The Secret Keeper Ch2 proofread

Chapter 2

He half carried, half dragged his friend to the sofa in the corner of their living room. "Sirius," James almost whispered as he gently shook his friend's shoulders. "Come on mate. Please Padfoot, don't do this to me!"

"Prongs?"

"Oh thank Merlin!" James exclaimed as he hugged his best friend. "It's going to be okay mate. Padfoot, we'll get you to St. Mungo's. We'll sort everything out. I promise you Sirius, everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be fine."

"No, Hogwarts."

"What?! Sirius, you are hurt-"

"You need to go to Hogwarts and warn Dumbledore. Please." Sirius stopped for moment as he tried to catch his breath. "The Triwizard Cup. Harry, he's in danger."

"Padfoot? I don't understand!"

"Please. Warn Dumbledore. Harry's in danger. The Triwizard Cup. Please James, just go. You have to warn Dumbledore. You have to stop it. Voldemort is growing in strength."

"Lily!" James shouted. "We will do, but we need to get you to St. Mungo's as well."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed before ending in a coughing fit. He took several shaky gasps before he could continue. "Please mate, go to Hogwarts and warn Dumbledore."

"I don't understand Sirius. Padfoot, you're hurt, you need to go to St. Mungo's." James swallowed a couple of times, as he hoped the healers would be good enough to heal what he could only imagine were numerous injuries.

"James," Sirius pleaded as tears made streaks down his battered face. "Forget me, I don't matter. You need to stop this. I don't know who to trust anymore, but I trust you and I know not to trust Peter."

Hearing her husband's cry, Lily hurried into the living room. It took her a moment to know how to react. Her husband was crouched down, holding a, what she could only describe as, a dead man. But the name he repeatedly called and the way the man somehow managed to hold himself, she found herself sitting down next to him. "Sirius," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder as she waited patiently for a response. She brushed his forehead, wincing as she felt the dried blood. She wondered how many other injuries were hidden beneath the grime. She could feel the emotional and physical pain radiating off him. "Sirius," she repeated when he finally looked at her. She tried not to flinch at the haunted eyes, tried not to think of what had happened to him over those thirteen years. "We'll go to Hogwarts," she said gently as she tried to throw James a look.

"You promise," Sirius said breathlessly.

Lily tried to shoot her husband another furious glance. "Yes, we'll take floo powder there."

"Lily?" James exclaimed.

"James, we need to go to Hogwarts," Lily said calmly. In the days afterwards she never knew how she managed to remain so calm. "You two can go first."

"No, Lily you need to," Sirius almost whispered. "You need to warn Dumbledore."

"Okay, I'll go first," she replied as she ran a finger down his damaged cheek.

"Lily?" James called again.

"James, we are going to Hogwarts," she replied in the strongest voice she could muster. Taking a handful of floo powder she threw it into the fire and stepped in. "Hogwarts!"

James pulled the semi-conscious, limp person to his side. "Come on mate, let's go back to school," he said with a forced smile.

"Prongs, if I die,"

"Padfoot, you're not going to die."

"Please mate, listen to me," Sirius said weakly. "If I die, let Dumbledore have my memories."

"That's not going to happen," James replied holding back the tears.

"Forget me, James. You need to protect Harry and you need to stop Voldemort. Please, promise me you will."

"I will, and I'll do it with you at my side," James said thickly as he stepped into the fire. "Hogwarts!" he yelled. As he watched various fireplaces fly past, he was vaguely aware of Sirius becoming completely limp against him. He hoped against everything that he wouldn't have to fulfil his friend's last request. He staggered into the familiar office; an office he'd been summoned to numerous times in the past with Sirius. "Where's Dumbledore?" he asked, carefully lying his friend on the rug beside the fire. "Lily, this was a mistake. He's really badly hurt. He needs to go to St. Mungo's!"

"James, you heard what he said. Harry's in danger and we need to be in Hogwarts."

"I know but-"

"He also said Peter was alive and we could not trust him," Lily replied, cutting her husband off. "We don't know if it's going to back to what it was before. We can trust Dumbledore. He'll know what to do."

"He's not a healer though," James replied sadly, looking at his friend who was close to death.

"Madam Pomfrey is." Without another word, she turned and ran out of the study, hoping her words rang true. James had been utterly devastated when Sirius had disappeared fourteen years ago. She hurried down familiar corridors, hoping it wouldn't take long before she found Dumbledore or someone who knew where he was. Rounding a corner she nearly ran headlong into Professor McGonagall. "Sorry," she stammered, feeling as though she was still a student.

"Mrs. Potter? What are you doing here? How did the news already reach you?"

Lily felt her knees go weak. "Oh god, it's happened, hasn't it? Harry's been entered into the Triwizard competition! How did it happen?! I thought it was safe?!"

"Lily," Dumbledore said, stepping forward for the first time. "How did you find out?"

"Sirius. Sirius tried to warn us."

"Sirius Black?" Professor McGonagall questioned with a frown.

"Yes, he's..." Lily paused for a moment, hoping what she was thinking hadn't happened. It would devastate her; she didn't even want to begin to think of what it would do to James. "He's badly hurt, really badly hurt."

Dumbledore nodded, turning to Professor McGonagall. "Get Madam Pomfrey to meet us in my study." Without another word he started off, with increasingly longer strides. "What happened?"

"I don't know exactly. James called, I walked into the living room and he was there with Sirius. He - he looked dead," Lily replied, biting her lip as tears threatened. "Sirius kept repeating that we needed to warn you, and Harry was in danger."

"Indeed," Dumbledore replied, increasing his pace even further. "Did he say anything else?"

"Yes, Voldemort was getting stronger and Peter was alive and we couldn't trust him."

Dumbledore nodded. "Chocolate bombs." Without a further word he swept up the stairs into his study.

James remained as Lily had left him; sat, his hand on Sirius' shoulder, talking to him. "James," she said softly.

James looked up slowly. His eyes travelled between the two people standing before him. "What more evidence do you need?" he said bitterly, his free hand sweeping over Sirius' body. "Like he did this to himself! You can't even keep my son safe! What kind of fucking wizard are you?!"

"James!" Lily exclaimed.

Dumbledore held his hand up, silencing her. "No, no. James, you are quite correct. I allowed myself to become blinded." He leant towards Sirius.

"No!" James almost screamed. "No, he said you could have his memories if he died, but he's not dead. You are not taking anything from him without his permission."

"The fidelius charm is still in place," Dumbledore said softly.

"Of course it fucking is!" James growled. "Sirius would never betray us."

"Dark magic was used," Dumbledore said as his hand hovered over Sirius' forehead. He flinched as he saw in his visions a flash of green light. He continued in a small, shaky voice, "dark magic that I cannot even begin to comprehend." He gently rested his hand on the back of Sirius' neck. "You are safe now, Sirius," he said gently. "You have been brave and strong, you have fulfilled your task." He swept his wand in the air, watching as the golden strands slowly twisted into the air between them.

"What the hell are you doing?" James exclaimed.

"Lifting the charm. He doesn't need the burden anymore; he needs to be at peace."

James' eyes darted between Dumbledore and Sirius for a moment. "No. No. NO!" he screamed. "No." Tears streamed down his face unashamedly as his whole body began to shake. "No! Sirius, please mate. Oh god, no." He laid his head on Sirius' shoulder. "No! Don't go Padfoot, please don't. We need to get Remus drunk again and find him a girl. You need to see Harry; Merlin, can he fly! Please Sirius, don't go. I need you. I need you, brother, please don't go."