The Sun Refused to Shine

He's coming.

I can feel it.

He's coming, and there'll be no stopping him.

It's not that I'm scared. Don't take me the wrong way. I'm not scared for me, although I probably should be.

I'm scared for my son.

James probably doesn't know. He doesn't realise the danger we're in. But when he comes, I know we won't have to see him very long.

When I think of his reign of terror, I can't help thinking of all my friends I've lost in the past few months that I'll be seeing again soon. Terry and Alex McKimmon...Jack and Annie Anderson...and my best friend Lindsay.

I know I'm going to die, and I'm not going to die hiding. I have to protect my baby. I can't let him get my little boy.

Harry...what's Harry going to do? I suppose James's best friend Sirius will take him. After all, he is his godfather. But...he's only a year old. I can't bear the thought of leaving him. Sirius will tell him what happened, I suppose, but still...growing up with memories like that...

James just came to see me. I told him about my feeling, and he said I was probably right. Then he said that I wasn't in any danger, really. I asked him what he meant. The answer shocked me. He was a direct blood descendant of Godric Gryffindor, one of the Hogwarts founders. That meant that Harry was, too.

That foul, evil, wicked-ooh, I can't even tell you how evil that man is, but he's the Heir of Slytherin. It was predicted, James reminded me, that the Heir of Gryffindor would bring down the Heir of Slytherin. So the Heir of Slytherin is going to try and kill Harry and James before they kill him.

I can't let that happen.

Even though I know there's nothing I can do, I'm going to have to try. I have to save my husband. I have to save my baby.

I have to try.

Oh, no. He's not coming anymore.

He's here.

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"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-"

"No! James, I can't, I can't leave you-"

"Lily, this is no time to argue! He's almost here! If you don't take Harry and go, we'll all be dead! Go! I'll hold him off as long as I can-"

Lily finally listened to him and ran. Just before she did, she kissed him quickly. Then, with a fearful glance back at him, she left the room.

James stood, irresolute, in front of the door. In another instant, he stood in front of what remained of the door. He raised his wand desperately, trying to hold him off, when-

"Avada Kedavra!"

James saw a flash of green light, heard a rush, and fell soundlessly to the ground, never to rise again.

Lily heard the words but no scream. She could only hope her husband had managed to save himself. She turned a corner and screamed. He was standing in front of her!

She had only one thought-to save Harry. She put him on the table behind her and stood in front of him protectively.

"Move aside, girl, it's the boy I want."

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"

It was no use. He advanced as if to push her aside.

"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy..."

"Avada Kedavra!"

Lily screamed. She saw a flash of green light, heard a rush, and fell to the ground.

Harry was confused. He was sitting on a table, but Mommy wasn't changing him. He had heard his name several times, and there was a lot of noise. Then there was a bright light, but it wasn't like the light that was usually in the house. Mommy had gone to sleep, very suddenly, right there on the floor. In addition to that, there was a stranger in the house.

This stranger had a wand like Mommy and Daddy's, but it was a different colour. It was kind of pretty, at that. The stranger pointed his wand at Harry. He reached out to touch it.

"Avada Kedavra!"

There were those funny words again. The last time someone said those funny words, Mommy had taken her nap. Fine by him. He was getting tired anyway.

Suddenly, there was more green light. This time, Harry didn't fall asleep like Mommy. His head suddenly started to hurt. The light bounced back on the man who was standing in front of him. The man screamed, a high-pitched shriek that hurt Harry's ears and made him cry. Then he heard a noise that was brand-new. It sounded like Mommy's rocking chair right before it collapsed. A lot of hard pieces of the ceiling fell on him. He was buried. He cried even harder. He wanted someone to help him.

Sirius had a funny feeling. He left his hiding place and went to Peter's. "Hello?" he called.

He walked in and stopped. "Oh, no..."

Peter was gone, yet there was no sign of struggle. That meant-

Sirius began to run. He only hoped he wasn't too late. He had to save his friends!

When he arrived at Godric's Hollow, where they lived, he stopped in shock.

The house lay in ruins. Somewhere from inside, he heard a faint crying. Frantically, he ran over and entered what was left of the door. As he did, he nearly tripped over something. He looked down and nearly screamed.

The something was James. He was dead. Sirius stared into his blank, expressionless grey eyes. They seemed to be boring into his soul, saying Sirius, how could you? It's all your fault...

Frightened, he ran on, hoping to find a sign of life. He heard plaster shifting and ran towards the sound. Only then did he realise how deep under he was-the light didn't show at all.

Lily lay on the floor. She, too, was dead. Sirius looked into her emerald eyes and saw nearly the same message, with a slight variation...Sirius, how could you? It was your idea...it's all your fault...

Light suddenly flooded the remains of the hallway. Blinking up, Sirius recognised the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid. Sirius was relieved. Hagrid could find any sign of life.

Hagrid leaned into the sizeable hole he'd made. Immediately below was a small baby, on a table. The baby had ceased crying, but still seemed upset. Next to him, Hagrid recognised Sirius Black, the Potters' friend, and on the floor must be Lily. Hagrid gently lifted out the baby. He had what he'd come for. His job was almost done.

He started walking towards the edge of the property. Suddenly Sirius Black ran over to him and stopped him. "Hagrid...Hagrid...do you know what happened?"

"Yeah," said Hagrid, stopping to talk to him. "It was You-Know-Who. Somehow, he couldn't kill Harry. Killed himself instead."

"Oh, my God," gasped Sirius. He started to cry.

Hagrid couldn't stand it. He patted Sirius on the back. "I'm really sorry, Sirius."

Sirius took a deep breath. "It's not your fault, Hagrid." He looked like he wanted to add something else, but instead, he said, "Could you give Harry to me? I'm his godfather...I'll look after him..."

"Sorry, Sirius," said Hagrid. "I've got me orders from Dumbledore. I'm to take Harry to his aunt and uncle."

"Very funny," said Sirius. "The Dursleys? Do you know what they'll do to him? I'll take care of him, really..."

"I've got me orders," repeated Hagrid.

Sirius seemed resigned. "Well, if you have to take him to those Muggles, use my motorbike. I won't need it anymore," he added, looking at something over Hagrid's shoulder.

"Thanks," said Hagrid, seeming surprised.

"Can-" Sirius hesitated. "Can I say goodbye to Harry?"

Hagrid nodded. Sirius reached out and gently touched Harry's face. Hagrid nodded to him, got on the motorbike, and left. Over his shoulder, he called, "I'll bring the bike back when I'm done." Then he was gone, just another figure in the inky black sky.

Peter was sweating slightly as he walked down the street. He'd done it. He'd won the confidence of the Potters, and handed them to his master. He'd be honoured. However...

He'd heard rumours, nasty ones, saying that his master had been killed in the Potter's house. That he had tried to kill Harry, the baby, and had been unsuccessful. The curse had bounced back and killed him.

If it had...well, Peter just hoped that it hadn't.

Next day, the rumours were confirmed. He ran down a street. Suddenly he came face-to-face with his old friend, Sirius Black. "Evening, Peter," Sirius said coldly.

"Why, hello, Sirius," said Peter pleasantly. "Lovely weather for murder last night, eh? Oops..."

"It's too late, Peter," snarled Sirius. "I know all about it." He began slowly advancing on Peter. "And now it's my turn. Have you ever heard the expression 'An eye for an eye'?"

"Y-yeah," stammered Peter.

"Well, there's also 'A life for a life'. Your master paid for one of them. You have to pay for the other."

Sirius had backed Peter into a corner. Peter yelled for the whole street to hear, "He did it! Sirius Black betrayed James and Lily Potter!"

"Don't you wish?" snarled Sirius, going for his wand.

Peter knew what he had to do. Quickly he severed his finger. Then he said the words that caused the street behind him to blow up. As he did, he transformed into a rat, as he was known to do. He sped away down the sewer, glad to be alive.

Cornelius Fudge, Junior Minister of Magic, surveyed the scene with dismay. Thirteen people lay dead, one of them a wizard-a good friend of Fudge's. Sirius Black stood in the middle of the street. Fudge knew that Black was the Potters' secret-keeper. Now he knew that Black had betrayed the Potters. Several Muggles who had survived had told him that Pettigrew had said that before Black had killed him and the thirteen others.

The most shocking thing about all this was Black. He stood in the middle of the street, and he was laughing.

He was still laughing as the Azkaban guards carted him away.

Fudge sighed and began a long cleanup job.

Seven people, from seven different walks of life. Often they'd have nothing to do with each other. Yet that night, that fateful Halloween, their lives met and intertwined for the briefest of moments. Five lost their lives as they knew them that night. All, alive, dead, or somewhere in between, knew that they would never forget the day when the sun refused to shine.