Title: Promises Are Made
Genre: Trangst (Tragedy/Angst, aren't I clever? :P)
Characters: Harry Potter, Sirius Black
Summary: Alternate end to DH. Fluff lovers, stay away! Most noticeable difference from canon is that Sirius is still alive. Two-shot, death!fic. I have no idea where this came from but I had to write it.

Promises Are Made…

To Be Broken…

Everything had come down to this. Sirius had survived a fate that Merlin only knew, had followed me endlessly as I made decision after bad decision. He joined Ron, Hermione and I on our Horcrux hunt just after the fiasco at the Ministry of Magic. That night I told him what I had said to Remus and cried into his shoulder. He had soothed me and told me I did the right thing.

It didn't feel like that. Sirius assured me that it would after a few months, that the next time Remus saw me he would probably thank me for sending him back to Tonks. Sirius had been happy for his little cousin and at the same time furious at Remus, both for leaving her in the first place and for his insecurities. He had shared with us the endless times that Remus had doubted himself and the relationships he'd broken because of his 'condition'.

It was Sirius who had told them about the Sword of Gryffindor being goblin-made, that it was probably impregnated with Basilisk venom. All with a shaking hand as he no doubt imagined the insanity of my first two years at Hogwarts. It was he who comforted Hermione after Ron left us and laughed along with me as she tried to beat him into the ground when he returned.

Sirius was the one to take us to Godric's Hollow, where he stood unashamed with tears pouring down his face as he looked at the gravesite of his best friends for the first time. He was there holding me down and keeping me from harming myself when I relived my parents' death through Voldemort's mind. Sirius was the only one to hear what I was saying, he had placed a Silencing Charm around us when he realised what I was saying.

Sirius was the one to find out about the mirror and Aberforth when we were in Malfoy Mansion. He helped me bury Dobby after Bellatrix's knife killed him. He was there at Hogwarts laughing his head off when we arrived after breaking into Gringotts and escaping on a dragon. He was right about Remus, who had hugged me so hard I could barely breathe and promptly named me godfather to little Teddy.

And now he was here next to me, tears running down his face as he stared at Remus and Tonks' still bodies. Recognising the expression on his face I dragged him up to the Room of Requirements and just watched as he destroyed everything in reach, sobbing in agony and fury. Fists clenched he turned to me with a pale face and it was as if time had turned backwards and I was staring at the man who had just escaped Azkaban.

"It's happening all over again, Harry," he croaked to me. "Remus and Tonks dead, little Teddy an orphan."

Realising what my godfather needed I stepped up to him and dragged him into an embrace. He buried his face in my shoulder and cried, last fall only reversed. Gulping back more tears he whispered, "Promise me you'll survive this war, Harry. I can't lose you as well."

A long silence and the words were uttered. "I promise."

And now, here I am, standing in the Forbidden Forest. About to break my promise to Sirius. I have to, Voldemort has to be stopped. For the greater good, right Albus?

Sirius' cry was the worst by far when I lay in Hagrid's large arms moments later. Bellatrix was shrieking in laughter as she listened to her cousin. Through barely-open eyes I watched as Neville swung Gryffindor's sword through the air and decapitated the snake. I was proud of him; the shy bumbling boy was gone.

In a flash I was standing in front of the Dark Lord, between him and my friends and family. Moments later, with a single Expelliarmus, (take that Remus!) he was dead. His Death Eaters attacked, more out of desperation than anything else.

Pain. Absolutely excruciating agony, burning, writhing pain. I could taste something coppery on my tongue, which I identified a moment later as blood. Caught by surprise I looked down to see something silvery and sharp protruding from my stomach. A second later I realised it had gone through my spine and I could hear Bellatrix's insane laughter behind me.

The pain increased for a second and then started to fade. The burning remained however. I could feel my body being lowered to the grass and something splashing onto my face. Licking my lips slightly I tasted a salty yet sweet liquid. Trying to make my hazy eyes focus I realised Sirius was next to me and he was crying. Ahh, so THAT was the liquid.

I was oddly detached from the pain now, though I could still feel it. Turning my head with effort I saw Gryffindor's sword, covered in blood on the grass next to me. My blood. A second later I realised where the burn still present came from. Basilisk venom. There would be no repeat of my second year; Fawkes was gone from the wizarding world. It hit me then, causing my breath to catch. I was dying.

I focused on Sirius long enough to hear him say, "You promised, Prongslet! You promised me you'd live!"

Smiling weakly at him I whispered, "Promises are made to be broken, Padfoot." I tilted my head to the side a little as the burning turned into intense warmth and then a numbing sensation. "Strange," I mumbled, "it doesn't hurt."

Looking at Sirius I managed to get out, "I'll say hello to Dad and Remus for you. Bye, Sirius."

The last thing I heard as the warmth overwhelmed me and my eyes fluttered shut was Sirius sobbing out, "I'm sorry, so sorry."

To Be Kept…

When Harry was born, James asked me if I'd watch out for his son if anything happened to him. I replied, "Always, Prongs. I'll watch his back until my last breath, hopefully protecting him."

James must have thought me a little over-zealous but he laughed it off and said jokingly to Remus and the rat, "There's dedication for you, or insanity."

After my best friend was murdered and his son orphaned, little baby Harry and the traitor were the only things that kept me sane in the hell known as Azkaban. Fond thoughts about Harry growing up and the escapades he was probably getting into filled the endless days.

After I broke out, I had three goals. Find Pettigrew, make up for the 144 full moons I'd missed with my best friend and protect Harry. When I saw them both again, the first emotion that filled me was guilt. Harry stared at me with well-placed hatred and Remus most certainly looked worse for the years. He forgave me later, that most intelligent of the Marauders and Harry was what I'd imagined and more.

The year I spent forced into my mother's house was another sort of hell. I know I was moping and sulking, but the times I spent with Harry were a brief reprieve from Snivellus' degrading commentary about my 'contribution' to the war and only having my mother's screaming portrait for company. More than once I contemplated setting Grimmauld alight and telling Albus it was an accident.

Peter was captured at the end of that year in the Ministry of Magic. I had never been prouder of Harry, nor more angry with him for risking his valuable hide. There he was, facing off against Death Eaters with student's he'd trained and there were no fatalities. After that little escapade we began training Harry for what was to come. That was fun, I enjoyed our outdoor simulations of one-on-one attacks. Harry was clever and kept me on my toes constantly.

Then Snivellus killed Albus. To say I was angry was an understatement. Remus and Tonks provided an effective distraction with their small wedding two months after Albus' funeral. I told Remus that he'd better watch out for 'baby Nymphie-poo' and she hexed me. I went around for three days with a furry dog tail sticking out of my arse and two floppy, soft ears instead of my own perfect ones. (No I am not vain, thank you very much.) I was proud of her; after all, it was a difficult bit of spell work.

After that it was chaos. I watched Ron leave them with disgust and tried not to laugh too loudly as Hermione attempted to pound him to a pulp when he returned. It was Christmas Eve when we visited Godric's Hollow again. I really didn't want to go back there, but Harry was determined to see his parent's graves. Standing there staring at their names and the touching epitaph (no doubt composed by Albus), it hit me all over again as I remembered seeing them after they died.

Seeing the shattered remains of their home only made it worse. I'll say it right now, I don't like going back where friends or family have died. It gives me the creeps. When Bathilda appeared, I was suspicious of her from the start. I remembered her from 16 years ago, something didn't seem right.

I said nothing as Harry had that 'determined' look on his face that he'd gotten straight from James. When she refused to use magic or talk I only grew more anxious to leave. Hermione seconded me, but Harry followed her, of course. Looking around her house, I could hardly believe the state of disrepair or her mentality. I mean, come on, she was a batty old lady from the start but she loved to come around and gossip with Lily. James disliked her, but that was because she wrote the book for the most boring subject at Hogwarts.

Hermione found Bathilda's real body in a closet and I realised Harry was alone upstairs with a seriously nasty bit of Dark magic at the very least. It was the snake, Voldemort's pet to be precise. We barely escaped before the Dark Lord himself made an appearance.

Nagini had bit Harry in order to subdue him and the moment I heard his very lucid comments I flung up a quick charm. No need to make either of these kids uncomfortable with what Harry was about to say. I had a sinking suspicion of exactly what Harry was going to see. I knew I was right the moment I heard a chillingly accurate representation of James' voice from his son's throat.

That was the longest half-hour of my life, listening to Harry as he was forced to relive his parent's death through the eyes of that murderer.

We parted ways for a short while after rescuing Hermione from Bella's insane clutches. Remus apparently needed my help at Grimmauld. Once there I settled my righteous indignation with the new father by punching him in the jaw. He could have dodged it, easily, but he let it hit. While I was too surprised by the trickle of blood on his lip he readily admitted that he'd been an idiot and had well and truly learned his lesson from both his wife and his feisty mother-in-law. I almost felt bad for him, Andromeda had quite the temper.

We were all reunited again at Hogwarts (Remus and I had fun driving out the Carrows and Snivellus) just after Harry and his friends had successfully broken into Gringotts of all places. Remus named a startled and ecstatic Harry godfather to little Teddy, who was quite the cute little armful with bright turquoise blue hair. According to Remus he's most easily influenced by moods and the bright blue is his 'happy' mood.

Fighting had broken out just the next day and here I am, staring in disbelief at the still body of my best friend and his wife. It just couldn't be true, there was no way that I, the most irresponsible Marauder of all, was the last one left alive. Remus' son was barely two months old and his parents were dead. Someone was tugging me along down the Great Hall and I followed blindly, lost in grief and rage. Somehow I knew Bellatrix had her hand in this.

That someone turned out to be Harry, who set me loose in the Room of Requirement. I know I damaged a few of those items beyond repair before I ran out of energy and anger. The scenario reminded me of Harry's full outrage in Albus' office after the Department of Mysteries fiasco. I felt better, though I made Harry promise me he would live through this war. I couldn't contemplate losing him.

And now, here I am, kneeling on the grass with Harry's lifeless body in front of me. Promises are made to be kept, Prongslet, I thought sadly. The random thought that Teddy truly was an orphan now floated through my mind.

And then I hear HER laughing. Looking up, fury radiating through my very skin, I see Bellatrix standing at the foot of castle. I'm up and running toward her before I even realise it. The black spell she hits me with throws me off my feet. Vaguely I recognise a powerful blasting curse and struggle to my feet again. Pain is searing through my chest and I focus on the lifeless faces of Remus, Tonks and Harry as I take off after her again.

We're running through the castle, her laughing insanely as I try to hold onto the energy and life I feel slipping through my fingers. I have to get her. I know her, she'll go to the highest place she can get and Apparate away, laughing the whole time. I run through one of our old shortcuts, trying to catch her on the Astronomy tower before she gets away.

Then we're there and I'm lifting my wand. Focusing intensely on my anger and grief I say two words, one of the simplest incantations. Just once, at the end of my life, I want to be the son of the Dark family that I am. Avada Kedavra. Her eyes widen in shock and fear and the spell hits, throwing her backwards just like it did Albus. I fall to my knees, clinging to the railing as I watch her fall like some ugly vulture.

I can feel myself fading and I think to myself, You're right, Harry. This is easier than falling asleep. Hermione explodes through the doorway and stops, eyes filled with tears. I look up at her, desperate to manage two sentences. "She's dead, Hermione. Put all of us together, you know where."

Then I fall forward onto the cool marble floor and everything disappears.

Epilogue

A small boy walks into the graveyard with a solemn expression. Searching through the names he hunts for one familiar row. Towards the back he sees them and smiles. Venturing forward he places a wreath of aloe, ivy and white roses in front of each of the six gravesites. He kneels in front of the second one from the left and traces the name there.

Amber-coloured eyes light with happiness and excitement as he says in a sweet voice, "I leave for Hogwarts tomorrow Grandpa. Daddy says he was just as excited as me! I don't know if I believe him, he's kind of stuffy at work," the boy confided with a giggle. "Mum says that's because he's an Auror and the Head of the Department. Dad doesn't know where I'll go, he said you were in Gryffindor and Grandmum was a Hufflepuff and he ended up in Ravenclaw."

"Dad says it's because of the sacrifices of you and your friends that we haven't had the slightest trouble with Dark wizards. He says that History of Magic is actually interesting now. He never says that around Grand-Aunt Weasley though. She knows some pretty nasty hexes according to Mum."

"Come on, Harrison! We need to go to Diagon Alley still!" His turquoise-haired father called.

"Coming Papa!" Harrison yelled back. Turning back to his grandfather's grave he smiles and pushes bright red hair out of his eyes and stands, departing with the remark, "I'm going to make you proud of me, Grandpa!"

In a line together from left to right read, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, Remus John Lupin, Lily Marie Potter, James Ignotus Potter, Harry James Potter and Sirius Orion Black. James and Lily's grave read: The last Enemy that shall be defeated is Death. Tonks' read: I get the last word, Nymphie-poo- Sirius. Remus: I have always imagined Paradise will be a kind of library- Jorge Luis Borges. Harry's: "It's JUST Harry."

In a last, final attempt at humour Sirius' only read: I solemnly swear that I am Siriusly funny. A last contribution to a joke that had been old from the time he could speak. There they rest in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow, together in death as they always were in life, a lasting tribute to the friendship and love that turned the tide of war.

A/N: I leave you with six words of wizdom: Nitwit, Oddment, Blubber, Tweak and Review! Please? :)