Redemption

As soon as Hagrid was out of sight, Sirius Disapparated to Peter's house. Normally, Sirius despised Apparition. It usually left him dizzy and disoriented; and besides, the flying motorbike was much more fun (not to mention a witch-magnet.) None of that mattered anymore, though. Tonight, he did it automatically. His mind was too full of fury and grief for any real thought at all - visions kept flashing through his brain...of his best friend's lifeless body lying in the entrance hall...Harry clinging to his dead mother's robes and screaming...and above all, he heard James' voice saying, "Please, Sirius, we need your help...You said you'd do anything for us..." It must have been sheer luck that kept him from splinching himself. If he'd needed to be coherent to Apparate, the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad would have found pieces of him all over England.

Everything in Peter's house was exactly as Sirius had seen it earlier in the evening. Sirius combed the house, searching for any clue as to Peter's whereabouts. But there was nothing. Nothing that would help him find that lying, betraying, murdering...rat.

He's probably hiding as Wormtail...he thinks he'll be harder to find that way, the sneaky bastard, Sirius thought, transforming into his Animagus form - a shaggy black dog with large, glowing eyes.

And just why did you learn that particular trick? Your friend Remus, of course...the one you thought was the spy...why did you ever doubt him...just because he's a werewolf, you thought he was on the Dark side...you were so wrong, and look who's paid for it...

He forced the thought away and back to the job he'd set out to do. One of the most convenient things about being able to transform into a dog was having a vastly superior sense of smell - and he hoped that sense could help him track down Peter. His large paws made no sound on the wooden floor as he padded through the room, sniffing, imprinting Peter's scent in his brain. He left the house, following Peter's trail, which let him to the country road that ran past the house.

If you don't find Peter, you're a dead man...no one knows about the switch but you...you'll be marked as a traitor and a murderer. You've got to find him and get him to confess. If you can't you might as well kill him...you'll be going to Azkaban for murder anyway...

The trail followed the road for some distance, and as Sirius travelled, the sky above grew lighter. He was surprised that Peter had taken such an easy path...Sirius had always thought Peter to be very clever, and had expected his path to be hard to follow.

Oh yes, he's very clever; you're right about that. He had you fooled, didn't he? You fell right into his little trap, and now James and Lily are dead. You might as well have handed them to Voldemort on a silver platter. It's your fault. You deserve to go to prison for your immense stupidity.

But the trail never veered from the road, and by mid-morning he had come to a Muggle town. The scent here was stronger, and he knew Peter couldn't be far away. He trotted through the streets, sniffing occasionally, avoiding cars, until he came to a pub on the corner. He knew he wouldn't be able to go in as a dog, so he dashed into the alleyway, changed back in to human form, and returned to the pub.

Sirius paused just inside the door of the crowded and noisy pub, scanning the faces of the customers for any sign of Peter. Two women passed him as they entered the pub, leaning towards each other and whispering.

"What is that dreadful man wearing?" she heard one of them snicker. Her companion made an ugly comment that Sirius couldn't hear, and the two women laughed shrilly.

He ignored them and continued to look around the room. Several people pointed rudely and stared at him. He was still wearing his robes, which were obviously attracting too much attention from the Muggles, so he couldn't hang around much longer, but he still didn't see Peter. Damn, I could have sworn he was here. I know he's somewhere nearby, but... He left the pub, and headed toward the alleyway where he could transform again without being seen - and then stopped cold.

There was Peter, just up the pavement about a block away. The seething rage Sirius had been fighting down for hours came back in a rush...traitor...murderer...the most bitter hate a man could feel surged through his body like poison, burning his soul...coward... He didn't stop to think - for he had ceased to think like a human, more like a wild animal, acting on instinct - but drew out his wand, oblivious to the confused glances and exclamations from the people around him, and ran down the street toward Peter.

Peter ran. Sirius chased him down the street, shoving people out of the way in his fury and not even noticing. His feet pounded the pavement with a speed he'd never thought possible, fuelled by the rage and grief in his heart...and just when he thought he was catching up to him, Peter darted into the street, mindless of the oncoming traffic. Sirius chased after him, swerving to avoid the cars whose drivers were honking and cursing at him.

Peter stopped in the middle of the street, hands behind his back. Sirius stopped also, confused and furious, and raised his wand.

You're a dead man, Peter, after I finish with you...you'll pay for what you've done... and too late, Sirius realized what Peter was about to do.

"Lily and James, Sirius, how could you?" cried Peter - and then there was an explosion.

The force of the blast knocked Sirius to the ground, but he quickly scrambled to his feet. Through the thick grey smoke, he could see bodies surrounding a huge crater in the street where Peter had been standing just moments before...and a rat darting into the crater. Peter was escaping, and there wasn't a damn thing Sirius could do. People all around him were screaming and running, but he only half-heard them, as if he were very, very far away.

What he heard, over the screams, the car horns, and the sirens, were the voices of the Potters. James' voice, flat and hollow - "You're the only one we trust with this...you're the best friend I could ask for." Lily's voice, calm and steady as she held Harry... "I'm putting my faith in you...if you say he's reliable, then I trust you." And worst of all, he heard Harry's heartrending screams as he clung to his mother, his tears soaking her robes as she lay dead on the floor.

It was as if someone had put an Impediment Curse on him...he knew he should run, he should get away somehow, but he couldn't move. He just stood and watched as a ring of people moved toward him, surrounding him, their wands drawn, their faces stony and condemning...

Sirius laughed. It was a desperate, uncontrollable laugh of rage and pain... a laugh that seemed to come from the deepest, most miserable part of his soul. He laughed until their spells hit him, and then everything went black.