Friday, August 21st, 1981
Chapter One: Friday, August 21st, 1981
Footsteps echoed through the late august air. It was a dark evening, the type of darkness that felt oppressive, as though it was stealing the light from the air and crushing it. The weight of it blended with the humidity in the air and Sirius could not help but think that it seemed almost alive.
He shook the thought from his head and continued his walk up the abandoned alleyway, instinct guiding him toward the portkey. He had been dreading this meeting but he knew it was inevitable. Owls could not be trusted during wartime, and Dumbledore was the head of the war effort, minister of magic be damned.
His last mission to protect a muggle neighborhood had been considered a success, why he did not understand. There had been no attempts to attack it from the death eaters and his wards had never even been tested. It was a distraction and he knew it. Remus was out trying to convince other werewolves that Voldemort was not to be trusted, James was in hiding, and even Peter had an important role as Dumbledore’s messenger.
The Black name had preceded him everywhere he went, but he assumed his reputation as the disowned son was well established. Still, the order did not trust him. It felt as though they were just waiting for him to show his true self. He knew he was a target, that was why he had removed himself as secret keeper for James and Lily, but he still did not enjoy the complacency. He hadn’t seen combat in a year.
A quick spell to identify magic shot down the alleyway, settling on a worn shoe that was sitting in a puddle that did not smell like water. It wasn’t scheduled to leave for another thirty seconds so he took his time meandering toward it. To any muggle looking on, he was just another drunk looking for a place to lay down till morning. His finger had barely touched the shoe, presumably to move it, when he felt a tug at his navel and felt himself being pulled through space.
His feet hit the ground hard in an unfamiliar forest. Dumbledore stood tall before him, waiting for him to get his bearings. He knew better than to ask where he was. It was better not to know the location of these meetings if he wanted to continue having them. While it was a long shot, he was still holding out hope that Dumbledore had summoned him because he had a new assignment.
“It’s a nice evening isn’t it?” Dumbledore said calmly. It was the first half of a code word, although it was unlikely that Sirius was someone else it was better to be safe. They had instituted these phrases in the first month of the war.
“Smells like rain.” Sirius finished.
“How have you enjoyed your time in the village?” Sirius scoffed and shook his head, he knew that Dumbledore was already fully aware of how he felt about his ‘mission’.
“Why have you called me here tonight Professor?”
“I have received some new information that you need to be aware of.” Sirius felt his heart stop. Dumbledore did not share information needlessly. “It's about Remus. As I am sure you are aware, he has been on assignment to attempt to persuade other werewolves to join our cause. He was supposed to report back yesterday but missed his check-in.”
“Ha-have you attempted to find him?” Sirius felt his hands shaking as though they were someone else’s. Remus could not be gone and he would never miss a checkpoint unless something stopped him.
“We have received intel that he may have joined the death eaters.”
“No.”
“Sirius-”
“No. Remus would never betray us there is another explanation.”
“Sirius you can hardly blame him. Voldemort is promising everything to those who join him and Remus has hardly been given fair treatment by the ministry.”
“Remus would never betray us, especially to Voldemort. Voldemort recruited Greyback, the one who turned him in the first place. Remus would never.”
“Sirius we have suspected a mole for a long time, you know this. There were too many missions that were expected. Too many deaths. It lines up with Remus perfectly. We believe that he has been working for Voldemort for at least a year now.” Sirius couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. He refused to believe what Dumbledore was telling him. It couldn’t be true.
“Is that it then?” One. Two. Three. Sirius counted his breaths, forcing himself to remain still. Remain calm. It was a skill that he had been forced to develop in his Mother’s house and it was serving him well now. Never reveal the depth of your rage. Keep it in. Survive.
“Yes, Sirius. That was why I called you here today. I know that he is your friend and you need to be aware of the situation if we are going to prevent more lives from being lost. I want you to inform James and Lily as well.” He fought to keep the look of disgust from his face.
“What about Peter then? He knows more than any of us, should I inform him as well?”
“No, he is already aware.” That made sense at least, Peter rarely left Dumbledore’s side nowadays. He was not a strong enough dueler to go out on missions but his stealth served his role as Dumbledore’s messenger well. Of course, he already knew and was likely warned against telling anyone else.
“I will be off then.” Dumbledore shook his head slowly, aware of the toll this information was taking on Sirius.
“Sirius, you know we need to be careful now more than ever.”
“I assume it is safe to apparate from here?” Sirius wasn’t listening anymore. All he knew was that he needed to leave before he did something stupid.
“Yes.”
Sirius did not hesitate at those worse and with a turn of his heel, he was gone. A moment later he was standing on the footstep of a little house in Godric’s Hollow, banging on the door as tears streamed down his face. He did not bother to wipe them away.
Pounding echoed through the house nearly shaking the front door from its hinges and sending a current of fear through the usually quiet home. James reached for his wand instinctively before he heard Sirius’ voice calling through the door.
“It’s me James I know it’s late but I need you to let me in.” James could hear the sobs through the door and the shake of his best friend’s voice and opened the door quickly, ushering him in. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked behind him to see Lily standing there, wand also in hand and concern written all over her face. She had never seen Sirius cry before, but James had. It only worried him more.
“Sirius, mate, what happened?” He got no answer as Sirius simply collapsed into him, sobs shaking his body. Lily closed the door and restored the wards before rushing off to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for until she saw the bottle of Firewhiskey that James thought he had hidden from her. As if she hadn’t been stealing glasses of it while James was putting Harry down for bed.
She walked back into the living room to discover a sight that disturbed her to her core. Sirius was unbreakable, he had survived so much that it would take something severe to result in this. James had managed to get him up onto the couch but he simply lay there with his head in James’ lap crying. She knew better than to try to get him to calm and she saw in James’ eyes that he felt the same. Sirius needed to let out whatever emotion he had kept inside him until now.
It took an hour for the tears to stop flowing down his face and for Sirius to realize where he was. He had intended to go home and pull himself together before relaying this information to James and Lily but found himself seeking them out immediately instead. They were home to him. In any other company, he would have felt embarrassed for his display, but James had taken him in the sixth year when his mother had beat him to within an inch of his life and disowned him.
He had been in a worse state then and there was no room left for embarrassment. Lily had never witnessed this before, but he knew that she would not judge him for it. She was wonderful that way. He felt warmth swell in his chest as he noticed her sitting on the floor in front of him with a bottle of firewhiskey extended toward him.
“Drink up, mate. You need it.” He let out a short laugh before taking the bottle and gulping down a long drink. The burn was a welcome distraction from the conversation he had had with Dumbledore.
“So, you gonna tell us what happened?” James asked. Sirius slowly nodded his head as he sat up, making room for Lily on the couch. She just shrugged and mentioned that she preferred to sit on the floor so James tossed her a couch cushion to sit on.
“Where is Harry? How is he not awake?” Sirius was suddenly gripped with the realization that he had been incredibly loud and that Harry was only one year old. His confusion only grew as Lily started laughing in response.
“You think we haven’t been putting a silencing charm on that room every night? We can hear Harry, he absolutely cannot hear us.” James said, also laughing. Sirius was once again overwhelmed with gratitude for them. They did not mention his tears or pressure him, they knew he would tell them what had happened once he was ready.
“I met with Dumbledore tonight.” The Potters stilled at this, their eyes darting to each other as they pondered who they loved had died. Who they had lost this time. “It’s Remus.” Lily let out a choked sob as her eyes widened in shock. She shook her head as if she could change what he had said.
“He’s not dead, at least I don’t think he is, I’m so sorry I said it that way.” Sirius hurried to clarify, “Dumbledore believes he has turned on us. Says he turned on us a year ago. He believes that Remus has been the mole this entire time.” He let out a small yelp of shock as James lept from the couch in anger.
“No!” He shouted, “No. Remus would never betray us. He is wrong. He is wrong and people will die because he is wrong.” His hands were shaking with rage and Lily was not far behind him in her outrage. Lily was even closer to Remus than he and James. She looked ready to kill someone for daring to suggest such a betrayal.
“I know. We all know it’s not Remus, but Dumbledore said all the evidence points to him and he missed his last report.” The room stilled as they took in the information. “Someone is framing our friend and they have convinced even Dumbledore.”
Silence grew for several minutes in the wake of his declaration. James slowly sat back down on the couch, and Lily moved to join them. Sirius quietly passed her the bottle of firewhiskey and she took a long drink before handing it to James. Nobody spoke for at least ten minutes before James finally worked up the courage to break the silence.
“What does this mean?”
“It means you are not safe here. Harry is not safe here.” At Sirius’ words, Lily’s eyes darted to the stairs. He could tell she was itching to go to his room and check that he was still there. That he was still safe. They had been in hiding with him since Dumbledore had told them about Voldemort’s desire to kill Harry. Dumbledore had moved them to this safe house and placed the Fidelius charm on the home.
“You believe Dumbledore has been compromised,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t believe he has joined Voldemort, but I do believe we cannot trust him to be the sole provider of our safety. Either he is all too willing to believe the werewolf has left us to die, or he knows Remus is innocent and is willing to sacrifice him to find the mole. I cannot accept either situation.”
“So what do you suggest?” James said. “Should we go find him ourselves?”
“No, James you know that you and Lily need to stay with Harry. I have a plan but it will take several months to finish. I don’t want to get your hopes up. Dumbledore said Peter already knows of the situation so he will be placing more wards on the home. You should ward Harry’s room specifically as well. Never go anywhere in the house without your wand.”
“Okay,” Lily said. “Okay. I trust you, Sirius. Just please let us know what you are planning as soon as possible. You just dropped a bomb on us and I need to make sure my son is safe.”
“I know. I am so sorry Lily. I will work as quickly as possible and I will come back on Sunday to give you an update. I should have enough worked out by then to have a concrete plan for you both.” She nodded at his words before slumping back on the couch.
Siris did not fully know what his plan was but he knew he needed one. He needed there to be a place where James and Lily were safe. He just did not know where that could be. Or how to ensure it stayed that way. For the first time, he found himself grateful for the sleepy village he had been assigned to as he knew that he would have the time necessary to find a solution and protect the people he loved more than anyone.
Sirius gave his goodbyes quickly, the urgency of the situation finally reaching them all, and hurried out the door. James stared at the door for several long minutes before reaching for his wand to join Lily in casting the wards Sirius had suggested. He was not surprised to see she had already cast several more he had not thought to include. A mouse would not be able to move in the house without her knowing of it.
Once the wards were firmly in place, Lily walked up the stairs determined to see her son and know he was still there. James quickly cleaned the living room with a spell and hurried up the stairs in her wake. They both needed to feel close to their family. They needed to know they were together.
All it took was one look for James to realize Lily would not be coming to bed tonight. She had crawled into Harry’s crib and pulled him into her and James knew she would not be moved until morning. He felt a small smile stretch across his face as he took them in, and settled himself into the rocking chair. It would take Merlin himself to remove James from his family tonight.