A/N) Thank you for the reviews! I am really glad people are enjoying this story so far!

This chapter continues Sirius and Dumbledore's conversation... I apologise in advance if this is quite a boring chapter but I felt it was necessary to show it.

Twisting Time

Chapter Three

Sirius sat back in his chair watching the Headmaster carefully. He was waiting for the inevitable: the first question Albus Dumbledore would ask him. There was only so much Sirius knew. He didn't know any sure way of defeating Voldemort, only that Harry was tied into his fate, or had been anyway. Since Voldemort's attack on Harry hadn't happened yet there was still time to ensure that particular fate didn't befall his godson.

Sirius didn't know much about prophecies but he did know there was a large store of prophecies in the Department of Mysteries: the majority of them never having been fulfilled. Currently Voldemort was setting store by the prophecy rather than waiting to see who would grow up to be more dangerous. Sirius hoped to alleviate the threat entirely though he wasn't sure what he could do himself to distract Voldemort. Hopefully Dumbledore would work with him on this and the two of them would be able to come up with a plan that would lead to Voldemort's defeat, even if it didn't kill him entirely. He wondered if it was possible to trick Voldemort and if so… A crafty idea began to form in his mind.

I know by changing the Secret Keeper the war will not end on the thirty-first October, he thought. It will continue past that date. Sirius had already been thinking what the consequences could be for his actions. The war would inevitably continue and more people would die unless they could still find a way to defeat Voldemort. It was not widely known how Voldemort had survived the attack however the old Dumbledore had informed Sirius about Lily's sacrifice. Rumours abound the Dark Lord had found a way to circumvent death. Those rumours had never been proven, not until Voldemort had returned at the end of the Triwizard Tournament.

"I saw in your mind Voldemort was defeated for a period of thirteen years before he rose again? Is this correct?" asked Dumbledore.

"Yes," replied Sirius. "His defeat is supposed to happen on thirty-first October of this year."

"In seven days," mused the Headmaster. "You've already seen James and Lily since coming back haven't you?"

"I did." Sirius bit his lip. "I told them to ask you to be their Secret Keeper. I'm not letting them die again because of my mistakes. I should never have trusted Peter…"

"And you would not take it upon yourself as James and Lily wish it?" enquired Dumbledore quietly.

Sirius shook his head. "No. Maybe if I didn't have all this information in my head I would but I can't risk getting caught and Voldemort getting into my mind and finding out everything. I worry if I did become Secret Keeper, even without this information, I'd still break… Still end up telling Voldemort where they were… just so the pain would stop. I'm not stupid, Albus. Anyone who is Secret Keeper for James and Lily will be subjected to torture. I'm not scared of it… it's the fear of breaking and being the cause of their deaths…"

"Was this the reason why you chose to be decoy originally?" queried the Headmaster.

Sirius nodded. "And I wanted to fool Voldemort. Make sure he never could set a wand to James, Lily or Harry." He still felt incredible guilt over failing to notice the suspicious signs Pettigrew had been exhibiting for over a year. Looking back on it, it was obvious. "Suspecting Remus was one of the most stupidest things I have ever done. That and chasing after Pettigrew."

"Why did you chase after Peter Pettigrew?"

Sirius gnawed his bottom lip. "Because you wouldn't let me have Harry. I'd arranged to check on Pettigrew on Halloween, make sure he was alright, He wasn't at his hiding place. I got scared. I went to Godric's Hollow and saw…" he swallowed, emotions overwhelming him. He had to pause while he collected himself. "The house was half destroyed… and their bodies…. Hagrid was there on your orders. He had Harry. I told Hagrid I would look after Harry as I was his godfather but you had told him to take Harry to Lily's sister. We argued for a bit before I backed down. I loaned Hagrid my motorcycle so he could get Harry to his relatives. If I couldn't have Harry, I vowed to make sure their betrayer would suffer their end. I know now why you wouldn't let Harry go to me. You thought I was the Secret Keeper and had betrayed them."

"Perhaps keeping the swap between yourselves wasn't a good idea in hindsight," suggested Dumbledore.

"No, it wasn't. It's the reason why I came to you tonight. This time round I have to trust you." Sirius leaned back in his chair as Dumbledore motioned for him to continue. "I tracked Pettigrew down the next day on a street full of Muggles. But he got the better of me. He accused me of betraying James and Lily… Then he blasted the street apart with his wand behind his back before cutting off his own finger and transforming into a rat. I was just so shocked by it all that I just stood there and laughed… like a madman. I was apprehended within minutes and sent to Azkaban with no trial. I was imprisoned without a trial because the evidence was stacked against me… You thought I was Secret Keeper and informed the Ministry of this, therefore cementing my guilt to them. The main crimes I was charged with were the murder of twelve Muggles and Pettigrew as well as working with Voldemort."

"It was my word that sealed your fate," said Dumbledore sadly. "I am sorry about that, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged. "It happened. It won't happen this time."

"Do you know why Voldemort was defeated that night?"

"It was Lily. You told me why Harry couldn't come and live with me after I escaped from Azkaban was because of the protection Lily left him. James was murdered first… I saw his body in the hallway. Lily's body was in the nursery, in front of Harry's crib. You told me Lily had been given a choice: to live or die. She chose to die. She died protecting Harry. That choice saved Harry. She left Harry a shield. Voldemort couldn't touch him. The Killing Curse rebounded on Voldemort. Lily's sacrifice meant Harry would be safest with blood relations of his mother…"

"I've always said love is the most powerful branch of magic. But Voldemort survived the Killing Curse…"

"I don't know how he survived. He fled. Harry was left with a lightning shape scar on his forehead," explained Sirius.

Dumbledore took in a deep intake of breath.

Sirius caught his reaction. "What?"

"It is nothing."

Sirius frowned. Naturally Dumbledore would still have this secrets. He knew no matter how much he pushed the Headmaster wouldn't relent. "Fine."

"Harry went to live with Petunia Dursley then?"

Sirius nodded. "He did. They hated him, Albus. They neglected him. They kept him grudgingly. Spoilt their own kid rotten though. If I'd been allowed to raise Harry… I wouldn't have gone after Pettigrew."

Dumbledore sighed. "You cannot blame yourself for what happened before. This is a new chance for you."

"I know," replied Sirius quietly. "Maybe if we can beat that bastard without involving Harry becoming the Boy-Who-Lived or James and Lily dying then maybe I will let the guilt go. But not before that."

"Very well," accepted Dumbledore. "How did you escape Azkaban and why did you? It wasn't made too clear in your memories."

Sirius stood from this chair. "I think it is better I showed you how."

Dumbledore inclined his head, watching from behind his half-moon glasses. "Go on."

Sirius transformed into the big black dog, padded around a bit before returning to human form.

"You're an Animagus," stated Dumbledore.

"Yes. And unregistered and will remain so," intoned Sirius, daring the Headmaster to disagree with him.

"Pettigrew is one as well?" asked Dumbledore, clasping his hands together. "I did see him transform briefly in your memory… I think I know where this is going. James is unregistered as well, isn't he?" The Headmaster's eyes were twinkling in delight.

"Yes," Sirius confirmed.

"Because of Remus Lupin?" Dumbledore was astute enough to guess the answer.

There was no point in hiding it. "We wanted to help him during the full moon."

"How long?"

"We've been able to transform since middle of fifth year," answered Sirius. "I know it was dangerous what we did but we were young and carefree… And being an Animagus allowed me to escape Azkaban undetected. The Ministry never caught me. They never knew I was an Animagus so there wasn't any wards up to prevent me transforming in my cell. The Dementors believed I was losing my mind. As a dog my mind was less human… One day the Minister of Magic came for an inspection. I asked him for his paper as I missed doing the crossword. He gave it to me. And on the front page was Pettigrew."

"I thought the Ministry charged you with his murder?" Dumbledore enquired.

"They did. They didn't know he was alive," explained Sirius quietly. "Pettigrew had found a nice Wizarding family to take him in, The Weasley family. They were in the Daily Prophet for winning a competition. It was a photo of all nine of them in Egypt. Pettigrew was sitting on Ron Weasley's shoulder in his animagus form. He spent twelve years masquerading as a family pet to make sure he never paid for his crimes."

"You broke out because of a photo?" asked Dumbledore incredulously.

"I was the only one who knew Pettigrew was alive. If he found out the dark side was gathering strength again he'd return to them. I also knew he was at Hogwarts with Harry. Ron Weasley was Harry's best friend. The man who had betrayed James and Lily had been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for two years. I had to stop Pettigrew from harming him or returning to Voldemort. I slipped through the bars of my cell and swam as a dog to the mainland. My priority was to protect Harry," said Sirius. "As it always will be."

"Why didn't you break out before then?"

That was a simple question to answer. "I didn't know where Pettigrew was. And…" He looked away briefly, almost afraid to admit this truth. "I… thought I deserved Azkaban after what I did to James and Lily."

"Sirius…" Dumbledore leaned forward. "You were an innocent man. No innocent deserves to be placed in Azkaban."

"I killed James and Lily!" Sirius shouted. "Of course I deserved it!"

"You were not the one who directed the wand at them and you certainly did not give Voldemort their location. Peter did," reminded Dumbledore sternly. "But you did get out of Azkaban with your sanity intact."

Sirius snorted. "It wasn't really freedom. I was on the run. The entire Wizarding World thought I was after Harry. To kill him. Hogwarts had Dementors stationed around it in case I got past them, which by the way I did. I lived off rats in the forest whilst waiting for opportunities to get into the school. Pettigrew realised I was on the loose and tried to fake his death again. I did catch up with him eventually though."

"Tell me what happened," said Dumbledore.

Sirius launched into the explanation of the night he had first met Harry and the truth had been brought out. How Pettigrew had been forced to reveal himself and how Snape had nearly ruined everything and how Harry had chosen to believe Sirius when confronted with the evidence of Pettigrew's duplicity. "Remus and I were going to kill Pettigrew together… He'd taken too much from us to be given a chance to live, but Harry stopped us. He said Pettigrew deserved Azkaban… and with Pettigrew alive and confessing to his crimes I'd at least be free."

"Harry seems to be a rather remarkable young man," observed Dumbledore.

"Oh he is," said Sirius proudly. "James and Lily would be proud of him."

"I'm sure they will be when they see him grow up," said Dumbledore. "Even with any changes you make, it seems Harry Potter will have a great future ahead of him, perhaps greater now he will get to grow up with his parents."

Sirius nodded. "He could produce a corporeal Patronus at thirteen."

Dumbledore whistled, his eyebrows rising. "That is impressive. Pettigrew escaped your custody before he could be handed over?"

"Yes," grated Sirius. He was still angry about that. "It was the night of the Full Moon. Remus had forgotten in the excitement of discovering Pettigrew alive and my innocence. As we made our way back to the Castle, he transformed. Pettigrew escaped in the ensuring madness and I transformed to protect Harry and his friends from a werewolf. The werewolf ran off after a while… I'd been injured in the attack and was weak from trying to fight a werewolf off on my own. The Dementors converged upon the lake… There were too many of them at once and I transformed back into my human form… I remember falling unconscious. The next I was waking up in Professor Flitwick's office, bound to a chair. You came to see me then, asking me why I did what I had done. I think you were curious as to how I could betray my best friends… You believed me when I told you what really happened. Told me you couldn't save me from the Dementor's Kiss but you did release me from the chair. Then, just close to midnight, Harry and his friend Hermione arrived on the back of a Hippogriff. They freed me and allowed me to escape. I only found out later how they had managed to do it. Hermione had a time-turner on her – I don't know why she had it – but you instructed her and Harry to go back in time. The Hippogriff I escaped from had been sentenced to death as well and Harry had prevented it from happening by helping it to escape, mere minutes before it was due to be executed. Harry was also the one to cast a Patronus powerful enough to scatter over a hundred Dementors from taking my soul at the lake. Harry saved himself there too. Then they came to the office and I escaped on the back of a Hippogriff."

"That is quite a tale. I am glad you escaped. What happened afterwards?"

"I fled the country but kept in contact with Harry," explained Sirius. "But then the Triwizard Tournament happened. The Ministry brought it back and it was held at Hogwarts. Despite an age-line being made, Harry's name was still entered. And he still became a champion. He was forced to compete despite not being ready for it."

"Oh…" Dumbledore looked sad. "How much has that poor boy gone through?"

"A lot. He's had to grow up too fast," stated Sirius evenly. "Something which I will not allow this time. He deserves a proper childhood and Harry is going to get it. During the last task, Harry reached the cup with another champion. The cup had been made a Portkey. It took Harry straight to Voldemort and Pettigrew. Voldemort rose again by using Harry's blood. He had found a way through Lily's protection so he could touch him. They fought but their wands connected and they couldn't duel one another properly. When the wands connected, Harry's wand overpowered Voldemort and it started to show what spells had performed last…"

"Priori Incantatem…" muttered Dumbledore.

Sirius nodded. "The reverse spell effect. Harry saw echoes of James and Lily… They distracted Voldemort to give him time to escape. The other champion had been murdered minutes after arriving at the graveyard. Voldemort had a body again."

Dumbledore frowned. "What year was this?"

"June nineteen ninety-five."

"And the year you came from?"

"June nineteen nighty-six," confirmed Sirius.

"What happened after Voldemort had regained his body?"

"You reformed the Order of the Phoenix," explained Sirius. "I helped gather people to the cause and you operated underneath the Ministry's nose. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, refused to believe Voldemort had returned. He embarked on a campaign to discredit you and Harry. The Wizarding World when I left it is unprepared for his return. I wasn't much use to the Order. I was a fugitive and without Pettigrew and you being discredited by the Ministry, I had to go into hiding. I offered my childhood home to you. Despite everything I still inherited the Black family fortune and the house. We used it as headquarters. You put a Fidelius Charm upon it and acted as Secret Keeper, thereby keeping me safe from the Ministry. Voldemort was after the prophecy – the full contents of it. Order members were sent to guard it to prevent him from gaining access to it. Harry and Voldemort shared a connection…" Sirius bit his lip.

"This is when you died isn't it?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

Sirius bowed his head. "I was stupid. I should have stayed behind… Voldemort knew I was the most important thing in Harry's life… He sent Harry a vision of me being tortured in the Department of Mysteries. Harry had been having Occlumency lessons but he never got the hang of it. Harry and his friends went to the Ministry to rescue me…"

"It was a trap…" observed Dumbledore guessing where the story was going.

Sirius stood from his chair and began pacing, feeling agitated. "The Order learned what Harry had done… We went after him. Snape told me to stay behind. I didn't listen. We made it to the Department of Mysteries where Harry was fighting off Death Eaters. I fought dear cousin, Bella," he laughed humourlessly. "And she killed me."

"And then you woke up in your flat?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"You do not remember anything else?" pressed the Headmaster.

Sirius shook his head. "As far as I am concerned I fell through the Veil and woke up immediately in this time."

"Excellent." Dumbledore pressed his palms together.

Sirius eyed him curiously. "Did you see something in my memories I do not know about?"

Dumbledore looked at him serenely. "No, I didn't."

Watching the old Headmaster, Sirius carefully made his expression neutral. He didn't know why but he had the uncanny feeling the Headmaster was hiding something from him. Ignore it. You need him on your side. "What now?"

"We need to discuss what we should do in regards to Peter Pettigrew. Since he is a Death Eater we could easily bring him in," Dumbledore suggested, "or we could allow him to continue to spy for Voldemort which would enable us to trap them both."

"Trap Voldemort?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Plenty of people have tried. It's never worked before."

"No, it hasn't, however I think you have an idea that merits attention. Discussion at least," said Dumbledore.

Sirius frowned. "I don't think it will work." Clearly the Headmaster had found the vague ides whilst scourging around in his memories.

"Let's see shall we?"

Sirius sighed and finally sat down again. "It's a stupid idea. I hate the thought of Voldemort not being defeated. Stopping Harry becoming the Boy-Who-Lived opens up the Wizarding World to a lot more deaths. How many more people will die who should have lived? But… He is after Harry. He won't stop. Unless he either hears the rest of the Prophecy – knowing attacking Harry could put him off and wait until he is older. However I know in my old timeline we were fighting against him having that knowledge."

"Do you know the true contents of the Prophecy, Sirius?" enquired Dumbledore politely.

"I do. James and Lily told me."

"I believe it is unwise for Voldemort to learn the full contents. It could be if he is unable to get to Harry he will give up and wait for him to grow up, however it is not guaranteed. It is not a risk I am willing to take. I am interested in ending Voldemort's reign of terror as quickly as possible however, even if it is only temporary. It would give us time to find a way to end him for good. Now, what is your idea?" pressed Dumbledore.

Sirius laughed. "You don't give up do you?" He had expected this. He had a vague idea of how to stop Voldemort.

"I am nothing but persistent, especially when it comes to Voldemort," the old man smiled.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Fine. Voldemort wants the Potters. He's going to get them. Or so he thinks. We cast the charm with Pettigrew who will run to Voldemort within days of it being cast. The charm is cast on the house, not the people. Anyone who is inside the house will be protected."

Dumbledore was nodding. "This could work."

"Maybe. But you haven't heard the rest yet," Sirius pointed out. "Voldemort believes James, Lily and Harry are at the house. They won't be. They'll be at another hidden location, protected by you. I'll be in their house, protected by the Fidelius Charm Pettigrew betrays to Voldemort. All I need to do is throw a Killing Curse at Voldemort and it should, by theory, destroy him. I would suggest you however as soon as he sees you there he will flee. Oh, and I intend to polyjuice myself as James that way he believes he is in the house where the Potters are." Sirius crossed his arms over his chest.

"It is a sound idea however for the plan to work James and Lily must consent to perform a Fidelius Charm with Pettigrew."

Sirius scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I already told them not to trust him."

"Which is a problem if we decide to go forward on this plan," said Dumbledore. "However, I am not concerned about that. I am more concerned in Voldemort killing you before you can kill him. He is fast. As soon as he sees he is not in the house where the Potters are, he will kill you. He won't give you a chance to fight back."

Sirius bit his lip. "I know. There are spells we could set up that would immobilise him. That would be my only chance."

"He would suspect a trap as soon as he saw you," explained Dumbledore.

"We can set traps up undetected and to activate by a certain keyword," suggested Sirius.

"It's possible but risky. Killing someone isn't easy, Sirius."

Sirius blew air out carefully. "I know. I have killed before. Remember? When Lily and James defied Voldemort for the third time? I was there."

"That was in the heat of battle, Sirius. You were defending yourself. You, unlike Death Eaters or Voldemort, do not intend to kill. However if you go through with this plan of yours you will be willingly murdering another person, even if it is Voldemort," explained Dumbledore. He leaned forward, stroking his beard as he did so. "Is your soul worth the risk?"

Sitting in Dumbledore's office, Sirius remembered a similar conversation, back when he had still been a student. When he had played a trick on Severus Snape which had nearly resulted in him being mauled by a werewolf. He hadn't meant to nearly kill him, just meant to scare him, yet his conversation with Dumbledore after that incident was eerily similar to the one he was having now. It had been talk about souls – his specifically – and how he would injure it if he killed with intention.

He had considered the effects if he was lucky enough to trick Voldemort. He knew what his answer would be so he didn't need time to think about it. "My soul doesn't matter when it comes to Harry. If it prevents Harry being involved with the prophecy then so be it."

The old man sighed in defeat. "It is a plan worth considering however I do not wish for you to harm yourself. There is another angle you have not thought of. A disadvantage Voldemort could use to his own advantage. Instead of trying to kill you upon discovery in the Potters home, he could very well torture information out of you. You said yourself earlier you wouldn't want to risk getting caught. All the valuable information in your head would be a treasure trove for Voldemort. What's changed?"

It was true. Not that long ago Sirius had explained his reasons for not being Secret Keeper this time round.

"The difference would be I wouldn't look like myself. I said I'd use Polyjuice to disguise myself as James."

"Then he would kill you outright, believing Lily and Harry are somewhere in the house. You would die for nothing. You wouldn't be alive to look out for your best friends," reasoned Dumbledore. "It's a good plan and one that could possibly work if all the problems are ironed out of it. You have to decide whether your life – and the information you hold about the future – is worth the risk of trying to trap and kill Voldemort." Dumbledore stood up from his chair and moved around the desk, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "You need to think about what you want to do. What is more important to you? Your life? James and Lily's lives? Harry's life? The information you have?"

Sirius swallowed. "I know." He did have a lot to consider.

"However I will gladly become James and Lily's Secret Keeper in the meanwhile," said Dumbledore, looking over his half-moon glasses. "If you do not mind me saying, I think you should inform James at least the truth of where you come from and what happened to you. You are very different to the young man I once knew. James will notice. The last thing you would want is to hurt James by trying to hide the truth from him."

Sirius sagged in his chair. "I know. I just want to save them all."

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "You will, Sirius, you will."

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

So, what do people think of Sirius' potential plan? He hasn't thought it all through just yet so it doesn't make complete sense just yet. He doesn't want Harry involved at all - that is his main goal presently - but he doesn't want the world to suffer if Voldemort doesn't get defeated soon so he's trying to find a way to do it. I will point out that Harry will still have an important role in this story... even if he turns out not to be the hero.

The next chapter will be posted next week!

Until then,

the-writer1988