The green light that had filled the street in Godric's Hollows faded and the night became dark and silent. Not the kind of silence there would be when everyone had gone to bed. No, it was the kind of silence that followed a storm, where the wind was still blowing and light rain falling. No more yelling. No more crying. Just the nature trying to wash away the horrors that had happened less than a few minutes ago, which everyone would still remember years from now.
The deathly silence was broken by the sound of a motorcycle, crossing the dark sky for full speed. The rush and wind blew back his dark hair and his face feel funny, almost numb from the pressure and cold rain. It was a good thing that he had actually stopped to put the goggles back on, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to see anything at this point, but even if that had been the case, he wouldn't have cared. All he cared about was getting to the Hollows as quickly as possible. He had to hurry because he knew that something was wrong. His best friend was in danger.
Sirius didn't want to believe that Peter had betrayed their friends, but… He had felt it in his guts the moment he realized that Peter's hiding spot was empty. And now his heart was beating almost as fast as he was flying, to get there before it was too late. He had to warn them. Maybe they still had a chance to escape if he made it in time?
The tires repeatedly hit the asphalt with loud thuds, as he continued down the street, due to the speed, while the brakes screeched loudly. Sirius jumped off the bike before it was even holding still and ripped off the goggles, while sprinting back down the street to the house.
"James!" he cried out at the top of his lungs. He was almost there. Almost... The water from the puddles splashed up around him, soaking his shoes and trouser legs. The moment he reached the gate to the front yard, he felt like his heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. No, he felt like his blood froze and everything else just broke… And he just stood there, staring as if he had been hit by a stupefy spell.
The house… The home he had visited just a few days ago… There was practically nothing but ruins left. All the windows were broken, the walls were cracked and the roof was halfway collapsed… No… He was too late… No, no, no! He couldn't be! Sirius didn't care that the house was about to collapse. He ran through the gate and the broken down door, because a part of him, a very small part of him, had a feeling that there might still be a chance. He didn't know where it came from though, but if there was one thing Sirius Black had learned through the years, it was to trust your instincts. However, every last bit of hope that had manifested in his chest was shattered into pieces, by the sight that met him in the hall; there, on the floor, between broken glass from a vase and other broken things, laid James.
There were no open wounds or even bruises anywhere to be seen. His eyes were open wide and glasses crooked, but other than that, nothing.
Knowing exactly what had happened to his best friend, Sirius fell down on his knees, in defeat. He slowly placed a shaking hand on James' chest. He felt nothing. The rhythmic beating, that was supposed to be there, beneath his palm was gone. James' heart had stopped, and James… James was gone. The boy who'd given him a home, showed him nothing but kindness and love… was gone. This was nothing but an empty vessel, that used to contain the soul, the spirit, the laughter of his best friend. It was all gone now.
And it was all Sirius fault. He knew that he through the years had been more reckless than necessary. He knew that he had gotten them into trouble, with his fun ideas, a few times too many. He never had fear of the consequences, because he knew that it wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle… But this time… this time he had really tried to make a rational decision… He had tried to do what he thought was the best thing to do... He should have agreed to be the Secret-Keeper. He would have died, but at least James, Lily and Harry would have been safe.
He should have known that Wormtail was too much of a coward to handle the task. As angry as he was with himself for his fatal mistake, the hatred for Peter Pettigrew was growing inside him rapidly. That little rat. He would pay for this! Sirius would make sure of that. He would find that little worm, confront him with his actions, and make him feel the same pain Sirius was feeling right now:
The Potters had been like a family to him. James' parents had practically taken him in, and treated him like their own son… James had been like a brother to him, and Lily… Lily had accepted him right from the start. She had somehow convinced him that he was good, and he could do good things, even though he kept screwing up.
She had put her trust in him, even when it came to her child. She had trusted him enough to ask him to be Harry's godfather. It had been one of the happiest moments in Sirius' life, and Harry had been smiling at him, almost as if the boy had understood what was going on.
Harry… Oh, poor, little Harry. He had just turned 1 year old. Sirius had been supposed to spoil him with gifts, teach him all the tricks, pranks and cheats he knew of, and just watch him grow up... He could see the boy before him. The wide smile and green eyes. He had lost count of the number of times he would turn into his animagus form, just to make the boy laugh. Harry had loved it, especially when James took his animagus form as well. The laughter from that boy could lighten up the house, even on the darkest days.
He would never hear that laughter again all because of a bloody prophecy... This couldn't be real. It had to be a nightmare. But he knew that it wasn't. The pain was too real.
Tears dropped from his eyes down on the floor beside James' body. He clenched his fist around the fabric of James shirt, turning to the roof and screamed out his pain and grief, like a werewolf howling at the moon. He bowed his head again, eyes closed when his chest started to hurt from the lack of air, gasping and sobbing.
But then he heard it: a small cry, almost as a response to his own. Sirius held his breath and slowly lifted his head, to look at the staircase. The cries continued, and he soon realized that they were coming from a child.
He kept listening, for a moment, until something in his head finally kicked in, making him stumble back onto his feet, and run up the stairs. It couldn't be, could it? Voldemort had killed him along with his parents. At least that was what his head kept telling him, as he followed the helpless sound. He almost felt like it was calling for him, or just somebody to help.
The cries led him to the nursery, and once again, Sirius was stunned by the sight that met him: The room was a mess, like the rest of the house, but he didn't give that matter a single thought, because there on the floor, laid Lily, eyes open wide and not a single mark on her body. Just like James. She was just lying there on her stomach, in front of the cot.
Only a few feet from her, was another body, sitting up against the wall. It looked like a man, or rather a cloaked skeleton. The blood-red eyes were still open, and it almost seemed like they were staring at the cot.
As much as the sight of the dark lord's corpse, sitting there shocked him, and how difficult it was for him to grasp the fact that Voldemort somehow was dead, it also made his blood boil. He didn't care that the son of a bitch was dead. He wanted to beat the bloody hell out of him. No magic, no killing or torturing spells. Just Sirius' fists hitting the snakelike face, watching the blood run down the bone-white, waxy skin, hearing the sound of each bone in the body break under his anger. He didn't care, that Voldemort wouldn't be able to feel it. He just wanted to make him pay, for what he had done: to make him pay for taking James away from him!
He was about to do so, when he realized what the dead eyes were staring at, and he remembered why he had run upstairs in the first place: There in the cot, sat the little boy, still crying, scared and alone, surrounded by darkness.
"Harry," Sirius mumbled, before he crossed the floor, carefully stepping over Lily's body, to get to the cot.
Harry moved his tearful, green eyes away from the scary corpse, and looked up at Sirius. "Pafoo…" the little boy cried, reaching his small hands towards the man.
Sirius instantly picked up the boy, examining him for any signs of damage. He found one: a wound formed like a small lightning bolt on the boy's forehead. It didn't seem too deep, but it would definitely leave a scar. He had never seen or heard of anything like this before.
Harry's small chubby hands grabbed onto Sirius' wet jacket and clung to him, and Sirius made sure to turn so Harry could no longer see the monster that had killed his parents.
How was any of this possible? Voldemort had come here to kill Harry, a child. He had killed two grown wizards, but Harry was still alive. Someone, or something must have gotten in the way... something incredibly strong, but what?
Harry kept crying, and Sirius held him tight. "It's okay, Harry, you're safe. Hush now, I'm here, I'm here, it's okay, I promise you, it's okay…" He kept trying to convince the scared little boy in his arms. And the boy inside him as well.
Harry finally seemed to calm a bit more down, resting his head against Sirius chest where his heart was beating under the skin, as if he realized that he was safe.
"I'm here. You're not alone, I'm here now." Sirius kept repeating as he rocked back and forth, while trying to figure out what he should do. He had managed to calm the boy, but what then? He had to calm his mind, he had to think! But before his head managed to come up with anything, he heard a crack above them.
Sirius looked up and realized to his horror what was about to happen: the roof couldn't hold up much longer. Knowing that it was only a matter of seconds, Sirius grabbed the blanket from the cot, before he sprinted out of the nursery, and down the stairs. He made sure, to hold Harry's head against his chest to prevent him from seeing his father's body.
They had barely made it out of the yard before a loud crash sounded behind them. Sirius didn't stop running, before they were far down the street, to where the motorcycle had stopped. He was gasping for air, and his heart was beating fast as the turned around, to see a cloud of dust roll out on the street, and get blown off by the wind. That was close. He hadn't even had time to look for the cat… Well, the creature was pretty smart. He had probably gotten out.
Harry had started whimpering again, but at least the boy was safe… he had lost his home, and his parents, but he was safe… Sirus wrapped the blanket tight around the boy, to shield him from the cold wind that was blowing around them. But what now? Sirius had promised James and Lily to take care of Harry if anything happened to them… and he was willing to do so. He would give up everything he was right here and now, to make sure that Harry would want for nothing.
But doubt was creeping under his skin. Would it be enough? Was he really the right choice for this? His own upbringing hadn't exactly been pleasurable, and he for sure hadn't learned anything about good parenting from his own mother or father… But it wasn't really like the poor boy had anyone else. Everyone in James family was gone. Lily did have a muggle-sister, but as far as Sirius was concerned, they hadn't spoken in years, and according to James, she had never accepted the fact that her sister was a witch. James and Lily wouldn't have wanted Harry to grow up with those people...
Sirius looked down at his godson and was met, by a pair of big, green eyes. The eyes were still tearful, but behind them, Sirius saw something that somehow washed away all the doubt that had manifested inside him: Trust.
In spite of Harry's young age, he seemed to know that he could trust the man holding him. That he really was safe right now.
Sirius took a deep breath and gave Harry a smile. James and Lily had wanted Harry to be raised by him. They wouldn't have chosen him to be Harry's guardian, if they hadn't been certain, that Sirius would be able to take proper care of him!
"Come on, Harry," Sirius mumbled and walked towards the motorcycle. "Let's go home."
The motorcycle took off, flying up towards the clouds, never noticing the half-giant approaching the remaining of the house.