October 31, 1981
Faster! Sirius Black thought desperately, tearing through the night sky. The cool air whipped around him, pulling at his jacket and slipping through the crack between his goggles and the skin around his eyes. The rush of the air and roar of the motorbike's engine usually drowned out his thoughts, but not tonight. Tonight the sounds were muffled by the panic clawing its way through up from his stomach.
Something was wrong. He'd felt it halfway through the day. Another death had occurred, which wasn't that shocking, considering they were at war. But it had been an Order of the Phoenix member, and someone who was in hiding. Only Order members knew where other Order members were hiding, which meant the Order had a mole. A sudden stab of fear jolted through him. He couldn't stop thinking about James, Lily, and Harry. If there was a traitor in the Order, then James and Lily were vulnerable. He knew they were protected by the Fidelius Charm, but if Peter…
He was running out of the Auror Office before he could finish the thought. He jumped on the motorbike, revved it to life, and took off through the darkening sky. Peter wouldn't betray James and Lily. He wouldn't!
Sirius landed the bike in the Pettigrew's front lawn and jumped the steps to the door. He pounded on the door. "Peter! Peter, open the door!"
A plump, greying woman opened the door, looking mildly alarmed. "Sirius!" she said. "Whatever's the matter?"
"Where's Peter?" Sirius demanded.
Mrs. Pettigrew jumped at his tone. "He just went out. Goodness, Sirius, what's happened?"
Sirius didn't answer. The world around him blurred. He jumped back on the bike and shot into the sky.
"No," he begged. He'd never been a praying man, but he prayed now. "Not James and Lily." His arms and legs felt cold, his stomach in knots. He swore. "Faster!" he snapped at the bike.
It seemed to take an age to reach Godric's Hollow. The Potter's home looked fine from the outside, but his panic didn't abate. He was off the bike before it touched the ground. "James!" he screamed before reaching the door. "Lily!" He knocked thrice and received no answer. He backed up and pulled out his wand, pointing it at the door to blast it aside. "Reduct-"
The door opened. A bewildered and startled-looking Lily stood on the other side. "Sirius! Merlin's beard, what-"
He hugged her before his heart had time to catch up with his mind. She was fine. She's fine, he told himself. He kicked the door closed before pulling away. "Where's James?" he demanded.
"In the dining room," she answered at once.
He pushed past her and nearly ran into his friend as he rounded the corner. James' hair was tousled as usual, his brow knitted into worry. "What happened?"
"It's Peter!" Sirius started at once. "You all need to leave now. He's-"
"Peter's what?"
Sirius stopped. He turned quickly. Peter stood behind him. His arms were wrapped around a small boy with messy, dark hair, sitting on Peter's hip. Remus stood behind him, watching Sirius in knowing concern.
"Pete!" Sirius said in surprise. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home!"
James put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Mate, relax. We're just having dinner."
The indignant question, Without me? nearly spilled automatically from Sirius' throat, but that wasn't most important. He took a deep breath, looking at each of them in turn, willing his heart to slow down. They were all here. They were all safe.
"Pa'foo?" Harry asked, confused. He held out his little arms toward his godfather. Sirius took him slowly, almost mechanically. Harry grinned and grabbed a handful of Sirius' hair.
It finally sunk in that they were alright. Sirius let out a breath and smiled weakly. "Sorry. Guess I panicked."
"All Hallows Eve gotten to you?" James' grin didn't quite light up his eyes.
Sirius forced a chuckle, trying to reestablish the ease in the air that he'd ruined. "Yeah, must be."
Lily walked past him, stopping beside him and giving his arm a squeeze. "Come and have some dinner."
"Yeah, I think I will. Thanks." Harry giggled in his ear and tugged at his hair. He adjusted his grip on the one-year-old as Peter and Remus passed him on their way back to their seats. Remus squeezed Sirius' shoulder and Sirius returned his reassuring smile.
Sirius didn't eat much, and what he did he barely tasted. He preferred to drink in the sight of his friends, his family, around the table. All safe, all well, all together. Such a rare and precious thing in a world like theirs. They talked lightly, complimenting the meal, wondering how the new Hogwarts school year was going, reminiscing about their old pranks. None of them mentioned the mounting fear or the growing tension or the fact that Sirius' terror of finding them all dead wasn't unfounded. They simply sat in each other's company, trying to salvage some piece of normalcy in a dying world.