A/N Well here we are, the fifteenth and final chapter of The Alpha and the Omega. I should just like to thank all those who have reviewed so positively. It makes the writing a pleasure when there is such great feedback. To those who read and don't review, please consider doing so. It helps, believe me. My particular thanks must go to a couple of reviewers who have been encouraging throughout. I don't think I'm allowed to name you, but you know who you are. I don't know if I'm allowed to ask, but if anyone out there knows of anyone who can do good fanart, I'd love to know. It would be a thrill to see some of the bits of this story brought to life with pictures, even just for me. Anyway, on with the story.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: CAPTURE, GUILT AND GOODBYE

For the remainder of the night Sirius apparated to all the places he could think of where Peter Pettigrew might be. He couldn't get the sight of James and Lily's dead bodies out of his mind, or block out Harry Potter's screams. Now he was intent on finding the man who had led his friends to their deaths, and effectively taken his Godson away from him. Sirius's insides burned with a mix of agonising grief and fury stronger than he had ever felt before. Never before had Sirius Black felt the desire to kill another human being, until this night.

Daylight broke and still Sirius hadn't found Pettigrew. His grief and rage went on, tormenting him. He remembered vividly times spent with James. He remembered pranks they'd pulled at school, tricks they'd played, which though they'd got into trouble at the time, never led to any real harm being done to their victims…well, not for long. In spite of his pain, Sirius couldn't hold back a smile at some of his memories. Then Sirius thought of a time when he had pulled a prank, which could have killed another student. He remembered how James had prevented a disaster with an act of bravery that could easily have cost him his life, and led to Sirius being expelled from school. Now Sirius shuddered when he realised that he hadn't been there for Lily and James when they needed him most.

Sirius remembered James's parents taking him in to their family when he'd left his own home at sixteen. James became more than a friend, more like a brother. They had a bond that couldn't be broken. No amount of fights, arguments and differences of opinion would ever break their friendship. Nothing had ever parted the two young men for long, until now. Sirius ached with the weight of his loss.

In his mind, Sirius remembered the day he stood with James as his best man, and watched his friend marry the only woman James Potter had ever wanted. Sirius smiled ironically when he thought of how James had acquired himself quite a reputation among the girls at Hogwarts. He was thought of as a flirt and a charmer, and, Sirius knew better than most, he was those things, but there was only one he lived and breathed for. There was only one who he spent hours dreaming about, following around and generally making a fool of himself for. Lily Evans had captured James Potter's heart when he was hardly old enough to know anything about love. Sirius knew, on the day he stood at his friends side and watched him exchange his vows with Lily, James meant every word of what he was saying. Sirius took some comfort from the thought that 'till death do us part' had not been true for James and Lily. They were together. Not even Voldemort or Pettigrew had been able to part them.

Sirius Black thought of Harry Potter, his Godson. A twinge around his heart reminded him that though Harry was alive, he was gone. Sirius wondered now where Harry was and if he was all right. Sirius ached with the thought that Harry, at fifteen months old, was an orphan. Harry would never know his parents or know how much he was loved. Another jab of intense pain grabbed at Sirius's heart.

Sirius vividly recalled the day James and Lily had asked him if he really did want to be their first child's Godfather. He remembered his excitement as the months went by, each day bringing the birth closer. Then Harry was born, looking so much like James it was spooky. Sirius knew he would never forget the first time he saw Harry. He knew he would never forget the feeling of intense love he felt. Sirius remembered looking down on the tiny bundle in his arms the first time he held him, he remembered the feeling it gave him, that he, in part, was responsible for the care of this tiny human being. In the past, Sirius realised he would have been scared of the responsibility. But, when Harry Potter came into his life, Sirius changed. Sirius would never try to take the place of James as Harry's father, but he knew that in his own way, he loved Harry as if he was his own. Now Harry was gone and Sirius wondered if he would ever see him again.

Now Sirius was walking aimlessly through a Muggle town. The sun had risen, and, much to Sirius's disgust, that first day of November was becoming a bright day. The sun beamed down, not creating any real warmth, but lighting up the sky, almost mocking Sirius's broken heart with its brightness.

The day wore on and still Sirius hadn't found Pettigrew. He went into a small pub for a quick drink before resuming his search, and, as the barman placed his drink in front of him, he heard a familiar voice, a familiar, squeaky voice. Sirius turned on his heel and there, sat in a corner of the pub, was Peter Pettigrew, drinking and laughing, as if nothing in the world was wrong.

Intense rage made Sirius act. Without thinking about it, he flew at Pettigrew, 'Sirius, how…where?' squeaked the little man, clearly shocked and surprised that he had been found. 'Outside, now!' barked Sirius. Without waiting for the little man to move, Sirius grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him outside. Sirius ignored the astonished gasps of the pub, which, by now, was full of lunchtime drinkers.

The town was filled with people, each bustling about, rushing around, hardly noticing the two men as they left the pub, or rather, the one men left, the other was being dragged along by the collar, all the while, trying to escape the hold Sirius Black had on him. When they were outside, Sirius released the hold he had on Pettigrew, and the little man hit the ground with a distinctive 'umph!'

Sirius looked down on the little man and knew he had never hated anyone in his life as much as he hated this pathetic, snivelling creature who was struggling to his feet. Sirius spoke in a steely whisper, angry beyond anything he had ever felt before. 'Just tell me why you did it!' he demanded, his eyes narrowing with rage. Pettigrew stood, his head barely reaching Sirius's waist. 'I…I don't…I don't know what you're talking about Sirius!' he said, trying to edge away from the taller man. Sirius glowered menacingly, grabbing on to the little man again, 'Don't give me that you little shit! James and Lily, you betrayed them didn't you? Now I want to know why, so at least when I kill you, everyone will know what pathetic reason you had for betraying your friends!' Sirius was shaking with fury as he spoke.

Peter Pettigrew looked terrified as he looked up at the face of Sirius Black, a face full of the deepest loathing. 'Sirius, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about…' Pettigrew's eyes shifted around and, seeing how busy the town was, full of lunchtime shoppers, an idea came to him, '…I don't know what you're talking about Sirius! I haven't seen James and Lily for ages, what with them being in hiding!' Pettigrew's voice was rising with every word he uttered. Passers by were becoming interested in the exchange between the two men.

Sirius couldn't see what Pettigrew was playing at. 'You know perfectly well what I'm talking about, you pathetic little shit! You know very well what Voldemort did last night! He killed James and Lily, and it's your fault!' Sirius's anger made his voice stick in his throat, his words barely audible against the throng of shoppers.

Peter Pettigrew looked around again at the crowded town and, Sirius realised much later, put on the performance of a lifetime. He swayed dramatically; to onlookers he would have appeared to have just been given some news that had been a terrible shock. He gasped as if he was horrified, and then, he spoke, his eyes wide, and, to Sirius's disbelief, wet with tears. 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you!' Pettigrew made sure his voice could be heard plainly by anyone standing close enough to the pair. People around them seemed to stop in their tracks, clearly intrigued by the heated discussion.

Sirius Black stared at the little man in amazement. 'What do you mean, how could I?' he whispered, 'We switched, remember? You were their Secret Keeper and you betrayed them! James and Lily are dead and you did it, you killed them!' Sirius's voice was low and steely, he was shaking with rage.

Peter Pettigrew looked around again, speaking loudly, he made sure his words would be heard by as many people as possible, 'Sirius! You were their Secret Keeper, their most trusted friend!' People were beginning to become even more intrigued by the argument between the two men, a crowd gathered a short distance away, not near enough to appear nosy, but close enough for Peter Pettigrew to attract their attention. 'Sirius, James thought of you as his brother, you know he did! How could you betray him like that, lead him to his death? Lily too, Sirius how could you!'

Sirius shook his head in disbelief, 'Stop playing games, just tell me why you did it, that's all I want from you, just the truth! You were their Secret Keeper, you know very well we switched!'

For years, what happened next was hard to believe. Glancing round once more, Pettigrew put an arm behind his back. 'Sirius, they were your friends and you've killed them!' he cried, ensuring he was heard. Then, looking Sirius straight in the eye he whispered two words, 'Prove it!'

Sirius Black suddenly had an inkling of what Pettigrew was doing. He darted towards his former friend, trying to grab him. Just as he moved, there was a loud explosion that shook the ground violently. The formerly busy, peaceful Muggle town was transformed to a scene of utter chaos. The air was full of smoke and the sound of terrified screams. People were scrambling to escape, but the blast was so powerful it knocked them off their feet.

After many long minutes, there was an eerie silence, punctuated by moans and cries of people, clearly in agony. Sirius rose from where the blast had thrown him to the ground and was hardly able to believe what he saw. There was a huge crater running right down the length of the street. Water from the sewer below rose into the air. The stench of waste from the sewer filled the air, making Sirius feel sick. His stomach turned even more when he realised he was surrounded by dead bodies. At least a dozen people lay in the street, bodies mangled almost beyond recognition by the force of the blast.

Sirius looked down to find a heap of blood-stained robes in front of him, and, the grotesque sight of a finger, blood-stained and shattered on the ground. Immediately Sirius realised what had happened. Peter Pettigrew had blown up his wand, killing the people who now lay dead around Sirius. He had apparated at the same time, escaping from having to pay for what he had done, not only to the people here, but to James and Lily.

Something in Sirius's mind finally snapped. He thought of all the times that he and James had stood up for Pettigrew, all the times they'd looked out for him. He remembered all the times that Pettigrew had struggled to grasp a joke at school, needing things explaining to him over and over, and then, he would grasp what was funny, long after it actually was. Sirius remembered how he and James had spent hours with Pettigrew when they made the decision to become Animagus to help Remus Lupin. The spell was dangerous and James and Sirius had both realised that if they didn't help Pettigrew, he would never have been able to transform into a rat…..a rat…the very thought made Sirius want to laugh. As fifteen year olds, James and Sirius had no idea how very appropriate Peter Pettigrew's Animagus form would turn out to be.

The idea that the weakest Marauder, the one the others looked out for and looked after, would betray one of his closest friends to Voldemort now seemed incredible to Sirius. The idea that the one who appeared to be so naïve and unworldly could actually be capable of such deceit and betrayal, effectively killing a friend and his wife seemed utterly ridiculous.

Then Sirius realised that he had asked Pettigrew to be the Potter's Secret Keeper. He had given Pettigrew the opportunity to act. He, in effect, had helped him yet again. Just as he and James had helped their friend at school, looked out for him, taken care of him, he, Sirius Black, had done so again, believing Pettigrew to be too stupid to misuse the position of trust he was in. He had been horribly, terribly wrong and it had cost the Potters their lives. Pettigrew had taken advantage of the trust placed in him and betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. Pettigrew had not been stupid at all, he had been devious and evil beyond words, and now Sirius felt as if he'd helped him.

Sirius's mind suddenly shattered. He began to release all the pent up feelings he had held inside while he searched for Peter Pettigrew. He didn't cry. He looked around at the scene of terrible devastation around him, the bodies that littered the street, the people nursing horrible injuries, pleading for help. He saw the crater in the street, water gushing from it, the putrid smell filling the air.

Sirius Black's mind shut down further as he thought of James and Lily, dead because a friend they considered as an innocent had betrayed them. He thought of Harry, an orphan, alone, God only knew where, because his parents were dead.

The stupidity of the situation crashed around Sirius Black's devastated mind and heart as he realised that James, Lily, Pettigrew and himself had been the only people who knew about the switch of Secret Keeper's. People would believe that he, Sirius Black, had betrayed his friends, effectively condemning them to death. The realisation hit Sirius that Pettigrew had not been so innocent after all. They'd all been stupid to trust him.

Sirius Black thought of all this and then he began to laugh. His laughter rose, louder and louder as his mind shut down even further. He screamed with laughter, as he looked down on the bloodied robes and finger on the ground. The thought that Pettigrew had even made a mess of escaping from his crime turned Sirius's laughter even more hysterical. He wondered if this useless excuse for a wizard would ever be able to do anything without help. Sirius laughed even louder at the thought.

Sirius continued to laugh for a long time. He was still laughing when no less than twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol dragged him away. He roared with mirth when they accused him of the murders of twelve Muggles and the murder of a wizard, who, from information they had obtained, they knew was Peter Pettigrew. He continued to laugh hysterically as he was accused of being in league with Voldemort and betraying James and Lily Potter.

Sirius Black laughed as he was thrown into a cell at Azkaban prison. Without a chance to defend himself, he was locked up without trial.

Then, as the cell door slammed shut behind him, Sirius Black stopped laughing. Images of James, Lily and baby Harry taunted him. He realised once more that James and Lily were dead and Harry was gone, possibly forever. Sirius realised once more that he had asked Pettigrew to be the Potter's Secret Keeper because he was frightened of letting James and Lily down, terrified of betraying them if Voldemort had ever found him. Now Sirius knew that would never have happened. He knew that even if Voldemort had tortured him, he would never have given away where his friends were. He realised in his broken mind that if he had been the Potter's Secret Keeper, they would probably still be alive and Harry would not be an orphan.

In his prison cell, alone, grief-stricken and full of guilt, Sirius Black threw himself down on his knees and sobbed once more for his friends.

A week later friends gathered for the funeral of Lily and James Potter. James had no family who could attend the funeral. His parents were dead and he had no other family, other than his wife, whose coffin lay beside his, and his son, who had been taken away the night of his parents deaths.

Lily's only family, her sister Petunia, her husband, and their own baby son, had been informed of the deaths and invited to attend the funeral, but no one had received a response. It appeared that to her sister, Lily Potter had ceased to exist a long time ago.

As he stood at the graveside of two of his former students, Albus Dumbledore realised that Petunia Dursley would now have to confront her feelings towards her sister. She had a living reminder under her roof, in the shape of the Potter's son, Harry. Dumbledore had taken the child to the Dursley's in the early hours of the morning after the Potter's deaths, when most of the wizarding world was rejoicing that Voldemort appeared to be gone forever. Dumbledore prayed that the joyous scenes following Voldemort's apparent death would not be for nothing, and that the young couple now here, laying dead in the two wooden coffins at his feet would forgive him for taking their son out of the wizarding world for now, into the keeping of someone who, Dumbledore quickly realised, didn't want him.

Now a small group of people were gathered at the grave. Albus Dumbledore stood alongside Minerva McGonagall, who, in spite of herself, wiped away tears for her two former students. She remembered all the pranks James Potter had pulled at school, how he had often managed to get out of trouble with his smile and charm, which, the strong disciplinarian professor had to admit, had an effect, even on her. She remembered his brilliance on the Quidditch field, how he'd loved to play and lead his team to glory.

However, most of all, Minerva McGonagall remembered a young seventeen year old James Potter, who stood in her classroom one morning and confessed his love for Lily Evans. As she wiped away a tear, Minerva McGonagall smiled to herself to think that in the end, the couple had sorted out their differences and fallen deeply in love. Even death had not defeated the deep love these two felt for each other and for their beloved child.

Minerva McGonagall's smile faded as she thought of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. She remembered all the times she had punished Pettigrew for his poor magical skills; the boy had been little more than a Squib. Now he was dead, blown up by a friend who had destroyed the lives of another twelve people in the process, and condemned his supposed best friends and their child to death and a life with no parents.

Minerva McGonagall shuddered to think that all of the young people involved in this tragedy had once been in her form at Hogwarts. She wondered if there had been any sign of the terrible events to come. Had she missed it, could she have prevented the disaster? Minerva McGonagall felt crushed by guilt.

Rubeus Hagrid stood at the grave, towering over everyone, sniffing loudly as he tried to smother his sobs. He felt relieved to think he had stopped Sirius Black taking Harry Potter away. He knew that had he done so, the man would've probably killed the baby, just like he'd killed Pettigrew and all those other innocent people. Hagrid burned with anger to think that James and Lily had trusted Black and had been cruelly betrayed. As Rubeus Hagrid stood at the graveside, he wanted to kill Sirius Black. He thanked God he was in Azkaban.

Hagrid was standing next to Alice and Frank Longbottom. Alice held her own fifteen month old baby in her arms and tried to push away the thought that this could so easily be her and her husband being laid to rest. Voldemort was tormenting this young family too. Alice prayed that her son would remain with her, that he wouldn't have to grow up parentless, like the Potter's baby.

Just across from the Longbottoms stood Remus Lupin. He watched as the minister said a few words over the coffins. He forced himself to listen as the minister talked of the love the couple shared, and how they were together now, in peace. Remus flinched as the thought struck him that the Potter's shouldn't need to be in peace, they should still be alive!

Remus Lupin could still hardly bring himself to think that Sirius, who James regarded as a brother, had led the couple to their deaths. Remus knew that if he forced himself to think about that, he would have to ask himself why the Potter's hadn't used him as their Secret Keeper. Part of him argued that it was because of the close relationship James shared with Sirius, trusting him beyond anyone else, except his wife. But Remus Lupin also knew that it was because James didn't completely trust him. He persuaded himself that maybe it was because he was a werewolf. The werewolves were known to be on Voldemort's side, but, even as he thought it, Remus knew it wasn't the real reason. James Potter had not completely trusted him since he'd found him one day kissing Lily. Therefore, he didn't trust him enough to use him as their Secret Keeper. They had used Sirius Black and as a result, they were dead.

As he stood there, watching his friends being laid to rest, Remus Lupin promised himself that he would never allow himself to fall in love with anyone else. His misguided feelings for Lily had made James distrust him to the degree that even when their lives were in danger, he wouldn't ask for help. As he stood at the graveside, Remus Lupin vowed that his feelings would never again be allowed to destroy someone else's life. Even if it meant being alone, he would keep his feelings under control in future. He owed James and Lily that.

The service finally ended and the coffins were lowered into the ground. Remus stood for a long time as most of the people moved away from the graveside, some wiping away silent tears, one or two openly sobbing for the waste of such young lives. He suddenly became aware of a hand on his shoulder. Remus looked up into the wise eyes of his former Headmaster.

Dumbledore looked at the face of the young man beside him. He looked at the thin, haggard face and his heart was filled with sadness. If anyone, besides Harry Potter had lost something, Dumbledore realised it was this man beside him. Remus Lupin was grieving for the loss of three friends, and was bewildered by the betrayal another had committed. Dumbledore knew it would take a long time for Remus Lupin to pick up the threads of his life.

After many minutes Remus Lupin turned to Dumbledore, his eyes burning with tears he couldn't shed. The pain around his heart couldn't be relieved by shedding tears Lupin felt no right to cry. He wouldn't allow himself to rid his mind of the guilt he felt, guilt that his feelings for his friend's wife had played a part in their deaths. Instead, he tried to ask a question. 'Sir….why…why do you think… Sirius….' Lupin couldn't say any more. He swallowed, and looked down into the grave again.

Dumbledore sighed heavily; he had spent the nights following Halloween asking himself the same question, while feeling guilty that the Potter's hadn't trusted him enough to use him as their Secret Keeper and had turned to the man who had gone on to betray them. 'I'm sure one day we will know Remus. One day we will know the truth, I'm certain we will, but until that time we must all go on. James and Lily would expect nothing else'.

Remus nodded and then he looked at Dumbledore again, 'Sir, what happened to Harry? Is he all right?' Dumbledore smiled weakly, 'Harry is safe for now, that's the best we can hope for him, he is with his mother's family'. Remus's eyes widened, 'Harry is with the Dursleys! James and Lily wouldn't have wanted that!' he exclaimed. Dumbledore nodded, 'I agree, but believe me, for now it is safer that way. Harry is safe, that is what matters'.

Remus looked down into the graves again, 'Sir will we ever see Harry again? Will he come back to his own world one day?' Dumbledore rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder once more. He smiled softly, 'Oh yes, Harry will be back one day. He has had a place at Hogwarts since before he was born. When he is eleven he will receive an invitation to take his place at Hogwarts and, I promise you, I will personally see to it that he takes that place and fulfils his destiny. I am sure his parents would be proud of the great things I'm certain their son will achieve'.

Remus looked at Dumbledore quizzically but he didn't have the strength for a discussion. Instead, he looked at the headstone which would soon be placed on the grave, a simple black marble stone which had James and Lily's names and dates on it, and the words 'UNITED IN LOVE' etched in gold letters on the front. Swallowing hard, he turned and walked slowly away.

Albus Dumbledore was alone now at the graveside. He smiled softly. 'Go on now James and Lily' he spoke quietly, 'Go on together into the next great adventure, Harry will be back one day, I promise'.

Waving his wand, Dumbledore conjured a red rose and a lily. 'Until Harry returns, he sends you these, with his love'. Dumbledore threw the flowers into the grave. The coffins lay side by side in the grave. A flower landed softly on each coffin. As they landed, the sun suddenly came out, shining brightly on the old wizard. Somehow he knew the young couple could hear him, wherever they were.

Putting his hand to his mouth, Dumbledore blew a gentle kiss towards the grave and then he turned and walked away, to wait for the day when Harry Potter returned to the magical world, and heard of his parents, who loved him so much that they sacrificed their lives to give him a chance to live.

THE END