A/N: I don't own the rights to any of these characters, settings or anything to do with Wizarding World. This is a work of fiction based on the universe created by J.K Rowling.

**WARNING: This story has now entered the war timeframe and as such there are some scenes moving forward that are very much for mature audiences. This chapter in particular contains descriptions of torture**

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - SIRIUS

August, 1978

It was a particularly warm summer night when Sirius and Benjy appeared in an empty Coventry street. Sirius bent down to tighten his shoelaces and looked around him as he did so, there were no signs that anyone else was in the street. He stood up and checked his watch, 7.30pm, they were right on time. There had been whispers of Death Eater activity in Coventry; Muggle news had reported an increase of violent attacks and murders especially to families. Sirius and Benjy had been sent here to investigate and report back of anything out of the ordinary, Sirius had a feeling it wasn't just muggles attacking muggles.

"Come on." Benjy said and they walked down the street.

They turned the corner and continued to walk along the streets of the city until they reached the remains of the cathedral. Sirius walked in and gazed around as the sun set behind the ruins. Benjy sat on a nearby bench and shook his head.

"Why didn't they ever rebuild this place?" Benjy asked.

Sirius lit himself a cigarette, "Because there was another war going on. It was easier to bewitch the muggles into believing the Nazi bombs destroyed this place rather than fix it."

"Surely it wouldn't have taken them long, few flicks of a wand and it would've been good as new."

"Repairing buildings is a tad more complicated than that. Besides, sometimes you have to let things burn in a war if it will help you win it in the end."

Benjy stared through the ruined windows at the sun setting and sighed, "I suppose you're right."

"God Grindelwald was a right git." Sirius said, "This place would've been beautiful before he blasted it apart."

"And now there's another git around trying to tear more things apart."

Sirius finished his cigarette and smiled at Benjy, "We stopped Grindelwald Benjy, we'll stop this wanker too."

Benjy nodded, "I hope so."

"We will, I'm far too fond of my life to watch it get ruined by that lot."

Benjy chuckled, "Fair call. Where's Remus tonight?"

"He's at home, Lily's got him into this muggle game called table tennis so they'll be playing that no doubt."

"Table tennis?"

"There's a small bat, racket thing and a ball you hit… It's beyond boring. But I tell you what, it's hysterical watching him try to play it."

"Well aren't you just the supportive boyfriend."

"I can't help that my boyfriend is as coordinated as a blind man."

Benjy chuckled and shook his head, "How is living all together? Sharing a house with the future Mr and Mrs Potter!"

"It's a lot sometimes. We have the entire upstairs to ourselves while Mum and Dad are living downstairs." Sirius replied, lighting another cigarette.

"Mum and Dad?" Benjy asked.

"James' parents." Sirius took a drag of his cigarette. "Anyway, it is really nice that at the end of the day I get to crawl into bed with Remus."

"Well aren't you just a softie!"

"Fuck off Benjy!"

"No it's nice, I'm just jealous. I thought I would've met someone at school you know, maybe been brave enough to tell someone how I feel about them…"

"Got yourself a bit of a crush then?"

Benjy blushed and stared at his hands, "Carodac has always been who I've wanted yeah."

"Well fuck me sideways, I would never have pegged you to be a homo."

"Sirius!"

"Calm down Benjy, it's not that bad being a queen I promise!"

"I've never told anyone this before."

Sirius coughed and spat out his cigarette, "This is you coming out?"

Benjy looked up and beamed at Sirius, "I guess it is, yeah. I'm a big ol' queen!"

Sirius rushed over and lifted Benjy out of the bench whooping, Benjy squirmed and managed to break free from Sirius pushing him away. Sirius jumped up on the bench and outstretched his arms.

"Welcome to faggot town, beautiful."

Benjy grinned, "You're so fucking gay Sirius, I swear to merlin."

Sirius jumped down and nudged Benjy, "So Carodac then?"

Benjy blushed again, "Yeah, Carodac. Though I'm not sure he feels the same."

"Have you asked him?"

"Of course I haven't."

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not? I can't just, I don't know, kiss my best friend and hope for the best."

"Why not, I did. Couldn't be happier."

Benjy stared at Sirius and shook his head, "It's not the same as you and Remus."

Sirius slung his arm over Benjy's shoulder, "You don't have to plant one on him, but there's no harm in putting yourself out there. I know we always saw him, and well you too, with girls at school but that doesn't always mean anything. Tell him how you feel."

Benjy smiled, "Why don't we get through tonight first and if I'm still in one piece later I'll strongly consider it!"

"Attaboy! Speaking of… We should get to it, don't you think?"

Sirius led Benjy out of the ruined cathedral and out into the streets again. They continued along the winding roads until they found themselves moving slowly along muggle residences, hiding in backyards and charming themselves to blend in while they observed their surroundings. Another hour passed before they reached an oddly quiet house. Benjy eyed Sirius carefully as they approached the side fence and climbed it quietly. Sirius tiptoed through the backyard and froze as he reached a back window.

Through the window two small boys were sitting on the floor crying. Their fear was deeply etched on their faces and they trembled trying to reach one another's hand. A man moved near them jerking and spasming without making a sound. At his feet was a petite woman, her hair loose and tangled at the base of her neck, tears streaming down her face. The man jerked suddenly and spasmed again as his arm swung back, Sirius grimaced at the distraught expression on the man's face as his arm came flying down his fist colliding with the woman's face. Benjy gasped, horrified. The two little boys continued to cry as the man continued to hit and kick the woman until she no longer moved. Filling with anger, Sirius moved closer to the window when he saw them.

Three death eaters were sprawled on the nearby couch one of them lazily flicking their wand at the man, laughing. Another one had his wand pointed at the two boys, no doubt bewitching them to remain in the one spot, while the remaining death eater chuckled and got to his feet. Sirius watched as he crossed the room and picked up the woman's body before flicking his wand at the man who was now waltzing around the room with his wife's lifeless body, tears falling down his face. The death eater flicked his wand again and suddenly the man was on the floor writhing in agony. The death eaters laughed. The man continued to writhe around thrashing into furniture. The two small boys looked on, horrified and crying.

Sirius felt rage race across his body as the man finally stopped thrashing and lay lifeless on the ground. The death eaters on the couch got to their feet and advanced on the small boys. Sirius had no control over his body in that moment as he rose to his feet and hurled a nearby rock through the window. It was if things happened in slow motion, the window shattered and the air around him filled with the sobs of the small boys. Sirius felt Benjy pulling his arm, dragging him from the garden as the death eaters turned to face the broken window.

Sirius heard shouting behind him as he turned and ran for the back fence, Benjy looked back at him terrified. Sirius flicked his wand at Benjy giving him a boost over the fence and barreled over it behind him. Benjy stopped for a moment in the alley behind the house and Sirius grabbed him as he ran by screaming at him.

"RUN!"

The two of them ran down the alley, Sirius looked back to see figures jumping over the fence. He faced forward again and continued down the alley. A bin exploded on his left and Sirius ducked as the lid flew by. Benjy took a sudden turn right and Sirius followed him, now running along an open street. He was uncomfortable being out in the open and looked around for somewhere else to go. He spotted a row of townhouses ahead with a left turn just before them and right turn before that. A car suddenly upended and came hurtling along the street Benjy was ahead of Sirius and the car landed between them, Sirius moved quickly to get around it as another car slid across the street blocking him and knocking him to the ground. He could see Benjy trying to get to him from the other side as he pulled himself to his feet, blood trickled down his face.

"KEEP RUNNING!" Sirius screamed again and darted across the street to the right turn he had seen.

Benjy had taken off away from him and Sirius urged himself to keep running. His head pounded as blood continued to run down his face and his hair began to stick to his head from the sweat. Sirius suddenly collided with a wall and scrambled to climb over it, wincing as he landed on his feet on the other side. Arms were around him and he felt himself being pulled into the darkness, a hand over his mouth silencing him. Sirius looked up to see Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody and turned back to the alley to see two of the death eaters come over the wall and continue running down the alley. Sirius and Mad Eye and stayed there for a few moments before Mad Eye removed his hand from Sirius' and let go of the grip he hand on him.

Panting, Sirius bent over his knees, "What are you doing here, Mad Eye?"

"Got wind of some activity in the area and popped in." Mad Eye grunted, "Good thing I did, eh."

"Thank you." Sirius wheezed, "But Benjy… We got separated."

"Give it a few more minutes and we'll go look for him."

Sirius pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face. The bleeding had stopped, which was a good sign. Remus wouldn't fuss too much if all he came home with were a few minor cuts and bruises. Sirius told Mad Eye about what they had seen at the house, the way the death eaters had tortured the muggle family. Mad Eye cursed and after a few more minutes Sirius dropped his handkerchief in the nearby bin and quietly followed Mad Eye down the alley. Before they stepped out onto the street, Mad Eye turned to him.

"Keep low. Stay quiet and remember constant vigilance!"

"Got it."

They charmed themselves to blend in with the surroundings and slowly moved along the street, clinging to the shadows and walls along the front houses. Sirius noticed broken glass along the away and could smell a fire in the distance, he eventually saw a swing set on fire in the small park on the street. Mad Eye held up his hand as muggles exited their house rushing to the swing set with buckets of water. Sirius looked around wildly for a sign of the death eaters or Benjy, his stomach started to churn with worry.

Sirius followed Mad Eye, turning up alleys and and cutting through parks their wands raised and Sirius' heart pounded. As they turned a corned Sirius could hear yelling in the distance and recognize Benjy's voice.

"Get off me you foul gits!"

Sirius broke into a run, he could hear Mad Eye curse behind him. Sirius reached the entrance of the alley and his stomach dropped. Benjy was cornered by five death eaters, Sirius wondered where the other two had come from or how they got there so quickly. Sirius raised his wand as he felt Mad Eye grip the back of his shirt, pulling him back. Benjy looked past the death eaters and met Sirius' eyes, he smiled sadly and nodded. Sirius felt Mad Eye turning them on the spot as the five death eaters blasted Benjy to bits and Sirius screamed his name.

Sirius dropped to the ground as they appeared in the forest a quarter mile from the Order's headquarters. Sirius jumped to his feet and kicked the sticks out his way striding across the Mad Eye, furious.

"Why did you make us leave? We could've done something!"

"We would've died too lad."

"Not without taking some of them with us."

"And what good would that have done for us, hmm? All three of us dead with not information getting back here to help the order!"

"He was my friend. He was my friend and I left him to die."

"He was as good as dead when we got there son."

Sirius groaned in frustration, "What is the point? What is the point of going out there if we're just going to leave people to die?!"

Mad Eye grabbed Sirius by the shoulders, "Son, I need you to listen to me now. If you go out there wanting to be the hero you're going to die. Winning this war is about looking at the bigger picture. We could've tried to save young Benjy, we would've died. Instead we can relay what we learnt tonight and the order can use that. There's now a confirmed death eater presence in Coventry. We know how they operate, the lengths they will go to and we know they have a back up system in place."

Sirius pulled himself away from Mad Eye and glared at the ground. He knew Mad Eye was right and he hated it. There would be nothing left of Benjy now. Nothing to tie him to his world and that infuriated Sirius.

"I've got to keep moving Sirius, Dumbledore needs to hear about what happened tonight." Mad Eye said and nodded at Sirius, "Get yourself home."

"Tell him. Tell him Benjy fought hard tonight."

"I will. And Sirius, remember what I said to you tonight. Don't be the hero. We need you fighting with us, it would be a shame to see you go early."

Sirius nodded and watched Mad Eye limp through the forest before turning on the spot and appearing in the field near the Potter's residence. Sirius lit himself a cigarette and began walking through the streets back home. The night was still warm, the kind of summer night he would love to spend with Remus. Sirius loved the warm weather, sitting out on the balcony stargazing and drinking wine with Remus was one of his favourite things to do.

As he turned the corner, Sirius noticed a muggle family laughing in their home together grouped around a board game. Sirius felt a pang in his chest and wiped away his tears. It would take him a lifetime to forget the things he saw tonight; the horrors that muggle family were forced into. He found himself hoping that by chasing him and Benjy the muggle boys were spared. They would be forever changed by what they witnessed tonight, but he longed for them to still be alive as he strode on desperate to be off the streets and in the warmth and safety of his home.

By the time he reached the winding driveway Sirius was dripping in sweat again, at least his face wasn't bloody anymore and he wasn't crying. He couldn't walk through the door a complete mess or James' parents would never let him settle before taking care of him.

Sirius quietly opened the front door and hurried upstairs to the bathroom, he splashed water around his face cleaning the dried bits of blood and washing away the sweat and tears from the night. He stared at himself in the mirror for a moment and thought of Benjy.

"I'm sorry." Sirius whispered, "I'm so fucking sorry Benjy."

He could hear laughter coming from the balcony and steadied himself. Sirius exited the bathroom and wandered through the games room and out onto the balcony. Remus, as earlier predicted, was flapping about trying to play table tennis while Lily stood at the opposite side of the table giggling. James was lent against the railing of the balcony, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, laughing. Remus looked up to see Sirius and dropped his table tennis paddle. James stood up straight and took a step forward.

"Padfoot." James said, "What happened?"

Sirius felt himself tremble, "There were death eaters there. We saw them torturing a muggle family. They forced the father to beat the mother to death and they made him dance around the room with her dead body in front of their two small boys."

Lily clasped her hand to her mouth and reached out for James, he pulled her close to him and gave Sirius a hard stare. Sirius turned to Remus.

"They tortured the man to death and the little boys looked so scared I couldn't help myself. I smashed the window to distract the death eaters."

"Of course you did." Remus whispered, "You would've done anything to save a child."

"We ran from them, for a while before we got separated. I ran into Mad Eye." Sirius said and closed his eyes. "By the time we found Benjy again he was cornered. He's dead, they blasted him to bits."

His words hung in the air and Remus moved across the balcony taking Sirius into his arms. Sirius looked over Remus' shoulder to see Lily had sunken to sit on the floor, crying. James strode past Sirius cursing.

Remus hugged Sirius tightly, "I know you would've done everything you could tonight. Benjy would know that too."

Sirius nodded and hugged Remus back, "I know."

James came striding back and place four shot glasses on the table and a bottle of vodka, "It was his favourite. We're going to toast the shit out him."

Sirius broke free from Remus and watched as James poured out four shots. James pulled Lily to her feet and kissed her gently. Lily wiped away her tears and nodded at James. Sirius picked up his shot glass and handed one to Remus. The four of them stood together for a moment in a small circle.

James lifted his shot glass, "To Benjy. The most loyal person I've ever known. The boy who struggled to throw a quaffle to the person he was aiming for. The smartass who would find a loophole in everything."

"The guy who once sat up all night in the library with me to study for Herbology and the guy who brought me flowers every week for three months after my parents died." Lily said.

"He was kind and he was smarter than he realised." Remus said, "I loved his bravery and his determination. He never had a bad word to say about anyone because he had the biggest heart of everyone."

Sirius gripped his shot glass and cleared his throat, "Benjy. I'm so sorry that this is how your story ended. You'd finally let yourself be who you are and I will remember the cathedral for the rest of my life. You were your happiest."

James lifted his hand and squeezed Sirius' shoulder, "To Benjy!"

"To Benjy!" They all cried.