Date: 7 August, 1982
Sirius
Sirius showed up at six o'clock in the morning in St. Mungo's - today was the day Amelia Lane promised to let Harry go. However, there was quite a big line today, and it was nearly seven until the godfather was allowed to go inside. Up to the fourth floor he went, excited as ever to see Harry.
There he was, on the second bed, beaming brightly and eating pancakes. Amelia rushed over to the boy and noticed Sirius. "Here already, Mr. Black?" she smirked. "Very well. You can take him - he's all set. And do make sure to feed him properly, and take care of him! Harry does need nutrition."
"Don't worry 'bout that, Amelia, I'll feed him alright," Sirius turned to Harry, who was looking a bit healthier than last time. "Wanna go home, pup?"
The godson dropped his spoon with a clank. "No..." he sniffed, looking like he was about to cry, "No wanna see Duddy..."
Sirius's heart raced. Harry hated the Dursleys. "Don't worry, Harry, you're not going there." He lifted his arms and beckoned for the baby to jump into them. "Come on!"
xxx
They Apparated to a deserted road. Sirius turned to look at Harry, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "It's okay... it's okay..." He clutched him comfortably and both of them walked towards a beautiful red house. Once again, the godfather marveled at the beauty of the house.
The living room was coated in red and gold, the Gryffindor colours. There was a fireplace in the corner, which Sirius had connected to Floo. Two velvet sofas rested on either side of the room, a coffee table in between. There were two big glass windows, and both of them poured sunlight into the house. There was a bookshelf on the side, followed by a shelf fit to burst with board games.
Then there was the kitchen. It contained one window, and many small cupboards. One of them was filled with candy, the other with cooking items. And of course, there was the bathroom which was painted with a design of gold flowers.
Sirius gently put Harry down on the sofa, then went upstairs to check if everything was alright. There was Sirius's room, decorated in red and gold, and Harry's, with a special bathroom, three windows, the softest blankest that could exist not to mention a wonderful pillow which was charmed to be as comfortable as possible. Harry had his own cupboard, in which there weren't many clothes, and an empty toy box. Sirius had loads to buy. Not wanting to leave his godson alone any longer, he went downstairs, transfigured a vase into a bed, and put Harry to sleep. He used a Sleep Mint just in case. After all, the godfather did have some important things to do.
Remus
Rubbing some ointment on his palms - the most recent werewolf injury - Remus jumped when he heard the doorbell ring. Using a quick spell to find out who it was, he was surprised to see that it was his old friend, Sirius. "Alohomora," he muttered, grasping his wand, and the door clicked open.
"Moony!" said Sirius joyfully, holding out his arms. Then he paused. "You look... terrible."
Remus smiled weakly. He remembered the first time his friends had seen him after a full moon...
"Hey, Moony!" Remus looked up to see James and Sirius making their way towards him, both with identical smiles on their faces. Suddenly, both their smiles faltered.
"Where's Peter?" said Remus quickly, trying to change the subject.
"In the dormitory, doing his homework. But ignore Peter. You look awful, Merlin."
"Ignore me, James. How's Transfiguration?"
"Don't try to change the subject! Is this a... normal full moon?"
"Naw," he tried to crack a smile, "It's one of the good ones."
"Good?!" Sirius yelped, obviously horrified. "You look terrible! Want some snacks from the kitchens?"
"Uh, Remus, I'm talking to you here?"
Remus jumped. "Oh... hi."
Sirius gave one of his signature grins. "Hi. I was just saying... are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah..? Why have you come uninvited in my house, Padfoot?" He smirked to show that he was joking.
"Oh! Yeah. Well, you know young Harry?"
"Yes..." He had no idea where this was going.
"Well, Dumbledore gave him to the Dursleys - you know, Lily's sister."
"Oh my Merlin!" yelped Remus. "She's... a cockroach, she is!"
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Cool insult," he said. "Anyway, a week ago I rescued Harry from there. With Dumbledore's permission, of course."
"So now Harry lives with you?"
"Yup! And I've come to ask... wanna help me take care of him?"
Remus was taken aback. Take care of a child? Before he could say anything, though, Sirius cut him off. "We have a guest room, of course. And an attic. You'll be able to transform and all, not to worry."
"Oh.. well -"
"Is it a yes or a no? You can help me out too - I'm no good at teaching."
"I suppose - yes."
"Sweet!" Sirius beamed. "Wanna go to the house now? Apparate to Sunlight Alley."
"Alright. In three, two, one..."
With a small clank of the ointment Remus was holding, the two grown men disappeared.
xxx
"Merlin... Padfoot, this is amazing..."
Remus looked around the house in wonder, then his eyes finally landed on a small boy fast asleep on the sofa. "That's Harry, I assume?"
Sirius nodded. "I'll make some sandwiches, he'll be hungry..." The dog Animagus headed into the kitchen just as Harry yawned, blinking his eyes open.
"Who you?" he said, looking curiously at Remus.
"You can call me Moony."
"Moony?"
"Moony."
There was laughter coming from the kitchen "That Padfoot," Harry said triumphantly, pointing at the kitchen. "He is nice." Pause. "Like you."
Remus grinned and lifted Harry into a hug, accidentally hurting his injuries. But no matter. After all, it was for Harry Potter.
Peter
Peter shivered in his small flat. The Daily Prophet lay on the table, seemingly untouched. It read:
You-Know-Who's Celebrations
A year has passed since You-Know-Who seemingly disappeared. Witches and Wizards are celebrating all over the world, although some have a theory.
"He isn't gone," says Amelia Lane, Healer, "Just out there, biding his time and waiting for the right moment. And that moment can be any time. Stay on your guard, folks. We never know when he'll strike."
There was more, but it was obstructed with Chocolate Frogs wrappers. But that wasn't Peter's problem. What would he do now, once his master was gone? Stay in hiding and "wait for the right moment", like Amelia Lane said? Yes, that seemed like a good idea. But where would he go? The Animagus wracked his brains, until one place finally came to mind. In Sunlight Alley, there was a house which had been deserted for years. That would be the perfect place to hide as an innocent rat.
Amazing idea.
A/N: Woohoo! My very first cliffhanger! For those who didn't understand, Peter is going to try to hide in the house that Sirius and Remus are currently occupying. (gasp) DRAMA!
Anyway, thank you all for being so dedicated to this story! Heck, I got 12 favourites and 15 follows when I posted the first chapter! Looks like this story is quite interesting. And yes, in this story, Peter didn't go into hiding the day after James and Lily died. So Ron doesn't have a Scabbers. You'll see the reason for that pretty soon. Anyway, thank you again for being amazing, please review, buh-bye!
