at Hagrid and, swallowing hard, he backed away down the mountain of rubble, stumbling as he went.

As soon as Sirius was back on level ground, Hagrid resumed his digging, slowly, almost too slowly. Sirius felt frightened as he watched how careful Hagrid was being. The giant's massive form reached into the wreckage for an instant, his head down, as if he was listening for something, then slowly, he moved upright again, and he appeared to be pulling something from beneath him. Instinctively Sirius moved and started to climb the wreck again, but Hagrid raised his hand and Sirius obediently stood back, fear overtaking any other feeling he had. He knew something bad was about to happen. Sirius almost cried out when he realised that Hagrid was now climbing down the mountain of rubble, carrying something in his arms, something that appeared floppy in the giant's firm grip. The breath caught in the back of Sirius's throat, Hagrid was carrying a body!

Sirius ran forward as Hagrid reached the ground, his heart lurched as he took in the sight of his best friend in Hagrid's enormous arms. 'Prongs! Thank God for that, I thought for a minute there…..' Sirius said, relief washing over him that his friend was out of the wreckage. The rest of his words died in his mouth as Hagrid looked up sadly and shook his head. Sirius stared as Hagrid lowered James Potter's body to the ground, then, he felt Hagrid's hand pat him on the shoulder, before the giant once again went back to the task of finding anyone else trapped in the wreck of the Potter's cottage.

Sirius Black stood for a moment staring down at his friend. James Potter was in his night clothes, covered from head to foot in a thick layer of dust. His black hair looked grey and his features ashen. His glasses lay on his face, hanging from the end of his nose, the lenses shattered. James Potter's hazel eyes were open, staring, his head turned to the one side as Hagrid placed him on the ground. He appeared to be looking directly at Sirius.

Something inside Sirius shut down as he stared down at the lifeless body of his best friend. He refused to grasp the truth of Hagrid's pained expression. He wouldn't believe it! It couldn't be true! He bent down on his knees at his friend's side. 'You silly sod, what have you gone and done?' he demanded, his mouth twisting into a smile. There was no reply, James Potter's eyes continued to stare at Sirius blankly. Sirius smirked, 'You've done something completely stupid and managed to demolish your house you prat! You wait until Lily sees this, you'll be so dead!' He laughed and shoved his friend's body. James Potter didn't even stir.

The sight of his friend laying there roused Sirius's humour further. 'You've gone and given yourself the body bind curse as well you idiot…' he chuckled, shaking his head, '…mind you, after seeing you with Lily the other day, I wouldn't be surprised if she did it to you! Has she suddenly gone in for kinky games or something?' Sirius laughed loudly and gave his friend a hard shove, harder than the first. James Potter's lifeless head rolled, turning away from Sirius.

On seeing the rigid way James's head rolled, Sirius stopped laughing. Something inside him began to realise something was terribly wrong. As if acting on instinct alone, he eased James Potter's head back to face him. 'Prongs, come on, that's enough now, joke's over now mate!' he said, trying to hold down a sense of rising panic. There was no response from the body. 'Prongs, come on, don't be stupid, snap out of it!' he cried, becoming angry. He reached out and took James Potter's glasses away from his face. 'You'll need to do a bloody good Reparo charm on these you idiot!' Sirius waved the glasses in front of James Potter's lifeless eyes, still there was no reaction.

Sirius reached out again and wiped the dust and grime from James Potter's face. When Sirius's hand brushed against James's mouth he froze. There was no sign of breath coming from his friend! Terror rushed into Sirius's frozen mind, he tried to convince himself it wasn't true. James couldn't be dead, it was impossible! 'Come on Prongs, that's it now, this isn't funny any more! Stop holding your bloody breath!' he demanded. There wasn't even a flicker of reaction from James Potter's body. Now Sirius became really angry as he continued to deny the truth to himself. 'All right then, if you're going to be stupid I'm going to go and help Hagrid find Lily!' Sirius hoped the mention of James's wife might stir the body into action. He knew James adored Lily. He wouldn't mess about if he knew she was in danger.

Sirius went to stand up but as he did, he looked down again on the lifeless form on the ground. Suddenly reality started to crash in on Sirius Black. He looked at his friend's face, deathly white, the lips turning blue at the edges. The eyes were dim and frozen into one agonised expression. The mouth lay open as if James was saying something.

Sirius flopped back down on his knees, his breath rushing out of his body. 'Prongs….please…. come on mate….' He begged, though in his heart he was beginning to realise the truth. 'Please mate, come on…I didn't mean to get angry….you know me….I didn't mean…..' Sirius became desperate. He felt a lump rising in the back of his throat. 'Mate, come on, Lily's still in that lot….we're going to find her, and we'll get you both to St Mungo's…..you'll be fine…..you have to be all right….Prongs, you've got to be all right, Lily needs you….I…..I need….'

Sirius got no further. The truth finally sank in. James Potter, Sirius Black's closest friend, was dead. Sirius sank lower into the ground. Bending forward, he covered his face with his hands. 'No!…no!….please!….not James!….Please!.…..not my friend!…..please!' Sirius begged frantically, his whole body wracked with violent shaking. He reached out blindly, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. Sirius pulled James Potter's dead body into his arms, holding him tightly, as if he couldn't bear to let go. He began to rock backwards and forwards, as everything else around him seemed to disappear for a moment. 'You were supposed to be all right! This wasn't supposed to happen! You were going to be fine, safe and happy in your own home again….!' A wave of despair engulfed Sirius's heart. 'How do you expect me to manage without you, you stupid sod!' he cried, anguish and pain filling him. 'Oh, it's all right for you, you'll be resting peacefully, lazy git that you are…..but me….there won't be anyone…not like us….not like brothers…special….best friends!'

Sirius Black could hardly see through the tears running from his eyes. He continued to hold on to James Potter's body, as if his own life depended on it.

So absorbed was Sirius, holding James Potter's lifeless body in his arms, rocking backwards and forwards, muttering incoherently as fear and shock made way for despair, he didn't see Hagrid's large form descend once again from the wreckage of the demolished cottage, holding another body in his arms. It was only when Hagrid placed the body down on the ground that Sirius remembered he wasn't alone. A fresh rush of agony crushed Sirius's Black's broken heart. He looked down on the body of a woman lying on the ground, her lips tinged blue and her red hair…..

Sirius placed his best friend's body gently on the ground and moved to where the woman lay, a few feet away. Sirius sobbed as he took the woman's dead body into his arms. 'Oh Lily, no! Not you too!' he wept passionately, his voice turning into a low, painful moan.

Sirius held Lily Potter's dead body in his arms, his hand brushing through her hair, the beautiful red hair Sirius knew James loved so much. He wept harder as bits of plaster and dust fell from the deep red locks. He eased the body out of his arms and realised Lily's eyes were wide open. Her striking emerald eyes, the eyes that had drawn James Potter to her years before, lay open and staring, with a strange, almost triumphant glow fixed within them. Sirius continued to sob helplessly. 'He…..James loved you so much Lils!' he cried, staring down into her face. 'He loved you so much….you made him so happy Lily, so very happy!'

Sirius took Lily's dead body back into his embrace. Through his tears he smiled. 'If Prongs could see me now, holding you like this, he'd….oh God, Lily!' There was no controlling the agony Sirius felt now. It completely engulfed him. He gave in to it, his whole body shuddering with heart-wrenching sobs. 'What am I going to do without you two, who else is going to tell me off Lily? Who else is there for me to tease now? Who else can I spend my time with? Who else knows me inside out, good and bad and still cares….there's no one Lily….just you and James….and now you're gone and I….oh God, no, please!' Sirius sobbed helplessly, unable to find more words. He rocked Lily's body in his arms, exactly as he had with James.

After several long minutes Sirius eased Lily Potter's body out of his arms. He placed it gently down on the ground. He sat up and looked across at where James Potter's body lay. Sirius's eyes focused on the distance that separated the bodies of the couple who had been through so much to get together and fought to remain together, even facing death. Sirius couldn't bear the distance between the two bodies any more. Something inside told him James and Lily needed to be together. Standing, Sirius picked up Lily Potter's lifeless form. He carried it to where James Potter's body lay and placed it down. Tears flowed from Sirius's eyes again as he reached out and placed his fingers gently over James Potter's eyes and closed them for the last time. He did the same for Lily, tenderly extinguishing the triumphant glow in Lily Potter's emerald orbs. Then, Sirius turned Lily's body onto her side, resting her head on her husband's still chest. He moved James's arm and eased it around Lily's shoulders. Now the bodies looked like they were sleeping in a final loving embrace. Sirius gazed down on the couple. 'There….at least you're together now….no one will ever part you again'. Sirius's body racked with sobs as he spoke.

Sirius Black trembled all the way to his fingertips as he stood in the darkness of that Halloween night. He couldn't bear the pain he was in, the all-consuming agony of loss. He had lost his closest friends, the people he thought of as his family, he was alone and he couldn't bear it.

Suddenly Sirius jumped out of his skin when a scream ripped through the air. He turned swiftly on his heel to be confronted by Hagrid, who appeared to be holding a bundle of screaming blankets in his arms. Sirius blinked, even in his distraught state he knew blankets didn't scream. Then the realisation dawned. The screaming was a child, crying in Hagrid's arms! Hagrid's eyes were full. He opened the blankets and revealed their contents to Sirius. 'The little un…'E's alive!' he cried, tears leaking out from his eyes at last. Sirius was overwhelmed. He wobbled violently on his shaking legs before he steadied himself. He looked down on his Godson. 'Harry?' he said, utterly bewildered, 'but how…?' Hagrid smiled amid his tears. ''E's survived the killin' curse Sirius…I dunno how, but 'e's survived, look at the scar on 'is 'ead!'

Sirius Black stared at the lightening shaped scar on Harry Potter's little forehead. 'But that's….Hagrid that's impossible!' Hagrid nodded, 'I know, no one has ever survived the killin' curse before! It's a miracle!'

Harry Potter continued to scream into the night, his little body racked with sobbing. Sirius sighed, wanting desperately to comfort the child, who, he realised, had no one else in the world now his parents were…even the thought was too much for the young man. He could still hardly believe his best friends were dead and their son was now an orphan. Sirius stretched out his arms to Hagrid. 'Hagrid, give me the baby' he said firmly. To Sirius's amazement Hagrid shook his head. 'No, 'e's got to go to Dumbledore. Dumbledore warned me, if this 'appened, the little un had to go straight to 'im'. Now Sirius could feel his anger rising. 'Hagrid, stop messing about! Give Harry to me! I'm his Godfather! James and Lily made me his guardian, so if anything happened to them, I'd…..' Sirius couldn't go on, his emotions were rising again. Hagrid sighed heavily, 'I'm sorry Sirius, but I've 'ad me orders, Dumbledore said Harry had to go straight to 'im'.

Sirius Black stared at Hagrid as he stood, Harry Potter held firmly in his arms. Sirius sighed. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sirius finally grasped the reality of what had happened that night. The Potters, James and Lily, had been murdered by Voldemort, leaving their son an orphan. They had been betrayed by their Secret Keeper, Peter Pettigrew. Fury rushed in on Sirius, he suddenly felt like he wanted to hurt someone, cause them the sort of pain he could feel around his heart. He sighed again. He looked at the baby in Hagrid's arms and knew what he had to do. 'All right Hagrid', he said, forcing himself to speak softly, 'take Harry to Dumbledore, take him on my bike, it'll get you there quicker'. Hagrid stared in disbelief, 'But you love that bike!' Sirius sighed painfully, 'I know, but I don't need it any more….just take Harry to Dumbledore as fast as you can'. Hagrid shook his head in amazement, then quickly he turned and before Sirius could react again, the giant was on the flying motorbike, Harry Potter's tiny form clasped tightly to him, and he flew away.

Sirius now stood alone. He stood in the cold night air and tried to absorb what had happened. The realisation hit him once again that his friends were dead, their son was an orphan and had been taken away, and he, Sirius Black was entirely alone in the world. He stared down on the bodies of the dead young couple and a wave of fury crashed over him once more. He realised now more sharply than ever that they had been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust, Peter Pettigrew. Sirius burst onto tears again, tears of anger and loss. He looked down on the bodies of his friends. 'I swear, he'll pay for this!' he cried, 'if it's the last thing I do, Pettigrew will be dead when I find him, he'll pay for what he's done to you, I promise you that!'

With one final look at James and Lily's dead bodies, Sirius apparated. He had to find Peter Pettigrew. He was thirsty for revenge. James and Lily were dead, but Sirius knew he would never rest until he found the one who had betrayed them.