Peter didn't understand what he was seeing. Couldn't comprehend it. Oh, sure, he could see what was right in front of him. Godric's Hollow. The front door on its hinges. That room upstairs with its wall blown out. Harry's room. Or Rylli's. He could see the cot. Was Harry still small enough for a cot? He wasn't sure how baby furniture worked.
The eerie, not quite right thing was the silence. There was nothing going on. It looked like everything had happened yet there was no noise. So, what had happened? Who had won? Where was everyone?
He stood there, staring, trying to take everything in. People were starting to mill around him but he paid them no mind. They were muggles and they didn't have a clue what was going on. He did, however. Sort of. Well, he knew more than them didn't he. Somehow that made him feel important. And he would be able to figure out the rest.
Then reality kicked back in and the sinking feeling returned to his stomach. He really didn't like that feeling. Why did it keep happening to him? He knew he had to get over there and figure out what had happened or maybe alert someone or something? No, not alert someone. That would be stupid. He noticed a pair of muggles get close to the house and he quickly fired a memory charm at them, not paying attention to how he cast it. As long as they walked away everything would be fine.
Back to him figuring out what had happened before anyone else. His chest puffed up a bit. He could do this. He really could. He was the first one there and be would figure all out and be able to tell everyone. Wouldn't they think he was ever as clever then? There was just one problem, his legs still weren't working.
Did he want them to work? Did he really want to go in there? He kind of didn't. He was... well, he was scared of what he would find. Lily and James would just be captured, right? Apparently, it had been Harry that the Dark Lord wanted. Not Lily or James. But they were threats, members of the Order, so they would be captured and taken back for questioning. Yes, that's what would have happened. Of course, neither of them would have gone without a fight, which is why there was such a mess. Though, mess was a bit of a tame word for it.
Suddenly his legs worked again and he found himself walking towards the house. Which was stupid because he didn't know what was inside but it was like his legs were working on their own accord. He couldn't stop them. Maybe He didn't want to stop him. Before he could think any further on it, he was at the front door. Or, rather, where the front door ought to be. Was it blasted to smithereens? Or had it fallen somewhere? What a thing to think about when there were smoking things all around him.
James. James was the first one he saw. Well, tripped over really. He hadn't been expecting there to be a body in the doorway. A body. James' body. He gulped, trying to get rid of the image of those glassy eyes from his head. So different from the cheeky, bright ones he always associated with James. Always filled with mischief. Not anymore. He was... He was dead. James was dead. Why was James dead? It didn't make sense.
This wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't! James was a pureblood. A Potter. Oh, yes, of course he was on the Light side but still. Surely, he was far too important to just kill like that? It didn't make sense. No, wait. Of course, his Lord would have had a reason but...
Oh, Peter didn't know what to think. James was a pureblood. But he was on the Light. But had he been a real threat by himself? Je shouldn't have been. Evidently, he wasn't because he was dead. Dead. Peter swallowed heavily.
He had to move on. He couldn't stand here with James lying in front of him like that, arm outstretched. No, no, no, no. Scrunching up his eyes, he took a step forward. A big one. Because he had to step over James. James' ... body. Yes. His body. No, he wasn't going to think any more of it. He was going to concentrate on going up the stairs. Because, something seemed to have happened upstairs. Where there was no noise.
Had Lily managed to get away with the babies? And the three of them were all safe? Did he want them to be safe or captured? Safe meant that he was going to be in trouble. Captured, well, captured surely wasn't good either? Oh, Peter didn't know.
Were the stairs supposed to creak this much? He didn't recall them being quite so loud the last time had been over. When had that been, by the way? Peter wasn't sure. He couldn't remember.
They didn't creak for long; he was soon upstairs. The smell of acrid smoke was stronger up here. He choked on it. Something bad definitely happened here.
Lily. Lily's body. It was her hair he saw first, all splayed across the floor, leading him to... to her. She wasn't breathing. Or maybe he just couldn't hear it over his own heavy breaths. No, she wasn't breathing. She was dead too.
So, did that mean...?
He quickly turned around and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Harry. Harry was alive. That was... That was something, wasn't it? So, he was relieved. Yes. He was relieved. Still didn't know what to do though. Could he just leave a baby here?
There was a snuffling noise and Peter jumped. Had rats or foxes or something got in already?
There it was again, but more of a whimper. A whimper? From the cupboard? Creeping forwards, he hesitantly grabbed the handle. It wasn't the whole way closed. Grasping his wand tightly he yanked it open and-
Big brown eyes blinked up at him.
"Om-ail!"
Peter sighed in relief. Amaryllis. It was only Amaryllis. The baby. She was okay. Harry was okay. That was... That was something wasn't it? Absentmindedly, he closed the cupboard door on her again and surveyed the room.
Harry was in his cot, still staring around, blood on his forehead. Did he get injured in whatever fight happened here? Should be touch him? Comfort him? Peter didn't know! He had to get out of here. Had to clear his head.
An odd sense of calm settled over him as he went back down the stairs. It was strange. But he wasn't going to complain. It was better that worrying. Panicking. Even though this was definitely something to worry and panic about. But he wasn't.
A stitch was splitting his side and every breath felt like knives were stabbing his lungs but Sirius didn't care. He had to get there. He had to get there. It was his own fault anyway; he hadn't been thinking straight and he hadn't apparated close enough out of habit. If they had to be in the area they weren't supposed to go near where the house was. Which meant he was several streets away. Too far away. Hence the running. He didn't trust himself to apparate again. He had already been risking himself when he had apparated here in the first place with all the thoughts running through his head and not thinking clearly. But he to get up and come here, he had to. There hadn't been any other option. There couldn't be any other option
There was something wrong, something was desperately, desperately wrong. Sirius just wasn't sure what yet. He just knew that something wasn't right. Oh, why wouldn't his legs work faster?
He stumbled through the streets, zig-zagging around people. Groups of people. Mainly children. Why were there so many children out when it was dark? And cold too. And what were they wearing?
But these thoughts were fleeting as he tried to get to his destination. They were just slowing him down but be couldn't shove or blast them out of the way. They were muggles and, more importantly, they were just children. They didn't know how important it was that he got to his destination. Even his precarious running was earning him shouts and dirty looks.
"Just get out of my way, get out of my way," he said under his breath.
"Hey! Mister!" One shouted after him angrily as he cut across them.
He just waved back as he ran on. He didn't care about offending anyone tonight. He had to run, run, run.
Harry. There was Harry. Just sitting there looking so small and innocent while everything around him burned. He looked up at Sirius with those big green eyes of his.
"Pa-foo?" He said quietly, like he somehow knew something serious had gone on and he had to be quiet.
Sirius' heart wrenched at the sound. No. No. No. No. This wasn't right. This wasn't right.
"Pa-foo!"
Harry was sounding more incessant now.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so, so, so, sorry."
Because this was all his fault. It was his fault. He had caused this. No one else. All the blame lay squarely on him. It had been his idea. He had done the persuading.
"Pa-foo! Lee! Lee!"
Sirius blinked down at his godson in confusion, the tears that had welled up slipping down his cheeks. What?
Harry was pulling on him and looking over his shoulder.
"Lee?"
"Lee!"
Sirius turned around and saw a cupboard. He was pretty sure Harry had no clue what that was and that he wouldn't call it 'Lee'. Wait. He called Rylli 'Lee', didn't he? How stupid was he? How in Merlin's name had he forgotten about a whole child? What kind of a person was he?
Opening the door ne breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rylli lying on the ground there. And then he panicked because it looked like she wasn't breathing. A tiny snorting sound came from her and he was relieved all over again. It was like he had whiplash.
Carefully crouching down, he scooped up the baby into his arms. She didn't even wake. His heart jumped to his mouth when he realised that there were tear tracks on her cheeks.
"Lee s'eepy."
"Yeah," Sirius groaned out. "Rylli's very sleepy. Are you not sleepy?"
"Ma-ma," Harry pointed to the floor.
Where the splayed red hair was. Sirius had to swallow heavily to control himself.
"Yeah, that's mummy."
"Dark."
Harry was pointing again bit this time off to the side. And when Sirius realised what he was pointing at rage rushed through him.
He didn't care about crime scene procedure and evidence. He didn't care about doing things the right way. Not right now. That cloak had no business, no business, being that close to Lily. He kicked it out of the way.
Carefully balancing two toddlers in his arms, Sirius slowly made his way downstairs. Forever grateful that they decided not to be all squirmy and wriggly, all three of them safely got there, around James and by the front door.
Now what was he supposed to do? He was bringing them home, obviously. He and Marlene were godparents. To Harry anyway. But you couldn't split siblings up. And they had the space. Sort of. More than Chryssie and Severus, anyway. They barely had space for the two of them in their little apartment. Yes, he would bring them home.
With his mind made up, he made his way outside only to be stopped by a massive figure.
"Hagrid," he said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Dumbledore sent me."
Sirius blinked. Why would Dumbledore send Hagrid instead of come himself.
"Oh."
He had meant to ask a question there but his brain wasn't quite working yet so a noise was all that came out.
"He wants me to take 'em."
"What?" Sirius pulled both children close to him. "What do you mean?"
"He wants them somewhere safe. Out of the way."
"They will be. With me."
The two of them went back and forth like that for a while. Or maybe it was actually pretty quickly and it just felt like a long time. Sirius didn't know anymore. All he did know was that he was slowly being worn down.
"Come on, Sirius," Hagrid urged. "They're to come wi' me."
"I'm his Godfather," Sirius managed to get out. "And her uncle. Severus is her Godfather."
"Ah know. I know. Bu' Dumbledore, he wants them to come wi' me. To keep 'em safe. Away from all of this."
Hagrid gestured around at the destruction around them and Sirius blinked as if he was seeing it for the first time.
Rubble. Scorch marks. The dead bodies. Dead bodies.
"Please, Sirius."
He swallowed heavily and pulled Harry and Rylli close to him, breathing in that smell of theirs. That distinct baby smell.
And then he let Hagrid take them. Just like that.
"Be careful," he croaked out.
"I'll protect them with my life," Hagrid said solemnly.
"Rylli doesn't like to be bumped up and down. And Harry, he doesn't like to be spun."
"I'll be careful wi' 'em. I promise."
Sirius gave him a long look before nodding. He was going to have to believe that, wasn't he?
"Wait," he said, stopping Hagrid from going just yet. "Give me one second."
Hagrid shifted uncomfortably on his feet, looking awkward with two children in his massive arms.
"I need to-"
"Wait one second."
He could help. He knew he could help. Quickly apparating away, he did what he had to do and returned.
"Here," Sirius held his hand out.
Hagrid looked at him in confusion, scrunching his bushy eyebrows together.
Sirius knelt down and tapped his wand. His motorcycle appeared in front of him. Sidecar and all.
"Use this. It'll be easier."
And safer but he didn't want to insult Hagrid and say that. Sirius didn't know how the man had planned on transporting two small children but this would definitely be better.
Hagrid looked between Sirius and the bike and slowly nodded.
Between the two of them, they soon got Harry and Rylli wrapped up in blankets, Sirius running back inside to get their favourites. The ones in their cots. Something familiar. Then Sirius wove protective charms around the sidecar so they could both be put in it. All too soon they were finished.
"They'll be okay," Hagrid said as he sat astride the bike.
Sirius swallowed heavily.
"I know."
Except je didn't but he was going to have to believe it. He would be back for them soon anyway. As soon as they got everything figured out. As soon as it was safe.
With a final wave, Hagrid left. Just like that. And Sirius felt empty. This was wrong. This was wrong. This was wrong.
This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to be sending Harry and Rylli away. James and Lily should not have died. But he had and they had. Because they had been found out.
His thoughts swirled around his head, everything slowly coming together. Things were starting to make sense.
He knew exactly what had happened. It was the only way that Voldemort could have found out. Because there was no other way. The Fidelius Charm was that good. It was that good. Dumbledore cast it so it was even better.
Peter. Where was Peter? He had to find him. Was he okay? What had happened to him for Voldemort to get what he wanted?
His eyes caught movement at the end of the street. He looked up only to lock eyes with none other than Peter himself. Had he been there this whole time?
Wait.
Peter was here?
He took off running towards his friend, needing to understand what was going on. Unfortunately, Peter started running as well.
"Peter!" He called, more of a gasp really - he had done too much running tonight. "Peter!"
The man didn't turn around but Sirius knew he had heard him. There was no way he hadn't heard him. He wasn't deaf. In fact, next to Remus je had the best hearing. They had tested it once. Sirius was still sore about it, having come on last. Damn prey animals. And damn magically enhanced senses in werewolves on top of wolf senses. It just didn't seem fair.
They were running and running and running. Why was Peter running? What was he scared of? He was alive! Which meant that he was okay. Right? Right? Though Sirius didn't know how any of them were going to ever be okay again.
Finally, Peter came to a stop and turned around. Why? Sirius didn't know. It wasn't a dead end or anything. Nor had Sirius stopped him. Maybe h3 decoded to actually face him? But that would require him to be a man, something Peter Pettigrew certainly was not. That much was apparent now.
Sirius narrowed his eyes and almost did a double take at the crazed look on Peter's face. He looked desperate. A bit crazy. Like he would do anything. For the first time, Sirius actually felt a bit afraid.
Something. He had to do something. Anything. He needed a way out of this. A way to make him not look guilty.
He looked around and saw that they had managed to gather quite the crowd. All muggles, of course. Honestly, couldn't James and Lily have picked somewhere with a bit more witches and wizards?
But he supposed it didn't matter. Not really. All that mattered was that he got out of this.
Sirius looked confused. That suited him just fine. A confused Sirius meant a safer Sirius. Which meant that he could think more. He needed to think. Quickly.
An idea suddenly struck him.