A/N) My apologies for the cliff-hanger. I can't promise there won't be more of those. I also have a question that I'd like my readers opinions on – it is just about a minor, potential plot thread that I'd like to introduce but am unsure about and figured I'd ask people… It's at the end of the chapter… Please read the chapter first before looking for the question!

Twisting Time

Chapter Eighteen

Tuesday 5th August 1986

James' eyes widened in horror as he saw his best friend's body slump forward in to the water. "Padfoot…" Sirius couldn't be dead, he just couldn't… His mind was going into overdrive. Sirius was…

"James! LOOK OUT!" Lily cried.

He heard his wife's voice and moved, rolling into the water and avoiding the snap of the Basilisk's sharp fangs. He didn't dare look behind him, though a part of him just wanted to run over to his best friend's body. Ahead of him he saw one of the pipes and James headed in to it, making as much noise as possible. He knew what was at stake. If he couldn't get to Sirius, perhaps Lily and Remus could, providing the Basilisk was distracted elsewhere. He'd have to be the distraction, no matter how dangerous it was.

He could hear it coming behind him, could hear it lunging but James threw himself further into the pipe, scrambling around a corner, slipping and sliding and dragging himself around another bend almost instantly. James didn't dare look over his shoulder lest he saw the cruel eyes but he knew the monster was there. As he rounded another corner in the pipes, James saw a ladder hanging from above him and leapt up to it. His reflexes from playing Quidditch for so long helped him haul himself up and into a tiny crevice where the Basilisk could not reach and where he could not see its glowing eyes. He hugged himself tight into the space, well aware the Basilisk was likely to head back towards the easier targets of Remus and Lily if James was inaccessible.

He was correct: the Basilisk slithered on but it gave James a moment to take a breather and to figure out what to do next. He couldn't think about Sirius though his heart was telling him to go to him but his head told him differently. He bit his lower lip and gently lowered himself back down into the pipe, landing with a small splash in the little water that was circulating through it. The Basilisk had already moved on so James ran in the opposite direction, back the way he had come.

He skidded out of the pipe and back out into the main chamber. Remus and Lily were by the entrance and the Basilisk was still nowhere to be seen. The few Roosters they had brought with them had scattered about the area and James ran past them towards his wife and friend.

"Where's the Basilisk?" asked Lily, her eyes wide with relief at seeing her husband safe.

"I don't know. I found a nifty hiding spot and it went away…" explained James. He looked behind Remus and Lily and saw Sirius' body. "Is he…?" His throat felt dry.

Before they could answer, a roar and a cascading crash reverberated around them as the Basilisk appeared from the water beneath them, closer to the statue, screeching and spitting venom towards them.

James pushed Lily out the way and grabbed Remus by the wrist, yanking him to the right and gaining the Basilisk's attention.

"I'm beginning to think this was a very bad idea!" shouted Remus.

"Sirius' ideas were always bad ones!" replied James, trying not to think that his best friend was dead. He couldn't be.

"Prongs! We need to stick together!" should Remus, rushing ahead of James as the Basilisk snapped at them again.

James panted and followed Remus back into the pipes, this time staying close together, rushing through the pipes and coming to an unexpected dead end.

"Oh shit!" James skidded to a halt cursing loudly.

The Basilisk was behind them and they couldn't turn around…

"Prongs… transform."

"What?" gaped James surprised at the order.

"Just do it! Keep your head down and eyes closed! I have an idea!" whispered Remus urgently.

James did so, closing his eyes and letting his body fall into his animagus form. His hooves rested upon the pipe floor and suddenly strong hands gripped his side and began to pull him forward. He knew the hands belonged to Remus but what was the point of this?

"Transform!"

James returned to human form. They had moved from the corner they were in and back out into the pipes, walking slowly and quietly as possible. "Erm… where's the Basilisk?"

"I blinded it with lumos," answered Remus." I did it non-verbally. I wanted you to transform into Prongs because I could hide behind you and slip past the Basilisk once I had blinded it briefly whilst leading you out. It worked and the Basilisk has retreated. It doesn't like light."

"I guess being in the dark too long would cause it to have an aversion to it," muttered James. "The roosters are useless."

"We need to make them crow in the hearing of the Basilisk," explained Remus as he pulled James along the pipe network. "Unfortunately we can't physically make them crow… They have spells for all sorts of things and none to make roosters crow?" The wereworlf rolled his eyes.

"Roosters crow at sunrise, don't they?" James asked.

"That's what they are supposed to do but most only crow when they want to," answered Remus. "There is never a pattern to it."

James tugged at his hair. "This whole situation is hopeless! Sirius is dead –"

Remus stopped him right there, holding up a hand. "He's not dead: just petrified. Sirius saw the Basilisk's reflection in the water. He never even looked directly at it."

"He's… alive?" Relief washed over James but then his eyes turned hard. "When he wakes up I'm going to kill him!"

A smirk tugged at Remus' lips. "We need to survive this first before you can do that," he paused, titling his head to the side and throwing up a hand to stop James walking on. "The Basilisk is near."

James swallowed, gripping his wand tightly in his fist. "It's being stealthy."

Remus elbowed him and then mouthed: "We are being rather loud."

James grimaced. "Lumos?" he queried.

The werewolf nodded.

They leapt around the corner, casting the light spell, whilst closing their eyes. Loud and piercing screeches echoed around and through their ears as the light from their wands blinded the Basilisk for a second time, giving them both the opportunity to slip past the flaying form of the monster. Its head was shaking up in the air and the deadly gaze had been directed away from them. They lowered their wands as the Basilisk began to slither away in an effort to escape the bright light emitting from them.

"JAMES! REMUS!" Lily's voice echoed down the pipe to their position, and, upon hearing his wife's voice, James broke into a run with Remus following him.

They sped out into the main chamber and saw Lily crouching near the statue of Slytherin, a steely expression on her face. She had sipped the bandana off her eyes.

"Lily?" James ran towards her, an anxious look on his face.

"I can get them to crow!" she said brightly.

James' face split into a wide grin. "You can?"

"Yes. Well," she looked thoughtful, slipping a thread of hair behind her right ear, "it is quite dark in this cavern. There is minimal light, enough for us to see but if we extinguish the light we reflect the night time. We then cast lumos. When I tried it, three of the roosters crowed. It's not mimicking sunrise but does give the impression of it, even if the light suddenly appears. I've attempted it three times and each time the roosters have crowed."

"Why didn't we think of that before?" grinned James, relieved they had a way to defeat the Basilisk.

"Maybe because we were distracting the Basilisk so Lily could figure it out?" suggested Remus, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Smart arse," smirked James.

"Just be ready, okay?" Lily advised.

"Where is the Basilisk anyway? It retreated from us because we blinded it briefly. We took the chance to slip past." James looked around but was careful to keep his head down.

Then they heard it.

A soft, hissing, growling noise grew louder as the Basilisk slithered out of the pipes. It reared up, screeching, as they all turned their backs, avoiding the deadly eyes.

"Nox!"

Darkness descended on the chamber completely. They couldn't see anything in front of them but they could hear the Basilisk moving through the water.

"NOW!" Lily cried and at once they all yelled: "Lumos!"

Light surged through the chamber and the Basilisk lifted its head once more, mouth opening in a terrible cry.

One rooster crowed, swiftly followed by a second.

The others did not.

The Basilisk's screeching stopped, becoming a strangled cry, and then it toppled over: the majority of the body fell into the water but the head came to a rest on the concrete, its tongue lolling out of its open mouth. Its eyes were closedand it lay completely still.

James slowly approached, killing the light emitting from his wand as he did so. "Is it dead?"

Remus nodded, also approaching cautiously. "Yes. Killed instantly by the crowing of the roosters."

James frowned. "But what makes the roosters cry fatal to it?"

"I think it has something to do with how a Basilisk is created. Breeding one is a violation and there are stringent checks to ensure it isn't in practice anywhere in the magical community," explained Remus. "It is hatched from a chicken egg beneath a toad. What makes it turn into a Basilisk and why it becomes so dangerous is unknown."

Lily walked slowly over to James. "Shall we harvest the fangs?"

They could see the fangs glistening in the dim light, the saliva of the creature dripping from them.

Shaking his head, James began to back away. "No. Sirius should be here for this. The venom from the fangs remain potent for a long time after death. I think we can wait."

"Weren't we going to restore the bathroom? We did rip it out." Lily pointed out. "We can get the fangs but leave destroying the Horcruxes until later."

James sighed. "It can't take that long to unpetrify someone."

"Depends if the antidote is available. It's not usually stocked as there isn't a profit in it," explained Lily. "I have started to brew it but it is far from ready and won't be for many months. I did carry out a check of all Potioneers and no one stocked it. One of the ingredients vital to the potion has to mature before it can even be used. Sirius did know it wasn't ready but wanted to press ahead now with getting into the Chamber."

James hadn't considered the drawbacks to not having the antidote at the ready. "Ok, we'll take Sirius to the hospital wing and then come back down and get the fangs before restoring the bathroom."

Sirius' petrified body lay on the bed in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. His eyes were wide open and his body stiff. One arm was stretched out in front of him and the other closer to his chest, his wand gripped tightly in his right hand. His knees were bent as he had been rising to his feet when he'd looked indirectly at the Basilisk.

"I'm not leaving him here," said James. They'd retrieved the fangs and fixed the girls bathroom. The fangs were in a brown sack hanging from James' left hand. "Not if he's going to be like this for months."

Madam Pomfrey scowled. "This is the best place for him. It is protected."

Remus shook his head. "It may be but when the Hogwarts students return they are going to wonder who this is and if they realise it is the hero of the Wizarding World panic will ensure. Neither of us wants this getting out. Thankfully Sirius leads such a secluded life from the Wizarding World that it should be easy to keep it quiet. If Sirius is kept at James and Lily's home then it will be easier."

"Is it wise with a small child?" asked the healer. She didn't agree with them.

"Harry is old enough to understand. If we don't say something to him, he will wonder where Sirius has gone. Sirius is his favourite adult," said James.

"How far along are you with the antidote?" Madam Pomfrey turned to Lily.

"Not too far," admitted Lily. "I don't think it will be ready until year."

James' eyes widened. "Next year?"

"It's a very complex potion," explained Lily. "And the Mandrakes need to mature. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to get hold of some when I started so I have to start from scratch. I have seedlings growing in the laboratory. But there is one other thing…" She placed her hands on her stomach, where her little Potter resided. "After the third month of pregnancy I have to stay away from the fumes of potion-making. The fumes can be harmful for a baby and I cannot risk my baby by not following that advice. I won't be able to complete the potion. The baby will be here before the Mandrakes are matured."

A bad feeling rose in James' stomach. "That leaves Snape."

Lily bit her lip. "Exactly. And we're not talking at the moment. Unless we pay money to hire a Potioneer for us but it would cost a lot as they would ask questions as to why we would need the potion. The last thing we need is it getting out a Basilisk was underneath Hogwarts and petrified Sirius Black. Potioneers will always charge extortionate prices if they can for their services. The only other I could ask is Horace Slughorn but he has far too many connections and is more likely to spread the news accidently. We can't risk asking him for his help. Severus would be our best option but…"

"He could say no," stated James. The bastard hated Sirius. He doubted he would say yes.

"I haven't said a word to Severus since his words about Sirius. Talking to him won't be easy," admitted Lily.

James rested his free hand on his wife's shoulder. "Would you like me there with you?"

She shook her head. "No. I think I need to be the one. I just get the feeling he will make things difficult."

"I hope he won't... For your sake," said Remus quietly.

Whilst Lily went to the Potion lab where she worked with Severus, James and Remus went to speak to the Headmaster to inform them of their progress and what had transpired down in the Chamber of Secrets. He was waiting for them, sitting at his desk with a well-placed pile of parchment to the right of him.

"Ah... James… Remus… Where are Lily and Sirius?" the Headmaster asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Lily is going to talk to Snape about taking over the brewing of the Restorative Draft for Petrification via Basilisk. She cannot continue it because she is pregnant. Its either Snape or pay lots of money for a Potioneer to brew it and keep his silence," explained James.

"Hmm. Sirius got Petrified?" asked Dumbledore.

"It was an unfortunate occurrence," replied James. "But we did manage to harvest the Basilisk fangs." He held up the bag he still held, a dark blood stain on the bottom. "We have put the bathroom back the way it is supposed to be though."

Dumbledore nodded. "And where will you place Sirius?"

"We need to brew the potion that will unfreeze him but we are going to keep him at our home," said James cautiously. "Lily says the potion won't be ready until next year which is a long time…"

"It is, however Mandrakes only mature at certain parts of the year and after July they do tend to be in rather short supply as people who wish to use matured Mandrakes put in orders months in advance," Dumbledore confirmed. "Sirius will not suffer any lasting effects from petrification."

"I hope not and it does set us back. We can't destroy the Horcruxes without Sirius. They're in his vault and he's the only one who can get in," sighed James.

"I have one in mine," noted Remus, "but I would feel uneasy getting rid of it without Sirius around. If Voldemort was active and a big threat I would feel different but whilst we are in peace time I think we can afford to wait for the potion to be ready."

"I am sure Severus will brew it for Lily," said Dumbledore, smiling gently.

James looked doubtful. He frowned. "They had a falling out. Did Lily tell you?"

The Headmaster shook his head. "No."

"Snape insulted Sirius. Lily has become rather fond of Sirius since we learned the truth… But she was always fond of him before then but she's become a lot more defensive of him since… Snape said a few nasty things… Intimated Sirius should be in Azkaban for nearly killing him. It hurt Lily because of what Sirius had to go through before he changed things…" James bit his lip, unsure of whether to continue. "But I don't think he will make it… No matter what Lily says to him."

"James…" began Dumbledore quietly. "Severus is not that vindictive."

James raised an eyebrow. "We will see."

Lily approached Severus Snape cautiously. She hadn't spoken to him since June when he had insulted Sirius but they had continued to work together in stony silence. She had been waiting for him to apologise something Severus did do when he knew he was in the wrong but this time he had yet to come forth. This was what made this situation awkward. Sirius was petrified and Severus was the only Potion-maker Lily would trust to brew it.

The partially completed potion sat in a corner. It was ready to have the Mandrake's added to it, unfortunately the ones she had procured were still babies. Thankfully once they were ready they would be able to heat the cauldron and add the Mandrake's straight in. After a few days stewing the potion would be ready to administer to Sirius.

She wasn't sure how to begin the conversation considering she had been avoiding speaking to Severus and she knew from experience he wouldn't come to her unless he had something to apologise for. She took a deep breath and spoke his name: "Severus."

Snape did not turn around. He did, however, reply. "Lily."

"We need your help," she said.

"I thought we weren't talking," he stated.

"Me too, but when a friend's life is at stake you would do anything to save them."

"It's Black isn't it?" grated Snape through gritted teeth.

"Yes…" she confirmed.

Snape turned towards her. His face showed no emotion. "You want me to brew that potion you've got over there."

"Yes."

"And you can't?"

"I'm pregnant, Severus. Nearly nine weeks along. You know I can't be around potions whilst they are being brewed after I reach three months. The Mandrakes will be matured enough around the end of March next year. I bought them and planted them earlier than usual so they should reach maturity at that point," explained Lily. "I'm due in March so even if my baby is born before they have matured I can't risk being around potions so soon after giving birth. You know what the potion scents and chemicals can do – especially with how I would feed my baby."

Snape pulled a face but he didn't comment. He turned away from her.

An awkward silence fell between them and Lily wondered if he would respond to her at all. She didn't dare break it.

Finally Snape did.

"I'm not going to apologise for what I said two months ago. He could have been the better man."

"So could you, Sev," whispered Lily quietly. "You didn't have to provoke him. You knew what a hard time Sirius was having with his family. You knew how much he loved his brother despite their differences and you still threw it back in his face. Sirius lost his temper and told you how to find Remus but that's what you wanted. You kept goading him and you always wanted to find out what their little secret was. You didn't have to go through the tunnel. You could have gone for a Professor. That was your choice."

"He shouldn't have said, should he?" yelled Snape.

"I think you are bitter because you wished you hadn't done it but you take it out on Sirius because he told you how to get past the Willow. But it shows Sirius is a good person because he told James straight away about what had happened between the two of you and James knew you well enough to risk his own life to come after you, to stop you doing something stupid. You hated him too but not as much as you hate Sirius. Right now I need your help to bring Sirius back to us. Are you going to help me?"

Snape's shoulders shook. "What potion is it?"

Lily took that to mean he was at least going to say yes. "The Restorative Draught. Sirius has been Petrified."

"What the hell was he doing near a Basilisk? Stupid Gryffindor." Snape rolled his eyes.

"We had our reasons," replied Lily.

"I doubt you would tell me if I asked. I know there is something funny about Black." Snape crunched his hands together. "But… I will brew the potion. Not because I like him but because I do value our friendship."

She smiled slightly at him, grateful for his leniency. "Thank you, Severus."

Months passed and the Mandrakes grew but still had yet to reach the stage where they would mature. Sirius' petrified body remained in the spare room at Godric's Hollow. James visited him every day, talking to his best friend about what he was missing but knowing all the while Sirius simply could not hear him. Harry took it the hardest and cried for several hours after seeing his godfather's petrified form. James and Lily had talked for hours about allowing Harry in to see but they figured if he was denied the opportunity to enter the room, their six year old would find a way in.

It had taken hours for them to calm Harry down afterwards, informing him that Sirius would wake up, just not until next year. Harry said he didn't want to see his godfather while he was frozen in place anymore. So, only James went in to see Sirius on a regular occurrence.

Lily blossomed in her pregnancy and the months went by. Christmas came and went and the Potters held a sombre Christmas as it wasn't the same without Sirius there. Remus came by more often and together they managed to prevent the Wizarding World from finding out Sirius' present condition. And so 1986 ended.

March 1987 rolled round and the Mandrakes began to show signs they were nearly at the maturing stage. They were so close to waking Sirius from his petrified state. It had been a difficult few months but they had lived on, like he would have wanted them to, preparing for their new baby. Harry was excited and couldn't wait to meet his little sister. They hadn't found out the gender of the baby but Harry was adamant his mummy was having a baby girl.

He was, however, wrong.

But Harry wasn't disappointed when his baby brother, Jack Sirius Potter, was born on the 21st March 1987.

To be continued…

Please let me know what you think! Thank you for all the comments!

So yes, Sirius pot petrified. In regards to the cure for Petrification, I think if it was a potion that could be bought easily then Hogwarts would have purchased some during Chamber of Secrets. This suggests to me it isn't a potion widely available and would need to be brewed. Sirius did the stupid thing of going down into the Chamber of Secrets without having the potion. So he's been petrified for quite a few months.

Secondly, the stuff about Lily not being able to brew potions whilst pregnant and after birth I just don't know how true it is but I think there would be something that pregnant women shouldn't be around in the Wizarding World. She can still use them if she needs to but not be near them whilst being brewed, hence why Lily cannot continue to brew the potion.

The incident between Snape and Sirius during their Hogwarts years... I think there was a lot more to it than Sirius just telling Snape for a joke. It's a surprise Sirius didn't get expelled but I can imagine him having a lot of punishment for it. So I believe there was something more to that incident then Sirius just being to blame for it.

And James and Lily's baby… I see a lot of authors tend to go with them having a girl so Harry gets a little sister but I decided to go for a boy. The name was one I took a while to decide upon but I always wanted Sirius as the second name. I think it would be something Lily and James would do.

The next chapter is already being written (nearly 3000 words in!) and I will be posting it next Tuesday.

Ok, so now onto the question I wanted to ask my readers.

I mentioned, very briefly in one of the chapters, that there was someone Sirius had taken a liking to. I don't want James and Lily to be the only couple in my story. And I think Sirius deserves a bit of happiness himself but its deciding who would be a good option for him. I actually wanted to create an original character, a Muggle, who he's met and got to know whilst living in Oxford but I don't want it to come across as a Mary Sue. But then that limits me to a very small range of witches that we know lived at the time or I create a new witch which would again have the problem of potentially being a Mary Sue… So I'm not sure whether to take a risk and create a new character for Sirius to fall in love with or to leave the romantic subplot out. What does everyone think?

Until next time,

the-writer1988