This is a fic that I worked very hard on some years ago. It's made up of 3 scenes that were never directly covered in the books. Being a lover of Sirius as I am, I wanted to see these scenes that were so pivotal to his story covered so decided to write them myself :) If you're an avid HP fic reader, there's probably not a lot of new material in here, but it's my version of events. Author interpretation counts for something, yeah? On a personal note I'm really happy at how it came out. If you have any comments, criticism or anything like that, I'd love to hear. Enjoy!

The Fall and Rise of Sirius Black - by Avarice

ACT ONE

The sleek, black motorcycle sped through the starry sky like a heat-seeking missile.

Sirius Black clung to the vehicle desperately, eyes squinting as the cold air assaulted his face. It whipped his hair and flapped his clothes, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to prevent either, his mind totally focused on his destination. The closer he got, the more twisted his stomach became.

There was a haziness ahead tinged green. Sirius pushed his hair roughly out of his face to get a better look at it. The nearer he got, the more it took the shape of a large skull, snake protruding from its mouth. The ominous mark tainted the air over a familiar street; the fact that he had seen it before made it no less terrifying. "No."

Tires squealed as he touched down on the road heavily, and Sirius lifted from his seat to lessen the accompanying shockwaves. He skidded onto a particular front lawn, tearing up some of the green turf. Leaving the motorcycle on its side, he stepped off it and looked up at the dwelling, an expression of slow horror dawning on his face.

The dust hadn't quite settled on the little house in Godric's Hollow. Part of the roof had caved in, creaking dangerously at the slightest breeze. Beams that had once formed the structure of the roof were snapped and pointed towards the sky, their jagged, sharp edges like skeletal fingers. The front windows stared like vacant sockets, and glass littered the flowerbeds as though they had been blown out.

Sirius took a few stumbling and graceless steps towards the house. "No." He repeated, his voice shaking with rage and disbelief.

There were no signs of life; the night was eerily still. Crickets barely chirped, no police sirens cut through the air, and no neighbours crowded the street to find out why the young and well-liked family's house had been violently torn asunder. Fear soaked the street, invading Sirius's pores, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Suddenly, the front door burst open, nearly detaching from its hinges. A large figure that needed to duck through the frame stumbled onto the front lawn, the roof groaning in protest. Sirius's wand was in his hand instantly in a practiced movement, half a dozen hexes swarming the tip of his tongue.

It took him only a moment to recognise the lumbering form was not a Death Eater, and lowered his wand. "Hagrid!"

Visibly startled behind his mounds of facial hair, Hagrid scrabbled for a ratty pink umbrella, brandishing it from side to side. "Who's that?" the Hogwarts gamekeeper yelled back fiercely.

Sirius held his hands up and out in a non-threatening gesture, licking dry lips. "Hagrid, it's Sirius."

Hagrid's umbrella dropped slightly in recognition, shoulders sagging in relief. "Sirius."

Sirius broke out into a run, however he was not running to Hagrid. He continued past the giant man to the Potter's door, yelling for the house occupants. "James! Lily! JAMES!"

"No, Sirius!" Hagrid roared, immediately regretting it as the small bundle in his arms yowled in protest.

"Why?!" he shouted back, slowing down as he reached the splintered doorframe.

Sirius could see inside. The living room was a mess, demolished furniture and roof tiles. It smelled odd, stale and decayed, and it turned his stomach. His eyes found a pair of spectacles on the floor, the lenses shattered. Behind the overturned couch he saw a limp hand, a shock of messy black hair... and the bile began to rise in his throat.

"James," he choked out, and took a step inside. The house itself gave another disturbing groan.

"You can' go in! The house is about ta come down," Hagrid began edging away from the structure. "It's not safe."

"I can fix that," Sirius snapped, pointing his wand to the ceiling he could barely see with tears blurring his vision. "We have to get them out -- Reparo! " The magic coursed through his body, carried along the wand, but fizzled out as it got to the torn roof. All the spell did was knock a few more roof tiles down.

Sirius retreated, coughing as he inhaled rising dust. "Why didn't it work?" His knuckles turned white with the force in which he gripped his wand.

Hagrid moved a little closer to Sirius, trying to lure him away from the house. "The magic of an Unforgivable curse causes damage that can not be fixed so easily, lad."

Sirius's throat burned and his eyes went unwillingly to the dark and unmoving shape again. "Unforgivable?" he uttered softly.

"Aye," Hagrid confirmed with a choke. "Avada Kedavra."

Instant, green oblivion. Sirius's vision dimmed. He thought for a moment he might fall and bit the inside of his cheek to regain composure. His grief and anger coalesced, burning brightly and looking for someone to blame.

"Why..." Sirius wheeled on Hagrid, his face ashen. "Why didn't you get them out?! You were in there, you could have--"

"Easy there," Hagrid interrupted, gripping Sirius's shoulder firmly, almost painfully. "I needed ta get somethin' else."

Sirius's waxen face was slack for a moment, unable to comprehend what could have been more important than James and Lily. Then a tiny noise came from the confines of Hagrid's jacket and Sirius's eyes widened like saucers.

"God... Harry?"

In answer, Hagrid opened his furry coat and the small form of the year old Harry Potter was revealed. Despite everything, the wizard's heart leapt. "Harry," Sirius nearly sobbed, trembling hands moving to cup his godson's face.

Harry squirmed again, uncomfortable. There was a smear of blood on his forehead that Sirius wiped away with the cuff of his shirt. Beneath it was a jagged and ugly looking scar. With tentative fingers, he touched it. Harry let out a plaintive cry, and Sirius withdrew his hand sharply with a hiss.

"What... what did that?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"You-Know-Who," Hagrid said, his voice cracking. Harry gave another cry, and the large man swayed awkwardly from side to side, trying to comfort the boy. "Turned up personally ta get James and Lily."

"And Harry," Sirius finished, looking at the child of his friend dwarfed by the large man who held him. "Why isn't Harry dead? Where is V- he now?"

"I don' know," Hagrid shrugged helplessly. He looked down at the fretting baby, loath to bring up the topic. "And You-Know-Who is gone." Hagrid rocked Harry gently.

"Gone..." Sirius cradled the trembling hand that touched Harry's head gingerly, his thoughts a garbled mess. His eyes were drawn back to the ruin of what had been a happy house. In his mind's eye, he saw James and Lily's bodies, lifeless and dull. Things would never be the same again.

Cold and clammy, Sirius nevertheless wiped perspiration away from his upper lip.

He'd thought they were safe. He thought he'd taken care of the Potters' safety once and for all. He thought he'd made the right decision.

James was stupid to listen to him. Whatever Sirius wanted, Sirius got. James had listened, put his ultimate trust in Peter because Sirius had said so.

And Peter had betrayed them all.

Sirius's heart hammered against his ribcage painfully, threatening to burst out. He thrust the heels of his hands into his eyes and wiped furiously. They were still there. Eyes wide and vacant, mouths open, James and Lily stared accusingly at Sirius.

He had failed them. Failed them in the worst possible way.

"It's my fault."

"No, lad. I'm sure it wasn'." Hagrid shook his head, sorrow in his eyes and voice.

"It is. I... I did this."

Anger -- at himself for being so brash and impulsive, for suspecting everyone but the culprit, for arriving too late -- filled his empty chest cavity quickly. It was bitter and acrid, but it gave him strength.

Strength to do what, exactly?

He wanted to find whoever was responsible -- find Peter -- and avenge his mistakes, avenge his dead friends. The idea made his eyes burn and the blood thrum in his veins. Nagging thoughts in the back of his mind told him to uphold James and Lily's memories and undertake his responsibilities as godfather to Harry; told him to take the boy far, far away and make him safe.

He did not know which would be better, and there was not enough time to do both. Already Peter's trail was growing cold; Sirius was sure he would go to ground for his misdeeds like the rat he was. His impulse told him to chase the betrayer. But looking into Harry's

(Lily's)

eyes, Sirius made his tough decision.

"Give him to me, Hagrid. I'll make sure he's safe."

Hagrid looked confused, and more than a little taken aback at the madness that touched Sirius's eyes. "I'm takin' him ta his Aunt and Uncle."

"Aunt and Uncle... Lily's Muggle sister and her husband? Hagrid, I'm his godfather. Give him to me and I'll look after him. I promised... I promised James." Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat.

Hagrid looked at the young man sympathetically, but pulled Harry closer to his body. "I understand, but my orders come from Dumbledore himself. He's ta go to his Aunt and Uncle."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue again, but snapped it shut instead. With Harry under Dumbledore's protection, he was free to pursue Peter. He could always get Harry afterwards. As long as the boy was safe from harm, Sirius could follow the treachery back to its source and bring justice for James and Lily and their son.

"Alright," he conceded. "But take my bike, it'll be faster and will get you there safely. I don't need it anymore."

Hagrid -- surprised at the quick change of mind -- walked towards the motorcycle lying on the grass and stood it upright with one hand, still cradling Harry tenderly in the other.

Sirius walked over to Hagrid and reached out for Harry again. He brushed the fine, dark hair away from his forehead, steering clear of the ugly scar. "I'll be back for you," he whispered. With that, he stepped away from Hagrid as the gameskeeper kicked the cycle's engine over.

"What're you going ta do?"

"I have unfinished business," Sirius said, his voice strangely hollow.

With an ear-splitting crack, he disappeared.

TBC