AN: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 11: Brother

Sirius sat back and watched Harry sleep. He knew his godson must be exhausted. The last few weeks had pushed them both physically and mentally. He just hoped his plan would get them close enough to the coast to get across. They were taking a gamble by going back toward the center of France, but it could buy them a few days to rest, if not longer.

He'd chartered a bus with their names on it toward Belgium. While he doubted the wizarding community tracked Muggle's public transportation, it might work. At the very least, he and Harry would have disappeared to their pursuers in the small town of Consenvoye. They'd been obvious about moving northeast on foot, so changing things up was a good tactic. He hoped.

There were a lot of things he hoped would work out. Not being able to use magic around Harry had stretched his ability to evade their pursuers to the limit. He hadn't told Harry he'd attacked a French Auror dressed as a Death Eater over a week ago. Using the Trace, he'd sent Harry ahead of him and lured the trackers to where they'd holed up for the night. He planned to attack Death Eaters dressed as a Death Eater, but it was a French Auror who'd arrived. It was apparent he hadn't expected to find anyone there, but Sirius made a split-second decision to first let the Auror see him dressed up and attack.

In hindsight, it wasn't a good decision. Before then, the French Ministry was half-heartedly attempting to find Harry and himself. There were plenty of ways to track witches and wizards that had nothing to do with the Trace. However, the French Aurors hadn't been employing them. After his blunder, they used magic, patrols, and magical beasts to find them.

The van hit a bump hard, and Harry woke with a start, his hand flashing to his wand. Sirius, careful to watch the driver, steadied his godson by keeping a firm grip on his wand hand. Harry's eyes were wild until he realized where he was. Sirius felt his heartbreak at the look. He was part of the reason for the fear he'd seen. When Harry nodded back off, he looked at his watch. They had another twenty minutes before they needed to take another vial of Pollyjuice Potion.

Besides taking the potion every hour and trying to hide it from their driver, Sirius quite enjoyed the ride. It was the first time he was able to relax in days. His body wanted to relax and sleep, but he needed to stay awake to ensure they took the Pollyjuice Potion.

"Vous rendez visite à votre famille?" Piere asked.

It took Sirius a few seconds to decipher what he'd been asked. "Non, amis."

Piere nodded, his eyes flicking to Harry asleep against the window. "Your accent is as bad as your uncle," he laughed. "Visiting on Holiday?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't tell me anything. We just travel around," Sirius said, trying to sound sulky.

The older Muggle nodded. "That's the way of things. What do you want to be when you're older? You're what? Sixteen?"

Sirius blinked. He couldn't remember what William's information had been. He grunted something. "Probably a farmer, like my dad," he lied.

Piere's eyes met his in the narrow mirror. "That's not a bad thing. Honest work."

They lapsed into silence as the countryside flew by. Sirius tried to keep himself awake by going over his plans. When it was time, he gently nudged Harry awake and passed him the third vial. His godson nodded and downed the vial before looking around. Their driver had seen, but there was nothing for it. Sirius drank his and took the two vials back. He slipped them into his bag. There were seven vials ready for each of them, just in case.

Harry stayed awake for longer this time and simply stared out of the window. Sirius noticed that Piere took more note of them but didn't try to engage in any more conversation.

They made okay time through the night. It took almost seven hours in total. Piere needed to stop to get gas, and Harry had to use the bathroom. Sirius wanted to go with him to ensure everything was okay, but it might look weird. So, he waited in the van. He was pretty sure Piere knew something wasn't right. Granted, they'd left at night and wanted to travel through the night. Only those who were desperate would pay the price Sirius had.

It'd been a stroke of luck that he'd been able to set up the meeting in the first place. Sirius had spent much time calling bus services, but none would run for him at night. Piere lived in Consenvoye and was willing to take them across the country for the right price. The price increased when he learned it would be a night and there would be no return trip. They'd worked out an agreement, and Sirius met with him the next day to pass the initial payment. That had set his and Harry's course and the foundation for Sirius's plan.

Most of what Sirius had focused on while traveling with Harry was how to escape the predicament he'd landed them in. If he was a better godfather, then he'd have told Harry no about leaving the country and even leaving Hogwarts. He told himself, as he watched the disguised Harry return to the van, that he would do everything in his power to be able to tell his godson 'No' when it was necessary.

-X-X-X-X-

Sirius let the disguises drop naturally shortly after paying Piere and making their way to the closest place to sleep for part of the day.

"We're still a ways from the coast… either one," Harry said as he looked up from a map on the table.

Sirius found a nice restaurant serving breakfast… if what he ate could be considered breakfast. He wished there was a little more on the plate for what he paid for. "True. We won't be going north, but west."

Harry nodded slowly as he studied the map of France. "The closer we get to the northern part of France, the more likely we are to block off a safe escape," he said.

Sirius had considered the risk, but they couldn't stay in France for much longer. "What would you do?" he asked. He knew Harry had spent as much time pondering their situation as he had.

"Moving across to Ireland is a good idea. Actually… assuming we even get to Britain, where is our ultimate destination? If we arrive on the opposite end of the country, then it'll be just like here in France, possibly worse," he asked with a frown.

"You should know it pretty well, as you spent last summer trying to demolish the place."

Harry grunted. "Makes sense, but wouldn't that be an obvious place to go?"

"By now, it'll be under a Fidelius Charm. I gave it to Dumbledore to use as the Order's Headquarters."

"Then we're not going to be able to find it," he muttered.

"No. We'll have to go to the Burrow to get in touch with someone who does know," Sirius said softly. He knew Harry felt guilty about Molly Weasley. It'd come up a few times during their trek when there was nothing else to talk about.

"We go west," Harry said after studying the map and munching on the side of his bread. "I agree that our best chance is simply getting out of the country."

Sirius nodded and explained his tentative plan. As soon as they were ready and in a secure spot, he would assist Harry with Apparating to safety. It was past time for them to leave.

After breakfast, they found a hotel of sorts. On the ground floor was a restaurant and bar room with a few rooms upstairs for guests to sleep if needed. The matron looked Harry and Sirius over before reluctantly agreeing to two rooms. She worked the morning shift and said she wouldn't have anyone needing the rooms until at least nine that night. They were to be out of the place or at a table by then, or she'd throw them out herself. Sirius did not doubt that the stocky Muggle would do just as she threatened.

Sirius fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

-X-X-X-X-

"Sirius, get up," the dream Harry yelled at him. They'd been tracking Peter Pettigrew over the Castle Grounds for what felt like ages. The little rat had tried to steal Lilly's quill, and James was trying to find his broom to go after the Snitch.

Sirius smiled at his brother's son. He was a capable young man with a bright future ahead of him and a lovely blonde bird from across the lane.

"Sirius, get up," Harry demanded again, his face smiling.

Sirius opened his eyes, his wand in hand, as someone roughly shook him awake. Harry stood over him, his eyes wide. There was a wildness there he'd never seen before.

"They bloody found us," he hissed and raised his wand. A red jet of light erupted from his wand. The sound of a cannon going off rocked the room.

Sirius felt his brain engage as he realized his godson had just used a Banishing Charm in a confined space. He sat up and aimed his wand where Harry was looking. Someone in black robes was partially in the plaster wall on the other side of the narrow hallway. Harry's spell must have exploded next to them, as a massive chunk of the door frame was in splinters.

"Death Eaters," Harry hissed as he yanked Sirius' arm.

Shaking the last vestiges of sleep off, Sirius put his feet on the floorboards, thankful he'd worn his boots to bed. He snatched up his rucksack and grabbed Harry's arm. With a greater effort than he'd hoped for, he Apparated them both to a field he'd scouted out. He knew the Death Eaters would be on their trail in moments. "Are you okay?" he asked Harry.

His godson gritted his teeth and nodded. "They hit my room first. I was just lying down. Hit someone with a Stunning Spell and another with a Knockback Jinx. The one I got with a Banish was the second Death Eater," he reported. "I lost my rucksack, though," he sighed.

"I have mine. It's got an Undetectable on it, like you wanted. It cost most of what I had, but you were right. All the supplies are in here," Sirius said as he passed the lightweight rucksack to Harry. Something suddenly occurred to him. "Harry! How is your core? I know we weren't supposed to Apparate quickly…" he started to say, but his godson waved it off.

"I'm fine. There's nothing missing, and I don't feel off or anything. Time will tell, though," he sighed. "We need to move. Where are we?"

Sirius nodded and pointed toward the red farmhouse and barn on a small hill overlooking a row of fields. "That was my fall-back plan. We'll just need to move fast, it's what? Four-ish?" he asked as he started to run, keeping his wand low.

Harry took off after him. "Two… I think. It hadn't been long since we got settled in, maybe an hour or two," he reported.

A crack came from somewhere to their left, near the fields. Sirius turned his wand in that direction, but Harry was faster. A red jet of light flew toward the dark-cloaked figure with a white mask. They vanished before the spell hit them.

It was an all-out run for the barn, the closest building to where they were. Sirius heard Harry stumble, and he turned to help. He was glad he had. Another Death Eater was behind them and was raising their wand. "Protego," he said, blocking the white jet of light before sending a return spell to ward off their attacker.

Harry muttered something from where he crouched down, his right hand on the ground. A silver spell shot from his wand in his left hand, aimed somewhere in the fields to Sirius's left and blind spot. Just as Sirius was about to cast another spell, a wall of earth erupted from the ground behind Harry.

"Run," Harry bellowed as he charged ahead.

Sirius turned and ran with his godson. He looked to where Harry had shot the spell and saw a giant furrow gouged out of the earth, but there wasn't a Death Eater there.

Twice more, they had to stop to defend themselves from simultaneous attacks coming from different directions. Harry blocked a spell intended for Sirius but couldn't get a return spell off before he had to jump out of the way as a lurid green spell flew past them both. Sirius shouted and Apparated behind the Death Eater. They weren't the only ones who could combat-Apparate.

The short Disapparation wasn't easy, and an unskilled wizard could splinch themselves easily, but Sirius and James had practiced enough. His spell took the unaware Death Eater in the back. There was a crunch of bone as the dark wizard slammed into the earth. Sirius looked up to see Harry battling another attacker next to the barn.

Sirius checked the area before Apparating closer. He reappeared to see Harry whip his wand toward the Death Eater. A pitchfork flew at the wizard, who batted it aside with a wand flick. The dark wizard missed when Harry moved his right hand from right to left. The barn door exploded open with a crack as the wooden beam holding it shut broke. His opponent went down with a cry of pain as the heavy door smashed him into the wall.

"Stupefy," Sirius said as he ensured the Death Eater was down.

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "We need to move," he said.

"Agreed, toward the road and get under your Cloak," Sirius ordered.

When Harry turned his back to fish out his Invisibility Cloak, Sirius looked at the downed Death Eater. He raised his wand and paused.

"Are you going to kill him?" Harry asked, his tone soft.

Sirius started to lower his wand. He had been about to do just that. "I want to," he admitted. "But, no."

"Break his legs," Harry said. Sirius looked up and realized his godson was invisible. "Break his legs. I know there's a Dark spell for it."

Sirius sighed. "There is, but… no. We need to move," he said and pointed toward the road. "Keep low, and I'll follow."

It took a few seconds before Harry took off. There was a quality in Harry's voice that worried him when he'd said to break the Death Eater's legs. It was a good idea, however troubling it was coming from his godson. One less opponent and the French Aurors could pick them up. He was pretty sure he hadn't killed the other dark wizard.

Using a Disillusionment Charm, he followed Harry's path toward the road. They heard several cracks near the barn. Someone shouted something that suspiciously sounded like Alecto.

They made it to the road without too much incident. Cars, trucks, and vans sped past on the busy highway. "Harry," Sirius called over the noise.

"Here."

Sirius went over to a break in the hedgerows between fields. "In the next break, we're headed to that cluster of buildings," he said. "Look toward where the sun is."

"I see them," Harry answered and took off when no vehicles were coming.

Sirius heard his footfalls on the road, and he followed.

They got as far as the first outbuilding in what might have been a farming outfit or company. Two cracks echoed off the metal siding of the buildings. Sirius wasn't sure their enemy was, just somewhere ahead. He'd lost track of Harry as well and cursed himself a fool. The faint sound of gravel scraping against the pavement made him turn around. No one was there.

"Harry," he whispered and carefully moved to the right.

A jet of red light flew past where he had been standing. Before Sirius could send a counterspell, another jet of red light flew past him from nearer to the building, impacting something invisible. A dark-robbed figure materialized out of thin air as they fell backward.

"This way," Harry's soft voice called.

Sirius' heart was pounding in his chest as they made their way as quietly as possible around the side of the buildings. Men and women worked in the farthest field, using large machines with several spouts. He wondered what they were but put it out of his mind. There were more important issues.

"The green barn," he whispered.

"I see it."

Two dark figures mineralized from between the grain silos. They wore brown coats and thick black boots. Sirius didn't want to speak, just in case it gave away their position. One of the wizards stepped back into the shadow and vanished with a barely audible pop.

"Aurors," Harry whispered.

"Shh."

"Rendez-vous sur le site," a masculine voice called out from somewhere behind them.

Sirius felt his back itch seconds before he knew what would happen.

"Revelio," a witch intoned.

Sirius Apparated away before they could get an Anti-Disapparition Jinx in place. It took time for even a powerful witch or wizard to do it properly. The world vanished as he moved to the barn Harry had taken the Death Eater out at. Before he could truly orient himself, he Apparated again, this time farther away.

It felt like hours as he Apparated all over the country, most to places he'd already been with Harry. It wasn't just the French Aurors after him, but also the Death Eaters. They'd caused a scene in the middle of Paris. Sirius knew there were at least two Muggles dead from a deadly Bombarda blast.

He needed to have them all focused on him while he tried to figure out how he would get back to Harry and if his godson was still waiting for him. Just as dark fell, he lost his pursuers by changing into his Animagus form near a dog park. His instincts as a dog threatened to overwhelm his thought process. It'd been a long time since he let Snuffles out. However, Harry would always come first.

Sirius stayed low as he bounded across the freshly planted fields where he'd Disapparated hours before. He didn't have the same senses that an actual dog might have, but they were much more potent than he possessed in his true form. He and Harry hadn't had a chance to shower. It was easy enough to pick up his godson's scent and begin tracking him.

Magical dogs, cats, rats, and owls were all creatures that could track the physical signs of a person's passing and were smart enough to work with a witch or wizard. Sirius wondered why Aurors didn't employ them more. In the Middle Eastern countries, they used magical beasts to hunt other beasts and wizards alike. "Witches and wizards are prideful," he mused as he slowly followed the path behind the farmhouse.

Harry had covered a relatively large distance. Sirius found several places where he stopped, presumably to catch his breath or to look out for pursuers. Each place was pretty well hidden, with good sight lines of the area around him. He was happy to see no sign of a magical scuffle.

It was well into the night when he finally caught up to Harry. His godson had found a construction site by an orchard. He scouted the area for several minutes before slowly making his way to the half-constructed building. While he couldn't see Harry, he knew he was on a pallet of wood in the dark.

"Harry," Sirius softly said. He heard a quiet shuffle and then a single knock. Answering with two slow knocks of his own, he went into the room, visible.

"I got worried," Harry said, pulling his Invisibly Cloak off.

Sirius wouldn't tell him how close it was a few times. The French Aurors were skilled. Far more competent than most of their British counterparts. Beauxbatons produced some excellent witches and wizards. "I'm glad you trusted me to continue on. There were wizards still at the farming site I had to Apparate from."

Harry looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes. "I did what you instructed me to do, so thank you. There is a place not too far from here we might be able to sleep in for the night."

Sirius knew he probably looked as worn out as Harry did. "Do you want to lead the way?"

Harry stood and looped the bag over his head. He pulled up his Cloak and started to swing it over his shoulders.

A stillness in the air was the first warning. Sirius had learned to trust his instincts. He turned, bringing up his wand as two loud cracks shattered the silence. His brain seemed sluggish as the first figure in black appeared in the doorway, smoke billowing off of their body. He willed a Shield Charm into existence between himself and the Death Eater. In the space between heartbeats, the dark wizard sent a white jet of light at him.

Everything sped back up as the jet of light rebounded against the Shield Charm. The second Death Eater sent a spell at him, but by then, Sirius had completed his rotation and set his feet into a dueling stance.

A bucket flew past his head from behind him, impacting against a red light jet. Harry's work. Using the distraction, Sirius fired a quick Knockback Jinx at the first Death Eater.

The wall to his left exploded. Pain lanced down his body as he crashed to the floor. He tried to raise his arm to defend himself, but nothing happened.

In a daze, he saw James' head standing over him, an unfamiliar wand in his hand. The world spun for a moment as the ringing in his ears overwhelmed his thoughts. Pain from several places on his body seemed distant yet important.

"Brother," he called to James, but his speech felt off and slurred somehow.

Darkness took him.