Stacey Jackson - The Elixir of Power

Chapter One: Past and Present

Provo, Utah is a somewhat small place. Well, maybe not, but I only saw the New-York styled buildings that made up the town center. And even then, I don't remember that much of it. I was, after all, only one at the time, and I wasn't there for very long as it was.

It was October 31st. Halloween. My very least favorite holiday of them all. My father, Don Jackson, was at work teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Meridianis, School of Magic, my nanny was ill, and so my mom, Belle Jackson, was taking me to the American Ministry office in New York. We needed to use a specially set Port-key to get there, since I was way too young to apparate there myself. So, there we were, walking into one of the rare alleys of Provo at 5:50 a.m., looking for a broken egg-timer in the cold. Why it had to be that, I've no idea, but my mom found it, and she had me hold it with her.

"Office?" I asked, staring up at her. I'll admit, I was kind of bright for my age. My mom nodded, her dark brown hair glinting slightly into the streetlight.

"That's right, Stace. We're going to mommy's office." She smiled, her hazel eyes full of warmth, and she picked me up. My mom was the secretary to Minister Davidson, a somewhat bright, but still an idiotic man. I still wonder how my mom managed to put up with him.

"Okay, here we go." I felt the tug of what felt like a hook beneath my naval, and we were off in a rush of color and light, my mom holding me tightly.

When we hit the ground, I immediately knew that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. We were in some strange, dark, scary-looking alley. My mom put me down on the cold ground, and stared around, biting her lip. I'll also admit that I also was a pretty good walker, but that's besides the point. My mom took out her wand, and pointed it into the darkness, her hand shaking slightly.

"Who's there?" she called out bravely. I noticed, however, that there was fear in her voice. And then five men in black robes and masks stepped out of the darkness. I felt my mom tense beside me.

The leader of the robed men stepped forward. He pointed his wand at me. "The child," he said in a gruff voice that somehow sounded familiar. "Give us the child."

"What?" My mom stared at the man, clearly shocked at what he'd said. "No. Never. Leave us alone!"

"Not until you give the child to us, or we'll take her," the man said in a threatening tone. He glared at my mom, but I knew that she wouldn't give me up. I still, however, couldn't help but swallow nervously in that gulping way.

"Look," my mom said in a slightly scared voice, "you and the rest of your Death Eaters can just leave. You're not getting my daughter. Ever." My mom stood in front of me, blocking my view of what was going on. I backed away somewhat, breathing hard, and realizing the danger. Death Eaters were not to be trifled with, especially recently, with the increase of attacks on wizards and Muggles, or Non-Magic-People. I started chewing on my lip, shivering, and realizing just what was going to happen.

"Wrong Answer," the man said darkly, his eyes narrowed, and before my mom could do anything, he pointed his wand at her, and said, "Avada Kerdavra!"

My mom spun as the Killing Curse hit her. She didn't scream, but as she made eye-contact with me, she whispered, "I love you." Then she hit the ground, dead.

I stared, wide-eyed and dumb struck. Sure, I was only one-year-old, but I somehow knew that she was dead. My bottom lip puckered up.

"You kill mommy," I whimpered, tears in my eyes. I saw the man step forward.

"She was pathetic," he said menacingly, smirking. "Only beauty, and no brains. There was never any use for her."

"My mommy smart," I said stubbornly, wiping away my tears. "Smarter than you."

The man's eyes hardened. They were dark and menacing. Obviously, I had most definitely made him really mad. "Thank God we'll never have to listen to you ever grow up." He held up his wand again, and pointed it at me, yelling, "Avada Kerdavra!"

What happened next was in slow motion. I saw the green light heading straight for me, and my eyes widened, both in shock and fear. I instinctively crossed my arms in front of my face, and shut my eyes tightly. I waited for the end to come, but, nothing happened.

"What the hell-"

I opened my eyes, looked up, and saw that the jet of green light had stopped in midair a few feet from me. I stared, wide-eyed. "Wow," I whispered, totally awed, and I dropped my arms. Then I looked up at the man, my eyes hard.

"You bad," I said harshly, my eyes now narrowing. "You go bye-bye now." And, with my right hand, I made the jet of green light turn around and hit him instead. He screamed, and dropped like a stone. I felt a sharp pain on my right arm. I looked, and saw a cut, in the shape of a lightning bolt. I glanced back at the Death Eaters, and they were picking up their fallen comrade.

"This isn't over," one of them said harshly to me. And then they disapparated.

I was suddenly exhausted. I stumbled backwards, and sat down hard, leaning against the damp wall. I stared at the cut on my arm, just as some people I knew worked for the Ministry apparated into the alley. One of them, a man, came forward, and felt my mom's pulse.

"She's dead," he said, his shoulders slumping slightly. The only woman gasped and stepped backwards.

"Not Belle. But how...?"

"They use Killing Curse," I finally said darkly from my dark corner. The woman saw me, and ran forward. She dropped down and hugged me tightly. Then she sat back, and looked at me, breathing hard.

"Oh, Stacey, they didn't get you. What happened?" Her eyes searched my tear-stained ones.

"Death Eaters wanted me," I said in a horse voice. I swallowed before continuing. "Mommy wouldn't let them take me, so the really bad man used Killing Curse and killed her."

"Oh my God," the woman whispered, her eyes wide in shock. "And you saw all this?"

I nodded sadly. "Then he try to kill me. But he couldn't. I stopped it somehow, and killed him with it instead. Then I got this." I showed her the cut on my right arm. "The others grabbed dead man, and one says, ÔThis isn't over.' Then they disapparated."

The man who'd said my mom was dead looked at me quizzically. "Are you sure that that's what happened?"

I nodded. "I no lie," I said, ready to be as stubborn as necessary.

"Well," one of the others said, "it does seem as though she was killed by the Killing Curse, but the other part seems kinda unbelievable."

"I no lie," I said loudly leaning forward and standing up. "Mommy said, ÔNever tell a lie,' so I don't."

"If you insist," the woman said. I knew she didn't believe me, but there was no use in trying any harder. Adults can be so skeptical. So, I sighed, and remained silent, while staring at the ground, tears in my eyes again.

"We'd better clean this up," another wizard said heavily in the silence. The men carefully lifted my mom's body, and then they disapparated. The woman picked me up, and whispered, "I'll take you home, all right?"

I nodded, wiped the new tears from my eyes. She smiled, and reset the egg-timer. Then she took me home.

**********************

It had been thirteen years since that fateful day. I grew up, looking a lot like my mom. I had dark brown hair like hers, hazel eyes like hers, and her kind spirit as well. However, I was really pale like my father. I was very slender, and all the guys said that I was very pretty. I didn't think so. I had really long legs, and a slightly long neck. But, then again, every girl insists that they're ugly when they really aren't. Oh well.

My father raised me alone, since my nannie died of depression two months later, and it was easy to tell that he didn't love me. He just gave me what I wanted or needed just to shut me up. Not the type of love most people have, but at least his attitude kept me from being too spoiled.

I spent most of my time up at Meridianis while my father taught all the students. I kept becoming smarter, thanks to the big library, until it got to the point that the headmistress, Agatha Richards, decided to have me start earlier than most people do. So, I started school when I was seven. My father didn't seem to mind; it did keep me out of the way, after all. And the less of me he saw, the happier he seemed to become. Not that he was a happy person to begin with, but whatever.

While I was there, I learned all the Quidditch positions, and I could play each of them like an expert. So, I was used as a substitute for whichever side lost a player. In fact, one time, both Beaters from one team were knocked out, so I played both positions at once. It wasn't that easy, but I still did help the team I was on win. It was one of the best games I played in.

My favorite game, however, had been when this one girl, Nicole Stevenson, had been knocked out by the opposing team, and I got to be Seeker. It was the most brutal game ever. The other team resorted to cheating because we were doing so well, and it got to the point that I had to help out the Chasers by chasing off the other team. I had just barely gotten a Firebolt, and it was the fastest broom in the whole school. I also had had to help the Beaters get to the Bludgers before the other team did. I have to admit that I can be very intimidating. And so the other Seeker got so scared that he didn't notice the Snitch until I had already caught it.

Even though I was really young, everyone liked me. I was one of those people who can fit into any group. I could gossip as well as anyone in the "in crowd," I was smart enough to get along with the "smart alecks," I was considered a "Quidditch Jock," because of my skills, I was an excellent dancer, so I got along with the "Dancers" group, and I understood the views of the "Gothics" perfectly, so I fit in there. I seemed to have it all. There wasn't a person who hated me, excluding my father, of course.

Well, deep inside, I was pretty depressed. No one believed that I'd murdered a Death Eater without the use of a wand. And they said my scar was a fake, and that I was just a big fan of Harry Potter, the boy who'd survived the attack of Lord Voldemort, the leader of the Death Eaters.

The truth of the matter was that I didn't really care about Harry. As far as I was concerned, it was his mother who saved him. Everyone said that she loved him deeply, and I had read in a book that when someone dies trying to protect someone they really care about, their love becomes a sort of protection that no curse can get past. Pretty obvious, for as far as I was concerned.

But, I never shared my views with anyone. All the students, after all, thought a different mixture of all kinds of different things. The Gothics thought that maybe Harry was actually a Dark Wizard, and that he'd been too powerful for Voldemort to defeat. Of course they always said, "You-Know-Who," or the "Dark Lord," and maybe even "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." I stamped out that idea, however. After all, how could a two-month-old baby possibly be stronger than Voldemort? Honestly, it really makes no sense.

The In-Crowd thought that maybe Lily Potter, Harry's mom, had set up a mirror that Voldemort thought was Harry, and that he'd hit the mirror, and the curse reflected off it and back onto him, and that the tiniest amount had hit Harry on the forehead, causing the scar. But I stamped out that one as well. Honestly, Voldemort could never be that stupid to mistake a mirror for Harry. That's really stupid, when you think about it.

The Quidditch Jocks thought that Harry had some sort of spectacular skill that had enabled him to dodge the curse, exempting the scar on his forehead. I knocked out that one too. How could a fifteen-month-old baby possibly dodge the Killing Curse? It's impossible!

Then I read a report in the "Daily Prophet" by a British reporter named Rita Skeeter when I was fourteen. Hogwarts, one of the more famous schools, was holding a "Triwizard Tournament" and Harry had somehow been entered, even though he was way underage. I instantly suspected double-play. I had noticed an earlier article that said that Mad-Eye Moody, a famous Auror, was taking up the position as the Dark Arts teacher there. It mentioned some sort of break-in. I instantly suspected that Moody wasn't who he seemed to be.

Then, at the end of the year, I read an article by some other British reporter, saying that Voldemort had risen again. Everyone at school was horror-struck; they didn't want to have to live through what their parents did, or what I did. I knew that Harry was somehow involved, and I wanted to find out how. But there wasn't an opportunity. After all, he lived in the United Kingdom with Muggles, and I lived in the United States at a school.

Then, on the night of my graduation...

"Everyone," Headmistress Richards said, "before we begin with the feast and graduating ceremony, Professor Jackson has an anouncement to make."

"Thank-you," my father said, standing up. He cleared his throat, and then said, "I am afraid that I will no longer be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was silence. I stared at my father. What was he talking about?

"I will be taking up the Dark Arts position at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Whispers broke out all over the Great Hall.

"Stacey, did you know about this?" Nicole asked me. I shook my head.

"I had no idea," I replied. I glanced back at my father as the whispering subsided.

"This is due to the fact that the last teacher there was actually an imposter," my father continued. "The man was thought to be the famous Auror, Mad-Eye Moody, but it was, in fact, the son of Bartimus Crouch, known as Barty.

"He was actually a Death Eater, and he had escaped from Azkaban years ago, thanks to his mother. She took his place there, while using a Polyjuice Potion. So, he reunited with no other than the Dark Lord himself-" there was gasps and screams at this. No one had known about this.

"Ahem." My father cleared his throat in that way that meant he was irritated. Everyone quieted down. "He captured the real Moody with the help of another betrayer, and took his place at Hogwarts. There, he had access to Harry Potter, and it was because of him that the Dark Lord rose again. So, the real Moody is not taking any chances with this upcoming year, and Dumbledore himself offered me the job. It will be a chance for my daughter to learn about other witches and wizards in our world. Besides, she is graduating, something that I am very proud of." He smiled at me. I returned it, even though I knew he was lying. The man couldn't care less about how well I did in life, just so long as I did as I was told and I stayed out of his way.

"My dauther will be my assistant there, since she is still very young. I thereby wish you all the best of luck with whoever your new teacher will be next year. Thank you." He sat down among cheers. Sure, my father's a great teacher, but he is so not very easy to get along with.

The graduation ceremony followed a speech from Richards. She called us all up, and named us off as she handed us our diplomas, and said one nice thing about each of us. But when she got to me, it was a little different. She stared at me before speaking.

"It's very impossible to say one nice thing about Stacey, I'm afraid," she finally said. "I admit that I've enjoyed her very much, having known her since her mother died. In fact, I feel like I've almost been a mother to her." I smiled. It was true, after all. "Stacey has contributed to our school in many ways. She brought in her young spirit to us all the moment she first arrived here. She is kind to everyone, and she gets along with everyone here. She plays Quidditch like no one I've ever seen before, she's very smart for her age, and she dances amazingly. I mean, there are those that are, surprisingly enough, more flexible than her, but I swear she has a dancing spirit that no one could ever imitate. She's a counselor to everyone, and seems to understand more than even I do."

I bit my lip, feeling like I was going to cry. Richards smiled.

"I think that she's acheived something amazing in this school. She brought you all together. There isn't one particular group of people anymore. It's everyone as one group. And that's why we've decided here at Meridianis to start a special award, known as the Stacey Jackson Award."

Cheers erupted at this. Richards presented me with a cup like the Quidditch one. This one, however, was gold, with an inscription on it. It said:

For the spirit of friendship she has brought, we, the staff of Meridianis, School of Magic, hereby present the very first friendship award, known as the Stacey Jackson Award, to Stacey herself. May her everlastingly happy spirit keep us all as one people for here after.

I looked up, smiling. "Thank you," I choked out. "This-this is an honor."

Richards smiled. "The trophy is yours to keep. There will be a plaque placed in the Trophy Room at the start of next year, and your name will be the first on it."

"Oh, thank you so much." Richards hugged me. For a moment, she felt like my mom, but then she was my superior again, moving on to the next person.

All in all, it was probably the best graduation ceremony I ever saw, and I've seen a bunch as it is. But even thought it was sad to say good-bye ot my friends, I recognized it as the perfect opportunity to meet Harry Potter and find out the truth about everything. I couldn't wait to get all the juicy details from him personally.

My father and I got ready to head off to London a month later to find a place to stay at during the summer, and to meet with Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts. I went to bed the night before we were going to leave, and I just couldn't wait.

Chapter Two: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black

The next morning, July tenth, I got dressed in Muggle clothing, consisting of blue flare pants, a tight blue shirt that said, "Yeah, Right!" on it, and my favorite blue platform Volatiles. I used my wand to make my short, dark brown hair look permed, and I slipped on my glass-bead power bracelet. I put my contacts on over my hazel-colored eyes, and I put on some make-up to hide my paleness. Then I helped my father load our rental car.

My father and I took a Muggleplane to the London airport, and then we headed out towards where we'd found an ad that said the place had vacant rooms for rent.

We rented a Ministry car, and when we arrived, I noticed that the place seemed very vacated. My father glanced around, and then said, "Stacey, could you bring the luggage in?"

"Sure thing," I said, starting to haul everything out as my father went up to the door. He knocked, and waited. Then a man came to the door.

He really wasn't all that old. He had a young face, and light brown with flecks of gray. His eyes were brown, and they seemed to hold a wisdom I'd never seen before. His face had some pre-mature wrinkles, which I found odd, since I judged him to be in his late thirties.

"Can I help you?" he asked. My father glanced him up and down before speaking.

"My daughter and I found this ad for vacant rooms at this address," he said. The man's eyes widened.

"I'm not sure that now's the best time, but," he paused and thought, "I don't see why not. Come in."

"Thank-you," my father said curtly as I hauled some of the luggage in after him.

"Now, how long do you plan on staying?" the man asked, leading us down a long corridor.

"Just during the summers," my father replied. "I have accepted the position as the Dark Arts teacher up at Hogwarts, and my daughter is my assistant."

The man stared at me. "But, she can't be much older than fifteen."

"I'm turning sixteen in September, and besides, I started early back at Meridianis at age eight and I just barely graduated," I explained as the man led us into one of the largest suites.

"How did that happen?"

"Well, my mom died when I was one, so my father had to raise me at the school. I guess I was just progressing fast enough, and so the headmistress decided to have me start early," I said, dropping my dad's luggage at the foot of his bed.

"Really," the man said, looking thoughtful. "Well, would you like some help getting your things in?"

"Certainly," I said. "Thanks."

I left my father to look over the suite, while Remus Lupin, the man, led me back outside to get my stuff.

"So, you're from America?" he asked. I nodded.

"I was born in Provo, Utah." Remus seemed thoughtful for a moment, before asked a very strange question.

"Do you know who Sirius Black is?" I stopped, and stared at him.

"You mean the one guy that everyone says betrayed the Potters, and broke out of Azkaban around two years ago to get revenge or something? Yeah."

"Do you know who Peter Pettigrew is?"

"Uh, he's the one that everyone says died trying to kill Black, and all they find of him was one of his fingers."

"The right index one," Remus said. I nodded.

"Uh, why do you ask?"

"Well, do you believe that Black really did betray Lily and James?"

I thought for a moment. "I dunno," I finally said. "I mean, everyone says he did, but why would someone that's as close to James as he was turn him and his family over to Voldemort? It seems to me that Peter was the wimp. He sounds like someone who'd betray his friend for powers that no one normal possesses. I dunno," I said again, leaning against the car, "that's just what I think, but everyone says that's not true."

"Well, did you know that I was one of James Potter's friends too?"

I looked up. "Really?"

"Yes." Remus sighed. "They were the best friends I ever had. Of course, I did have my doubts once because of what I am, but they always stuck with me."

"What you are?" I asked. "What d'you mean?"

Remus sighed. "I'm a werewolf," he said. I stared, surprised.

"And you own a house the size of a mansion," I said. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I'm not," Remus said, smiling. "James, Peter and Sirius all became illegal Animagi for me. Peter was a rat, James was a deer, and Sirius was a great black dog. We had nicknames for each other. I was Moony, James was Prongs, Peter was Wormtail, and Sirius was Padfoot. We had so many fun times together."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked abruptly. Remus looked at me.

"It's something in your eyes," he finally said. "They remind me so much of Harry's. So, I feel as though I can trust you."

"Wait, you know Harry?" I asked. Remus nodded. "What saved him from the Killing Curse all those years ago?"

"They probably never mentioned it back in America," Remus said, "but it was his mother. She loved him so much that when Voldemort killed her, her love became a protection that Voldemort could not get through."

"I was right," I said. "I'd always thought that, but no one ever believed me. But, Black never betrayed James, did he?"

"Of course not," Remus said. "It was Peter who betrayed him. Sirius was afraid that Voldemort would try to get him if he was the Secret Keeper for the Potters, so he convinced James to change it at the last minute. And then Peter betrayed us all.

"He acted as a pet rat for another wizarding family, known as the Weasleys. They're close friends with Harry, so he spent three years in the same dormitory as Harry before Sirius and I got to him."

"How did this all happen? You'd have to have been a teacher to know all this-"

"I was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at the time," Remus explained. "But, Peter escaped, and went off to find Voldemort."

"So, he's responsible for betraying James, and for bringing Voldemort back?" I asked. Remus nodded.

"Do you believe me?" he asked, his eyes searching mine. I paused, and then I nodded. I'd known it all along, but his word, even though he was a werewolf, was enough to convince me.

Remus smiled, and helped me get my stuff into my room. Then he went to talk to my father about the cost, and my father agreed to it.

As Remus left, I saw a piece of paper drop. He glanced, at me, and I realized that it was meant for me. My father went into his bathroom to wash off, and I went for the paper. I opened it, and read the following:

Stacey-

Tonight, I'd like you to meet me down in the basement at midnight. I have something that I need to show you. Someone important. Please be down there on time.

Remus Lupin

I quickly burned the note, and then I washed up myself. Then I sorted everything out that I'd be needing during the summer, and then I read.

Dinner was at six o'clock. Remus made an excellent dinner, which I very much enjoyed. Then my father got ready for bed, and was asleep by 10:30. I sat around reading until it was five to midnight. Then I slipped out of the suite, and I went down the stairs into the basement. I opened the door, and stepped in. It was really dark. I shut the door, and stared around, waiting for my eyes to adjust. Then I heard a voice.

"Who's there?" The voice was calm, but I held an instinct in it; this man was protective of those he cared about.

"I'm, uh, Stacey Jackson," I finally said. "Remus said I should be down here at midnight to meet someone."

"You're the one who believes I'm innocent?" I then realized that this man was Sirius Black. I was in the presence of a man whom everyone believed to be a murderer.

"Yes," I said. That's when a dim light flicked on. Remus was standing at another door that led to the basement. And that's when I first saw the real Sirius Black.

In the Daily Prophet here in the UK, the pictures of Black were of a man who was pale, bony and gaunt like a vampire, with a tangled mess of long, black, unshaven hair. The real Sirius, however, had darker skin like a man who spent his days outdoors, his hair was cut short and shaven like a man in his late thirties, and he was muscular. His once gaunt eyes now held love and hope. If he hadn't been so much older than me, I'd would've been attracted to him.

"Would you like to hear the real story of what happened all those years ago?" Sirius asked. I nodded, and sat down in a chair.

I'd been tired before I'd arrived, but as Black started, sleep and tiredness were plain-out forgotten. Sirius sighed, and then he began to tell me everything.

"It was September first, fourteen years ago, when Dumbledore received from a spy the information that Voldemort was after Lily, James, and Harry Potter. So, he decided that the best way to hide them from him was to have a Secret Keeper. Naturally, James wanted me to do be it. We'd been friends forever; I was the one he confided his feelings in Lily to, I was the best man at his marriage to Lily, I was named Harry's Godfather. James trusted me like a brother, and we practically were brothers. The only problem with me being Secret Keeper was that it was likely that Voldemort would try to get the information from me. Dumbledore thought at the time that maybe I was the spy for Voldemort, but that was impossible. I was too tight with James to ever want anything to do with Voldemort, but I didn't want to take any chances, so I convinced James to switch to Peter Pettigrew at the last moment. Little did I know that that was a mistake.

"'James, it's too dangerous for me to do it.' I'd tried very hard to change James' mind, but I wasn't doing too good.

"'But it's already been arranged,' James insisted. 'I know what Albus has said, but it's not going to happen.'

"'How do you know that for a fact?' I asked. 'Voldemort could easily get the information from me by using the Imperious Curse.'

"'But you're too strong,' James said unhappily. 'He could never do that to you, and you know it.'

"'I do, but-'

"'It's settled then,' James said. 'You're my Secret Keeper.'

"I'd had enough of trying to explain. This would have to be a fight.

"'James,' I said sharply, causing him to look up, surprised. 'We both know that I'm pretty strong, but Voldemort is still stronger. Not even I could stand up to him. Besides, I'd be his first target. Peter is better for the job. Voldemort would never go after him.'

"'But-'

"'No James. I'm putting my foot down. It's too dangerous for me to do it, and you know it. It'll have to be Peter.'

"James sighed. 'It's never any use arguing with you,' he finally said, giving me a small, sad smile. 'You're always right.'

"I laughed. 'Not always. I just try my best.'

"So, on Halloween, we had it performed on Peter. I thought James, Lily and Harry were finally safe. Little did I know that I was wrong.

"It was midnight, and I knew something was terribly wrong. I took my flying motorcycle over to where Peter was in hiding.

"'Peter?' I called, stepping into his hiding place. There was no answer, and no sign of a struggle. But I felt as though someone purely evil had been in that place.

"'Voldemort,' I murmured, realizing that I'd made a terrible mistake. I left, got back on my bike, and went to Grodic's Hallow, where the Potters lived. The front door had been blown off its hinges, and the house was abnormally quiet.

"'James?' I called, stepping in and expecting the worst. I really couldn't see, so I lit my wand, and then I saw James, lying on the floor, his wand in his hand. He'd died fighting.

"'Oh my God,' I gasped. I knelt down besides him. 'Oh, no, Prongs. How could I have been so stupid?' I started crying.

"But then, I heard wailing from the nursery upstairs, like a baby. I looked up as I wiped the tears from my eyes. And then I knew who it was.

"'Harry,' I whispered. 'He's still alive.' I ran up the stairs into the nursery, and then I saw Lily.

"She was lying, eagle-spread on the ground, her bright green eyes wide open in horror, her wild red hair spread out around her. And then I saw a blanket moving. It was Harry.

"'Harry!' I exclaimed, rushing over to the blanket and lifting it. There lay Harry, bawling his head off. I wrapped him in the blanket, and lifted him up. He stopped crying when he recognized me.

"'Hey there,' I whispered to him. 'It's your Not-So-Serious Godfather. You're going to live with me now.'

"I saw a scar, shaped like a lightning bolt on the right side of Harry's forehead. 'Oh my God, Harry. Voldemort must've done that. But, where is he?' I glanced around the room, but Voldemort was nowhere in sight.

"'Momma,' Harry said, pointing at Lily's dead body. I felt tears spring to my eyes again.

"'Momma's sleeping, Harry,' I said sadly, 'but never mind that. You're going to be with me now.'

"'Sorry, Sirius, bu' that can't happen,' came a gruff voice from behind me. I spun around, one arm protecting Harry, the other tight on my wand. But then I relaxed. It was just Rubeus Hagrid, the Groundskeeper at Hogwarts. He just barely managed to fit into the room, like as usual when he was indoors.

"'Hello, Hagrid,' I said. 'What are you talking about?'

"'Dumbledore says that ÔArry's gotta live with his aunt and uncle,' Hagrid said sadly. My eyes widened.

"'But, I'm his Godfather,' I said, shocked. 'He can't do this.'

"'Sorry, bu' that's Dumbledore's orders,' Hagrid said, moving forward to take Harry. But I wasn't going to give up. Not yet.

"'Hagrid, James said that should anything happen to him, that I was to take Harry instead,' I protested. 'And Harry's aunt and uncle are Muggles. He can't grow up with them. It will be torture.'

"'That ain't for me ter decide,' Hagrid said gruffly. 'Dumbledore's orders. I gotta take him.'

"I backed away slightly. I couldn't believe it. Dumbledore didn't trust me. I realized that we never told him that Peter and I had switched. I shook my head, defeated. If I wanted Harry back, I'd have to prove myself. But in the meantime...

"'All right,' I finally said. I looked down at the peaceful little child in my arms. He looked so much like James, but he had Lily's green eyes. 'Good-bye, Harry,' I murmured, before finally handing him over to Hagrid.

"'You can use my motorcycle,' I said gruffly to Hagrid. 'I won't be needing it anymore.' Hagrid stared curiously at me, before finally nodding.

"'I'm sorry, Sirius,' he said. 'Maybe you'll see Ôim again.' And then, he left. I was alone. I listened as Hagrid started up the motorcycle, and then he left with Harry. I slumped against the wall.

"'Good-bye,' I whispered, staring out the window as my motorcycle shrank into the distance. I turned back to Lily. I couldn't stand the sight of her lying on the floor like that, so I knelt down, and passed my hand over Lily's eyes, closing them for the last time. Then I lifted her up, and gave her a small hug. Then, I left the room, and went back downstairs to where James was.

"I lifted him up, and hugged him for the last time, my tears flowing freely.

"'Good-bye, Prongs,' I said.

Sirius paused, and I wiped tears from my eyes. I'd never realized just how horrible that night had been. Not that the morning of it had been good for me either.

"After that," Sirius said, "I went out find Peter, the traitor. But when I found him, there was tons of Muggles. Nevertheless, we dueled. Peter had always been a wimp, but he fought me bravely. Then he yelled, ÔSirius, how could you have betrayed James?!' and then he blew apart the street, turning into his Animagus form of a rat, and he took off into the sewers, leaving his right index finger.

"I was arrested, and put into Azkaban. But I knew I was innocent, and that wasn't a happy thought, so it kept me sane while I was there. I knew that Voldemort was still out there, as was Peter, the Ôdouble-crosser,' as the Death Eaters that were imprisoned called him. They all went insane, but I didn't. If you'd given me a wand, I easily could've blasted my way out. Then I found out that Peter was still alive.

"It was two summers ago when Minister Fudge came to visit Azkaban. He had a copy of the Daily Prophet, and so I asked if I borrow it. He seemed surprised, but willingly obliged. That's when I saw an article of a prize-winning family, the Weasleys. They were spending some of the Galleons they'd won to go visit one of the elder brothers in Egypt, while using the rest for whatever was needed. Then I noticed the youngest boy in the family, Ron Weasley. He had a rat on his shoulder, obviously his pet, and I noticed that it looked familiar. Then I spotted the missing toe on the right front leg. It was Peter.

"The article said that Ron was attending Hogwarts, and I realized that that was where Peter was. So, when I found the right moment, I transformed into my dog form, and I escaped, and swam to shore. Then I went to find Harry. He was running away from the Dursleys, because he'd accidentally blown up his uncle's sister, who had been insulting his parents. I'd scared him, being in my dog form, and the Knight Bus almost ran him over. Realizing that I could've gotten him killed, I decided to head up to Hogwarts.

"Then Hogwarts had its first Quidditch game of the season, Griffindor verses Hufflepuff, two of the Houses," Sirius explained at my confused look. "It was a stormy day, and Harry was doing very well. But then he saw me in the stands. I think I scared him. Then, hundreds of Dementors came onto the field. All the emotions and energy... It was like a feast to them.

"They had a terrible effect on Harry, and he fell off his broom, which shattered against the school's Whomping Willow. So, I bought him a Firebolt, and sent it to him for Christmas. And, by the end of the year, I'd found out where Peter was. So, when Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione Granger went out to visit Hagrid, I saw my chance. Peter had pretended to be eaten by Hermione's cat Crookshanks, a close corespondent of mine at the time, and so they found Peter, or Scabbers, as he was known at the time, and then they had to leave, because Hagrid's Hippogriff, Buckbeak, was to be sentenced to death for attacking a student, who'd insulted him.

"Well, Peter escaped from Ron, and I saw my chance. So, I changed into my dog form, and went after him, along with Crookshanks, Harry, Hermione and Ron. Ron grabbed Peter, and so I grabbed him by the leg, and took him into a secret entrance under the Whomping Willow. Ron tried to fight me, and ended up breaking his leg. Harry and Hermione quickly followed. Then they found us, along with Remus, and another teacher I'm not very found of: Severus Snape.

"Severus had been our enemy since we'd all been at Hogwarts, and things hadn't improved since then. So, Harry, Ron and Hermione knocked him out, and they learned the truth about Remus, Peter and myself. But Peter, after he was transformed back into his human body, managed to escape. Remus hadn't taken his potion to protect him from becoming a dangerous werewolf, and there was a full moon that night. So, he became a savage beast. I turned into a dog and followed him, but he ran into the woods. Then Harry let me know that Peter had escaped, and so I went after him. But I ran into the Dementors. Ron had been knocked out, and Harry and Hermione came after me. But Hermione couldn't stand the power of them, and she fainted. Harry tried to fight them, but he almost lost. Then someone, I'm not sure who, but someone saved us all from the Dementors. Harry, Ron and Hermione were taken to the Hospital Wing, and I was locked into the Charms classroom.

"I thought all was lost, but then Harry and Hermione showed up on Buckbeak, and helped me to escape. I've been running from the Ministry and the Muggle police since.

"But last year, I had to come back, because Harry was in danger. His scar and Voldemort are somehow connected, and it was proof that Voldemort was going to rise again. Then, Harry was kidnapped, and you know what happened. It was all Peter's doing. So, since then, I've been letting those who would believe that Voldemort has risen again with help from Remus, and I've been lying low here."

Sirius sighed. "That's it," he said. I stared, and then I yawned.

"I'm sure that you'd like to get some sleep now," Remus said in the silence.

"Yeah, sure," I said. So, I bade them good-night, and I finally went to bed, despite the fact that my mind was buzzing with this new information. I was the only American who knew the truth, and it somehow wasn't very comforting.