Padfoot?

by

Padfootz-luvr

A/N: To those who have beared with me throughout the years, I thank you, and I apologize profusely. To those just joining us: Welcome! This story has been a big, fat, work-in-progress for almost three years now, and I almost abandoned it. ALMOST. Then I sat down, re-read what I had written, and, before I knew it, I made the conscious decision to correct all grammatical and punctuation errors, and to add to it a bit, give it more dimension and depth. So now here we are, reader and author, ready to embark on a new, perilous journey. This time, I primise to not abandon the wheel of the ship.
Disclaimer: :le sigh: I don't own Harry Potter or anythign else you recognize, blah, blah, blah, etc.

Chapter One:

Sirius' Decision

"There are bridges we cross

we didn't know we crossed

until we'd crossed..."-Wicked, the musical

"Lily! James!" Sirius Black's voice called in vain. He was at Godric's Hollow, looking at the charred remains of the once-regal home that had been in the Potter family for years. I used to live in this home...Sirius remembered, staring at the charred remains of the kitchen. I ate in this kitchen...In his mind's eye, Sirius saw Mrs. Potter, James' mother, happily serving the two sixteen-year-olds breakfast as they enthusiastically discussed their plans for the day.

Snapping out of his reverie, the young man leapt forward, intent on finding his best friends alive among the ashes and burnt wood that was scattered around the large lot. His hopes fizzled and died out like a used candle as he saw the shattered pieces of spectacles; James' spectacles. He fell forward on his knees, unconscious of the hard pieces of rubble digging itno his flesh.

Not thinking rationally, Sirius gingerly picked the pieces and the bent frames, muttering a repairing spell before resuming his search. James hates it when he loses his glasses, Sirius thought. I have to get them to him...

The young man stopped walking as he felt something soft beneath his foot. He stepped back as though burnt, staring down at the bit of blue silk that was peeking out from under a board, noticing that it was badly singed. James' robes... He knelt down, timidly moving the long two-by-four that hid the rest of the robes...and the wearer. He let out a strangled gasp as he saw the still-warm body of his best friend of over ten years who was more like his brother than just his friend, James Potter.

"No, no, no!" Sirius cried, shaking James by the shoulders. "Wake up, Prongs! Wake up..." Frantically he shook his fellow Marauder, choking on his own sobs as realization slowly seeped into his mind... James wasn't going to wake up, not now, not ever. With a heavy heart, Sirius lifted a shaking hand and closed the lids of James' lifeless, glassy hazel eyes that had once held such warmth and mirth.

Looking up from his friends cold body, Sirius saw through his bleary tears a flash a scarlet that Sirius barely registered as Lily's hair peeking out from beneath the white and blue door that Sirius knew had led to Harry's nursery. Sirius crawled over to the door to see Lily's once vibrant, now dead green eyes staring blankly at him. Sirius hands were numb as he also closed her eyelids.

All of a sudden a pain-filled cry rang through the air and Sirius saw a large shape in the shadows. Recognizing the cry to be that of a baby (Harry, to be exact) Sirius stumbled over to the looming figure. Once he was close enough Sirius placed a name to the whiskery face.

"Hagrid..." Sirius whispered brokenly, saying the man's name mroe like a prayer than a recognizing acknowledgement.

The half-giant's broad arms were very maternally cradling a screaming bundle of blankets.

"'Ello, Sirius," the half-giant's voice mumbled in a very miserable way. He sounded as though he had been crying.

"Hagrid," Sirius repeated, louder this tiem to be heard over the infant's cries. "Is...is that Harry?"

"Aye, it is. Little tyke somehow survived; got a nasty cut on 'is for'ead, though..." the huge man trailed off, gesturing to the lightning-bolt-shaped cut on the infant's brow.

"How...he's alive...?" Sirius gasped, leaving the unanswered question hanging in the air.

Hagrid was obviously wondering the same thing. "I dunno, but somehow You-Know-Who disappeared."

Sirius didn't even attempt to retain this information at the moment, but instead hushed his godson and held out his arms to take him.

Hagrid easily allowed the grieving man to him take the baby out of his arms, still talking though his ears fell on deaf ears.

Harry quieted immediately and snuggled up to the animagus' chest comfortably.

"An' now I gotta take 'im to 'is Aunt and Uncle's house in Little Whinging," Harid continued.

At this Sirius head snapped up."What! No, no...No, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, let me take him," he pleaded. "Lily and J-James," his voice cracked as he said their names, "made me his guardian if anything ever-ever happened to them..."

"I-I...I can't, Sirius," Hagrid said regretfully. Now that the little one was quieter, the gamkeeper gently took Harry from his godfather, though the child opened his bright emerald eyes in protest. "Dumbledore's orders. He's meeting me by the Dursleys' house."

At that moment Sirius realized what Dumbledore must think. He didn't know they had switched secret keepers; he would think Sirius had betrayed them. Sirius stomach lurched. The thought of selling his best friends out to Voldemort made him sick, and now...everyone would think that he had done just that. But he hadn't! No...Then another thought crept into his mind: Peter.

Peter had betrayed them. Peter had sold them to Voldemort. They had trusted him, and he deceived them...deceived them all...knowingly destroyed his best friends! Anger boiled up inside Sirius' gut, and only one cohernet thought made its way through the boiling rage: Must find Peter.

"Fine," Sirius said in a stony cold voice. "Take my bike, it'll get you there faster." His voice was dead and hollow as he motioned to the oversized motorcycle near the ruins of the house. "I don't need it anymore." He started to leave, to seek out his former friend, now sworn enemy, but a child's cry stopped him.

"Pabfood!" Harry cried. "Pabfood!" Sirius halted dead in his tracks. I failed James once, he thought. I won't fail him again! Turning on his heel he made his way back to Hagrid, decision made and set into the stone of his mind.

"On second thought," he said in falsely cheerful tone. "I'll come with you." He hopped onto his bike, Hagrid following him, and, over the roar of the engine, Sirius told his comrade all about the Fidelus Charm and how Peter had betrayed James and Lily Potter.

A/N: Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between? Let me know! Everything from suggestions to squees to flames are welcome!