The Road Not Taken

Epilogue - One Life
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File Number: 81-1815

IN RE: GUARDIANSHIP OF
HARRY JAMES POTTER, a minor

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

WHERE AS, SIRIUS AUVA BLACK has been appointed
guardian of the person HARRY JAMES POTTER , a minor,
incompetent, and has taken the prescribed oath and performed
all other acts to qualify as such guardian:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORNELIUS O. FUDGE , Minister of
Magic, do hereby declare SIRIUS AUVA BLACK duly qualified
under the laws of this Ministry to act as the guardian of the person
HARRY JAMES POTTER , incompetent, with full power to have
the care, custody and control of said incompetent, to administer
the estate of said incompetent according to law, and to take
possession of and to hold, for the benefit of said incompetent, all
of the property of said incompetent and of the rents, income,
issues, and profits from it.

WITNESS my hand and the seal of this Ministry on this 5th day
of November, 1981.

Signed:
Cornelius O. Fudge
Minister of Magic

**********

There was something decidedly evil about this neighbourhood, Sirius Black decided as he made his way down Privet Drive past one identical house after another. Every lawn was as green as a shamrock in Ireland, every flower bed pruned so that no weed or dead flower was present. The entire street seemed like a painting, not to be touched or disturbed. But wrecking havoc was a speciality of Sirius Black's, as a matter of fact, and he didn't rightly care what kind of reception he received at number four. He wouldn't be staying long, and it wouldn't take too much lip for him to turn the entire family into frogs.

Striding at his pace, to the left, was his best friend. His only friend, if truth be known. His face was set in steely determination. He wanted to get Harry out of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley as badly as Sirius did.

A sour, tall and bony girl, it was amazing that Petunia and Lily were even related. Lily Potter was, in Sirius' humble opinion, one of the prettiest witches he had gone to school with. But related they were. The one and only time Sirius had had to be in Petunia's presence was at Lily and James' wedding. She had shown up just long enough to throw the invitation at her sister, and leave. Sirius could remember it so well, James had pulled his wand but hadn't been nearly as fast as his wife. Petunia had hit the ground, covered in boils and Lily, looking for all the world as if she didn't care, turned back and kissed her new husband full on the lips. Sirius, Remus and Peter had hooted and yelled cat calls to the uncaring couple as Petunia was escorted away very unwillingly.

Now he would see her for the second time. He wasn't any happier about this time than the last, though he doubted this time he would get to see her ugly horse faced covered in boils. Pity.

Sirius and Remus stopped in front of the oak door to number four and Sirius knocked. For a long moment nothing was heard except a low rumble of thunder in the distance. Sirius looked up at the increasingly dark clouds with a small wrinkle of annoyance on his forehead. "Damn," he muttered. "Looks like it's going to rain before we get out of here."

Remus said nothing because at that moment the door in front of them swung open and a man who could only be Vernon Dursley filled up the entire doorframe, and then some. Sirius tried his best not to snort out some laughter. He had wondered what kind of man had been desperate enough to marry Petunia Evans. Now he had his answer. "We're here to collect Harry," Remus said when Sirius said nothing. Remus knew Sirius was trying hard not to laugh, he knew that look anywhere.

"The boy is in the living room. Touch nothing," he warned. Sirius rolled his eyes, brushed past Vernon (making sure his robes touched Vernon's arm) and went into the house. Remus followed, and Vernon, checking both directions of the street to be sure no one was watching, shut the door behind them.

Sirius' eyes scanned the living room and found Harry easily enough. He was sitting in the corner of a broken playpen that had been fixed with sellotape, but was still falling apart, with nothing but the blue blanket Sirius had wrapped him in the last he saw him. Immediately he approached his godchild, but when Harry's vivid green eyes darted up and saw someone approaching him, he cowered back. Sirius spun around, his wand in his hand so quickly that no one had actually seen him grab for it. Remus put a calming hand on his friend's forearm and looked him directly in the eyes. Brown eyes meet blue and clashed for a moment before Remus finally spoke; "There is no need to frighten Harry. We are here to take him home."

Sirius muttered something unrecognizable under his breath and turned around again, forcing the anger from his eyes. What had happened to the happy, outgoing child he had known not two weeks before? What had Petunia done to him to make him so timid so quickly? Sirius shook his questions from his mind, they would only serve to give the Dursley's some well deserved curses. Slowly he bent down on one knee in front of the broken playpen and reached his hand towards his godchild. "Harry," he said softly, gaining the child's attention. "Hey kiddo, don't you remember me? It's Padfoot."

Harry's remarkable green eyes studied Sirius like one would a rabid animal and clutched his blanket tighter in his small fist. Vernon made a small sound of impatience behind them, and Harry turned his face towards his uncle and shivered. Sirius knew his blood pressure was climbing steadily and any second he would let loose a string of curses on the Dursley house hold that he might not even find suitable for a Death Eater. Take a deep breath, he told himself. I can't frighten Harry.

"Come on kiddo, we've come to take you home. Look, I have Moony with me," Sirius said, indicating Remus who was standing just behind him. "We're going to go home."

"Home," Harry repeated, not as a question but more like a statement. A word that sounded unfamiliar to him. But what he said next made Sirius want to tear down to Azkaban and wring Peter's neck with his two bare hands. "Mummy home?" Harry asked.

Sirius gnawed on his bottom lip for a minute. "No Harry. You're Mum and Dad are gone." Harry's eyes filled at once with tears and Sirius, unable to stand the tension anymore, reached forward and scooped Harry up in his arms. But Harry didn't cry, only laid his head on Sirius' broad shoulder and sniffled. Sirius pulled the blue blanket up around Harry's body and turned to leave. Remus followed him out, past Vernon who was standing protectively in front of his wife and what looked like a baby whale in her arms.

Sirius didn't look back, and didn't say a word for fear of what might come tumbling out of his mouth if he tried. Remus looked back at what might have been Harry's home and wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Good riddance," he said and slammed the front door.

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

If there was one damned reporter there were ten in every corner, dark alley and available space between here and the sea, Sirius decided. They had left Privet Drive and tried to board the Knight Bus, which was currently home to about five reporters, each with cameras that were flashing like crazy as Remus and Sirius turned and decided that perhaps that wasn't the best way to travel. It seemed that somehow the press had gotten wind of Harry's removal from Privet Drive despite Dumbledore's press release that it wouldn't happen for another week. Reporters were lurking everywhere, praying for a glimpse of him. Or, more importantly, his lightening bolt shaped scar. Sirius heard the tell tale BANG! that announced the Knight Bus was back and he scowled. How he would love to turn into his dog counterpart and put the fear of God in every wizard and witch on that bus. Instead he and Remus cut through an alleyway and wondered where to head to next when suddenly a short older woman came out of her home and motioned them forward. Thinking it might be another reporter, a bit smarter than the rest, but a reporter none the less, Sirius turned heel.

"Young Sirius Black, you'd better get over here in a hurry!" the voice commanded.

Sirius stopped, but before he could connect the voice and the identity, Remus said; "Arabella?"

"No time to talk, get in here!" she motioned for them to follow her into a house. They did so and she slammed the door just as the flash of a camera nearly blinded them. "I can't believe two smart boys like yourselves wouldn't think of an escape route!" the old woman lectured, wagging her finger in Sirius' face. "The Knight Bus, indeed!"

"The press wasn't supposed to know we were collecting him today," Remus pointed out.

"The Daily Prophet can get their hands on more information than a room full of Order members. You and I both know that, Remus, no use in acting like it isn't the truth. Damage has been done now, so let's get you out of here before they knock down my door."

Rolling their eyes a bit at each other, Sirius and Remus followed Arabella Figg into her living room where she pulled down a container of Floo Powder and offered it to each of them. "Be careful," she instructed. "Has that child travelled by Floo?"

"Yes," Sirius replied, not really paying attention to the old woman, even though he was extremely grateful for her help. Remus lit a fire in the hearth and Sirius threw the Floo powder into the flames. He stepped in, nodded farewell to Arabella and called, "Casa Canis!"

Not even a full minute later Sirius stopped in the familiar fireplace of the home he now shared with Remus Lupin and stepped out. Harry looked up from Sirius' shoulder and glanced around the room. "Welcome home, Harry," Sirius said brightly. "Do you want to see your room?"

Harry shook his head and buried it back in the black material of Sirius' robes. Undaunted, Sirius went upstairs and to the second room on the left, pushing the door open. "Look Harry," Sirius instructed, trying to keep his voice happy and light. "It's your very own bedroom. Look, there are some new toys for you to play with."

Reluctantly it seemed, Harry lifted his head off of Sirius' shoulder and glanced around the room. Almost instantly his gaze fell on a picture of James and Lily. "Mummy?" he whispered, reaching towards the picture. He struggled to get out of Sirius' arms and with a heavy sigh the wizard placed him on the floor.

Harry had been an early walker, surprising his mother by taking his first steps when he was only nine months old. Sirius smirked as he remembered James bragging that he was just fulfilling the Potter heritage. Lily had smacked him on the arm, scooped Harry up and proceeded to fawn over him like a dotting mother. Now with six months experience behind him, Harry walked over to the table and picked up the waving picture of his mother and father with toddler sized hands. He looked at it for a long moment, then brought it over to Sirius and handed it to him. "Mummy. Daddy," he said. It was the want of a child, the yearning to see his parents come through the door and scoop him up. He'd never have it again.

Sirius got down on his knees and reached slowly for the picture. "Harry, I wish they were here, too. Let's face it, I'm scared to death of a fifteen month old. I've only changed your diaper a handful of times. But I promise I'll try to be as good as James. I know I'm not your Dad, but I'm going to give it a good shot." He reached over, rubbing his hand across Harry's untidy black hair. He looked so much like James, with Lily's eyes staring back at him with tears. Sirius looked with Harry at the picture of James and Lily and felt his chest tighten. "I miss them, too, kiddo."

Harry tore his gaze away from the picture, looked at Sirius and wrinkled his brow. A small, chubby hand reached towards Sirius' face and patted his cheek. "Paafoot cry?"

Sirius would never understand the bond that would form from this moment on between him and his godson. Would never understand how he could love another human so much. At that moment, though, he felt that at least he was understood. He and Harry both had lost so much. But at least they had each other. And every second of rage and fighting was worth it. Would always be worth it. "Yes Harry," Sirius muttered. With a sob, Sirius found his arms full of toddler as Harry hugged him tightly around the neck. Sirius hugged him back, whispering soothing words in the child's ear.

"Sirius? Sirius, are you up there?" Remus called.

"Yeah!" Sirius yelled back. He stood up, bringing Harry with him and wiping the child's face with the edge of his shirt. "Are you hungry kiddo?" Harry nodded, hugging the picture of James and Lily to his chest. "Then let's go eat, shall we? Moony! We're hungry!"

"Oy! Is that all you think about?" Remus Lupin answered as he headed towards the kitchen. Sirius, carrying Harry, entered the kitchen at that moment and both black haired wizards (old and young) were nodding their heads. Remus threw his hands up in surrender. "I suppose that makes me the cook of the house?"

"By default, my friend. You wouldn't want Harry and I to burn the place down, would you?"

Thousands of miles away from Ottery St. Catchpole, and the home of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Harry Potter, in a prison surrounded by the cold sea and terrible soul sucking dementors, another person was getting his meal. And as the door cracked open to the cell of Peter Pettigrew, convicted of two counts of murder, five counts of high treason, nineteen counts of using an unforgivable, and the overall conviction of being a Death Eater, the house-elf found the cell empty. Further down the hall a small rat scampered through cracks and through halls, towards the outside world.

--The End?