Disclaimer: I own a few things, but the rights to Harry Potter is not one of those things

Sirius knew something was wrong as soon as he walked in. The house that Peter had lived in for the last two months had been emptied, and he wasn't scheduled to move to a new hideout until the end of November. Putting down the large pumpkin filled with sweets for Harry he was planning on taking to Godric Hollow, he nervously drew his wand. His brain went into overdrive, thinking about the possibilities.

Could Peter have been captured? It was a possibility. He wasn't a member of the Order for his skill at duelling, and if his cover had been blown could have easily been overwhelmed. Walking around the house however he could see no signs of a struggle, and with some detection spells Moody had shown him found the only magic used in the last day were the packing spells that left the house without any personal items.

Except for that. Sirius's eyes drifted to the mantelpiece, and the photo of last Christmas was sitting right there. Remus in the background reading the latest Arithmancy text. Himself sneaking up behind him with a water balloon. James and Lily playing with little Harry. Peter took this. Why leave it? It was a happy memory, apart from Remus turning the prank back on him. It was his own fault he thought, Remus hadn't been pranked whilst reading since third year at Hogwarts.

Suddenly something clicked in Sirius's brain. What if he had been wrong? Was Peter the spy? Sirius had thought he'd narrowed it down to Remus or Sturgis Podmore, but he'd never seriously considered Peter. He didn't have the guts for betrayal.

Dashing from the house to escape the wards, Sirius knew he had to get the Potters from Godric's Hollow. Even if he turned out to be wrong, and Peter had simply gotten antsy and left prematurely, it would be better to be safe than sorry. Hurdling the gate and leaving his motorbike on the street, he apparated to his best friend's home praying he was mistaken.

His heart sank as he saw the hole. That was Harry's room. Tears ran down his face as he absent mindedly started walking forwards, towards the front door which was open. He'd failed them. Peter had betrayed them. How? Why would Peter turn against them, after everything they'd done for him? Why would Peter join the Death Eaters, who would kill his mother for the crime of being born without magic? It seemed impossible, but so did the idea of Remus betraying them. Moony, who he suspected of selling them out. Sirius hated himself for that idea now. Remus had no more reason to betray James than himself, and without the lycanthropy Sirius realised he wouldn't have doubted his resolve to the cause. He had been pushing one of his best friends away over a prejudice he swore he didn't have, but had clearly been wrong.

Pushing the door open, he saw the body of his first true friend, laying in the hallway. Falling to his knees, he began to sob. It was his fault. His selfishness. He had known when Dumbledore cast the Fidelius over the small house that he would be willing to give his life for James. He would never reveal the secret, but he had known that the Death Eaters would know that too. For the next few days, he began to wonder if he could last under the torture. He'd seen the McKinnon's bodies. He knew the pain Voldemort could cause and had begun to worry. There had to be another way, simply to ensure he couldn't fail James by cracking. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he wouldn't.

No-one would suspect Peter. Peter who failed his Charms OWL first time of asking. Peter who was relegated to prank planning after the 7th time they were caught because of his blunders. Peter spent a month in St Mungos in his first fight against the Death Eaters. The name Wormtail never seemed so appropriate.

Grief was overcome by anger. Wormtail would pay. He would track him down, he knew he could.

With the tears finally stopping, he reached over and closed James's eyes. "I'm so sorry", Sirius said before standing, "Please forgive me for this". He turned to the door.

Suddenly, Sirius's heart stopped. A baby's cry permeated the air. Spinning faster than a man should be able, he bolted up the stairs towards the sound. 'I must be mad', he thought to himself.

But he wasn't. Sitting upright in his cot was Harry. Harry, who was currently staring at his mother's corpse and crying, with blood running down his forehead.

Feeling his tears starting to once again warm his cheeks, Sirius picked up the boy he loved as a son and held him tight.

'How can this be?' he thought to himself as his eyes took in the room. Laying in front of the crib was Lily. The look in her vivid green eyes was as crushing to Sirius's spirits as the look in James's. They hadn't become true friends until she started dating James, but after that her fiery spirit and good humour had ensured that she became one of his closest friends. He now couldn't imagine his life without her. Seeing her, realising then that he would miss her as much as he would miss her husband took something more out of him. He'd seen the lifeless bodies of friends after fights before, but none of them had been as close to him as the Potters had been.

Slowly releasing Harry from the hug, he raised him up so their eyes were almost level.

"Pafoot! Mum!" the one year old managed to get out between the sobs.

"I've got you, don't worry, I've got you. It'll be ok".

"Mummy!"

Sirius could barely keep it together. He wasn't sobbing as loudly as the boy in his arms, but he was distraught. He turned around to look out the hole in the wall opposite the crib. What could have happened here?

Sirius knew the reason they had hidden Harry. Not the whole thing, but enough to know why. A drunken seer made a prophecy, and Voldemort believed it. Whatever it said had made Harry a target, and the only thing that made sense would have to be something about Harry growing to defeat Voldemort.

The hole in the wall made little sense, but the fact that Harry was alive made even less. Wiping the blood from the boys forehead, he noticed the cut. A lightning bolt.

It must have been Voldemort. If Voldemort had placed enough faith in the prophecy to start a manhunt for a toddler he wouldn't have sent a lackey to finish the job, especially with James and Lily's track record at escaping him. No, the wizard to give this mark to Harry was Voldemort.

That only thing that would make sense would be if Voldemort's curse had been turned against him. That would explain the hole in the wall, and the lack of any other body. It must have been obliterated. The only thing that made sense was Voldemort's defeat at the hands of a toddler. Which still made no sense.

This didn't make anything better. James and Lily were still dead. Harry was still an orphan. Sirius had still failed his friends. The war may be over, but nearly everything Sirius held dear was gone.

Clutching Harry's face to his chest, he realised he still had something left. He had swore to protect the life of this boy, and through his inaction had nearly failed him. He wouldn't again.

"I won't fail you" he said as he closed the eyes of a friend for the second time that night. He needed to get Harry away from here before he could deal with the remains of the house, and the remains of his friends. He grabbed a blanket and the stuffed toy deer he knew Harry loved before heading to the door and down the stairs, stopping when he saw something he did not suspect.

"Rubeus, what are doing here?" he exclaimed.

"Dumbledore sent me, he sent me for Harry", the large man said with a look of disbelief on his face. "Is that 'im? Is he alright?"

"I, I think so. I don't know what happened. When I arrived the house was like this, and James... Lily..."

Saying it out loud, to a man he considered a friend, suddenly made it real again. Sirius started sobbing once more. "I should have been here for them, I shouldn't have let this happen".

"What could you have done", Hagrid softly spoke up, sounding like he was close to tears too. "Dumbledore said You-Know-Who attacked 'em, you couldn' have stopped 'im. It's a miracle Harry's alive."

"I know that, but I can't help but blame myself", Sirius said pushing back the sobs. "What else did Dumbledore tell you? How can Harry be alive, with only a cut to his head? Could he be gone? Is it daft to think that bastard was defeated by a baby?"

"We'll find out, we need to worry about Harry now"

"What do you mean?" Hagrid's words were finally getting through to him. "Why did Dumbledore send you for Harry? I have him, he's fine with me. I can look after him, I have to", Sirius stated to the man who from the look on his face clearly wasn't well informed when sent out on his task.

"I dunno, Dumbledore said he was making arrangements with Lily's sister, you know, the muggle."

"Why would he do that? I'm his godfather".

Just as the words left his mouth he realised exactly why. Albus had cast the first Fidelius. If Albus knew of the attack, then he must think Sirius had betrayed the Potters. James and Lily had decided not to tell anyone else about the switch, when Lily altered the Fidelius to make Wormtail the secret keeper. As far as Dumbledore was concerned it was Sirius, the heir to a family renowned for it's practise of Dark Magic that was the spy in the order now. The only other person who knew Sirius was blameless was Wormtail, and he would never tell the truth. He'd probably run, if Voldemort really was dead.

"I dunno, all I know is that I have to take Harry to Surrey where his aunt and uncle live. He shouldn' be here any longer Sirius. Why don't I take 'im to his relatives whilst you take care of James and Lily. I'm sure you can get 'im back tomorrow". Sirius could tell Hagrid meant well, and that Dumbledore had not filled him in on his own suspected role in that nights disaster, but he couldn't let Hagrid take Harry.

Harry, who had fallen asleep in his arms. He looked down at the boy in his arms and knew that nothing was more important than him now. Not his revenge on the rat. Nothing. He had to make sure no-one could hurt him like that bastard had hurt him tonight. But how could he, when all of his friends would believe him to be a traitor within the hour? When all of Wizarding Britain would within the day?

"I'm not letting him go Hagrid. You'll have to tell Dumbledore no."

He'd have to run. Leave the country. Go somewhere where they wouldn't be found. He could go to his emergency store he'd prepared in case Voldemort won, or if he could get to Gringott's quickly enough...

"Dumbledore said..."

"I'm sorry for this Hagrid, but I can't let you take him. Tell Albus that it wasn't me. I didn't do it. He won't believe you, but tell him. I'd never betray James, and I'll die to save Harry. I'll kill to keep him safe".

He apparated away.

Appearing on the front steps of Gringotts, a plan was beginning to form in his mind. He'd have to get all the money he had access to out of the bank. He could empty his own account, but that wouldn't come to much. It hadn't been topped up since he was thrown out of his own home at 16, and that was five years ago now. Luckily, James had given him some access to the Potter family vault. Since they were both fighting with the Order full time, James supported him along with Remus and Wormtail. He wouldn't be able to empty the vault, but he'd be able to get enough. The money was Harry's now after all, so he wouldn't be robbing from his friend.

Striding through the doors of the bank, the white walls glistening in the moonlight, he spotted the Goblin working the night shift.

"I need access to my personal vault and the Potter family vault immediately". He never enjoyed coming to the bank. Apparently poking fun at names was not a manner of joking Goblin's appreciated. So when he did it every time he visited, they were always quite shirty with him.

"What's the matter Black? No funny jokes this time?"

'Shit, it had to be Gornuk', he thought to himself.

"I haven't the time for this Gornuk, let's go"

Despite what Sirius thought, the Goblin sitting in front of him didn't hate his guts. Whilst not being fond of the nickname 'Gonad', the fact that Sirius was able to recognise him during every visit to the bank was impressive to the Goblin who was treated quite poorly by most of the other customers. He was also very brave, or very stupid, in daring to anger the Goblin in such a manner and Gornuk appreciated this. He may have been rude, but he never looked down at him.

"Of course Mr Black" he quickly retorted. The man was evidently in a hurry, and carrying a baby. That was new. "Do you wish to leave the infant in the foyer?"

"He is keyed into the vaults too, it is safe for him to come with us"

That was even more interesting. The Potter's boy was the only child keyed into the wards for those vaults at the moment. Why would Black be taking the boy to those two vaults at this time, without the boys real parents. Actually, it didn't matter. If Black meant the boy harm the wards on the family vault would take of him.

Gornuk led them both to the carts, and after a short journey to the first vault Sirius went to empty it, and realised he had nothing but the clothes on his back. "Gornuk, I'm going to need something to carry all this"

Instinctively replying to this as he did every other time it was asked of him, "we can provide you with a small bag with an Undetectable Expansion Charm applied to it for 7 Galleons", expecting to haggle as normal.

"If you can have it here within the minute you can have ten", was a response he was not expecting. Something odd was going on here. Summoning a bag, he handed it over and watched as the man emptied everything into the bag. Not a knut was left. His superiors wouldn't be happy about an empty vault.

"Do you intend to close your account Mr Black?"

"Might as well, no need for it now".

The next trip, to the Potter's family vault, was more tense. Gornuk never normally cared about the activities of the wizards who frequented the bank, but this was a puzzle and he needed to figure it out. What was Black doing with the Potter boy? Why did he empty his vault? Getting to the end of the line, the roar of the Ukranian Ironbelly woke the boy.

"Shush Harry, it's ok. Do you wanna see a Dragon?" Sirius said as he tried to calm the boy down. Turning so the boy could see as Gornuk used the Clankers to push the beast away from them, Harry started to clap.

"Agon!"

"Yes, isn't it big!"

Gornuk was wrong earlier when he thought he couldn't get more confused. The mark on the boys head he saw for the first time was still fresh, but the Goblin could tell it was a curse scar. He was disgusted. If he got his hands on the person who could do that to a child he would gladly feed them to the Dragon.

Sirius strode forward to where the Goblin was standing, and before Gornuk could open his mouth he stated "I need to take 1000 Galleons from this vault. Would you please assist me?"

Again, he was dumbfounded. He was aware that Black was keyed into the vaults, and that he had a withdrawal limit of 1000 Galleons at a time. Why was he doing this?

"Of course. I hope you don't mind me asking Black, but the manner of your visit has peaked my curiosity. What are you doing here, and how did the child get that cut?"

Sirius froze. He knew the wards in Gringotts wouldn't let him escape now. If the Goblin suspected him of anything, he could leave him down here for the Aurors very easily. He was trapped. He didn't have a choice.

"The Potters are dead. I am going to be implicated in their deaths, but I had nothing to do with it. I have to take care of my Godson now, and I can't do that if I'm locked in Azkaban. We have to run. As for the mark, I believe Voldemort attempted to kill Harry but failed and possibly killed himself in the attempt".

The Goblin wasn't expecting that. "You think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was killed by a child?"

"I have no idea what happened, but based on how I found them it's the only thing I can imagine that makes sense".

Gornuk paused. The Goblins had all been worried about the threat of the Dark Lord, and for him to be gone would be a great boost to business. He also deeply respected the man in front of him now. He was clearly willing to leave his life behind completely in order to protect this child, and as a father himself Gornuk understood that. He wasn't the juvenile delinquent he normally saw in the bank anymore, acting without a care in the world. He was a warrior. The way he had been consciously been staying aware of his surroundings, looking for possible ambushes and escape routes even in the most protected place in Britain showed him that. This was not a man who betrayed his friends and stole their child. This was a man who would do everything in his power to protect that which he held in his arms. A boy who apparently had saved their world. A boy who they would not let go. Gornuk turned, and started walking to the vault.

Sirius was sure that he was done for, but when the Goblin had merely turned and carried on to the vault he couldn't believe it. After opening it, the Goblin clicked his fingers and a large pile of gold flew to Sirius's feet. "1000 Galleons", the Goblin stated.

While the man again bent down to start shovelling the rather larger pile of gold into his bag, the Goblin carried on thinking. Could he help them? Should he? If the wizards truly believed Black responsible, and the child really was their saviour then he would be hunted quite viciously. Despite the amount of money in his possession, he would be lucky to last the year. Human's weren't good at hiding, especially with that amount of Gold burning a hole in his pocket. He would stay in Europe, as it was what he knew.

"If I may offer some advice" he slowly said, as the man stopped shovelling to look at the Goblin eye to eye, "If you truly wish to flee, you must be out of England tonight. You should be out of Europe by next week. If what you say is true, they will want him back. They will want him on the front page of the Prophet, to show off as their saviour. They won't want to lose him. You will be hunted by those who want you behind bars, and those who want him dead. They will not stop coming for you. That will not be enough gold for you to last more than a year at your current expectation of comfort. You need to disappear, and spending Gold on anything unnecessary will only make you easier to find. As you did not ask about Harry's trust vault, I assume you are unaware. If you wish for me to I can quietly file a request for that vault to be moved to a foreign Gringotts branch. It may slip the notice of your authorities, but it may not".

"His trust vault?"

"Yes, Charlus set it up shortly before his death. It is set to be automatically refilled from the main family vault to the extent of 5000 Galleons on Harry's birthday every year. I would recommend relocating it to a Gringotts branch such as Addis Ababa or Taipei so you could access it abroad. The pressure the Ministry will apply to us would not be applied to those branches. While I will try my best to inform the Goblin leadership of what you have told me, they may not be as trusting as I, and so it may not help at all, but it could no hurt to try".

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was a Goblin he had antagonised for years showing him a great deal of trust, and putting his career & possibly his life on the line. "Why would you help me?"

"I would do anything for my daughter Mr Black, and I see the same look in your eye I am sure you see in mine. Now, we must hurry. If you wish to be in France by midnight we must leave now".

As Sirius quickly finished packing his bag, the Goblin carried on with some advice. Sirius had never been more thankful for the deviousness of Goblins.

"Don't use any wizarding transportation until you leave Britain. Get out by muggle means. Confound them if you have to, but you must be quick and you cannot be found. I am sure you can hold your own in a fight, but not with a child strapped to your chest. Use glamours on yourself and the boy, never go out in public with your true face. Use different names. I'd recommend the Soviets for fake identification, I have a cousin there and he tells me you are able to purchase almost anything for enough gold. Britain and the ICW hold little sway outside of Europe and will find it difficult to send people after you officially if you run far enough".

The conversation continued during the ride back to the entrance. Sirius asked questions and Gornuk answered them to his best ability. He gave Sirius some names, Goblin and wizard, that he had heard may be of assistance. Sirius filled out the forms needed to send vaults overseas, and when he was done he turned and looked at the Goblin.

"I will never forget this".

"Make sure you don't Black".

As the wizard turned and left the bank, the first steps in his escape, Gornuk wondered if the Chancellor would let him keep his head for this.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this. This is my first attempt at writing anything, and the idea for this story popped into my head recently and I had to get it down. I hope people enjoy what I try and do with it, but I am eager to be told of any errors, either of grammar, spelling or story. I'm going to try and stick to Canon as much as possible, but with JK Rowling writing little of the world outside Britain I will have to make small changes and new creations in a hope to make this as epic and realistic as I can.