CHARACTERS (adults):
Sirius Black : Ben Barnes
Remus Lupin : Andrew Garfield
Marlene McKinnon : Talulah Riley
Dorcas Meadowes : Felicity Jones

CHARACTERS (children):
Harry Potter : Daniel Radcliffe
Ron Weasley : Rupert Grint
Hermione Granger : Emma Watson
Draco Malfoy : Tom Felton

NOTES: This story is based on the little post I made on tumblr (ofqueensandwitches). I'll try to stay to Rowling's plot as much as I can. And I'd like to add that because this story is a Blackinnon/Meadowpin one, Marlene and Dorcas are alive, okay? Also, because I really don't want to change the real actors or my face-claim for the Marauders, let's just pretend they were of proper age for the story. One more thing: constructive criticism is always welcomed, but be polite about it. Flames are not appreciated. Everything clear? Very well then; happy reading!

"It's him, Lily! Take Harry and run! I'll hold him off as long as I can! Just go!"

"Please, not Harry! Not my Harry!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Sirius Black had made a mistake.

The moment he found Peter's house empty (fucking rat bastard), Sirius knew that he had been so wrong. He prided himself on his ability to sense danger, but when he felt a chill running down his spine, for the first time ever, he wished he wasn't feeling it this time. He didn't spare another second and hurried off to Apparate to James' home. He felt like he was going to die right then and there when he saw the house was completely destroyed. He was trembling from top to toe, the grief he felt was too much for him, but still he forced himself to look into the house. Memories of his best friend (oh, James) filled his mind as he stepped inside, moments when they spent Christmas together, or when he helped the young couple first moved into the house… A heart-wrenching sob escaped him when he found his best friend lying on the floor in the living room, his lifeless eyes stared wide opened at Sirius. His best friend, his brother, was dead. James was no more. Never again would he scold Sirius carelessness, even if he secretly found it funny. Never again would he sneak his wife's cooking for Sirius in the middle of the night. His best friend was gone. It took all the will Sirius had in him to make his way into James' room (because good God, Sirius, Lily just can't sleep without Harry being ten feet away from her), knowing already what he'd find there. But it still killed him when he saw Lily's form on the floor beside Harry's crib, where the baby himself was crying loudly for the mother that would never wake up again.

"Ma… Mama… Da…" little Harry cried, sobbing over his own tears. Sirius gulped and picked the baby up into his arms. The sight of a familiar face calmed the crying child a little bit, and he hiccuped a small giggle as his chubby fingers poked Sirius' cheek.

"Hiya, Harry," Sirius whispered, burying his face into Harry's mop of unruly hair (so much like James). "You'll come with Padfoot, okay? I'll keep you save."

The baby looked at him, his uncanny green eyes (why, Lily? Why did you have to die and leave your child alone?) looked right back into Sirius' grey ones with a startling odd look in them. It was like the little child understood what Sirius just told him. That was probably what made up his mind. He was aware that he had no experience in taking care of a child – heck, he could barely take care of himself, and there was a big chance Sirius' live would change greatly (I'm sorry Marlene). But he had promised James and Lily, and Sirius would keep that promise. Looking around the room, Sirius knew Harry was his number one priority now. Fucking Pettigrew just had to wait. He took enough time to picture his secret safehouse, all the way in New Zealand, and Apparated away right when Hagrid burst into the room, watching Sirius Disapparated from the house.

With Harry.

"He took 'im! He took little 'Arry!" Hagrid bellowed when he appeared right in front of Dumbledore and McGonagall, waving his umbrella wildly with worrying carelessness.

"Merlin, Hagrid, low your voice down!" McGonagall hissed, her tone taking the usual stern and authoritive one she often used toward her students.

(Especially to that meddling foursome.)

"I'm sorry, Professor!" Hagrid whispered quickly, though it was still loud enough to probably wake the Muggles within twenty to fifty radius. "But he took 'Arry!"

"Who, Hagrid?" Dumbledore asked, his voice all calm and collected, but one could still detect the urgency in it. "Who took Harry?"

"Sirius Black!" Hagrid exclaimed. "He was there in the house when I got there. I saw him Disapparated away."

"Oh, dear…" McGonagall breathed, her face paling a little. "What Pettigrew said was right. He was right. Black – "

"Now, now, Minerva," Dumbledore cut her off. "We shouldn't be jumping to conclusions so quickly. I'm sure that Sirius has an explanation to what he did."

"But, what if – "

"No," Dumbledore said, this time there was a finality in his light tone. "Sirius wouldn't do that to James. The boy is capable of many things, but he'll never betray his brother."

McGonagall pursed her thin lips but said nothing more. Sighing, she finally said, "What shall we do then, Albus?"

Giving a sad smile, Dumbledore said, "We wait and pray that Sirius knows what he's doing. We have faith in him and hope for the best."

A loud cry was heard in the small cottage in Inglewood, New Zealand. The cry obviously came from the small child being held by the tall man with his mercurial eyes, his handsome face looked worn and tired.

"Don't cry, Harry, please," Sirius said softly, bouncing Harry a little in his arms as he paced around the room. "It's only been three days. We'll have to make sure that Voldemort is really gone. Until then, it's not safe for us to go back home."

Miraculously, the baby's cries ceased to exist. Clapping his hands together, he began to giggle. Sirius sighed in relief and kissed the top of Harry's head.

"Thank you, Fawn. I promise, we'll go home soon. I promise."

"It's been a week, Dumbledore! A week and I've got nothing!" Remus yelled as he barged into Dumbledore's office. "Please tell me that – what is he doing here?"

Remus stared (he glared, actually) at the form of his childhood nemesis sitting in front of his former Headmaster. Snape was just as unpleasant to look at as he was back when they were still students of Hogwarts. But Remus knew that he was now a Death Eater, and he could not understood what in the world was Dumbledore thinking to accept the greasy snake.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore said, smiling brightly at the werewolf. "Do sit down, please."

"I'm sitting nowhere beside that Death Eater," Remus snapped, glaring murderously at the former Slytherin, whose black eyes were staring at Remus with absolute hatred. The pain of losing his best friend were enough for Remus to have a personality transplant.

"Nor would I sit with a werewolf," Snape answered silkily. That did it for Remus.

"You-"

"Boys, sit down," Dumbledore said sharply. "You two are adults now. I expect you to be way over your petty and childish rivalry."

Both men (oh Merlin, but look how much they'd both grown) glared murderously at each other. But in the end, they complied and Remus took a sit beside Snape, who scooted his chair away from Remus not-so swiftly. If Dumbledore sensed the tension between his former students, he was wise enough to ignore it and instead, he grabbed a piece of parchment that he received just a couple of hours before Snape came to see him.

"Remus, you were asking why Severus was here. Well, he came to see me to ask whether I had a spot for a rogue Death Eater that would spy for me on Voldemort."

"'Rogue Death Eater'?" Remus snorted. "You can't stop being one. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater."

"He told me that he knew the culprit who sold James and Lily to Voldemort," Dumbledore continued. Instantly, that got Remus' attention.

"What?" he yelped. "Wait a second… He what?"

"Wow, Lupin, I didn't know you were this stupid," Snape drawled maliciously. "No wonder he got away so easily."

"Shut up, you bastard," Remus spat, whirling around to face the Death Eater. "You don't talk unless you tell me who was it that-"

"It's Pettigrew," Snape said curtly, the look on his face told Remus how stupid he thought Remus was. "You must be a bigger idiot than both Potter and Black combined if you didn't notice the time he spent missing at night."

Remus would have killed Snape for the off-handed comment he made on James and Sirius, had it not for the fact that he was too shocked to react. It couldn't be true. He just saw Peterminutesago, and his old friend was still grieving for James and Lily, all the while blaming himself for what Sirius had done as Remus and Dorcas tried to calm his hysterics, the whole time trying to keep themselves under control. Once he finally got over his shock, an uncontrollable anger began to take over. Remus rarely let the wolf in him to dictate his emotions, but right at that moment, he wished that it was the full moon so he could let the beast loose on his so-called best friend.

"That bastard," Remus hissed, barely able to contain his anger as his green eyes flashed yellow for a moment. "After all James and Sirius had done for him. How could he…"

"He'll pay for it, Remus," Dumbledore said. "He'll pay for his crimes."

Remus nodded wordlessly, too angry to say anything.

"Now that we have everything explained, I'm going to show you the letter I just received this morning from Sirius."

"We're coming home, Harry," Sirius said, a small but radiant smile on his handsome face. "We're coming home and we'll see Uncle Moony again, and Aunt Marley and Aunt Doe."

Little Harry giggled when Sirius tickled his tummy. The sound brought a round of laughter from the man as he scanned his cottage for once last time. The sole Heir to the Black family fortune, the only male Black left in Britain, knew that this was it; that this was the time for him to face everything back home. He'd been gone for over two weeks, and it was time to get Peter - no,Pettigrew for everything he'd done.

And made him pay for betraying his friends.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound that came for the little hammer Barty Crouch Sr pounded against his table sealed the fate of one Peter Pettigrew night. The man's beady eyes went wide as tears went down his face profusely before he began to wail, yelling and screaming for his last two remaining friends for mercy, fighting to break-free from the grip of the two Aurors that held him. But said friends never budged, their face impassive as they stared at the crying man that was screaming their name.

"Sirius! Remus! Please, don't let them take me! Don't do this to me, please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have done it, but please! Please, don't do this," Pettigrew screamed loudly, still fighting with all his might, even as he was being dragged away by the Aurors.

But still, Sirius and Remus showed no mercy. The werewolf merely grabbed Harry from Sirius's arms before he exited the room with his girlfriend beside him, his face showed little to no emotion except the blatant hatred he had for the screaming filth as he walked through throng of people with his best friend's son his arms. And Sirius… The last living heir of the Black family merely stared stonily at Pettigrew, his mercurial eyes, cold and brutal they were toward people he loathed, never showed the mercy his former friend asked from him. They just stared long and hard, until he too followed his best friend and his Godson, linking his hand with his fiancée for her comfort.

Pettigrew's loud scream could be heard all over the fifth floor of the Ministry when he saw both of his old friends had left him