The Road Not Taken

Chapter I: The Fight for Sanity
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Remus Lupin was a quiet man. Yes, he was barely twenty two years old, and most chaps his age lived the wild life. But not Remus. The monster he would become once a month stole that from him. But given the personality Remus had, he didn't care that he lived far away from the noise that littered the city. Away from the prying eyes that would scorn him, fear him and attack him. So, on Halloween night, 1981, he could honestly say he was surprised when a huge black motorbike fell out of the sky and into his front garden. Then, even more surprised, when the person upon that motorbike bypassed all the wards he had around his house and banged loudly on the front door.

Quickly Remus opened the door, his wand in his hand, only to find Sirius Black standing on the porch, and bundle of blue blankets in his arms. "Moony," Sirius breathed, looking behind him like he expected to be attacked any moment. "You've got to let me in."

"What happened?" Remus demanded urgently, stepping back to allow Sirius in, and then closing the door promptly behind him. With a quick wave of his wand the lights in the hall jumped to life, casting a yellow hue over Sirius' already pasty, pale face. "What have you... Harry!"

At that moment the black haired infant boy's head had poked out from the protection of the blanket, still covered in now dried blood. His green eyes lit up as he recognized Remus and he grinned. "Moon-e!" he said, reaching his arms out. Remus turned his attention to Sirius. "What happened?" he repeated. "Where are James and..." Realization dawned on his face and he swallowed hard. "What happened?" he demanded for a third time.

Sirius crossed the hall and sat heavily in an arm chair, Harry sitting on his lap and blinking around interestedly. Sirius swallowed audibly. "They're dead. Both of them." He paused a moment, as if the words physically pained him to speak. "Voldemort."

"But how? I thought..." Remus' mind was working very quickly and suddenly he had the urge to punch Sirius. Or worse. "YOU! You were their secret keeper!"

Sirius grabbed Harry to keep him from climbing off his lap and pulled him closer, as if the infant boy was his only link to his sanity. "Remus, wait. Peter. It was... damn it, this is my fault. I suggested this!"

The outburst caused Harry to stir, his eyes opened wide as he stared at his usually softly spoken godfather. His eyes welled with tears. "I'm sorry, Harry, I'm sorry," Sirius said softly, rubbing his hand through Harry's black hair soothingly. "I didn't mean to yell."

Remus was pacing between where Sirius sat and the fireplace, his face a mask of disbelief. "You switched?" he said suddenly, sparing a glace in Sirius' direction. "Without telling me? You thought...?"

Sirius found yet another sob in his throat, but this one was forced down. Barely. "Yes," he croaked out. "I'm sorry. You'll never know how much."

Remus sat in the chair opposite Sirius and buried his face in his hands. Sirius sat quietly, trying to rock Harry to sleep. The blood on the child's face, though, where was that coming from? His thoughts were interrupted by a hand suddenly covering his lower arm. "I'm sorry, too," Remus said quietly. "I thought it was you." There was another pause, in which Sirius nodded his understanding. Then, Remus was on his feet again. "Peter? I would have never... He sold them out? You're sure? Did you check?"

"I-I've had a bad feeling today. Something was just off. So I checked on Peter, but he was gone. No sign of a struggle, nothing. Just gone. And then... then I went to James' and..." His voice trailed off while he attempted to bring his emotions back under control. "Moony, I swear, when I get my hands on him."

"Wait," Remus said suddenly. "Who knows Peter was the secret keeper?"

"Me, James and Lily," Sirius said. The words were no more out of his mouth when all the blood drained from his face. "No one else. No one else on his entire bloody planet knows the truth except-"

"Peter," they finished together. Remus looked grave. "We've got to get to Dumbledore, tell him. Before the Ministry comes looking for you. Damn it, Sirius, unless they find Peter and.... it looks like you did this."

"So much for my bloody brilliant plans," Sirius moaned. His eyes were dark, nothing like the usually bright blue glint of mischief and fun that Remus usually saw there. Sadness, regret and a deep sorrow had been etched into Sirius' soul. But there was no time for grief now.

"How did Harry survive?" Remus suddenly asked, noticing, as if for the first time, that Sirius was holding their best friend’s son. "And where is that blood coming from?"

"I don't know," Sirius replied, turning Harry so he could get a good look. "To either of your questions, actually. I didn't think... the house was... but he started crying. I found him, but he had all this blood on him."

Remus quickly strode across the room and into the bathroom. He emerged a moment later with a wet cloth which he used to wipe the dried blood from Harry's head. As the dirt and blood disappeared, a cut became more and more visible. A cut that wove its way down the centre of Harry's head, just above his eyes, in the shape of a lightening bolt. Sirius and Remus' eyes met, but one was just as lost as the other.

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

"Headmaster."

The door to Professor Dumbledore's private chambers burst open without so much as a knock. A tall man with shoulder length black hair and black billowing robes marched in, uninvited, shocking the two people that sat in chairs in front of the Headmaster of Hogwarts' desk. Unphased, the man strode around the back of the desk to where Dumbledore sat, looking very grave. He yanked up his left sleeve to his robes and showed the Headmaster his arm.

The response was instantaneous.

Dumbledore jumped to his feet. In a move most uncharacteristic of his normal self, he grabbed the man's arm and brought it closer to himself for better inspection. Then, suddenly, he turned his blue eyes to the man. "Severus, can you explain this?"

"He's gone," Severus replied breathlessly, looking just as much, if not more confused, than the Headmaster. "I don't understand it any more than you. But it's true."

"Who's gone?" a witch sitting on the other side of the desk demanded. "What's this about?"

"Voldemort," Dumbledore replied softly, sitting back down in his seat. He steepled his hands together beneath his chin and stared ahead at a seemingly very interesting spot on the wall behind them. "Then the prophecy has come to pass. Hagrid, you say that Harry Potter is indeed alive?"

"Yes sir," the giant replied, leaning forward a bit. "Seem ‘em myself, sir."

"Indeed," Minerva McGonagall, the witch sitting beside him said snappishly. "But in the hands of Sirius Black, for how long?"

Hagrid's face fell in shame, but perked up again just as suddenly. "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius said to tell ya', sir, that he wasn't tha secret keeper."

Dumbledore's blue eyes focused on Hagrid sharply. "He said that?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, I didn't tell ya earlier. But he did say it."

"When you saw him at the Potter's?" Dumbledore pressed, looking very interested in this new information. Hagrid nodded and Dumbledore sat back in his chair, apparently lost in deep thought. McGonagall, Snape and Hagrid all waited patiently. Finally, he leaned forward once more, resting his elbows on his desk. "This presents many a question, I'm afraid. If Sirius Black was the Potter's secret keeper, why is he lying? And if he wasn't, who was?" Dumbledore's eyes were very grave now, not one hint of the sparkling light that usually shone coming through. "Minerva, I would like for you to contact Minister Fudge and tell him the news."

"What news?" McGonagall asked, one hand on her throat and the other gripping the chair handle so hard that the whites of her knuckles were clearly visible.

Professor Dumbledore stood, coming around his desk where he paused. "That Lord Voldemort has gone."

For a split second the Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress looked as if she would question Snape's word, but instead she nodded once and saw herself out. Dumbledore turned at once to Snape. "I'm sure there is a meeting to discuss this event?"

"Indeed," Snape replied, and he, too, left the room in a swishing of black robes.

Only Hagrid remained, and he watched the Headmaster move across the room with half anticipation and half admiration. The wizard came to a stop near a large window that looked out over the grounds and stood completely still for a long moment. Hagrid shifted uncomfortably, but Dumbledore still said nothing. Finally, just when the giant was readying an excuse to leave, Dumbledore turned around. "You say that Sirius took Harry? And said that James and Lily's will named him guardian?"

"Yes, sir," Hagrid replied.

The sun rose up over the forest edge and shone brightly through the window, lighting up the many instruments that lined Dumbledore's office shelves. The Headmaster turned from the view of the sun kissed grounds and picked up a cloak from a coat hanger next to the door. "Come, Hagrid. We must find Pettigrew, Black and Lupin." As he headed out of the door, his voice drifted back to the giant. "Before anyone else does."

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

The moon's sparse rays had disappeared long ago, allowing the sun to rise gently over the horizon and shine down on the two sleeping figures on Remus Lupin's sofa. At any other time, Remus would have been touched by the scene. After all, it was hard to picture Sirius Black, daredevil and prankster extraordinaire, laying on his back, a sleeping baby curled up on his chest. One would have had to see it to believe it, and Remus was seeing it.

Only it wasn't heart warming. On the contrary, it was heart wrenching. Painfully so. The small infant, so innocent in his sleep, was now parentless. His world would begin to change in ways that neither Sirius nor Remus understood, let alone the small child. Remus closed the book in his lap gently, so as to not wake his house guests, and placed it back on the shelf. He stared at the title of peeling letters along the spine, Curse Scars and How to Recognize Them and felt a shuddering breath leave his lungs. Whatever had happened when Voldemort had turned his wand on Harry, had not only not killed the child (which was a miracle in itself) but had left only a small, lightning bolt shaped scar on his brow. A scar, which if the book were to be believed, would remain with Harry for the rest of his life.

And what had become of Voldemort? Remus had no more thought the question, when a tapping sounded through the house. Quickly he got to his feet and went to the kitchen door to let the delivery owl through with the newspaper. He deposited the knuts in a small leather pouch attached to the owl's leg, took the paper, and laid it on the table. He then began shifting through the kitchen, looking for coffee, or tea, or something that would warm up the chill that seemed to have settled in his bones. He knew he couldn't let Sirius sleep for long, but he also knew his friend well enough to know that something stronger than water had better be somewhere within the other man's grasp, or he would be a bear when he awoke.

Or a dog. However one wanted to look at it.

Flicking his wand, Remus burnt some toast (cooking wasn't his strong point) and managed the spell to boil the water for tea. He had nearly finished when he happened to look down and saw a pair of startling green eyes staring up at him from under a ruffle of black hair. Remus backtracked, looked down again and then around the room. Sirius was nowhere to be found, but Harry had obviously woken up and decided to come and see what the noise in the kitchen was all about.

Not knowing what else to do with the child (children weren't necessarily the strong points of werewolves) Remus bent down and picked Harry up gingerly and sat him on the worktop. "Now, what to do with you," he said matter of factly. Harry blinked at him sleepily. "Are you hungry then?" Another blink. "What do babies eat for breakfast anyway?"

"Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, I think," came a groggy voice from the doorway. Remus nearly snapped his neck in two, looking over to the doorway that fast. Sirius was leaning against the doorway, running a hand through his short black hair. His eyes wondered around the room and landed on Harry, who had also noticed him and was holding his arms out to be picked up. Sirius stumbled across the room, plucked Harry off the worktop and sat at the table with the baby on his lap. "You made tea? Got anything stronger?"

Remus placed the tea pot on the table, along with two chipped mugs. "No. Tea will have to do, I'm afraid. Best hurry up. If we stay around here too long, I'm sure we'll have some unwanted company."

Sirius nodded his understanding and downed his scalding hot tea in two gulps. Remus made a small face of disbelief, but otherwise managed to ignore Sirius. Harry was reaching with his chubby arms across the table for the toast, which Sirius pushed out of his reach. "You don't want burnt toast, Harry," Sirius said, then glanced at Remus out of the corner of his eye as if waiting for a reaction. When he didn't get what he was expecting, he summoned the loaf of bread to the table and managed to burn two more pieces for the child.

If he was suddenly going to be a parent, he'd have to learn some cooking spells - and fast. Scraping the burnt part off with the edge of his wand (Remus cast him another look of disbelief, but was dutifully ignored) Sirius broke the toast in half and handed one piece to Harry. He then glanced around, as if trying to decide what to give the infant to drink. "Eh, do you have any milk?"

"Not that doesn't resemble cheese by now," Remus replied evenly and sipped his tea. "Perhaps you should just cool down some tea and give him that?"

"Babies don't like tea, do they?" Sirius asked blankly.

"I don't know, Padfoot, why don't you ask him if he takes sugar or milk," the other man replied in the tone of one discussing how to bring about world peace. Sirius glared at him across the table, but Remus ignored it and flipped open the Daily Prophet followed almost instantly by him spitting his tea out all over the front page.

"What?" Sirius demanded, trying to see the front page of the paper and failing because Harry was being squished into the table when he leant forward.

Remus' eyes were scanning the words quickly, and Sirius nearly opened his mouth to demand, again, what it said, when Remus finally decided to explain. "Listen to this. You-Know-Who is Gone. Late last night in Godric's Hollow, Voldemort struck again and reliable sources say met his downfall. Details are unclear at this point, but the Minister of Magic did contact the Daily Prophet in the early morning hours to announce that You-Know-Who had attacked and killed Lily and James Potter, but failed to kill their infant son, Harry. As a result of this attack, You-Know-Who has been destroyed. While nothing is being confirmed by the Ministry, it is rumoured that the child was taken from the remains of his former home early this morning by Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Sirius and Remus' eyes met across the table. "Well, they got that last part wrong," Sirius said matter of factly. "Hagrid tried to take Harry, but as you can tell..."

"Take him? Where?" Remus asked urgently. Obviously Sirius had left this part of the story out last night. The werewolf hadn’t realised anyone had seen Sirius at the Potter's house.

"To his aunt and uncle’s, apparently," Sirius spat out. "And I can promise you that Lily had no intention of her son going to her sister," Sirius spat the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "So what Dumbledore was thinking, I'll never know."

"But Hagrid knows---" Remus suddenly stopped, his head jerking up. Sirius sat up straighter, trying to hear whatever was Remus had. But the werewolf had better senses. Suddenly Remus was on his feet. "How about we talk about this elsewhere?"

Sirius said nothing, only gathered Harry and his blanket and followed Remus into the living room. Remus threw a shabby grey cloak to Sirius, who caught it and put it on quickly. He then wrapped Harry in the blanket as Remus threw Floo Powder in the fireplace. "Quick, where we going?"

"My place?

"You're mad, that's the first place they'll look," Remus replied. "Where else? And make it quick." His eyes darted to the door and this time Sirius could hear people outside.

Sirius searched his mind, but only came up with one place. "Merlin help us," he said, and in an understanding that came from years of close friendship, Remus nodded. Sirius, still holding Harry close to his chest, stepped into the flames and called, "Twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

Remus seemed to hold his breath as he waited for Sirius to be gone before he followed. He could still hear the pounding on the door as he disappeared through the flames. When the revolving came to a stop, Remus blinked to regain control over the dizziness that had grasped him, and stepped out of a large fireplace and into a living room. Sirius was waiting just a few feet away, bouncing a crying Harry who obviously hated travelling by Floo. Remus couldn't say he blamed him.

"I don't think anyone's home, or by now my mother would have come screaming in here, after our necks," Sirius replied, going to the door and glancing into the hall beyond. "With any luck we can get out of here unscathed."

The two friends and the infant boy crossed the hall quickly and nearly made it to the front door when a voice screamed behind them; "How dare you be in this house!"

Luckily for both of the young men, it was not Sirius' mother's voice that almost deafened them, quite apart from giving them a heart attack. It was the house elf. Sirius smirked as he turned to look over his shoulder. "Go knock yourself in the head with an iron, Kreacher," Sirius told him and continued out the front door after Remus. "And tell dear Mother that I'm glad we missed her."

They could still hear Kreacher giving them the usual speech (how Sirius had broken his mother's heart, and how Remus was a half blood monster) as they slammed the door shut and exited through the streets of London towards Diagon Alley. With Harry bundled up in Sirius' arms, and both men's heads covered with cloaks, no one seem to pay them any attention, besides the occasional Muggle that stared at them as if they were crazy. They felt a little crazy, actually, but that didn't seem to matter.

"We've got to find a way to get to Hogwarts un-noticed," Remus suddenly said. "Dumbledore's our only chance."

"Oh, and shall we bring him a gift? Perhaps a fruit basket?" Sirius replied, raising an eyebrow at Remus and readjusting Harry in his arms. "Can't barge into the school, in the middle of term, and not bring a present."

"You're not helping, Padfoot," Remus said gently, knowing full well that sarcastic, annoying behaviour was all that was keeping Sirius calm at the moment. Sirius had been doing that since they were in their first year; he wasn’t going to stop now.

The two men continued down the street, discussing in whispered tones what their next move should be. Finally, ten minutes later, they had finally agreed that muggle London wasn't the best place to be, considering their predicament. "Got any money on you?" Sirius asked Remus. "All mine is with my motorbike, which happens to be in your front garden."

Remus searched his robe pockets and came up with a galleon. Sirius handed Harry to Remus and looked around to ensure no one was near by. Unfortunately, there were many muggles passing through. "Here, we'll have to do this in an alley." Do what, Remus didn't know, but he had a keen idea when he and Sirius walked to the back of an alleyway and Sirius pulled his wand. Both men pressed themselves against the wall and Sirius brought his wand down sharply.

Even though it was expected, the arrival of the Knight Bus, squeezing in the area between two department stores in London was a startling sight. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transportation for the stranded witch or wizar--"

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Sirius snarled, shoving the piece of gold in the old man's hand and climbing aboard. Remus followed, being sure to keep his hood down. The old man looked frightened for a moment until Remus threw him a small smile. "Hogsmeade," Sirius added as a second thought before climbing the stairs to the second floor. Thankfully, it was empty. Sirius fell into an armchair and held on tight to Harry.

BANG! The bus was suddenly flying through the countryside, trees and barns jumping out of its way as it went. Remus sat beside Sirius, feeling slightly nauseous as the bus gave another lurch and flew forward about twenty miles. "That was rather rude of you," Remus noted, finally feeling semi-safe in opening his mouth.

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't want him coming up here to offer us hot tea, and staying to chat." The bus lurched to the side and Sirius growled irritably. "Hope we get there soon."

Soon was an understatement. Since the bus didn't seem to have anyone else aboard besides a short witch who was also covered in a cloak that hid her face, the second stop was Hogsmeade. Without a word Sirius and Remus descended the stairs and didn't turn to acknowledge that the conductor had bid them good day just a bit nervously.

Once they were making their way up the High Street, Sirius started to question their motives for going to Hogwarts at all. Wishing blatantly that they had the Marauder's Map, they decided the best course of action was to use one of the secret passages into the school, rather than the front door, which would be likely to set off an alarm if anyone spotted them. Once they slipped past the owner of Honeydukes, the two men and child climbed down the steps and into a tunnel that led to a statue of a one-eyed humped witch in a third floor corridor of the school.

To say that Harry didn't take well to the tunnel was putting it mildly. Sirius and Remus knew this tunnel by heart, having used it many times to sneak into Hogsmeade. But the infant only knew that he could barely see his hand in front of his face, and therefore decided to solve this problem by crying loudly. It took Sirius several minutes to calm him, and in the end both he and Remus had to keep their wands alight and near Harry, so that the baby could see both of them clearly.

This altered their speed considerably, and by the time they reached the stairs leading up to the one-eyed witch, Sirius felt like his legs were made of jelly. "Crikey, you've been eating too much, Harry," Sirius told the child, who was looking slightly sleepy at the moment.

"It's only because you've been carrying him so long," Remus said philosophically, in a tone that Sirius and James had long ago dubbed "Professor Lupin".

"Oh," Sirius replied, before pushing the baby into Remus' arms. "That must mean it's your turn."

Remus held the baby like he was a sack of potatoes. "That wasn't what I had in mind," he muttered and tried to hold Harry in one arm, while holding his wand up with his other. He nodded towards the trap door they could see above them. "Better make sure no one is in the hall."

Sirius nodded and climbed up ahead, his lit wand still held before him. He pushed the door open, stuck his head through the opening and looked around. A second later he motioned for Remus to follow. "Come on, it's clear for the moment." He checked his watch. "If I'm right, we've got about ten minutes before the end of classes."

As quietly and quickly as they could, they both pushed themselves through the opening and slid out of the tunnel and into a third floor corridor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With an unspoken agreement, they headed towards Professor Dumbledore's office. They hadn't made it very far though, when someone came around the corner of the staircase at the bottom of the hall. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks, Remus nearly running headlong into him.

"Well," sneered a voice that Sirius and Remus both knew only too well. The wizard came up the few steps separating him with the two men and child, his arms crossed over his chest and a slightly amused look on his face. "Well, well, well... if it isn't the traitor and his pet werewolf."

"Sod off Snape, we've got bigger fish than you to fry."

"Indeed," Severus Snape replied to Sirius silkily, sneering and blocking their path. "Of course, after the Potters, I'm just like stepping on a Flobberworm, I'm sure."

Had Sirius not suddenly found himself holding his best friend’s son, he probably would have cursed Snape on the spot. As it was, he was hard pressed not to do it anyway. Unfortunately, the usually calm, collected and level headed Remus was holding his wand pointed directly at Snape, his face caught in an expression of anger that Sirius had only ever seen once. When it had been directed at him. He pitied whoever happened to be on the receiving end of that wrath. Well, pitied anyone who was not Severus Snape. At the moment though, he felt that the only better solution to their problem would have been for him to be the happy owner of the wand directed at the other wizard's heart.

"I'm warning you, Snape, I have no intention of letting you stop us. Get out of the way." Remus’ voice was quiet and controlled. But if anyone had ever made the mistake of thinking that quietness made Remus weak... well, Sirius knew that they never thought it twice, that was for sure. And Snape seemed to realize it, even as he stood his ground.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Snape snarled, still eyeing Remus' wand carefully.

"To see Albus," Remus told him point blank. "And we're wasting time here. Get out of the way." He voice brooked no argument, not even from Severus Snape who usually argued until the curses were so hot and heavy that someone was bound to get hurt. To Sirius' surprise (and slight relief, he had no idea what he would do with Harry if he had to start blasting curses) Snape moved aside.

Remus started ahead, but if there was anything Sirius knew, it was that turning your back on Snape wasn't ever a good idea. He grabbed Remus' arm to keep him from going further and nodded towards Snape. "Go on, then. I'll be damned if I'm going to let you curse us in the back as we walk away."

Snape gave another trademark sneer and stepped forward, knowing full well, without having to look, that Sirius had his wand trained on his back. Making an awkward looking group, the three wizards and infant slowly made their way towards the stone gargoyle that marked the hidden passage to the Headmaster's office.

Before they made it, however, they came across other unwanted guest. Sirius cursed under his breath, not hiding the glare he sent at the witch who now stood before him, her wand directed at him. Severus turned so that he, too, was facing the men, and had pulled his own wand. For a moment no one moved. Sirius had his wand on Snape, Professor McGonagall had hers on Sirius, Remus had his held up at a nice angle between the two.

The Transfiguration teacher's eyes were as large as tea saucers. "Sirius Black. I can't believe that you would have the nerve--"

"Its stupidity, I assure you," Snape intervened.

"To come to this school after what had happened in the last twenty-four hours," the stern witch continued, ignoring Snape, her eyes focused only on Sirius and Remus. She seemed to suddenly realise that the former was holding a small child. A small child that a lot of people in the wizarding world were looking for at the moment. For some reason, the sight of the twenty two year old man holding Harry Potter seemed to soften her gaze. Or, at least, her lips didn't look like they had disappeared all together.

Sirius took this as a good sign. "Professor, look, you have to listen to me. I wasn't the secret ke--"

"Mr. Black, I do not have to listen to anything you have to say at the moment. Severus, please take the child to Poppy to see that he's well."

Snape stood stock still, looking for all the world as if McGonagall had asked him to run down the halls singing Christmas carols. His already thin lips pursed even tighter, but he didn't move otherwise. McGonagall nodded her head towards him. "Take Harry to Poppy, Severus."

"I'll take him," Remus offered, reaching for Harry. McGonagall, looking like she was doing it against her own will, raised her wand to him. "Or maybe I won't," Remus backtracked, holding his hands out in a peace offering. "Is Dumbledore here? Can we see him, please?"

Suddenly Sirius dropped his wand. For a moment Remus gave a confused look to his friend, but with an unspoken word, did the same. McGonagall blinked, confused. "Here, take my wand," Sirius offered, holding it towards the witch. "I'm not going to throw hexes at anyone but Peter Pettigrew. He's the only one who deserves it."

McGonagall looked even more confused at this statement, though she did take the wands and pocketed them. Sirius bounced Harry slightly, making him giggle. "Peter Pettigrew?" Minerva repeated, glancing at Snape as though he would know better than she. "Why?"

Snape seemed to catch on at that moment, because he smiled. But it wasn't a smile that either Sirius or Remus could say made them feel one bit better. "You don't mean to say...." Snape drawled. "The idea is absurd. Laughable. You expect Dumbledore to believe you?"

Sirius didn't look much happier, but managed to not growl as he spoke. "Laughable? I'll say. Who would have thought, talentless, clueless little Peter Pettigrew would be a spy for Voldemort? I wouldn’t have thought it. I didn't. Not until it was too late."

"Pettigrew? A spy for... for You-Know-Who?" McGonagall repeated anxiously.

Sirius nodded. McGonagall didn't look convinced, though. She was shaking her head, muttering under her breath about how "impossible" and "absurd" the idea was, even as she reached out to take Harry from Sirius. The infant cringed closer to Sirius, burying his face into Sirius' cloak, hiding his green eyes. "Come, child," McGonagall urged, putting her hands on Harry's back.

Harry began whining, getting ready for what Sirius and Remus knew would be a fully fledged scream in a matter of seconds. "No," Sirius said, pulling back. "He doesn't know you. He's scared. Either Remus or I take him to Poppy, and stay with him there, or he doesn't go."

"Nonsense, Black," McGonagall insisted, again reaching for Harry, who did as was predicted.

All in a matter of seconds quite a few things happened. Harry let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed down the stone corridors of the school, Sirius snatched Harry back, Snape shouted "Stupefy!" and Remus, who had moved in the way of the spell, hit the ground.

Sirius turned on Snape, his face so alight with fury that even Snape seemed to back down. "DAMN YOU!" Sirius screamed, lunging at McGonagall and thus, his wand. In a second of uncontrolled panic, McGonagall raised her wand to Sirius and cried, "Stupefy!" And only barely did she manage to catch Harry before Sirius slumped to the ground next to Remus.

For a second there was a deafening silence, and then the quiet sobs of a one-year-old filled the space as he looked down at his godfather. Not understanding, he reached his arms out for Sirius to stand, and pick him back up. When Sirius didn't move, he cried louder. McGonagall looked aghast, not knowing what to do to calm the infant. Not knowing what or who to believe.

Severus Snape stood to her left, a small menacing smile on his face.

--End chapter 1.