All Hallow's Eve

31 Oct. 1981, 9:44 PM

Sirius Black's Flat

It was Halloween night in Muggle London and Muggles all around celebrated, having nothing to fear. Guests began arriving at the party at number 15A, Landsdowne Rd. at 8 PM and the party was now in full swing. The sounds of music and laughter filtered through the ventilation, weaving their way into the flats above and below.

In flat 15B, the basement, it was different scene altogether. No lights were on in the studio flat, but the faint glow of moonlight came in the small window to the outside above the bathtub and slipped through the bathroom door, left open just a crack. The moonlight glinted off of the face of a solitary young man and his visage reflected off the black screen of the unused Muggle television set.

Shoulder length black hair fell partially over Sirius Black's blue eyes as he stared sightlessly at the television screen. With a sigh, he pushed the hair away from his face and stood up. Sirius made one lap around the room, stopping to flip the television to a local news channel, and then sat back down.

A moment later he was back on his feet. He flipped off the report about a Halloween party in the West End and made his way to the bathroom. He disappeared inside but came back out seconds later, his face and hair wet from the sink. Sirius grabbed his keys off a side table by the door and slipped quietly outside.

31 Oct. 1981, 10:38 PM

Peter Pettigrew's Hiding Place

A lonely street lay undisturbed by Halloween festivities. The houses were spread apart with much greenery in between. One car sped quickly by, but otherwise the street was engulfed in complete silence.

A motorcycle descended from the sky just after the car had passed and landed softly on the ground in front of a small cottage. Sirius Black turned off the quiet engine and stepped off the bike, then wheeled it quietly behind a nearby tree. Checking that there was no one around, he approached the cottage.

Dark curtains were pulled across the two front windows, but Sirius still stepped close to each one in an effort to defy logic and see inside. When this failed, he went to the front door and knocked softly.

No one answered.

Sirius knocked again, but there was still no response. "Peter," he called out. "It's me, Sirius."

Getting no response once more, he reached for the doorknob. It turned.

Sirius stepped cautiously inside the cottage and looked around. There were no lights on; he couldn't see two feet in front of him. He quietly shut the door and then pulled his wand out of his Muggle jacket. With a quick whisper of "Lumos," a small path of light appeared in front of him.

There was no one in the front room of the cottage and nothing looked out of place. After a quick look behind the sofa, Sirius approached the bedroom door.

His wand pointed, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Again, nothing was out of place. A quick check in the closet, the bathroom, and under the bed confirmed that no one was in here, either.

Confused and worried, Sirius stepped back into the main room. That was when he saw it. An old book lay open on the small, round kitchen table. Sirius stepped close to it and looked at the open page. It was a step-by-step beginner's guide to mastering the Imperius curse.

Sirius flipped the book closed and looked at the cover. The title "Dark Spells and Curses" was printed in bold lettering across the top. In smaller print under the title were the words "What They Won't Teach You at School".

"Shit!" Sirius swore. He extinguished his wand and made his way back to the door, swearing graphically to himself.

31 Oct. 1981, 11:29 PM

Potter Residence

Twenty minutes ago, this street of Godric's Hollow had been no different than any other street in England, save that it's inhabitants were almost all magical. Twenty minutes ago, parents' biggest worry was whether their child had eaten too much candy to go to sleep.

The mass of wreckage that was once Lily and James Potter's house changed all that.

A flying motorcycle touched down at the corner of the familiar street and sped towards the wreckage. Sirius Black stopped directly in front of the ruins and for a moment could do nothing but stare. Then, instinct kicked in.

He jumped off his motorcycle, not stopping to turn it off, and ran towards what had been the front door. A few feet away lay one thing he had hoped he would never see.

"Jamie?" Sirius whispered as he knelt beside his best friend's body. Mimicking what he had seen on Muggle television shows, he felt first the wrist and then the neck for the pulse he knew wouldn't be there. Wizards and witches from up and down the block were watching from their doorways. Some were brave enough to approach the ruins, but none came closer than the sidewalk for fear of what had happened in the house.

Sirius's face crumpled but he did not cry. He grabbed James's hand and clutched it to his chest, then collapsed forward in agony. Sirius threw one arm across James's chest in a half-hug and laid his face against the ground. He did not move until a baby's cry disturbed the eerie quiet of the night.

At the sound of the cry, Sirius jerked his head back up. A large figure was kneeling down closer to the house. He had his back to Sirius, but he knew exactly who it was: Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper.

Sirius approached him, but stopped short at the sight of a pool of red on Hagrid's left. Lily's hair. "Hagrid?" Sirius whispered.

The half-giant looked up, blubbering. "I didn' wan' ta believe it, Sirius. But here they are."

"I know, I can't believe..." then he stopped, as he saw movement in Hagrid's arms. "Harry?"

"Aye," Hagrid held the baby out to the younger man. Sirius scooped his godson into his arms and held him close. "Impossible, but 'ere he is."

"Mumma?" the baby called out. Sirius choked back a sob as Harry took a handful of his long hair and placed it in his mouth. The young man made no attempt to stop the baby, but knelt down by Lily's body. He took her lifeless hand in his own.

"Mumma's not coming back, Harry, she's gone..."

Hagrid put his hand comfortingly on Sirius's shoulder as a tear slipped down the young man's cheek. Sirius stood and Hagrid pulled him into a bear hug. Baby Harry was stuck in between, but didn't make a sound.

"I've got ta take 'em," Hagrid said as they split apart. "Professor Dumbledore wants me ta bring 'em."

At this, Sirius stepped back and clutched the baby closer to him. "No, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, please. Let him stay with me, I can take care of him..."

"Dumbledore's orders, Sirius. I hav' to take him now. I'm sorry." Sirius held the baby tighter, causing Harry to cry out in pain, and then, after considering for a moment, handed the baby over.

"I love you, Harry, you remember that," he whispered and then turned to Hagrid. "I have to have him stay with me. He's all I have left. I'll be talking to Dumbledore."

Hagrid nodded, "I agree with ya, Sirius. But I hav' ta do what I hav' ta do right now. Meantime, you should probably go find your friends... Remus and Peter, they need ta know..."

"Peter..." Sirius growled. He seemed to come to a decision. "Take my bike, it's over there. You can get Harry to Dumbledore easier that way."

Hagrid glanced at the bike and nodded. "Thank ya, Sirius." And with one last look at the wreckage, he turned to leave.

Sirius didn't know if he imagined it, but he could've sworn he heard little Harry's voice calling, "Padfoot..." as he was carried away.

1 Nov. 1981, 10:22 AM

The Leaky Cauldron

Tom glanced out over the bar of his inn. Celebrations had been going nonstop since people began to hear the news: You-Know-Who defeated. Exact details were still foggy, but the most common story was that the Potter's had given their lives battling him.

The thought made the victory bittersweet for Tom, as he remembered both Lily and James making their way through the bar many times, with their friends or without. One of those friends sat in a dark booth in the corner. He had been there since just after 1 AM, and had not been disturbed since Tom took pity on him and gave him a free butterbeer around 3.

One glance at the expression on Sirius Black's face was confirmation enough for Tom that the rumors were true. Tom was sure he had never seen a more sorrowful man in his life, but there was something else there, too. If he had to put a name to it, Tom would have said anger, but he knew that wasn't exactly what he was seeing.

The door to the Muggle street banged open and a man stepped in, momentarily blocking all light from outside. Hagrid surveyed the room and, after a few seconds looking, found Sirius in the back.

He didn't even stop for a drink as he strode quickly towards the younger man.

"I got your bike back, Sirius," he stood over the booth. There was no response. "Sirius?" he asked again. Still, he got no sign of life from the man. A sympathetic expression crossed his face as he reached down and touched Sirius's shoulder. Finally, he looked up, startled. "Your bike," he held the key out for the young man.

Sirius looked at the offering for a second, then back up at Hagrid. "What time is it?"

"Half past ten," Hagrid glanced at his watch.

Sirius jumped up, "I have to go." He glanced back at the table, seeing his butterbeer as if for the first time. He considered it for a moment, then shook his head and began to walk away.

"Sirius," Hagrid called. The young man stopped. "Your bike?"

It seemed to take Sirius a minute to figure out what Hagrid was talking about. Then, realizing, he stepped closer to Hagrid and spoke softly, "Keep it. I won't be needing it anymore."

1 Nov. 1981, 12:15 PM

Muggle London Alley

A large, black dog crouched behind a dumpster. He had been in London all day, sniffing the air, the streets, people's pockets, and anywhere else he thought he might pick up the scent he was looking for.

Many times, he thought he had caught it, but it was never quite right. Another rat, sometimes, or even a place Peter had been days ago that still had a linger trace of his scent.

This time, he knew he had it. The smell was too strong and too distinctly Peter to be anyone else.

The dog crept out from behind the dumpster and padded towards the road at the far end of the alley. A few blocks down, he saw him. A short, chubby man was hurrying down the street, hunched over, his face mostly hidden by the hood of a jacket.

The dog transformed into a man. "I've got you, you rat," Sirius Black growled more than spoke and stepped into the light of the busy street.

The End