Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.
I am honestly overwhelmed with the amount of people who have read this story. I've been wanting to write my own fanfiction for a long time and to see that people have decided to follow/favourite my story makes me really happy. Thank you again for all your supportive comments. I hope you enjoy the third chapter.
Hogwarts, 1st November 1981
When Sirius showed up at Hogwarts, carrying Harry and Leo in his arms, he wasn't particularly surprised to find himself surrounded by numerous students, all wanting to catch a glimpse of 'The Boy Who Lived'. He tried his hardest to ignore them as he made his way to the Headmaster's office, but the gasps and hushed whispers were beginning to grate on his nerves.
"Wow, it's really him! Harry Potter!"
"How do you reckon he managed to kill You-Know-Who?"
"Who's that other boy next to him?"
"I wonder if I could get his autograph."
"Don't be silly you idiot, he's still a baby!"
Finally, Sirius snapped. "Would you please stop staring at Harry? He's one year old and doesn't need a crowd of immature children ogling him!"
Some of the students looked stung at being referred to as 'immature children' but it had the desired effect and slowly they began to filter back into the Great Hall. A few hopeful individuals were still hanging around but they kept their distance and before long Sirius reached the winding, stone staircase that led to the Headmaster's office.
"Liquorice wand," he said, rolling his eyes at Dumbledore's obsession with sweets.
The gargoyle stepped aside and Sirius stepped onto the moving staircase.
As he entered the large, circular room, he saw that Remus was already there. He seemed deep in conversation with Dumbledore, but he turned around when he heard Sirius approaching. Sirius saw him gripping his wand tightly while his eyes narrowed in suspicion and he sighed at the outward signs of hostility.
"Really, Remus? If I was truly behind James and Lily's death then I wouldn't be stood here right now with two wizards capable of disarming me and carting me off to Azkaban, would I? But, if it makes you feel any better, I'll leave my wand on the table." As he said this, Sirius pulled out his wand and laid it down on the table. "There, now you're both armed and I'm not."
Remus reluctantly moved his hand away from his wand, but he still remained suspicious. Dumbledore merely smiled at Sirius and when he spoke, his voice was calm and collected. "I'm glad you could make it Sirius, please take a seat."
Once Sirius had sat down, Albus continued. "I must admit I was rather surprised when I read your letter; it was quite an extraordinary tale. If you wouldn't mind consenting to show us your memories, then we can view them in the pensieve. I am very curious as to why you decided to switch secret keepers to Peter, assuming you are telling the truth. However, first I would like to take a look at Harry."
Sirius nodded and handed Harry over to Albus. Leo, who had been beginning to grow restless, noticed Remus and his face lit up.
"Moony!" he squealed.
He wriggled his way out of Sirius's arms and ran over to Remus, who chuckled as Leo clung on to his legs. Sirius watched happily as Remus tickled Leo, making the two year old shriek with laughter. He really hoped that Remus would agree to help raise the boys – as well as being clever and responsible, Sirius knew that both Harry and Leo loved and trusted him.
"I assume this is the mark you mentioned in the letter?" Albus said, breaking Sirius away from his thoughts.
"Yeah. I don't know what it is but Andromeda reckoned it might have been caused by some kind of curse," replied Sirius. "Have you got any ideas?"
"Well, I think she might be correct. My theory is that when Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow, he did indeed cast the killing curse on Harry. Somehow the curse rebounded, destroying Voldemort's power and leaving Harry with that scar."
Both Sirius and Remus looked shocked and alarmed at this statement.
"Why did the curse rebound?" Remus wanted to know. "I wouldn't have thought that was possible."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I do have one theory, which I will explain after we have viewed the memories. First, I think we should take Harry down to the infirmary so Madam Pomphrey can do a medical scan."
"Is there something wrong with him?" Sirius asked, alarmed.
"Unfortunately I fear that Voldemort may have left something behind in Harry. When someone casts the killing curse, they channel all their anger and hatred into the spell. For it to have rebounded, leaving a mark like that… I do not think it will come without consequences." Upon seeing Sirius and Remus's stricken faces, Albus gave them a kind and understanding smile. "Do not worry, Harry should be ok. I just think it would be wise to keep an eye on him and look out for any changes."
Looking far from reassured, Sirius allowed Harry to be taken to the Hospital Wing, and suggested that Leo wait there too.
Once the boys had been left with Madam Pomphrey, Albus instructed Sirius to place his memory of the switching of the secret keepers into the pensieve. Sirius picked up his wand that had been lying on the table and held it up by his head. He placed the tip of his wand against his temple and closed his eyes, focusing hard on the memory. A few seconds later, he withdrew his wand and a glistening, silvery-white strand fell into the pensieve. Remus, who had never seen this happen before, watched curiously as it swirled inside the basin, and was astonished as an image of a house – James and Lily's house – swam to the surface.
"Are you ready?" Albus asked.
Remus nodded, unsure and a little nervous about what he would see.
"I'm ready."
Sirius felt himself falling through the air. For a moment all he could see was darkness, but then he felt the ground beneath his feet and his vision cleared. He saw Albus and Remus land beside him. As he looked around, he realised he was standing inside the Potter's house. He felt a wave of sadness wash over him as he saw James and Lily only a few meters away, both alive, talking to him and Peter. That treacherous rat, Sirius thought furiously. How dare he stand so close to James and Lily, knowing that he was going to betray them to Voldemort!
"Are you sure about this, Sirius?" James asked, a slight frown on his face. "No offence to Peter, but you are our first choice."
"Exactly!" cried Sirius. "And Voldemort knows it too! You know I would die for you a hundred times over, that isn't what I'm afraid of."
"I don't understand. What are you afraid of then? Why won't you accept it?" asked James.
"I'm scared that they'll be able to get the truth out me," admitted Sirius. "My cousin Bellatrix, she's good at getting the truth out of people. Whether it's torturing me or invading my mind… she knows what my weak spots are."
"The secret can't be forced out of someone," argued James. "It has to be given willingly."
"But that's the problem. If they just tortured me directly then it would be fine, but like I said, Bellatrix knows my weak spots; what if she tortures Leo? Or someone else I love?" Sirius looked down ashamedly. "I'm not sure I'd be able to keep the secret safe."
James finally caught on what Sirius was trying to say. "So you mean we change the secret keeper to Peter without telling anyone, whilst still letting everyone think it's you?"
Sirius nodded. "Yes, and whilst Voldemort and his Death Eaters are coming after me, Peter will remain unsuspected and the secret will be safe."
Lily suddenly frowned. "It sounds like a good plan, but won't that put you in a lot of unnecessary danger?"
"No more than if I was the secret keeper," Sirius pointed out. "And at least I won't have to worry about giving away your location."
James considered what Sirius was offering. Finally, he turned to look directly at Peter. "Well, Peter, I'll leave the decision to you. Are you willing to be our secret keeper?"
"I would be honoured!" squeaked Peter. He immediately blushed and looked at his feet. "Of course I would, James. I would do anything for you and for your family."
Sirius growled. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the filthy little liar right there and then.
James clapped Peter on the back. "You're a good friend, Peter." Then, turning to Sirius, he said, "We should tell Remus. He deserves to know too."
Sirius shook his head. "I don't that would be a good idea, James. Albus seemed pretty certain when he said that someone close to us might be giving Voldemort information behind our backs. I think we should just keep the secret between the four of us."
Sirius shot an apologetic look at Remus, but he didn't notice it. Remus's eyes were glued to the scene unfolding in front of him.
"You think Remus is the traitor?!" accused James furiously. "No way! How could you say that?"
"I'm not," said Sirius. "I just think as little people should know as possible."
James sighed. "Fine, although I still think we can trust Remus."
The scene before them began to fade away and Sirius felt an invisible force tugging at him. A few seconds later his found himself back in Dumbledore's office, along with Albus and Remus. There was a few moments pause before Remus pulled him into a big hug.
"I'm so sorry for doubting you, Sirius," he whispered softly. "I just – Peter… I didn't think…"
"Don't worry about it," Sirius replied. "I shouldn't have doubted you either. Peter had us both fooled."
Albus waited for the two men to break apart before speaking. "I, too, apologise for believing you to be guilty. I should have known that you weren't with Voldemort, after everything you did to help the Order; and as for betraying James and Lily, I was a fool for even considering it."
Sirius waved aside his apology. "It's fine, honestly. The evidence did point towards me – I would have been surprised if you hadn't suspected me, given the circumstances."
The conversation then moved to where Pettigrew could be. Albus was astonished to hear about how Sirius, James and Peter had become animagi, and even more astonished that they had managed to keep it secret from him all these years.
"He'll be lying low for the time being," said Sirius, before adding in a venomous voice, "Probably scurrying around in the gutters like the filthy rat he is."
"The best we can do is inform the Ministry of his animagus form and have everyone looking out for him," said Albus.
"Do you reckon he'll try to come after Harry?" asked Remus.
"I'll be surprised if he does. He'll most likely be trying his hardest to remain unseen, so I don't think he'll risk being caught and sent to Azkaban. Not just yet, anyway," replied Albus. "The next thing we need to discuss is what will happen with Harry."
Sirius looked up sharply. "What do you mean? He's staying with me."
Albus sighed. "I thought you would say that, Sirius, but I feel it would be better for Harry if he was raised by his Aunt and Uncle instead. They're his family and they'd be able to explain all of this to him when he's a bit older."
"You mean Petunia?" asked Sirius in disbelief. "You can't be serious?!"
Even Remus looked rather wary at the mention of Lily's sister. "Are you sure, Albus? I've never met her but from what Lily told me it didn't sound as if they got on very well."
Sirius let out a loud snort. "Oh, I've met Petunia and Vernon. It was at a dinner party about a year and a half ago. Never met such rude people in my life! Albus, there's no way I'm letting Harry live with them. They won't look after him properly."
"I know Petunia and Lily didn't have the best of relationships, but I am sure that Petunia will be able to put their issues aside to care for Harry," said Albus. He explained his theory about Lily's sacrifice and the blood protection. "The wards will only protect him if he lives with Petunia."
"Then we can cast new wards around my house," argued Sirius. "I can protect him better than any muggle family can."
"It will be good for Harry to grow up in a world where he won't constantly be surrounded by his fame, and I know Petunia has a son around Harry's age too. Besides, you can't possibly raise two boys on your own," said Albus.
"Then Remus can help raise him," Sirius said stubbornly. "I know you want what's best for Harry, but so do I, and I'm not giving him to Petunia. He can grow up with Remus and I – assuming that's what you want, Remus?"
"Of course," Remus replied immediately, "And I'm sure James and Lily would have wanted it too."
Albus reluctantly agreed. "Ok, but then you must allow me to help cast wards around your house. Voldemort may be gone for now, but his Death Eaters aren't, and I fear for Harry's safety."
Finally, Albus led Sirius and Remus down to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomphrey had finished examining Harry and was now watching the two boys chase each other around the room.
When Albus asked her about Harry, she replied saying that except his scar, everything seemed to be fine. "I honestly have no idea what the mark on his forehead is, though. It wouldn't let me heal it at all, and when I did a medical scan, it showed an aura of Dark Magic surrounding it. I don't know how he got it, but I would definitely suggest monitoring it."
"Thank you, Poppy," replied Albus.
Harry looked up and beamed when he saw Sirius and Remus. He squealed loudly when Sirius picked him up and swung him around.
"Pafoo! Pafoo!"
Remus chuckled. "You'll be an amazing parent for him, Sirius, I know it."
"We both will," Sirius grinned. "For Harry and Leo."
London, 2nd November 1981
Two days had passed since the downfall of Voldemort, and Peter Pettigrew, who was currently in the form of a rat, was staring in horror at a trodden on copy of the Daily Prophet. It had been bad enough to find out that Voldemort had been vanquished by none other than the Potter baby himself, but now the Ministry had somehow found out that he was behind the attack. The headlines read: POTTER FAMILY BETRAYED BY OLD FRIEND? and below there was a picture of him standing with James and Lily. Even worse, they seemed to know his animagus form too.
Peter wondered how everything had gone downhill so fast. A few days ago, he had been celebrating the fact that he had been made secret keeper, and now here he was, the Dark Lord defeated and he, Peter Pettigrew, forced to hide as a rat. And everything had been going so perfectly, he thought bitterly.
The Dark Lord had promised him that in return for spying on Dumbledore and the Order, he would help Peter become a great wizard. Peter had leapt at the opportunity and he found that he was rather good at finding information to report back to his Master. Not only was he a trusted member of the Order, but he was able to listen to secret conversations while in his rat form. Nobody had once suspected him.
Then Voldemort had decided to go after the Potters. Albus suggested that they use the fidelius charm to go into hiding, and Peter had once again leapt at the opportunity to help his Master. He had slowly began to plant seeds of doubt inside Sirius and Remus's minds, making them suspicious of each other. Peter had originally planned to turn them completely against each other, but in the end it wasn't necessary, as Sirius, much to Peter's delight, had suggested they make him secret keeper.
Peter had immediately went away to inform the Dark Lord, and not long afterwards, James and Lily were killed. But Harry had survived. Somehow, a little baby had managed to destroy the powers of the most powerful and feared wizard alive.
This had left Peter in a very bad position. He had clung on to the hope that Sirius would be believed to be guilty, but obviously this wasn't the case. If only nobody knew his animagus form, he might have been able to wriggle his way into a family as their pet rat. This way he would be able to keep track of the news whilst also living a relatively comfortable life. But Sirius had ruined any chance of that, he thought angrily. He and that blasted child had ruined everything!
Third chapter completed! Thank you again for your continued support – I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
The next update should be coming soon!