AN: Quidditch Fanfic Contest,
Position-Seeker,
Team-Tutshill Tornados,
Prompt- Stephen King Fairy Tale
Word Count- 1191
The Light and Dark Inside Us
25 June 1995
Lie low at Lupin's for a while. I will contact you there. Sirius was still processing everything that had just happened last night, even as he headed further south towards Yorkshire. Harry was nearly killed, another student was killed, Voldemort had returned, and the Minister of Magic was in denial about what Harry and Dumbledore told him! Now that Fudge is not going to be helpful, the Headmaster of Hogwarts tasked a fugitive to reassemble the Order of the Phoenix, because Merlin help them if Voldemort builds up his army again and he begins picking good witches and wizards off one by one. Like last time. Sirius shuddered. No, they need to stick together this time. No more going on missions alone, no more hiding people without having wizards to protect them, and no more rats. No more mistakes.
The clouds turned a shade darker, and rain began to pour as Sirius flew over Yorkshire. He missed having his flying Triumph motorcycle, but the Cleansweep broom he had was fine for now. He sent coded warning letters to Mundungus Fletcher and Arabella Figg, but he didn't send a letter to Remus. He of all people deserved to be told the news face to face. Black eyed an overgrown, derelict cottage and knew he was in the right place. He felt awful that one of his oldest friends was forced to live somewhere so undesirable, but there was nothing he could do to help until the former Azkaban prisoner could prove his innocence and clear his name.
Sirius landed close to a clearing near the small cottage. The pale, aging wizard found a fallen, hollow tree trunk and quickly tucked his broom inside of it. He walked up to the dwelling and knocked on the old, disheveled door. Next to the door, there was a small window with slight cracks in the glass. Black could see faint candlelight from inside behind the sheer and tattered curtains. From within the cottage, a hand reached for the curtains and pulled them carefully, a pair of familiar green eyes peered from behind them. The hand and eyes vanished behind the curtains again and suddenly Sirius heard a quiet click and the door opened with a squeal. Sirius smiled at the shabby figure in the doorway. "Hey, Moony."
Remus and Sirius settled into the living room, each had a cup of tea in their hands. The fireplace twinkled and crackled with gentle, calming embers. Remus took a sip of his tea and stared quizzically at his old friend. "Is everything all right, Sirius? You haven't visited me here before." He asked in his raspy voice.
The old Animagus struggled to determine where to begin. "Have you been following the Triwizard Tournament?"
Lupin nodded. "Yes, I have. Ever since I heard Harry was involved in it, I have been reading what I can about it. Something didn't feel right to me, but I also couldn't find a way to help." The werewolf sighed. "Maybe if I were still teaching at Hogwarts, I could have done something more."
Sirius shook his head. "Not your fault that Snape let your condition slip." Sirius decided to get to the point. "Even Dumbledore couldn't do anything, even as he saw the signs. He had three Death Eaters inside Hogwarts at once-"
Remus's tired eyes grew wide in concern. "-what?" He gasped. "Oh God, did something happen?"
Sirius didn't know how to say it, so he just said it bluntly. "He's back, Remus. Lord Voldemort is back."
Remus's eyes grew wider, and his body froze up with fear like he had been petrified. Sirius could tell he was thinking the worst. "Harry? Is-is Harry..." Remus couldn't bear to finish the sentence. He couldn't handle facing the horror of losing someone he cared about again.
"Harry saw Voldemort return. He's a bright and brave young man, just like his parents. He managed to get away." Sirius informed his friend, he could see Lupin begin to relax. "The other Hogwarts student didn't make it though. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff kid, he was killed."
Remus's eyes filled with sadness. "I knew Cedric. I taught him last year." He said quietly. "He was bright too and a kind soul. Why did Voldemort kill him?"
Sirius shook his head. "I never said Voldemort killed him."
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Who did?"
"Wormtail." Black snarled. "He's the reason Voldemort returned. He's the reason Harry was put in danger! Again!" Sirius rose from his chair and paced back and forth in front of the cracked, stone fireplace. "I should have killed him in the shack! I had him! We had him! We could have prevented all of this! We could have stopped him from hurting Harry like he did James and Lily! Why?! Why did I let that pathetic little rat get away again?!" Sirius bellowed "WHY DO I KEEP FAILING AS HARRY'S GODFATHER?!" Then, the calming fire roared, and flames rose up and burst outwards before softly dying down again.
Remus stared sympathetically at the man before him. "Padfoot, you know that's not true. The reason we didn't kill Peter in the shack was because you listened to Harry. Harry didn't want you or me to become killers. I agreed with him. We are trying to be better than the likes of Voldemort and Wormtail, not become them. Quite frankly, if anyone was responsible for Peter getting away a second time, it was me for not drinking my potion, so don't blame yourself." Lupin rose from his seat and made his way over to Sirius. "We all make choices based on what we think is right, but we can't forget that we are still human. You have made the choices based on what you think is best for your godson so no, you are not failing Harry at all. Harry asked you not to kill Peter because he believed you are a good man."
"Remus, you don't understand. Part of me was ready to-" Sirius cut himself off, "If you weren't there, if Harry wasn't there, I would have done it. Does that make me a good man?"
The werewolf placed a comforting hand on his friend. "Sirius, you and I both know we all have light and darkness within us. It's the choices we make that define us as people. You are a good man because you were able to stop and listen rather than just do what you wanted. You were never a killer, not even during the war. You are a protector."
Black snorted. "Yeah, I did a great job at doing that last night."
"You do what you can, that is all any of us can do, Sirius. The important thing is that Harry is all right and safe. Right?" Remus asked. Sirius's gray eyes met Lupin's as he nodded slowly. "Now, back to Voldemort. If he returned, we need a headquarters for the Order, right? We need to think of a place that is safe, concealed, and well protected. Any ideas?"
Sirius thought for a moment and remembered. "I think I have an idea."