As the bike skidded to a halt at the end of the alleyway, Sirius was already cutting the motor and pushing the kickstand down. He knew something was wrong; he only hoped Peter was not dead.

He had told Peter he would check on him tonight before leaving to go into hiding himself. Sirius’ unease had grown during the day as he packed. It was now at the point where his hands were shaking with panic.

Rushing up the stairs to the apartment they had rented for him in this Muggle building, Sirius prayed the feeling of doom he had was just nerves.

“I don’t think he is home, dearie,” said a voice from across the hall.

Sirius turned towards the voice. “Mrs O’Cleary, why do you say he isn’t home? Did you see him go out?” Sirius’ panic increased. Peter was not supposed to leave the apartment.

“He went out last night, and I haven’t heard him return,” she said worriedly. “He left with a couple big blokes, right after dinner. Dressed strange, too, they were, both of them.”

“Dressed strange, how?” Sirius asked, fear beginning to blossom in the pit of his stomach. “Did he seem to be going with them willingly?” Had Death Eaters found him? Was he still alive? Sirius’ mind raced with these thoughts.

“They had on these long robe type things. And, yes, he seemed to know them and they didn’t seem to be forcing him to go with them,” she told him.

Sirius thanked her and turned to the door; trying the handle, he found it unlocked. He hurried inside. Quickly, he went through the entire apartment. There was no sign of Peter, no sign of struggle. It did seem as if Peter had just left of his own accord.

Rushing out of the apartment, Sirius didn’t even bother to close the door behind him; he ran down the stairs and jumped on his bike, raised the kickstand and started it without a second passing between each action. Within another five seconds he was in the air and racing towards Godric’s Hollow.

His arrival at the home of his best friend was the mirror image of his arrival at Peter’s. As he climbed off the bike, and sprinted towards the house, his sense of dread increased. As he approached the gate, he saw the ruined house. The top corner, where Harry’s bedroom was… was gone.

Sirius raced through the gate and within a few steps came to a sudden halt, almost running into the big man striding out of the front door.

“Hagrid,” Sirus said, “James, Lily?”

Hagrid’s face was wet with tears, tears that were still streaming unchecked down the man’s face. He looked at Sirius and shook his head.

The scream torn from Sirius’ chest sounded more like it came from a fatally wounded animal than a man. “Harry?” he choked out.

“I’ve got ‘im ‘ere,” Hagrid said, showing him the bundle in his arms.

“Give him here, I am his godfather, I will take him,” Sirius said.

“I’ve got me orders. Dumbledore said to bring ‘im directly to ‘im,” Hagrid replied, clutching little Harry tighter.

Sirius hesitated for a few seconds. He needed to see James, but Harry was the most important thing right now.

“Take my bike,” he told Hagrid. “I won’t need it anymore.”

Hagrid nodded his head. “Don’t go in there,” he said quietly. “You don’t need to see that.”

Sirius walked closer to Hagrid. He looked down at Harry. “What happened to him? Where did he get that cut on his forehead?” Sirius asked worriedly.

“Don’t know,” replied Hagrid. “Professor Dumbledore may know. You’ll have to talk to ‘im.”

Sirius looked down into Harry’s green eyes…Lily’s eyes. He could tell Harry had been crying, and crying hard judging by the redness in them. Sirius wanted to take Harry from Hagrid, but he knew it was better for him to go to Dumbledore…for now.

He leaned down and placed a light kiss on Harry’s forehead, whispering to him, “I will find him and avenge your parents. Then, I will come for you.” He made this promise then walked around Hagrid into the house.

As Sirius walked through the door, he immediately saw James lying dead on the floor of the entranceway. Sirius dropped to his knees at James’ head. Sobs racked his body, his breath coming in gasps. How long he knelt there staring at his best friend, Sirius didn’t know.

Taking several deep breaths, Sirius tried to push through his grief and guilt to stand. He had to find Lily. Maybe… maybe she survived, though deep down in his heart, he knew better.

He walked into the living room, where nothing looked any different. The window behind the small desk, on which sat a vase of white flowers, stood open. Nothing seemed out of place. Granted, the window being open on such a cool night was strange, but Sirius didn’t give it a second thought, at least not at that moment. For at that moment, he spotted James’ wand lying on the sofa.

Whoever had done this had obviously surprised them. Harry’s toy broomstick lay on the floor in front of the sofa. There were toys scattered throughout the sitting room. A tiny cup sat on the table next to the rocking chair. The scene was no different than all the times Sirius had visited.

Turning, Sirus made his way back out into the entranceway. He did not look at James’ body as he started up the stairs to Harry’s room. He knew that was where Lily had to be. She would have tried to protect him.

Entering Harry’s room, Sirius noticed this room looked as if a small battle had been waged here. The rocking chair was on its side; Harry’s toy boxes were lying upended against the walls. Sirius knew Lily had tried to block the door with them.

Then he saw her. She was on the floor in front of Harry’s cot, her face frozen in time with a look of pure terror on it. As he had done downstairs with James, he dropped to his knees at her head. He gently lifted her head held it close to his chest.

“Lily,” he said, his voice choked with tears, “I promise you, I will find out how this happened. I will find out why Peter did this.”

Sirius gently laid Lily’s head back onto the floor. Standing, he looked around. There was nothing in this room that didn’t belong. No clue as to who had done this. Though in his heart, Sirius knew Voldemort had killed them, he needed to find out how he learned where they were.

The only way Voldemort could have come here was if Peter had told him the location of the house. What Sirius didn’t know was if this was done willingly or because of torture. Though he didn’t want to believe Peter had turned traitor, the evidence was clear.

Sirius had placed his trust in the wrong man. He had convinced James and Lily to place their trust in Peter. They all knew there was a traitor among them, but Sirius thought it was Remus. How wrong he had been. Now, his best friend had paid for that mistake with his life.

Why had Peter betrayed them? How long had he been passing information to Voldemort? Why did he do it? Where was he now? The questions streamed through Sirius’ mind so quickly, they jumbled together into one word: why?

Sirius took one last look at Lily. He left the bedroom and walked down the stairs. He could hear the Muggles outside. The Fidelius Charm must have lifted now that James and Lily were… He couldn’t finish the thought. He had to get out of here. He had to trust Dumbledore would protect the house and take care of what needed to be done.

But, before he could leave, he wanted to look around one more time. He knew he would not be coming back to this house any time soon, if at all. Walking into the living room, he went over to close the open window.

As he started to close the window, he noticed a small scrap of fabric stuck to a small nail that was slightly raised on the outside window sill. He pulled the fabric free and looked at it. To anyone else, this little piece of blue fabric would not even raise an eyebrow. But, Sirius knew to whom this bit of cloth belonged. This was torn from Peter’s favourite shirt.

Peter must have been in the house when Hagrid arrived. He slipped out the window as Hagrid came through the door. Why had Peter been here? Did he accompany Voldemort and stand by watching as he killed his friends?

Did he follow him here and try to stop him? No, he didn’t try to stop him. If he had, he would be… Sirius still couldn’t think the word. Peter must have come after it had happened. But why?

The sound of the Muggles was growing louder. Siruis knew his time here was up. He had to leave and leave now. Walking back to the entranceway, he bent down next to James.

“I am going to make the same promise to you that I made to your son. I will avenge your death. I will take care of this. I will protect Harry. No one will ever hurt him again.”

He had to find Peter. Sirius decided to go out the back door and Apparate to back to Peter’s. Perhaps he would find a clue there as to why he had done this.

As Sirius felt the crushing darkness of Apparation lifting, he could smell the garbage from the alley where he had materialized. He went back up the stairs and without seeing anyone, walked back through the still open door and closed it behind him.

Siruis immediately went to Peter’s bedroom. He pulled open the closet and saw all of Peter’s clothes still there. He pulled open each drawer of the one small dresser in the room and found they also still held Peter’s things.

Sirius was confused. If Peter had not planned on returning to this apartment, wouldn’t he have taken at least some of his clothes? Or did he leave them so it would look like he had planned to return?

Sirius knew he was not going to find Peter by staying here. He needed to go and search for him. But where to start? He decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron first. Perhaps someone had seen Peter in the last twenty-four hours.

When he left the apartment this time, he closed the door behind him. He then went down to the alley and Disapparated.


As soon as Sirius materialized in the small space between The Leaky Cauldron and the wall that hid Diagon Alley, Sirius knew he didn’t need to be there. He knew Peter would not be anywhere in the public view.

Thinking quickly, Sirius turned and Apparated to a seedier part of London. He knew from his work with the Order that Voldemort had a meeting house in this part of town. The space between the two buildings where he appeared was, at most, a meter wide. The space was dark, the one light at the end of the passageway not working.

Sirius murmured the charm to light his wand tip, and proceeded down the narrow passageway. All of his senses were on alert; he was still two blocks away from the safe house, but he was taking no chances.

His footsteps startled the rats living in this area. He looked closely at each of them. He thought briefly of ridding this section of every rat he saw, but logically he knew he would not find the one rat he was looking for scrounging around in trash bins.

As he entered the second alleyway, his steps slowed reflexively. Ahead he could see the entrance to the meeting house at the end. He longed for James’ Invisibility Cloak. He would just have to make do with a Disillusionment Charm. It was the best he could do.

As the cold chill of the charm spread down his body, Sirius crept closer to the door of the small house. He knew something was going on, as there were many Death Eaters coming and going in apparent urgency.

Hoping the charm held, he quietly went and stood next to the small porch. He listened intently to the voices inside.

“He can’t be gone,” said a voice, shrill in its intensity. “I don’t believe it. He made plans to prevent something like this from happening.” Sirius recognized his cousin, Bellatrix’s voice.

“I’m telling you, Bella, he is gone,” said a male voice.

“Nooooooo!” Bellatrix screamed.

Sirius heard a bang and then silence. Sirius saw two more Death Eaters approaching. He crouched down next to the steps and waited to hear what news they brought. He didn’t have to wait long.

“What happened to Crabbe?” said a new male voice.

“It doesn’t matter! What have you learned, Lucius?” Bellatrix asked.

“The Potters are dead, but…” Lucius had to stop as cheers rang out. “But it seems the Dark Lord has disappeared. Whether or not he is dead, I cannot say. It would seem as if he is.”

“No, he is not dead, Lucius. I would know, I would feel it if he were dead… We all would,” Bellatrix said. “Are they all dead?”

“No, the child survived. They are saying when he tried to kill the child, the spell backfired and killed him.” Lucius’ voice held a note of disbelief.

“But we have no proof? No body? Nothing…” Bellatrix’s voice took on a hysterical edge. “Where is Peter? Find him and bring him to me. If something has happened, he will pay and pay dearly for his betrayal. The Dark Lord went to the Potter house because of the information Peter happily gave him. If something has happened…”

Sirius could hear rapid movements, which he took to mean there would be a number of Death Eaters coming out the door in a few seconds. Knowing Peter was not here, he turned and rushed up the alleyway and away from the house.

His mind was working furiously. Peter had happily given James and Lily to Voldemort. He had sold his friends out. He had betrayed all of them.

He was not going to leave this area, though. If they found Peter, he wanted to be here to remove him from them. He wanted to be the one to deal with the traitor. He owed that to his friends.

Sirius sat down along the wall and watched the house. He tried not to think about the night’s events. He could not afford to be distracted by his grief now. There would be plenty of time for that in the coming days.

An hour later, Sirius watched as a couple Death Eaters entered the house. He was too far away to hear the conversation, but not too far to see the blinding flash of green light. He knew one of the Death Eaters had not brought the information Bellatrix had wanted.

Sirius heard a sound from down the long alleyway and quickly turned his head to look. He saw several Death Eaters approaching from that direction. Knowing the space was too small for them to pass by and not bump into him, he once again went and stood next to the steps.

If their reports were the same, then he would go and try somewhere else to find Peter. If they couldn’t find him, then there was reason to stay here. Peter would not come here willingly. If what Lucius said was true, and Voldemort was killed tonight, then Peter would be hiding from both sides now. He would have to know his life span was measured in hours and minutes instead of years. He would have to know his only chance of staying alive was to stay hidden.

The news was the same, no sign of him. Sirius walked back down the alley the way he had come. He would go to the small area in the country where Peter’s mum lived. He doubted Peter would go there, but it was worth a shot. He had to eliminate any possible hiding places, no matter how improbable, before he could find the right one.

Looking around, he made sure there were no Muggles or Death Eaters in the area. He lifted the Disillusionment Charm before Disapparating.

The first thing Sirius noticed when his vision cleared from Apparation was the house looked abandoned. The grass in the yard was completely overgrown, as if it hadn’t been cut in months. Windows on both floors were broken.

He glanced warily at the sky above the house. Good, no Dark Mark was floating above the home. There had been no murder here, at least not tonight.

He approached the house slowly with his wand drawn. He noted the trees were only just starting to change colour, most of their leaves were still green. He knew being this far south, the weather was slower to change, though the air did hold a bit of a chill.

He reached for the front door and, expecting to find it locked, was surprised to have it open easily when he turned the knob. Stepping carefully into the foyer, he glanced around.

There was dust on every available surface. Sirius looked down. There were footprints in the dust on the floor. He could tell these were only just recently made. Smiling at his good luck, Siruis followed the prints towards the stairs.

As silently as possible, Sirius crept up the stairs. He wanted the traitor to have no warning he was coming. He knew from previous visits here to see Peter’s mother that Peter’s room was at the end of the long hall.

The footprints lead directly to that room, Peter’s room. He grasped the knob and turned it quickly and flung open the door, wand pointed in front of him. He would kill the murderous rat, if it was the last thing he did.

The room was empty. Completely empty. Sirius began searching it for any clue as to where the man could have gone. There were no footprints to indicate Peter had gone back downstairs, perhaps he Apparated out of the room. No, there were no prints that showed the movement necessary for Apparation.

Sirius checked every space, the closet, under the bed, even under the dressers, thinking maybe he had transformed himself into the rat he was and was hiding under one of these.

Nothing.

Sirius sat on the bed and looked around. He looked carefully at the footprints. It was then he noticed that there were a second set of prints, a very tiny set of prints made by four tiny feet. So, he had transformed. Sirius stood and followed them.

He found the tiny mouse hole in the wall and knew Peter had escaped into there. Sirius punched the wall, his temper breaking free. He turned and began destroying anything he could. The dresser drawers were pulled out and flung violently against the wall. He flipped the mattress off the bed.

Screaming in rage and pain, Sirius rushed from the room. He went to Mrs Pettigrew’s bedroom and began searching it for a clue as to where she was. He knew wherever she was, Peter was. Of this, he was certain. Peter may have gone into hiding, but Sirius knew he would have made sure his mother was well hidden first.

From the look of this room and the rest of the house, Mrs Pettigrew did not have time to pack anything. It was also evident she had been gone for months. When did Peter hide his mother? Sirius tried to remember the last time he had seen Mrs Pettigrew.

He had come here with Peter in the Spring for his mother’s birthday. Had they come up since then? Sirius couldn’t remember. No, Sirius hadn’t been here since then. So, she was moved after that.

Finding nothing to indicate where she may have gone, Sirius walked back downstairs and out of the house. As he stood on the porch, he noticed the sun beginning to rise. The sky was tinted pink with the approaching dawn.

As he walked down into the yard, Sirius tried to figure out where to go next. He racked his brain for anywhere Peter may have mentioned his mother liked to go, or would like to go.

Suddenly an idea formed in his mind. Turning, Sirius left the deserted house behind and continued his search for the traitorous rat.


Sirius Apparated to behind a small Muggle pub in Wales. He and Peter had once visited here while doing work for the Order. He only hoped the woman he wanted to see was still here. As he walked to the front of the pub, he thought back to their visit.

The pub was just about deserted when they got there. It was late and most folks were home in bed, getting their sleep before another day of work. As they sat at the bar, Sirius noticed a woman sitting in the back corner booth.

She had a deck of cards in her hands and was shuffling them as she looked around. As she looked at Sirius, he smiled at her. She nodded to him, giving him the impression she wanted him to come over.

Sirius tapped Peter on the shoulder and tipped his head towards the back booth. Standing, they went over and sat down on the bench opposite her.

“Would you like your fortune told?” she asked in a misty voice.

“Sure, why not?” replied Sirius.

She reached out and took his hand in hers. Sirius felt a jolt of electrical current run through his hand and up his arm when his hand met hers. She showed no indication she felt anything out of the ordinary, so Sirius didn’t say anything about it. She began tracing the various lines with a fingertip, glancing up at his face periodically.

“I have never seen a love line like yours,” she said. “It begins very strong, but then it thins indicating lost love at an early age. However, what puzzles me, is right here,” she said as she laid the tip of her finger in the middle of his palm. “It goes from thin to almost nonexistent for a period of time, then expands back into the thin line.”

She looked up at him concerned, then back at his hand. “I believe you are going to suffer a tragedy. Someone you love is going to leave you and you will be without love for a long time. Though you will find love again, it will only be for a short period.

“See this line here? It is your life line. It intersects with your love line, but then both just stop. It is very strange,” she said as she let go of his hand.

Sirius scoffed. It was obvious this woman was a fake. He watched as she took Peter’s hand in hers.

“This is also very strange. Your love line also abruptly stops, though yours does not restart.” Peter pulled his hand out of hers suddenly.

She looked at both of them. “I see tragedy and loss surrounding both of you. The choices you have made, the ones you are about to make, will alter more than just your lives,” she said quietly.

“Come on, Padfoot, we should be going,” Peter said, standing.

Sirius looked at her. He wondered if she knew more than what she was telling them. Was it possible that she was really psychic?

“You will come back looking for me soon. I will be here waiting for you. Now, go with your…friend.”

Sirius stood, wondering at the emphasis she put on the word ‘friend’. Following Peter out of the pub, he tried to put what she had said out of his mind.

As soon as he was through the door, he looked to the back corner to see if she was there. He was honestly surprised to see her. Approaching the booth where she sat, he looked down at her.

“How did you know?” he asked.

She gestured to the seat across from her and Sirius sat down.

She looked around to make sure no one was watching them, but at this early hour of the morning, there was no one in the pub. She held up one hand and Sirius watched as smoke swirled above it.

She didn’t speak as she watched the shapes forming in the smoke. Sirius tried to discern individual shapes, but he couldn’t see a single one.

“The one who was with you last time, he has gone into hiding. He fears you now more than he did then. But…” She gasped at something. “Death, so much death,” she said quietly. She moved her hand and the smoke disappeared.

There were tears in her eyes when she looked at Sirius. Sirius was finding it hard to control his temper. She had known. She knew Peter would betray them, and she had said nothing. In his mind, she was also responsible for James and Lily… No, he couldn’t finish the thought.

“Where is he?” he said, his voice cold.

She reached over the table to take his hand. Sirius pulled away from her and looked at her, anger radiating off him in waves.

“I do not know, but you do. It is there in your mind, you only need to think. Where would he go?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Sirius shouted. “If I knew, would I be here?”

She didn’t immediately answer. Sirius watched as her eyes seemed to glaze over. After a few minutes, she shuddered, blinked and looked at him again.

“I can’t see where he is. But his betrayal is not finished. Do not search him out. Go instead to the one person you know in your heart you can trust. Let him handle this. If you go after him, you will be betrayed as surely as those you love have been.”

Sirius shook his head. He knew he would not stop until he found Peter. As far as going to someone he trusted, he trusted no one… not now. The time for trust was over. He stood to leave, but she reached out and grabbed his arm.

“There is one who lives; he needs you. Do not continue on this path. If you do, you may not be there when he needs you the most.” She let go of his arm and he walked away.

As he walked down the alley, he tried to figure out where to go next.

Sirius had no idea where to look for Peter. Halfway down the alley, he turned and walked back the way he had come. This was a Muggle neighbourhood so the chances there would be any danger to him wandering around were slim.

He began walking the streets. He wandered around for hours just thinking about where to look next. He knew by now word of what had happened in Godric’s Hollow would have spread. He also knew it would be him everyone was looking for, not Peter.

Perhaps he should go back to Godric’s Hollow and see if he missed anything. Though he doubted Peter left any clues behind, Sirius was getting desperate. He had to have missed something somewhere. If not Godric’s Hollow, then maybe at Peter’s apartment.

He knew he could not be seen by any wizard. He would have to assume his Animagus form when he was in public. He could wander around and see if he could find any information out as a dog.

Feeling better because he had somewhat of a plan, Sirius walked down the first alley he came to, looked around then Apparated to Godric’s Hollow. As soon as he appeared, he changed into a big black dog.

He had Apparated to the woods behind James’ house. He knew from past experience that he could pass through the charms on the house in this form, if the charms even still held. He walked through the woods and went into the backyard of the cottage.

He went to the back door and using his teeth, opened it. He went slowly inside and nudged the door closed. He really didn’t want to be here, but he had to look around. Not knowing if the cottage was being watched, he stayed a dog.

As he walked through the downstairs, he kept an eye out for anything out of place. Everything looked exactly as it should. The only difference he noted was someone had closed the window. Which meant the smell of flowers was overpowering in the living room.

He walked to the doorway of the entrance hall and stopped. He didn’t know if he could walk any further. He wanted to leave; he couldn’t face being here. It was so quiet. He took a step forward, then another.

Someone had removed James’ body. There was no sign anything had happened here. He crossed the floor and ran up the stairs. The door to Harry’s room was closed. He went over and once again using his teeth, opened the door.

He was immediately struck once again at the contrast of this room to the scene at the bottom of the stairs. Lily was also gone, but the toy boxes were still overturned against the wall. He glanced up at the corner of the room over Harry’s cot. The ceiling and walls were completely gone. He wondered again, how Harry had survived. How had he not been killed just from the destruction the spell had caused?

Sirius was confused by the damage. He knew the Killing Curse left no marks on the body. It didn’t blow apart half a room. Why was there such damage to this room? What exactly had happened in here?

Sirius went over and standing on his hind legs, he placed his front paws on the top bar of the cot. He looked down and saw Harry’s small teddy bear laying there. Dropping back to all fours, he stuck his snout through the bars and pulled the teddy bear out.

Harry was alone with strangers without his favourite stuffed animal. Sirius dropped the bear and without thought changed back into a man. The man fell to his knees and clasping the bear to his chest, sobbed.

After about an hour of sobbing, Sirus took several shuddering breaths. He had to get himself under control. He had to find the traitorous rat and kill him. He would pay for betraying James and Lily. He would not live to see another sunrise.

Sirius stood and tucked the bear inside his shirt. He would find a way to get this to Harry. He would send it to Dumbledore; since he knew where Harry was being taken, he could get it to him.

Sirius walked back down the stairs. He went into the living room and over to the desk. If he was going to continue to search for Peter, he would have to be in his Animagus form and he wouldn’t be able to keep the teddy bear with him.

Pulling open a drawer on the desk and took out a piece of parchment paper. He quickly scribbled a note to Dumbledore and went into the kitchen. He knew Lily had some string around somewhere; he just had to find it.

It took a few minutes, but he finally found it and wrapped the note around the bear. Now, the question was, was the owl James and Lily used to send letters still hanging around out back?

Sirius opened the back door and whistled for the owl. He was pleasantly surprised when it flew down towards him. He stepped back and let it fly into the kitchen. It landed on the table and held its leg out expectantly.

Sirius went over and carefully tied the teddy bear to the owl’s leg. “Take this to Hogwarts, to Dumbledore,” he said to the owl. He had no doubt the owl would deliver the bear to Dumbledore.

He watched as the owl flew out the door and off into the sunset. Sirius was startled to see how late it was getting. He didn’t think he had been here that long. He knew he had to move on; it wasn’t a good idea to stay in any one place for too long.

He went out the door and pulled it closed behind him. He transformed back into a dog, and walked around the house. He effortlessly jumped over the gate and glanced back at the cottage. He had a feeling this would be the last time he ever saw it.

Walking quickly away from the cottage, Sirius went down into the village. Though this was not an all-wizard village, there were enough wizards here that maybe he could overhear something that would help him.

He wandered around the streets listening in on conversations. As he approached a group of people, he saw Bathilda Bagshot among them. He wandered over slowly.

“Is it true, Bathilda? Is he really gone?” asked one of the men.

“It seems so,” she answered. “But the cost… Lily and James…” she said. Sirius could see tears in her eyes.

“What about their son? Is he safe?” asked a woman.

“Yes, he is fine. Albus sent someone to fetch him right after it happened,” Bathilda answered.

“Is it true, it was one of their best friends that betrayed them?”

“Yes, there is no other way he could have found them. No other way,” she said quietly.

The group stood shaking their heads at the thought of someone close to the family selling them out.

“Do they know where he is?”

“No, Albus sent me an owl earlier and asked me if I had seen him. I had to tell him no. The only person I saw was their other friend, Peter.”

Sirius growled. The group looked around and spotting him, backed up a few paces. Bathilda smiled at him and held her hand out to him. He went over slowly, playing the part of a stray that would be wary of strangers.

“Aren’t you a sweet puppy,” she said as she stroked his head. “So, anyway, I told Albus I had seen Peter and he was so upset. He said he was worried about his mum, worried she would be next. He said he had her already in hiding, but he needed to go check on her.”

When Sirius growled again, she looked down at him. “What’s wrong, boy?” she asked as she looked around to see what was making him growl. Seeing nothing, she patted his head reassuringly.

Sirius wondered if she knew exactly where Peter had gone, but he knew he could not change and ask her. He was supposed to be the Secret Keeper so to everyone, he was the traitor. Only he knew the truth.

“I hope he gets to his mother and keeps her safe,” said the woman who had spoken earlier.

“I think he will. He said she was staying in a Muggle village in Wales he had found several months ago.”

A village in Wales. It had to be the very village he just left a few hours ago. He barked once and then ran back the way he had come. He would Apparate back there and search the village until he found the rat.

He ran directly to the woods, and once back as a man, Disapparated to Wales. He reappeared in the very alley he had gone to that morning. He changed quickly into a dog and began his search.

Darkness had fallen and the streets were almost deserted. When he went past the front door of the pub, he could hear music playing and laughter coming from inside. It seemed even though it was only dinnertime, the pub was doing good business.

He was a block from the pub when he saw something lying in the road in front of him. He trotted over and discovered it was a body, a female body. He nudged her but she didn’t move.

He looked at her face and was shocked to see it was the Fortune Teller from the little pub. He began barking to alert someone. He knew he could not be seen as a man or he would be suspect in whatever happened to her.

Sirius watched as several men approached. He stepped back as they checked the woman.

“Drunk, again,” said one of the men.

“Didn’t even make it home tonight,” answered the second.

Sirius watched as the men each took an arm and pulled her to her feet. Then with a man on each side of her, holding her up, they proceeded to walk up the hill.

Sirius went over to where the woman had been lying and noticed blood on the pavement. He also noticed a scrap of material. He looked carefully at it. It was a piece of blue material just like he found at the cottage. Sirius knew it had to be Peter’s.

Knowing he was close, Sirius resumed his search.

Sirius wandered the streets. How did one find someone when that someone didn’t want to be found? He knew the key was to find his mother.

Sirius turned another corner and saw ahead of him a small church. Sirius wondered if it was possible Peter’s mother was a member. If she was, he could possible find out where she lives from the Pastor.

He trotted to the church and going behind it, transformed back into a man. He walked quickly to the front and through the door. The church was very small, and lit by candles.

The area he was in had three beautiful stained glass windows off to the side. With the subtle lighting in the church, the streetlights shown through the windows and gave the illusion from this distance it was daylight outside.

He could see only a few people kneeing in the pews. Sirius quietly made his way up the side aisle glancing at each. No one took notice of him.

Part of him wanted Peter’s mother to be here, but part of him didn’t. He knew by now, Peter had spread the story to her how he, Sirius, had betrayed his friends. Sirius knew she would not react favourably to him and wanted that scene to be held in private.

He slid into the front pew and waited for the Pastor to make an appearance. He only hoped his appearance wouldn’t make the Pastor hesitant to give him the information he sought.

As Sirius sat quietly, his mind drifted to James and Lily. Silent tears streamed unbidden down his face. He knew now his mistrust in Remus had been misplaced. He put his faith in someone who he had trusted. Someone he never even suspected would betray them.

Guilt swamped him and he fell to his knees. It was his fault James and Lily were gone. It was his fault Harry was now an orphan. He convinced James to use Peter. He was responsible for this tragedy.

Sirius jumped to his feet at the hand on his shoulder. Reflex had him pulling his wand from his back pocket.

“I’m sorry, son. I didn’t mean to startle you. Is there anything I can do to help you?” asked the Pastor.

Sirius quickly slid his wand back into his pocket. He hoped the Pastor wouldn’t ask him about it.

“I hope so, Father,” Sirius began. “I am looking for the mother of a… friend.” Sirius stumbled over the word friend. “There has been a tragedy and I need to find him quickly. I am hoping his mother can help me.” Sirius knew he was stretching the truth just a bit, but other than using the word friend, he had not outright lied.

“I may be able to help you. What is her name?” asked the Pastor.

“Pettigrew,” replied Sirius.

“Ah, yes. She is one of our newest members. Her home is not far from here, just two streets over and down about half a block. It is the blue one with the white shutters,” the Pastor said.

“Do you happen to know if her son is visiting her?” asked Sirius. Could he possible be this close? he wondered.

“I’m not sure. Though, she hasn’t been in today, so I would say it was possible. She doesn’t come in when he is here.”

Sirius noticed the Pastor’s voice seemed to change when he referred to Peter. “Father, I may be mistaken, but do you have a problem with Peter?”

“With Peter? I don’t have a real problem with him, but there is something about him that makes me uneasy,” said the Pastor. “I’m sorry, you did say he was your friend. I shouldn’t be talking bad of anyone.”

“It’s all right, Father. I have a confession to make. Peter was my friend, but he has done something terrible. I need to find him so I can…turn him over to the proper authorities.” Sirius felt a moment’s guilt over this lie. He had no intention of turning Peter over to anyone.

The Pastor looked thoughtfully at him. Sirius did his best not to squirm under his gaze. He felt as if he was being surveyed by Professor McGonagall. He adopted the face of innocence that had almost always worked with McGonagall.

“My son, I truly hope you are telling me the truth. I do not wish to be the cause of another tragedy. I am quite fond of Mrs Pettigrew. She is a lovely woman.”

“Father, I assure you, I mean no harm to her. I only wish to find Peter. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be going. I have a feeling Peter will not hang around here too long.”

Sirius smiled and walked out of the church. He glanced back at the trio of windows. He could see the light flickering in them from the candles. He noticed the Pastor watching him through the centre window.

He walked quickly down the street, and as soon as he turned the corner out of sight of the church, he ducked between two of the houses and changed into a dog.

Sirius ran to where the Pastor had said Peter’s mother lived. He slowed as he spotted the house. He knew Peter would recognize him even in this form. He went into the yard a few doors away and went around to the back. He was glad luck was finally with him and he could cut through the yards to the Pettigrew house.

He slowly made his way through the yards and silently slunk into the backyard of the Pettigrew’s. He could see a light on in the kitchen and a woman standing in the window looking out.

He didn’t know if Peter ever told his mother about their Animagus forms, so Sirius stopped and waited until she turned from the window before approaching the house. The window was low enough he could stand on his hind legs and peer in. He didn’t see Peter in the kitchen and there was only one place set at the small table.

As he looked around, Mrs Pettigrew spotted him. She smiled and came over to the window. Sirius dropped back down on to all fours. Sliding the window open, Mrs Pettigrew leaned out to look down at him.

“Are you hungry, boy? Well, come around back and I’ll give you something to eat,” she said and she shut the window.

Sirius thought quickly. It seemed she didn’t recognize him, so he decided to play along and trotted to the back door. As she opened the door for him, he woofed softly and brushed past her and into the house.

He went over to the fireplace and curled up, resting his head on his paws. He knew how to play the part of a loveable stray. It had served him well while doing work for the Order.

“Not hungry then? Just tired and cold? Well, I am about to have my dinner and I don’t mind the company.” She went to the stove and opened the oven. Carrying a dish to the table, she set it down. She sat down herself and began to eat, glancing every now and then at him.

“My son had a dog when he was little. I was just telling him this morning, I would like to get another one. It would be nice to have company. Peter, that’s my son, isn’t around much. Some of the things he is mixed up in…” She stopped abruptly when Sirius rose to his feet, the hair on his back standing on end.

“What’s wrong, boy?” she asked. “There is no one here. It’s okay, just you and me, nothing to fear,” she said reassuringly.

Sirius walked over to her. He looked up at her. He needed to look around and see if he could find any indication of where Peter may have gone, but if she was rambling about him, then maybe she would let something slip.

He sat down at her feet and hoped she would continue to talk. He had to keep his temper under control.

“So as I was saying, my son isn’t around much. He came last night and told me he may have to go away for a while. He wouldn’t tell me where he was going, only that he would get in touch with me when he could.” She stood and took her plate over to the sink.

Then, smiling at him, she went to the door into the next room, opening it, she called to him. Sirius got up and went through the door. He found himself in a small sitting room.

On the table in front of the sofa, he saw several letters. Thankful he retained all knowledge he had as a man while in dog form, he went over and looked down at the letters sitting there.

The first thing he noticed was they were sent using Muggle mail. None of them seemed to have come by owl. He read the return addresses quickly as staring at letters was not normal dog behaviour.

Mrs Pettigrew sat on the sofa and picked up one of the letters. “These are from a Muggle friend of Peter’s. He said he may go visit her before he went on his latest mission. Oh, listen to me, talking about Muggles and missions, like you would understand such things.” She laughed as she threw the letter back down on the table.

Sirius quickly read the address and then went to the front door. He scratched lightly at it.

“Ready to leave so soon?” she asked. “Well, all right then. Come back again to visit.” She opened the door and Sirius ran out and into the night.

He had his next clue as to where Peter may be. He needed to get there quickly.

Sirius appeared at the end of a long hallway. He knew for this, he had to stay in human form. He also knew Peter though not expecting him, would be on alert and ready for an attack. He drew his wand and held it down close to his leg.

Walking down the long hall, he noticed a young girl standing almost at the end of the hall. Behind her, Sirius could see an open apartment. As he got closer, he noticed the door had been blown off its hinges and lay on the floor.

Sirius stopped several feet from the girl. She was staring at the blank wall singing softly to herself. Sirius took a few cautious steps towards the girl.

‘Hi,” he said softly, not wanting to startle her.

Her only answer was her singing got a bit louder.

“I was wondering if you could help me find a friend of mine.” Sirius said friend without stumbling this time. Perhaps lying was coming easier to him with each frustrating hour. “He was supposed to come here to visit the lady who lives in that apartment behind you.”

Her singing stopped. She looked at him and shook her head. Sirius could see the fear in her eyes.

“No, you can’t help me, no, you haven’t seen him, or no, he isn’t here?” Sirius asked. Though he tried to keep his voice calm and reassuring, he knew some of his frustration and anger were seeping into his tone.

“He went away. He came and took Miss Carole away,” she said. “Then…” She dropped her eyes before continuing, “they came. The scary ones in costumes like Peter’s.”

Though Sirius could feel no wind, her hair began blowing around her face. Sirius realized she was a young witch. He wondered briefly if her parents knew what she was. He didn’t have time to worry about that, it wasn’t his problem. Finding Peter, that was all that mattered.

“When you say he came, who do you mean? What did he look like?” asked Sirius.

“The one who always comes to see Miss Carole. He is funny. He gives me candy,” she said and a smile lit her face. Then as fast as the smile came, she frowned. “He was upset, he didn’t give me candy tonight. He told me to go home and stay there. Why did he yell at me?” she asked innocently.

‘I don’t know, sweetheart. Did you go home?” Sirius asked.

“No, I went down by my door, but I saw them leave. Then those bad men came and knocked the door down. I don’t know where they went though, they didn’t come back out.” She looked nervously at the fallen door.

Could the Death Eaters still be in the apartment? Sirius doubted it. No doubt they Apparated from inside and this little girl didn’t see it.

‘Do you know where Peter and Miss Carole went?” Sirius asked.

She shook her head. “They just left. Miss Carole didn’t want to go; she kept saying she wanted to stay here.”

“Sweetheart, I need you to do me a favour. I want you to go home, go inside and stay in there.” When she shook her head, Sirius sighed. He didn’t have much experience with small children.

“I need to go in there,” he said pointing down the hall. “I need to make sure those bad men are gone. I want you to go home so you are safe. Okay?” He smiled, hoping to reassure her.

She looked up at him, studying him intently. After a few moments, she nodded her head. Then began singing again as she skipped lightly down the hall. Sirius saw her enter an apartment close to where he had Apparated.

Sirius walked slowly into the apartment. ”Homenum revelio”, Sirius said. When the spell revealed no other humans in the apartment, he proceeded to look around. It was obvious the Death Eaters had been looking for information as to where Peter could have gone.

Another dead end, thought Sirius. He had no idea where to go next. He sat down on the sofa and tried to think of somewhere he could go to look for Peter.

He looked at the fallen door in front of him. Standing, he walked over and stood the door up then after making sure no one was in the hall, used magic to reattach the door.

He closed it and turned the lock. Casting a charm on the door insured he would not be surprised by a wizard entering. He needed time to think. He was going in circles and still was no closer to finding the rat than he was when he left Godric’s Hollow.

Sitting back down on the sofa, Sirius went over everything and every place in his head he had been in the past almost twenty-four hours. It seemed as if Peter knew every move he was going to make and made sure he was gone by the time Sirius figured out where to look.

Sirius started laughing. It was quite funny he was being out manoeuvred by Peter. Peter, who always trailed behind him and James, was now leading the chase and Sirius was the one trailing behind.

There had to be somewhere he hadn’t thought to check. Someone Peter would run to for protection. It was obvious to Sirius that Peter intended for Sirius to take the blame for James and Lily.

Of course, thought Sirius, he would go to Remus. Remus thought Sirius was the Secret Keeper. Peter would feel safe being there. He would figure Remus would believe he was in danger from Sirius.

Sirius stood; he knew where to go next. He was going to see Remus. Sirius knew it would take a lot to convince Remus that it had been Peter who caused the deaths of James and Lily.

Sirius undid the charm on the door, then Apparated to the outskirts of London where Remus had a small flat. He appeared in a small wooded area a short walk from Remus’.

Sirius debated on whether to assume his Animagus form or not. Deciding since both Remus and Peter would recognize him immediately and he would be defenceless in that form, he stayed the way he was.

He kept to the shadows as he walked. Remus had a basement flat in an otherwise abandoned building. Sirius began to go down the staircase which lead to the walkway to Remus’ place.

As he went down the stairs, he noticed the blood. There was blood on the walls as well as on the bottom steps. Sirius instantly became alarmed. Rushing forward, wand raised, he searched for whoever left the trail of blood.

Seeing a body ahead of him, Sirius began to run towards it, half afraid of what he would find. He realized as he got closer, it was not Remus. It was a man, whether Muggle or wizard, Sirius didn’t know.

Sirius felt for a pulse even though he knew the man was dead. What confused Sirius was it looked as if he had been ravaged by a werewolf. Sirius knew the full moon was not for ten days. This didn’t make sense.

Sirius stood and looked down at the man. He is dead, thought Sirius, just like James. Dead. James dead. Lily dead. Dead. Peter killed them. Dead, dead, dead. the same thought kept running through his mind. Over and over the word dead kept repeating itself. Sirius could not think of anything else.

“NO!” screamed Sirius. Without thinking of where he was going, Siruis closed his eyes, turned and Disapparated.

He opened his eyes and found himself in the back yard of the cottage at Godric’s Hollow. Again, he screamed, ‘NO!” He closed his eyes and Disapparated.

Sirius again opened his eyes this time to find himself standing outside the gates to Hogwarts. He stood staring through the gates for a few moments before turning again, tears streaming from his eyes.

This time he found himself in the alley behind the bar in Wales. He had no conscious thought of this destination when he Disapparated away from Hogwarts. His only thought had been to get away from the pain. His little side trip to Godric’s Hollow had broken something in him.

Find Peter.

Find the traitor.

Kill Peter.

Kill the traitor.

Find Peter, find the traitor.

Kill Peter, kill the traitor.

Find Peter, find the traitor. Kill Peter, kill the traitor.

Find Peter, kill Peter, find Peter, kill Peter. Over and over these thoughts kept running through his mind until they became one thought, one goal, to find and kill Peter.

He no longer cared about finding Peter to turn him in; he wanted no less than his death. James was gone and Peter would pay the ultimate price for his betrayal. Sirius would see to that. If it was the last thing he ever did.

He knew where he had to go, Peter’s mother would know where he was and she was going to tell him. Sirius changed into his Animagus form and raced to the house a few blocks away.

He once again approached the house from the neighbour’s yard. He spotted the open window and quietly went over to stand under it. He could hear voices from inside. He recognized the voice of Peter’s mother instantly. The other female voice he could only assume belonged to the Muggle woman, Carole.

“I don’t understand why Peter thinks I would be in danger,” Carole said. “I have never even met his friends. No one from his world knows about me.”

“If Peter thinks you would be safer staying here, then this is where you will stay. At least until he tells us it is safe for you to return home.”

Sirius heard someone walk towards the window. Peter’s mother glanced out the window and spotted Siruis. “Oh, you’ve come back, then? Well, come round the back door and I’ll let you in.”

Sirius could not believe his luck. He thought for sure Peter would have warned his mother about letting a big black dog in the house. As Sirius rounded the corner, he saw a tall blonde woman approaching the door quickly. She pulled the door from Peter’s mother and slammed it shut.

“NO!” she yelled as she placed her hand against the milky coloured glass in the door. Sirius watched as she pressed her long nailed fingers against the glass to keep the door shut.

“Peter said not to let anyone in,” she said. “He made a point of telling me not to let in any dogs that came round the house. He said the person who was after him could change into a dog.”

“He didn’t tell me that. Besides, that dog has been here before. Just this morning, in fact.” Peter’s mother said. “Where did Peter go anyway?”

“Into town, something about talking to someone who might have seen the man who is after him.”

Sirius didn’t hesitate, he took off running. Just outside of the main street in town he stopped. He changed out of his Animagus form. When he caught up with Peter, he wanted to be able to kill him and for that, he needed his hand to hold his wand.

Pulling his wand, he held it close to his side where it wouldn’t be noticed. He walked down the sidewalk looking everywhere for the rat. Halfway down the street, he spotted the very person he had been searching for.

Before he could rush across the street to Peter, Peter spotted him and stopped in his tracks. Sirius watched as he put his hand inside his coat then drew it out and put it behind his back. Sirius had been sure he had been about to draw his wand.

“Lily and James, Sirius, How could you? Our best friends, you betrayed them!” Peter yelled as he crossed the street towards him stopping a few feet in front of Sirius.

Sirius was so taken back by this accusation, he was momentarily speechless. Then he burst out laughing. “I killed them? Well, I guess in a way you are right,” he said all laughter dying from his voice.

“They are dead, and you killed them! YOU KILLED LILY AND JAMES!” Peter yelled. “I will kill you for betraying them!”

Sirius raised his wand towards Peter. But before he could cast the curse that would end Peter’s life, several things happened. He watched as Peter cut off his own finger, tossing it towards Sirius, then instantly there was a loud explosion behind Peter and he saw him transform into a rat. The rat scurried down the now huge gaping hole in the street leaving his bloodstained robes behind.

Sirius oblivious to the death and destruction around him stood laughing hysterically at how he had been out manoeuvred by a rat.

A few minutes later when officials from the Ministry of Magic arrived, Sirius was still laughing. He offered no resistance to the twenty members of the Magical Enforcement Squad who had been summoned to take him into custody.

For the next twelve years, Sirius Black sat in Azkaban knowing he was at fault for the death of his best friend. Until one day, he saw a picture of the rat and knew he had to fulfil the promise to protect Harry. It was that one picture that gave him the will to escape, to protect Harry and to finish the one mission he had failed in doing; to kill the traitor.