The flat was empty. Sirius could tell as soon as he stepped in. There were no sounds of a squeaking floorboard or a person’s breath. Nothing.
He called out anyway. “Peter?”
No answer. Sirius called again. “Peter, are you here?”
Something bad must have happened, Sirius could tell, but he didn’t know what. Did something happen to Peter? Was he hurt? Had they found out he was the secret keeper and kidnapped him? Perhaps they were torturing him for information right now. Information on where to find James and Lily. And Harry.
Sirius turned around, bolted out of the door and ran as fast as he could down the steep stairs. He knew where he needed to be: Godrics Hollow. Something was wrong and he could feel it. He had to make sure James, Lily and Harry were okay, which of course they were.
They had to be.
And once he got there, they could figure this out together. Maybe they could help Peter, wherever he was.
-
In his hurry, Sirius landed on the other end of the street instead of in front of the Potters’ house.
The atmosphere at Godrics Hollow was strange. Sirius thought he could hear a baby crying in the distance. It couldn’t be Harry, could it?
He got off his motorcycle ran. Ran towards their house as quick fast as he possibly could. And the closer he came, the more obvious it became that something was wrong.
A vast, dark figure stood right outside James and Lily’s house. Sirius drew his wand before continuing right towards the door which was for some reason open.
Why was the door open?
“Sirius?”
Sirius recognized the voice as Hagrids and wondered briefly what Hagrid was doing here, but he didn’t stop or turn around.
“Listen,” Hagrid told him, voice shaking. “Yer don’ wanna go in ‘ere!”
“Why?” Sirius’ voice was shaking too. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer but at the same time, he had to know.
Hagrid had an arm out to prevent Sirius from going in, but he quickly ducked under and through the door.
“Lily?” he called. “Ja-” He stopped. His mouth hung open, but no sound left him.
James was there, right there in the hallway, sprawled out by Sirius’ feet. His glasses were lying next to him, broken.
“No,” Sirius whispered as he dropped down next to his best friend’s lifeless body. “James, no. Wake up!” With trembling hands, he grabbed James by the shoulders and shook him in an attempt to wake him up.
But James did not wake up. He stared up into the ceiling without seeing anything, his eyes, once so full of light even in the darkest times, now lifeless, rid of any sparkle or glow.
“Please,” Sirius whispered, barely audible.
His throat was tied up in a tight knot. Only a sob managed to escape. It ripped through him, shook his whole body.
“Please, you have to wake up!”
“I’m sorry, Sirius.” Hagrid sounded like he too was about to cry. “He won’ wake up.”
Sirius felt as though his heart had been ripped out of his chest, like he would never be able to smile or live or breathe again.
“What about Lily?” he whispered shakily, even though he dreaded the answer.
Hagrid met the question with silence and that was answer enough-
Sirius slowly got to his feet. In the midst of all his grief, all the pain, there was something else: deep, hateful anger, rising slowly in his chest. Pettigrew had betrayed James and Lily. It was his fault they were dead.
“It’s a miracle the little one survived,” Hagrid muttered.
The little one? Sirius spun around.
“Harry!”
There he was, sleeping peacefully in Hagrid’s arms. How had Sirius not noticed him before now?
The anger that Sirius had felt disappeared, replaced by relief, hope, gratefulness. Harry was okay.
He stumbled out of the door, over to Hagrid to hold his godson. But Hagrid didn’t let him.
“I’m sorry, Sirius, I got strict orders from Dumbledore,” he told him, holding the sleeping child just out of Sirius’ reach. “I have ter bring little Harry ter him, yer see.”
Sirius shook his head. “No, Hagrid, you don’t understand,” he pleaded. “I’m his godfather!” He didn’t mean to yell but his words ripped through the otherwise silent night, echoing through the street.
“I know,” Hagrid told him. “But I’m not ter leave Harry to anyone else. Dumbledore’s order.”
“Just let me hold him,” Sirius whispered. Really, he knew it was hopeless, even before Hagrid shook his head no.
The hope that had filled him, for just a moment, was again overruled by anger.
Anger towards the man who had cost him everything, betrayed his best friends, deprived Harry of his mum and dad.
Maybe after all of this, he could find Dumbledore and convince him that he, Sirius, was supposed to take care of Harry. But first, he needed to get revenge. For James and Lily.
Peter Pettigrew had betrayed them, his best friends, the people who trusted him and loved him, and Sirius couldn’t let that go unpunished.
“You can take my motorcycle,” he told Hagrid, already walking away. “I won’t need it.”