A/N) Wow, thank you for the feedback for the last chapter! I'm glad people liked it! I was quite nervous when posting it so I am very pleased it has gone down well.

Twisting Time

Chapter Eight

Wednesday 16th December 1981

Consciousness slowly returned to him. He felt like he had been sleeping for a long while. Sirius blinked and opened his eyes, groaning softly, and finding himself in a familiar room. He ached all over but it didn't stop him from trying to sit up. He probably shouldn't be attempting to move but Sirius simply didn't care. He felt ready and was restless, though a part of him recognised he shouldn't even be alive.

He knew where he was. He was in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. How he had got there he didn't know, as the last thing he recalled was the explosion behind him which should have killed him. He frowned. How had he survived it? Unless his whole experience in 1981 had been a dream… "No, it isn't a dream. It's all real."

A calm voice spoke to his left. "It is good to see you awake my friend."

Sirius turned his head and his eyes fell upon Albus Dumbledore. "I feel like my body has been through a lot." He was trying to recall what had occurred before the explosion. Images flashed through his mind as he spoke.

The Headmaster chuckled. "It has."

"Oh." Vivid memories flashed through his mind as previous events became clearer. He remembered Voldemort, recalled the snake-like-face snarling at him after he'd set him on fire. But what had happened after that his mind was completely blank. He knew Voldemort had aimed a curse at him and Sirius had ducked… It had hit the wall behind him which had caused an explosion... "Did he blow the house up?"

"Quite by accident I'm sure," chuckled Dumbledore. "What exploded was an item my father once owned. It had a rare magical explosive substance inside it. Any harm to the item would cause it to explode in a fiery ball. Judging by where I found you, the explosion was behind you. I did notice Voldemort had melted and burned… I presume you set him on fire prior to this?"

"It was spur of the moment thing when he attempted to strangle me," replied Sirius. "And he knows I'm from the future…" Despite the Headmaster confirming Voldemort had melted and burned, Sirius could only assume the Dark Lord had survived too. "Did he survive the blast too?"

"His spirit survived yet his body was destroyed. He fled when I stopped him from attempting to possess you. He swore revenge on you and mentioned you had time travelled," explained Dumbledore.

Sirius grimaced. "At least I have distracted him from Harry. I wanted him to focus on me. How did I survive the explosion? I was closer to it than Voldemort. To put it bluntly, if his body was ripped apart, why wasn't I? I should be dead. Very much so."

"Now your survival is interesting… When I arrived at Godric's Hollow, I found the house almost destroyed but you were unconscious under the rubble with a magical shield protecting you."

Sirius' eyes widened. "But I didn't…. I didn't have the time to protect myself! I'd spent up a lot of magic trying to perform wandless. Just one spell exhausted me but I had to keep on trying. I did use wandless magic a lot when I was on the run from Azkaban. I didn't have a wand so had to teach myself how to survive. My exhaustion was made worse by the powerful spells I used. I know I was over stretching myself. Everything went black as soon as the place exploded. The question is… who cast the shield charm to protect me?"

Dumbledore leaned forward. "I do have a theory."

Sirius caught his eyes. "Tell me."

"Young Harry Potter felt you were in danger. He seemed to know. James and Lily could not get him to stop crying. Harry even mentioned you were hurt."

Sirius swallowed. "And?" He felt there was more to what Dumbledore was saying.

The sharp gaze of the Headmaster watched him over his half-moon glasses. "Harry appears to have a magical active bond with you. This type of bond is incredibly rare. I believe in his fear for you, Harry unintentionally was reaching out for you, wanting to help you and at the moment of the explosion, protected you. This can only be a theory at present because without Harry being able to talk we do not yet know exactly what he did, if it was him. It could have been you subconsciously."

"But you doubt it was me," reasoned Sirius.

"I do. I asked James and Lily's permission to assess Harry's mind and look at his magical presence. I didn't tell them their son was magically exhausted which seems to confirm my theory he used a large amount of magic. Accidental that it was but probably with meaning and based on his emotions at the time which were concerned for you, hence the shaping of the magic to be a shield to protect you. His magical exhaustion implies it was him."

"Harry saved me? Through this bond?"

Dumbledore nodded. "This is power the Dark Lord knows not."

"No," Sirius stated. He knew exactly where the old man was going with this. "Harry is not prophesised!"

"What other child could possible extend a magical shield over someone? It is a power we all know not," Dumbledore pointed out.

Sirius shook his head. He wanted to get out of this bed and stand in front of the old man and fight his case. "Whatever this bond is between Harry and I has nothing to do with the prophecy. If it had then the bond would have existed in my old timeline. I'm pretty sure it didn't. The power the Dark Lord knows not is Love. This is the only thing Voldemort cannot do and will never be able to do."

Dumbledore sighed. "Very well… However I think it would be unwise to assume Harry is not fated to defeat Voldemort, no matter what changes you have made to the timeline. The prophecy exists for a reason. James and Lily know the contents of the prophecy. They will make sure their son is prepared if need be."

"I still believe the prophecy is no longer relevant," muttered Sirius quietly. This was something he would be adamant on. No way was Harry ever going to have to fight Voldemort not while he lived anyway. Why be sent back if he couldn't ensure Harry did not have that particular destiny looming ahead of him? "Besides, just because you think the prophecy is still relevant doesn't mean Voldemort will believe it. You said he swore vengeance on me?"

Dumbledore inclined his head in response.

"Then instead of Harry being his prime target, it will be me." He was confident about that. If you pissed off Voldemort enough he would make it his goal to come and get you and Sirius had certainly done that. On top of it, he was certain Voldemort would want to prise every little bit of information out of his head about the future which wasn't something Sirius was going to give up easily. He'd die before submitting any information. "I do have three questions."

"Yes?" Dumbledore politely inquired, rising one white eyebrow.

"Going back to bonds, if Harry has one with me, do I have one with him? And why did you leave the wand?" Sirius wanted to know. "And why place it upstairs?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "I will answer the last two questions first. I know Tom Riddle very well. He likes to disarm the enemies he needs to question. It wasn't difficult to work out he would aim to surprise you and disarm you. I also know you very well. You would never run from a duel even if you had the chance to escape. I couldn't hide a wand downstairs but I hoped you would make your way up. I placed the wand in my old bedroom and locked it. I know you are far too curious for your good and you would go in there rather than any room that is open. It was risky hiding it there but for your plan to work you needed a wand."

Sirius shook his head. "You basically assumed I'd go upstairs. It is something I would do. Even if I died trying to fight Voldemort at least I would have done my best. Still… at least he's gone for now. He will return I know that. In the meantime I – we – have to figure out why he survived in the first place."

"Which is something you did not learn about in your original timeline," noted Dumbledore sadly.

"You have a habit of keeping information unless it is deemed to know. I have a sneaking suspicion by the time Harry is a teenager you already know why Voldemort survived and how to defeat him. You just haven't told him yet; just like you kept the prophecy from him when he had the right to know as soon as Voldemort returned. Thankfully that choice is now out of your hands. James and Lily will be able to control what Harry should know rather than you this time."

Dumbledore nodded. "I would not supersede the authority James and Lily have as Harry's parents. If they deem it right to let him know than I will not stop them. Harry is not my charge."

"He wasn't in the old timeline either but you still did." Sirius knew he sounded bitter but he couldn't help it. Despite being Harry's godfather and his rightful guardian, he'd had no chance to be able to be a proper parent. His Dumbledore had taken the decisions regarding Harry without considering Sirius. He was bitter because he knew if Dumbledore had been truthful to Harry and had not kept secrets than he might not have had gone to the Department of Mysteries. But I wouldn't have come back…

"As for the bond… yes, you do have a bond with him. It goes both ways."

Sirius scowled. "You looked into my mind without permission."

"Only just now when you enquired," answered Dumbledore.

"Don't do that again," Sirius stated. "I presume if Harry can sense when I'm in danger, I will be able to do the same with him?"

"I believe so. It is a connection I do not understand but I am presuming it was created when you were sent back," explained Dumbledore. "I'm sure as the years go by we will learn more about this bond, especially if it manifests itself in other ways. For now, I suggest we cast it from our minds. We do, after all, have other things to focus on. But first, Sirius, your defeat of Voldemort has made the headlines."

Sirius groaned. "Please tell me I am not being dubbed 'The-Man-Who-Lived'?" He had disliked his godson being given the moniker of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'.

A brief smile flashed across the Headmaster's face. "Unfortunately…"

Sirius groaned ever louder. "Just hand me the damn paper."

His old Professor reached down by his side and retrieved the Daily Prophet. It was dated 'Saturday 12th December 1981'. "This was the headline the morning after. Today is Wednesday the 16th. You've been unconscious for quite a few days as Madam Pomfrey healed you."

Sirius took the paper and ran his eyes over the headline and proceeding article. Underneath the headline was a picture of himself, with his arm around James Potter's shoulders.

"The photo was donated to the paper by James after I requested it. They needed a good photo of you…"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And my parents hardly have any of me considering they haven't really seen me since I was sixteen." He lowered his gaze and began to read.

SIRIUS BLACK DEFEATS HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED

Last night, in the village of Godric's Hollow, a miracle happened. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated by Sirius Black, 22, who is the son of Orion and Walburga Black and heir to the Black family. Black was in hiding in Godric's Hollow when he was attacked, under the safety of the Fidelius Charm. Black's childhood friend, Peter Pettigrew, 21, was his Secret Keeper. It is understood Pettigrew has been arrested for betraying his friend and of being a Death Eater though no details have yet been released by the Ministry.

It is understood the house Black was staying in exploded which killed You-Know-Who instantly. Black survived the explosion and is currently receiving treatment however sources believe he is in a magical coma. Analysis of the rubble suggests a duel broke out. Professor Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry explains he saw the melted and twisted form of the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, signifying Black set him on fire prior to the explosion.

How Black survived is unknown however experts have agreed a magical shield could have protected him, thereby saving his life and is the only explanation as to why he remains alive. Little else is known. We can hope when Sirius Black wakes from his coma he will be forthcoming on details.

For now the Wizarding World can begin to recover with the war over and the terror at an end. Sirius Black is our hero: the man who ended it and survived the impossible. He is The-Man-Who-Lived.

Sirius glared daggers at the paper. "If they refer to me as that…"

"I do not believe you can stop them from giving you that title," pointed out Dumbledore serenely.

"We'll see about that," muttered Sirius as he folded the paper and handed it back to the Headmaster. "I'm a Black. You'd be surprised what we can do."

Dumbledore chuckled. "I can understand your dislike of the title however it does accurately describe your situation. You shouldn't have survived. You lived when others would not have."

"Only thanks to Harry," replied Sirius. He sighed. He really should be dead. "When can I get out of here?"

"In a few days when Madam Pomfrey is satisfied you are fully recovered," answered Dumbledore.

Sirius groaned.

Later that evening James Potter walked in with his wife Lily at his side. Harry was toddling along beside them, holding his mother's hand but as soon as he saw Sirius, the little boy pulled away and ran to the bed.

"Pafoo! Pafoo! Wake! Pafoo not hurt?"

Sirius chuckled. "I'm fine."

"Still in bed though, aren't you?" smiled James.

"Madam Pomfrey will hex me six ways if I dare to make a move from this bed without her permission," laughed Sirius. He reached down and lifted Harry from the floor and sat him down on his lap. "Are you out of hiding now?"

Lily nodded. "Dumbledore deactivated the charm this afternoon. It's a relief to be honest. I don't know what we would have done if we had been in hiding for a long time. I know we had to protect Harry…"

"But it hurt knowing the people we loved were risking their lives to end this war when we could not," finished James, sitting down beside his best friend. "So, how are you, Man-Who-Lived?" he smirked.

"Shut up, Prongs," growled Sirius.

"I'm never going to stop referring to you as that!" laughed James. "This is just priceless!"

"Don't you dare!"

Lily conjured another chair and sat down herself on Sirius' other side. "Are you going to tell us what happened then?"

"You should be dead, Padfoot," said James solemnly.

"I know." Sirius sat back in his bed, sighing, as he cuddled Harry to him. "Voldemort came and attacked me… I lost my wand… I found another one after he chased me upstairs… Blasted him, set him on fire and then he blew the place up." It wasn't a detailed explanation but he didn't want to go into the specifics. They didn't need to know. "I didn't expect to survive my confrontation with him anyway." Truthfully when making his plans, Sirius had known he wouldn't survive. He had hoped he would but a part of him had always realised he would never survive an encounter with Voldemort. He bit his lip. Harry had saved him. The little boy in his arms had no idea what he was capable of.

"How did you survive?" asked Lily. "Dumbledore mentioned a shield. How did you have time?"

Sirius hesitated. What could he say? He could partially explain at least. "I don't know. I didn't cast the shield, at least not knowingly. I survived by luck." By Harry, he mentally added to the sentence.

"I'm glad you're alive, mate," smiled James. "The world would not be the same without Padfoot in it."

It wasn't the same when you died Prongs.

Sirius allowed a small smile to cross his face. "I'm just glad I've seen the end of this war." For now.

"Oh, I forgot, your cousin has been arrested," grinned James.

"Which one?" He hoped it was Bellatrix.

"The crazy one."

"Good. She deserves it." Sirius couldn't bring himself to feel bad. "How was she captured?"

"She tried to attack St. Mungo's," answered James, his eyes twinkling.

Sirius' eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Why?"

"Dumbledore believes so she could get to you," explained Lily quietly. "She and a few others got in the back way. They assumed you were there and wanted to get rid of you whilst you were at your most vulnerable."

"The Lestranges didn't get very far," continued James, his black hair falling about his face. "They were apprehended after a short battle and are now in Azkaban for life. They were found guilty of numerous crimes against Muggle-borns and Muggles. They tried to go after the Longbottoms as well however the attack failed."

Ah, another thing changed.

Frank and Alice Longbottom hadn't been tortured into insanity. That meant Neville Longbottom would grow up with his parents too.

Obviously his cousin had probably hated learning how her blood-traitor cousin had ended Voldemort and had vowed revenge. Attacking St. Mungo's had been folly however something she was likely to do considering she was not of sound mind and hadn't been for years. She didn't think things through and neither did her husband.

"She's gone to Azkaban?" he asked.

"She has." Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "Good riddance to her."

"Is Azkaban the best place for her?" queried James. "She's already insane."

Sirius shuddered. Duelling Bellatrix that one time had shown him how insane she had become after years in Azkaban: her insanity had just got worse and she hadn't had the luxury of turning into an animal to protect oneself from the effect of the Dementors, like Sirius had. "She's better in there than out here."

Lily curled a finger through her hair. "You knew about Peter, didn't you?"

Sirius swallowed. "I had my suspicions. I didn't want to be right."

James' face darkened. "That little rat betrayed you. If he hadn't… if he had just stayed loyal… Then…"

"Voldemort wouldn't have become a burning, ripped up mess that he was," finished Sirius. He hated the idea of Peter being partially responsible for the Dark Lord's defeat but if he hadn't been betrayed then he'd still be in hiding.

"I'm going to go see him before they send him to Azkaban," said James. "I need to know why he did this to us… How he could turn his back on our friendship."

"Because he was scared. He couldn't see a scenario where we won so sided with Voldemort to save his own skin," spat Sirius, recalling what Pettigrew had told him in his original timeline when he had eventually caught up with him.

"Are you saying that because you know it's the truth or it is your own assumption?" queried Lily, her inquisitive eyes watching him carefully.

Sirius bit his lip. He knew it was the truth but he couldn't say it to Lily. He sensed she was already suspecting him. "My own assumption. He betrayed me remember?"

The red-haired beauty turned her head slightly.

James sighed. "I need to know why, Padfoot. Don't hate me because of it."

"Prongs…"

"Pong!" Harry shouted, wriggling from Sirius' grip and jumping from the bed into his father's arms.

"It's Prongs, Harry, not 'Pong'," corrected James as he caught his son.

Sirius chuckled. He'd forgotten Harry had used to call James 'Pong'. "I could never hate you."

"Then why won't you tell us why you're different?" asked Lily.

James grinned as Sirius' eyes widened briefly.

"I'm not different," he denied. Lily was far too perceptive for her own good.

Lily raised one eyebrow, looking a lot like James did when he used that expression on him. "Really?"

"Really," stated Sirius. Don't push it, Lily.

She shrugged. "It's fine. I'm glad you're safe, Sirius. You're welcome to stay with us if you want to once Madam Pomfrey lets you out."

He smiled warmly. "Thank you. At least now the magical community can recover from the war." It was a shame Voldemort wasn't permanently dead but at least he had given them time. He just hoped when the Dark Lord returned (because it would happen) that Cornelius Fudge wouldn't try to deny it, assuming of course he became Minister of Magic.

Lily stood from her chair, looking across at her husband. "We need to be going. We came by to see you because this little one kept saying your name."

Harry stretched his arms out for his godfather. "Woof, woof!"

Sirius laughed. Harry had been such a happy child before his parents had been murdered. Now he would never lose that happiness. "Bye Harry."

Harry waved a small pudgy hand. "Bye bye."

James chuckled. "He never does that with me."

"Bitter, Prongs?" Sirius' eyes twinkled.

"No, just disappointed my son prefers his godfather over his daddy," retorted James, still grinning.

"You'll get over it," responded Sirius, eyes dancing in delight. He watched as his family left the Hospital Wing. Sitting back in the bed, Sirius tried not to worry but it was impossible not to.

One thing remained that tugged constantly at his brain. He hoped he could eliminate Voldemort properly before he returned to a body but the question was how had he survived? What was his fail-safe to ensure his spirit survived? He had a feeling he would be spending a lot of time at the library which wasn't his favourite place in the world.

James Potter stopped outside the cell door. He had left his wand behind in the Auror office, as all visitors to prisoners had to do. He was here to see his old friend: Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew had been under guard since his arrest and anti-animagus wards placed to prevent him from transforming. James had been surprised the Aurors had known about his ability as those wards were not routinely used.

The Aurors in front of the cell door looked at him.

"James Potter to see Prisoner 10576," he said, handing one of the Aurors a slip of paper that had come from the head Auror who had signed permission for the visit.

The Auror opened the door to the cell, stepping aside so James could move through. The door shut behind him, locking automatically. James made his way forward, stopping in front of the hunched man on the seat at the back of the cell, a mop of blonde hair falling into his eyes.

Peter Pettigrew looked up. "Prongs!"

"Don't call me that," grated James. He had thought it over and over in his head about what had happened. He couldn't deny it anymore, especially after speaking to both Sirius and Dumbledore about Pettigrew's betrayal. He'd been doing it for years and that hurt. It hurt Peter still thought he could use those childhood nicknames.

"But… I didn't do it! I…"

"You calling Sirius a liar?" asked James.

"You-Know-Who must have done something-"

James folded his arms across his chest. "You're supposed to be a Gryffindor. Act like one." He felt angry Peter was trying to lie to him, to manipulate him.

"James… I… I'm not brave like you. I didn't betray him straight away," Pettigrew breathed.

James snorted. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? You handed my best friend – no, my brother – over to Voldemort! He nearly died because of you! It doesn't matter if you didn't run to Voldemort straight away. The point is you still willingly betrayed us. You are still an accomplice to attempted murder." He sagged, his shoulders dropping and he turned away from his old friend. "I just want to know why you did it. Why did you join them?"

Peter mumbled something under his breath.

"What did you say?" asked James, turning back to face him.

"I wanted to save you. And myself."

"What the hell, Peter?" James shouted. "How could possibly joining the most feared man in the world be saving us and yourself?"

Peter winced, lowering his gaze. "I thought by joining him I could save you all when the dark end came. When he won I could convince him to spare your lives. And I didn't want to die either. I joined him out of fear… I only gave him information when he threatened me…"

"Not true," grated James, stepping forward, peering into the prisoner's face. "To have given Sirius' location to Voldemort you would have had to have done so willingly! It's how the Fidelius Charm works! You wanted to betray Sirius!"

"Only to save myself!" squealed Peter. "Anyone would have done the same thing!"

"NO!" James' voice resonated around the walls. "You should have died for us, like we would have done for you! Sirius was going to ask you to be our Secret Keeper."

Peter blanched.

"And you would have betrayed us just to save your own skin! Even if you did keep the Secret for as long as you could, you still would have done it. If Sirius hadn't decided to tell us to use Dumbledore and gone with you…" James swallowed. "We'd be dead. All of us. And you would have killed us. You would have let a baby die instead of you!"

"Prongs, I'm sorry! I didn't want to die! I wanted to live!"

James rolled his eyes cruelly. "Doesn't everybody? What we plan for in life, Peter, doesn't always work out. We have to live in the time that is given to us. I thought you were our friend… Our brother. But you turned your back on us." He shook his head. "How could you? Voldemort would never have spared us if he had won. He was a manipulator and used people until they were no longer of any use. If he'd won, he would have killed you. He would have killed Lily, killed Remus, killed Sirius, killed me, killed me son… Everybody you say you were trying to save, to protect, at the end would have died. All of us."

"He promised…" whispered Peter quietly.

James couldn't believe what he was hearing. "His promises are worth nothing. You weren't just our friend, Peter. You were our brother. We would have protected you. And now you've lost us." He started to turn back to the door but then glanced back. "Did you know Sirius knew you were the traitor? He picked you for that very reason so he could be betrayed. Even if he had died, Dumbledore knew who his Secret Keeper was. Your spying days on us were over the moment Sirius and Dumbledore started working together." He felt satisfaction at seeing Peter Pettigrew's stricken face.

"How did he find out?" Peter stared at James.

"I think he guessed." James raised a fist and knocked three times on the door. It was the signal to let him out the cell. The door swished open and he walked out, turning to look back at his old friend one last time. "Goodbye Peter."

"The last thing I expected to hear through the rumour mill was you getting yourself blown up." Remus Lupin stood in the doorway to the hospital wing, his robes battered and his face lined. "Took me a while to get back. Leaving the werewolf packs isn't easy."

Sirius glanced at his old friend. It was strange to see him young again. This Remus still had his brown hair and there were less lines on his face. He still looked older than the other Marauders. "It wasn't exactly my idea to get blown up," clarified Sirius.

Remus chuckled. "You're lucky to be alive, Padfoot."

Sirius bit his lip. "Everyone keeps telling me that. I'm surprised to."

"Never thought one of my best friends would be responsible for saving our world. Especially you."

Sirius grinned. "I have my moments."

Remus moved to sit down. "How is Prongs?"

"Devastated." Sirius had heard about James' trip to see Peter. He couldn't feel sorry for the little rat. It had hurt James to know one of his best friends had been so willing to betray them despite everything they had been through together. "He's pretty cut up about Peter…"

"I heard he'd been arrested," said Remus slowly. "He's a Death Eater?"

Sirius nodded, moving on the bed and making himself a bit more comfortable. He was due to be discharged later that day: he was just waiting for Madam Pomfrey to sign his release forms. "He is. He's been passing information for over a year… James said he did it to try to save us but he also said if it meant choosing between either us or himself… He would always let us die because he didn't want to die himself."

Remus shook his head. "You know… if anyone was going to betray us I never thought it would be Peter." He fidgeted. "I thought it would be you."

Sirius recalled having the same conversation with an older Remus after the Order of the Phoenix had been reformed. Both of them had suspected the other. Sirius couldn't be hurt by that now. He could understand. "I don't blame you thinking it was me… I'm the one from the dark family. Honestly, I thought it was you because of the whole werewolf thing…"

Remus smiled gently. "You're forgiven. I suspected you, you suspected me."

"And James trusted all of us," added Sirius quietly. He sighed.

"Hey, we're still the Marauders with or without Peter." Remus reached out and patted Sirius on the arm. "Still brothers. We'll face whatever is thrown at us together."

"Talking of facing things together… I have a favour to ask of you…" began Sirius. He had been considering what his next option was and he'd had an idea. "It would be an employment opportunity for you."

Remus cocked his head to the side, intrigued by the notion. "What is it?"

Sirius explained what he needed to. He was hopefully his friend would accept and when Remus said yes, he was glad to know his friends were still there for him.

Sirius had the ominous feeling he would need them. But he couldn't help but feel that one day they would find out the truth of where he came from. And he knew they would hate him when they discovered who he truly was.

"What do you intend to do now?"

Sirius frowned. "I have an idea of what I'd like to do. The war is over but Voldemort still lives." He sat in front of the Headmaster in his office.

"The press have said you may sign up to the Aurors," mentioned Dumbledore.

Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes. "Ignore the Daily Prophet. I'm not becoming an Auror. I thought about it once but then I joined the Order and I was too busy fighting Voldemort to train… Everyone expects me to become an Auror because of what I did but that puts me out in the open. I shouldn't make myself a target. Loyalists to Voldemort will try to kill me in revenge."

"Or Voldemort will."

"Or him," agreed Sirius. It was inevitable Voldemort would try anyway. "I've spoken to Remus. I've asked for his help."

Dumbledore raised one white eyebrow. "With what?"

"I told him I need to look into Voldemort's history, his past. Find out everything I can about him. Perhaps there is something in his past that makes it possible for him to survive losing his body. Remus is good with research. And it will be a stable job for him since he's being ostracised from the Ministry because of his furry problem," answered Sirius. He caught his old Headmaster's eyes. "I need you to tell me everything you know about Voldemort."

Sirius slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. The spare-room he had been offered by Lily and James he had eagerly taken them up on. He wouldn't be there for long. He'd get his own place and move on. For now he needed time to heal, time to rest, time to think and consider everything Albus Dumbledore had revealed to him about Tom Marvolo Riddle. And to consider what he hadn't revealed to him. Certainly, the Headmaster had not told him everything despite his request.

He lay back on the bed, images racing through his mind, his thoughts focused upon a black-haired teenager with startling green eyes with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. That teenager no longer existed.

The burden was now on him. The burden that was once Harry's had fallen to someone else. The world saw him as their saviour even though it was the last thing Sirius had wanted. And he really hated the moniker of 'The Man Who Lived'. He would definitely be making a statement about that. But deciding to take advantage of his situation had meant taking Harry's place.

Sirius had always hoped he would survive yet he had prepared himself for death before facing Voldemort. He should be dead but fate seemed to have given him this link to Harry: a connection which had never been there before. Why? What use did it have?

"I'm here for a reason," he whispered aloud. "I came back for a reason. I won't fail James and Lily again. I will make sure Harry never has to stand against Voldemort. I'll protect you, Harry, whatever the cost." He rubbed a weary hand over his face. He needed to sleep, needed to rest.

The future would come eventually and when it did, Sirius would be ready to face it.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

So... Harry is the reason Sirius survived the explosion. Sirius expected to die. A bond ties them together... More about their bond will be explored further throughout the story but since Harry is a baby they can't be sure it was him or made the shield but Sirius just didn't have time to... and Dumbledore's guesses are usually correct.

Dumbledore is still convinced the prophecy referring to either Harry or Neville could still be important and he is certain Harry has a role to play now he's theorised Harry saved Sirius unconsciously and unknowingly.

I figured Harry got 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' title from the press. I thought they would do the same for Sirius. It's a title that won't come up often but considering Sirius survived when he really shouldn't have done I thought it might be possible he would be labelled as such.

Frank and Alice live and Bellatrix and the Lestranges still get sent to Azkaban. I think they would try to kill Sirius in revenge of losing their Dark Lord. Naturally, I think they'd attack St Mungo's in the hope they can kill Sirius. They failed.

James and Peter... that was a fun scene to write. What did people think of it?

Also, to clarify, I don't think, at this point in the time-line, Dumbledore knows about the Horcruxes yet. I'm not sure when he would have started to collect the memories either and this will be a plot point that will be brought up throughout the story. Sirius is going to be using the time given to him to find a way to kill Voldemort for good, before he can return.

The next chapter will move on a few years... Hopefully the time-skip will make sense when its posted which it should be next Tuesday!

Until next time,

the-writer1988