Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Butterfly Effect ❯ Wings in Brazil; Tornado in Texas ( Prologue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A Butterfly Effect

Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter and all properties hereto and forthwith… come on. Get serious. Its JK's world, but with my imagination's spin on it.

Full Summary: A butterfly flaps its wings. Conceived a day earlier, the hero was never born. He wasn't even a glimmer in his father's eye.

But she was. Harriet Lily Potter... Harry.

How does the world change? How do predestined relationships change? How important can one person be? What happens when the shoes of a hero are filled by the feet of a heroine?

Follow Harry down the familiar path. Follow her as she steps off it. Walk with her as she creates tiny ripples of flux that grow and twist into massive tsunamis, changing the course of history as we know it... for better or worse.

Rating: M for violence, gore, language, sexual situations (17+ in select chapters), and very sensitive themes, (this story has some extreme dark bits as well as happy fluffy light bits),

Genre: Action/Adventure; Romance; Drama

Pairings: Overwhelming H/G with H/R, H/D, H/L 4th pair revealed! R/Hr, D/PP (main and final pairings H/G, R/Hr, D/PP)

If you don't see your favorite pairing or see a pairing you don't like and decide to bail right now thats cool, but you'll miss out on a badass story. Tell me why you bail in a review!

PS… Go read the Backwards with Purpose series by Deadwoodpecker and Harry Potter and the Wastelands of Time by Joe6991. These stories are filled with true genius and some serious imagination power. They inspired me to pick up the pen and start writing after a year of dealing with heavy uni-polar depression. This story is nothing similar but still, seriously, check them out. Shippers of every type will appreciate them.

PPS: So this story is basically canon revisited, tweaked, changed, torn up, and spit out by my odd mind. You might think Harry being female is odd, and it is if you only can bare to read pure canon, but this is really a Girl Who Lived Story. She's Harry, but she isn't Harry.

My profile avatar is Harry in 4th year. Fan-art for the story found on my Homepage.

Prologue 1: Today or Tomorrow

"And all the families of the families of the families of that one mouse! With a stamp of your foot, you annihilate first one, then a dozen, then a thousand, a million, a billion possible mice!"

00000

Lily stared up at him with disbelief on her face.

"So James, let me get this straight. You're telling me that on October 30th, one day before our first anniversary..." her sharp green eyes narrowed in anger and James instinctively took a step back, covering important parts of his anatomy, "... that you want us to go out for a fewpints with the boys?"

James gulped. They had been having this row for the past ten minutes and Lily was losing patience. He had to pull out the big guns. "Lils,sweetie, it's just for an hour or two. We can try when we get back. It's been forever since we've been out. What's the point of life if we're too afraid to live it?"

The short redhead in front of him flared up to what could only be described as twice her original height.

"DON'T YOU DARE 'LILS, SWEETIE' ME, JAMES THEODORE POTTER. I KNOW ALL OF YOUR MOVES AND I AM IMMUNE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE."

"I'm telling you Worms, they have a chance at the cup, Chudley's keeper has been unstoppable. Didn't you see that-" Sirius and Peter, whom had just reentered the living room, froze in their tracks at the sight of the incensed woman and slightly cowering man before them. Peter gave Sirius a look and nodded back towards the kitchen. Sirius sighed, stuffed the pumpkin pasty he was holding into his mouth, gave Lily a military salute, winked at James, turned, and marched right back into the kitchen... in a near goose-step fashion. Peter rolled his eyes at Sirius and, smiling fondly at James and Lily, followed the taller man out of the room.

James looked back to his wife, relieved to see that the corners of her mouth had twitched upwards. He knew that the best way to diffuse the ticking time bomb that was Lily, was with a little bit of humor. It reeled her back in. She was thankfully, once again, not smoldering and towering over him. "Lils..." he said softly. "I'm sorry."

Lily folded her arms, walked towards him, and leant her forehead on his chin. She wrapped her arms up and around his neck, sighing heavily. James took a finger and tilted her head upwards. Up close, her sparkling emerald green eyes always took his breath away.

She spoke softly, sadly. "James, you know I want to go out and have fun for a change. You know I do. But this is our second to last chance to try before my ovulation cycle ends. It's either today or tomorrow that we make this happen. We both know for a fact that if we go out to the pub tonight, there is no way either of us will be able to manage anything more than a few kisses before we fall asleep."

She cupped his cheek and continued. "We're sleepy drunks, James; you know it, and I know it. And we also both know we're going to be tired tomorrow after dinner... and the match." James let out an indignant sputter and Lily smiled mischievously. "Yes, I know all about your wonderful surprise dinner in the top box at the Harpies game. Honestly… why you tell Remus anything secret is beyond me. He has the largest blabbermouth in the world… well, not including my wayward sister."

James grimaced. He was going to kill Remus. Then he would kill him once more for good measure.

Lily bounced her nose on his chest and breathed him in. "James, I want a baby. I want a baby so bad it hurts. I want your baby. Our baby. I want to see him stare up at me with those big chocolate brown eyes of yours. And I want him as soon as possible. I don't want to wait another month to try and conceive. I want him before one of us gets fed up with cowering from Voldemort and goes off to do something stupid and brave for the war effort."

James looked down into the eyes of the love of his life and said huskily, "I want that too, Lils."

"Then please, let's stay in tonight." She raked her fingers across his shoulders and down his chest and he grunted softly, his body singing with want for this beautiful woman.

Lily leaned up and brushed her lips against his. "Let's make a baby together."

As they embraced and shared a soft loving kiss, James grinned against her mouth and pulled away. "So... now I have you convinced that the Potter line only produces boys, eh?"

Lily swatted his arm playfully and whispered against his mouth, "Well if it is a girl... we're bloody well not naming our daughter Harold."

James laughed and replied in the most pompous imitation of Lucius Malfoy he could muster. "Harold is a most Ancient and Noble name for a young witch of pure blood and upstanding… standing," he finished lamely.

Lily giggled and sighed into his neck. "Him, Her, what does it matter, as long as it's ours. We can pick any name you want love."

James grinned. "Oh really? What about Petunia?" Lily moaned miserably into his shirt. "Kidding, just kidding," he said with a laugh and pulled her chin up for another good sound snog. As their hands started to roam and their breath became heavy, Sirius, Peter, and Remus reentered the room.

"The battle has ended! Hoorah! Let's get going before the Death Eaters drink all the rum," cried Sirius exuberantly.

Lily broke from James and flicked Sirius squarely in the nose.

"Ouch! What was that for, you menacing woman?" asked Sirius indignantly.

Remus put an arm around Sirius' shoulder and flicked him in the ear. "Probably for being a wise arse, Padfoot."

Sirius swatted him away and retorted with his customary, "Get bent, Mooney."

James laughed heartily and put his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "We're... staying in tonight, mate."

Sirius looked unsurprised by this news. He let out a cough that purposely failed to disguise the obvious sound of a whip cracking and shuffled resignedly towards the door of the cottage. "Redheads, mate... I warned you. I warned you."

Peter let out a snort and replied, "This coming from the man who is oh-so-desperate to get us out to the Three Broomsticks... which is obviously just an excuse to disguise his poor attempt at courting a certain rather... buxom redheaded barmaid?"

Now Sirius Black rarely blushed, but on the rare occasions he did, it was usually forced by Peter's quick wit. "Ah…yes…well, that's completely beside the point," stuttered Sirius. Lily giggled and stepped around James, giving the three departing men a quick hug as they donned coats and walked out into the chilly autumn air.

Remus called back, "Have fun at the match, you two."

James pulled out his wand and thumbed it. "Honestly Remus, you're a dead man." Remus just laughed it off and waved.

Lily put on her sternest voice, implying that what she had to say next was not a request, but rather, a subtly disguised demand that would have serious consequences if not obeyed. "You three will come by for dinner on Tuesday won't you? Frank and Alice are coming over. We can do a big sit down and catch up."

Sirius halted on the doorstep and gave Lily another quick hug. "Of course we will Prongslette. There is not a force on this earth that could keep me from your cooking. James' cooking... yes... many forces, but yours? Not a one."

James put on his best wounded puppy face. "Oh come on, Padfoot... it isn't that bad!"

Sirius grimaced as if he were remembering a rather painful memory.

Lily cupped James' cheek and said overly sweetly, "I know you can make pancakes, Honey. It was entirely the pan's fault."

Sirius buttoned up his coat, and leaned forward to whisper into James' ear, before he marched his ridiculous goose step down the front steps. He caught up to Peter and Remus, who were briskly moving out towards the picket fence and past the wards.

Lily called out, "Be safe, boys!" The three men raised hands in parting, and with soft pops barely audible in the wind, they disappeared. Lily shivered, patted James on the chest and pulled him back inside.

"So what departing words of wisdom did Mr. Padfoot have for you this time?" Lily asked curiously.

James turned to look at her, raised his hand, and tweaked her nose. Lily glared at him in mock outrage, growling playfully, as if she knew what he was going to say. He let his hand linger, trailing it down her neck and over the sensitive spot on her collarbone. The purring noise she made whenever his lips found that spot drove him absolutely wild. Lily closed her eyes and stepped closer to him, pressing her hips into his groin, brushing feather light kisses on his neck. The hand went down... thumb swirling around the tip of her breast; down... pausing at the small of her back to have her arch into him with a gasp; down... fingers finding the hem of her dress where silky fabric met the creamy skin of her thigh. He knew this body better than he knew his own. He slipped his hand inside the lining of her lingerie, pressing lightly at the flesh right behind her womanhood. Lily's knees gave out, as he knew they would. She slumped against him, green eyes half closed in pleasure, moaning his name under her breath.

James' teeth found her earlobe as his free hand tangled into her sweet smelling red hair. He whispered into her neck, "Mr. Padfoot tells me that make-up sex… is the best sex." Chuckling, he dropped down, wrapped his arms around her upper thighs, and hoisted her up into a fireman's hold. Carrying a squealing Lily into the bedroom, he turned and used his foot to shut the door with a soft click.

0000

Prologue 2: The Wreckage

BOOM BOOM BOOM

"No Goggy, I jus…. fed yah."

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

"Lemm' sleep now thas' a good boy."

BOOM BOOM "HAGRID! OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR," screamed a frantic voice.

*silence*

BOOM BOOM

"FOR GOD'S SAKE MAN HOW MUCH DID YOU HAVE?"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

He creaked opened a bleary eyelid. It took several moments for his vision to become clear enough for him to realize where he was. He wiped the sleep from his eyes. There was such a throbbing in his temple that he found it difficult to sit himself up from his bed. "Good grief, me `ead." With a tremendous grunt he lifted himself off the bed and stumbled through the dark, feeling his way along furniture towards the front room of the hut.

"OOMPH." He stumbled over something fleshy and round. There was a loud whine and a scuttling beneath his feet. "Oh sorry there Fang… didn' see yeh." The pup was small, a runt really, and he had spent many an hour trying to find the dog amongst the hidey holes around the hut. In the dark, it was nigh impossible to spot his tiny black body.

He moved slowly towards the door, careful of where he placed his feet so as to not stomp on the tails of any of the other pups from the liter.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

"HAGRID OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW OR I WILL BLOW THE DAMN THING DOWN!"

"MERLIN'S BEARD! I'M COMIN," Hagrid shouted back. He shuffled to the window ledge, picked up his umbrella and tapped it against the door frame. There was a faint shimmer and a soft hum. Hagrid grabbed the door bolt, slid it aside, and wrenched it open in a huff. It was stormy out and he couldn't quite tell who his visitor was.

They were both silent. The man didn't speak, merely stared at him from underneath his sopping wet hood. After several moments of this Hagrid gripped his umbrella in front of him and pointed it at the man's face. He opened his mouth to tell whoever this shady bugger was to shove off, when a brief lightning flash lit up the sky... and the visage under the hood.

"Si-Sirius? Whatr yeh doin here? I though' yeh were supposed ter be in hidin wit' Remus and Emmeline up a' the castle?" Hagrid bustled aside and left a space in the doorframe wide enough for Sirius to squeeze past. Hagrid peered out into the rain. It was a typically small highland storm, wind blowing gently, only able to see through 10 or so meters through the fog and rain. He closed the door quietly and turned around. His immediately went cross-eyed, focusing on the wand tip pressed right into the bridge of his nose.

Sirius spoke in a slow voice that dripped with a steely something... something that Hagrid had never heard before from the jaunty youth's mouth. "Hagrid?" Sirius asked tentatively. "Who did you catch me snogging in your pumpkin patch 5 years ago this exact night?" Hagrid was dumbfounded for a split second before realizing why there was a threatening piece of holly branch pointing at his face.

"Oh er…" Hagrid racked his brain. "Rosemerta wasn' it?" He let out a heaving guffaw. "Didn' she knee yeh in the bits in surprise? Right spooky sort o' place fer a Holloween kiss if yeh ask me." Hagrid grinned expecting to see a similar expression break out on the young man's face. However, he became extremely concerned when the only acknowledgement of his ribbing was a slump of the shoulders and a drop of his wand.

"Sirius wha's this-?"

"I need my bike Hagrid… now."

"Whaaa'? What'r yeh on about? Wha's happened?"

"Hagrid… where is it?" The anger bubbling in Sirius' voice shocked him. It was odd that a man half his size could chill him to the bone with naught but a few words.

"Ou' in the patch," said Hagrid apprehensively. Without another word Sirius whirled around threw open the door, stalking out into the rain. Hagrid followed close behind him, all the while trying to glean why Sirius was so upset. As they made their way across the few hundred meters to the muddy patch of ground where Sirius' bike lay hidden, Hagrid could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread. He knew the Death Eaters had been very active as of late. "Sirius… did summat happen ter Rosie?

Sirius growled and almost exploded a nearby pumpkin as he randomly disillusioned areas of the patch. Hagrid was extremely worried now. Sirius mounted his uncovered bike and pressed his wand to the ignition. The headlight blazed and the engine roared into life. As the bike began to pull away from the ground, Hagrid reached down and put a hand on the man's shoulder.

He composed himself and asked calmly, "Sirius… Wha's happened?"

Sirius looked down at the overly large hand holding him down on the ground. "He fou-" Sirius took a deep breath. "He found them... he found them, Hagrid."

His hand slid off Sirius' shoulder to fall limply at his side. Hagrid mouthed like a fish, searching for words. "But… no. He can't `ave!"

"The wards fell. There is an 80 kilometer anti-apparition field in every direction around Godric's Hollow. Find Dumbledore, I'm sure he already knows." And with that last word the bike rose quickly from the earth. A good 50 meters it had risen, before a monstrous blast of dragon's flame erupted from the rear exhaust pipes. In a flash and a bang, Sirius and his black motorbike were gone.

Hagrid stood rooted to the spot. He didn't know what to think. What to do? He looked up at the castle and saw a silver flash rush out of a tower window overlooking the Great Hall. It sparkled against the paned glass, illuminating the many brilliant colors as it sped down the wall and towards the patch. When it finally reached him, he heard four words from the phoenix patronus that confirmed everything Sirius had said was true.

"Hagrid, my office please."

0000

Sirius Black rode like a man possessed, pushing the piece of muggle junk metal to its absolute limit. He had run out of charges for the dragon's fire a few kilometers back. He was so close. Ten kilometers. Eight kilometers. Three. One... and then he saw it. The skull and the serpent, ghostly and shimmering in the rain. No! He nearly crash landed the bike into the picket fence. Please god. Throwing himself off the smoking bike, he raced across the yard to the front door, ripping his wand from its holster.

He paused outside the doorframe… it had been torn off its hinges. His Auror training went out the window. He barreled into the living room shouting so loudly that he thought his vocal chords had torn. "JAMES! LILY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Scorch marks and spell burns lined the walls; furniture was missing and upturned; the lamps in the kitchen flickered from the ambient magic he could still taste in the air. This fight had taken place less than an hour ago. What frightened him most were the dead and bloodied corpses of animals strewn all over. Some were only half transfigured. James... no.

He saw the bedroom door ajar, holes blasted all along its frame. He stumbled towards it in the shaky light. His foot kicked something in the shadows and it flew forward.

Sirius gagged.

A hand… with a wedding ring. He stared at it as it sat on the red carpet… red carpet. The carpet in this house is white. He reached the bedroom and lit his wand. What he saw inside that room made his heart break a thousand times and a thousand times again. The body lay propped against the dresser. Deep wounds were still bleeding all over; eyes burned… no… gouged out; an arm was dripping with blood from the wrist. Pain was on his face; wand was at his side; the shattered glass from the dresser mirror, spread around him, tinged red.

Sirius fell to his knees in front of the body. He dry-retched for a good five minutes before he could look again at James' still form.

Goodbye, my friend.

Sirius stood up shakily, his knees weak. He said no words, no prayers; he simply placed a hand on the shoulder of his best friend, his brother, and gripped tightly. Everything that needed to be said had been said already… before they went into hiding.

Lily. She must have gotten away! This fight had taken enough time for her to run. But… the wards… and the baby. No. Please be alive.

He picked up the wand next to the body, turned from James, and left the room behind. His eyes locked onto the ceiling above the living room. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want… but he had to.

Sirius slowly climbed the stairs, back against the wall, eyes darting frantically into every visible corner of the house. He reached the landing.

A solitary light shone from the farthest door in the hall. He couldn't yet see into the room, but he felt a cold breeze blowing down towards him.Maybe Lily had taken the baby and climbed out a window? Thoughts hammered through his skull at a million miles a minute. His heart beat loudly. He could feel the blood pulsing quickly through the arteries in his neck and chest. Sliding his back along the wall, he slowly crept all the way up to the door. Silence.

Wind was whistling through the room and out into the hall.

Sirius took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. 3… 2… 1… Now! He spun into the room firing several Auror-grade wide range stunners. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, the first thing he noticed about the room was that his spell kept right on going... and going, and going until it slammed into the side of Bathilda's. The entire back wall of the nursery was blown out.

The second thing he noticed... was an entire lack of the gore and havoc he had witnessed downstairs. The carpet and walls, apart from the missing one, were pristine.

The third thing he noticed was a long black cloak covering the prone form of a pale balding man. He was lying face down on the carpet. There were three rather large stag horns sticking out of his legs and shoulders. Well done, James old boy. You and Lily did what thousands have failed to do. You brought the fucker down.

Yet as soon as he spotted the other body in the room, half hidden behind the crib, the pride he felt for James and Lily vanished. Grief compared only to what he felt downstairs just a few minutes before surged through him. Lils. Oh Prongslette. Her eyes, a brilliant green, stared blankly at him. Lily's full lips were slightly parted and a large green bruise rested on her left cheek. Her visage wasn't that of shock or terror... like many of the other victims of Voldemort's dreaded curse. She looks… tranquil.

Sirius bent down and drew his fingers across her eyes, closing them forever. He stared at her still face. I should have been here. I should have died with you.

When he could bare no more, he turned towards the crib. A flicker of hope flared within him. Had the baby died first? If not…

He stepped slowly towards the small wooden crib he himself had helped James build. And as he looked down into it... that little spark of hope died, snuffed out like a doused candle flame. Blood was cascading from the child's head.

Sirius knelt down, fingers running through his hair. All gone. They're all gone. He sat, resting his head against the side of the crib, and cried. He cried for James; cried for Lily; cried for every last man, woman, and child murdered in this hellish war. He cried for himself. He had lost his only family; brother, sister, and godchild. And he cried for Harry. Innocent, helpless Harry.

He let the sobs wrack his body as every bit of grief hit him like a freight train. His sobs echoed loudly in the quiet nursery. He couldn't have been sitting there for more than a few minutes, but it felt like days. Even though he was still wallowing in his misery, his breathing evened, and his choking sobs slowed. Silence reigned over the small cottage.

Gurgle

Sirius jumped a foot in the air, hitting his head hard on the sharp end of the crib. Cursing, gripping his head in his hands, he stood.

Coogurglebb

His eyes widened as he looked again, down into the crib. Blood was still everywhere, all over the child, but two bright green eyes stared back at him! The green orbs were moving, following him as he swayed unsteadily over the bed. Sirius beheld Harriet Lily Potter alive and seemingly well... in a pool of blood… her blood.

She was the spitting image of her mother, same green eyes, same little nose, same petite mouth… well she had the trademark Potter hair, jet black, sticking every which way. Sirius remembered the last time he had seen her. Just a tiny, fat, pink, hairless… ball. She had gurgled and grasped at his fingers as her father had held her for all to see for the first time. He had fallen completely in love with that tiny ball of pudge when she had reached for his pinky. The fact that she was lying here in her crib, frail, blood spattered, parentless, looking exactly like Lily and James... grasping once again for his pinky, shattered the last little bit of his already broken heart.

She was cuddling something. It was... He half sobbed, half laughed. It was the tiny plush broomstick Sirius had gotten her at the small store in St Mungo's. It looked thoroughly chewed on. He picked up one of the nappie cloths beside the crib and wiped the blood from her beautiful little face.

When he saw it, he almost screamed.

A jagged cut ran down the left side of her forehead, beginning to ooze a fresh coat of blood into her eye.

It was not just any cut though. The edges of the skin around it were bruised a green as vivid as her eyes… the same green in fact, that rested upon Lily's cheek.

He looked back to Lily. He knew as an Auror and former Unspeakable, the true nature of the Killing curse. It was the aura of the spell that surrounds you and kills you, not the direct hit. A killing curse that contacts skin will leave a dark green bruise on the body for several days. A hit on your hair or your clothing still kills you, but you don't bruise.

He switched his gaze back and forth between the two with incredulity. No. That's impossible. How is that possible? He glanced at the man on the floor and wondered... No... that's... absolutely impossible!

The little girl in the crib before him let go of his pinky, and lay back on the coverlet of her crib, waving her feet in the air and gurgling happily. The blood from her cut looked like it was clotting. It was a deep. It would be a horrible scar, even if a healer could get at it right away. Dark magic wounds could never be fully healed.

He reached into the crib and picked Harry up, cradling her in one arm. She gurgled in protest and began to cry. Oh. Reaching into the crib, he pulled out the chewed up broomstick and dangled it in front of her. The crying slowed and a little chubby arm reached out for it. He let her hand close around it, and the tattered plush twigs of the toy promptly found themselves in her mouth.

"Oh Harry... I'm so sorry." As he rocked her slowly, she let out a little yawn and fell asleep in his arms. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and her head turned into his touch. "You'll stay with me now. When you're older, I'll... I'll tell you all about them." He bent down, picked up Lily's wand, shot the most powerful stunner he could muster into the obviously dead body of Lord Voldemort, and left the nursery.

Through the windows, he saw lights moving outside the house. Aurors must be setting up the perimeter. Took them bloody well long enough. He walked down the steps and out through the front door. Several things happened at once. Shouts from every corner of the yard echoed against the house. Shadows flanked him. Impediment jinxes flew from every direction. Standard aftermath procedure after a Dark Mark site becomes secured. Freeze anyone not in a hood and mask. Cutters, stunners, and bone breakers for everyone else.

"IT'S JUST BLACK! STAND DOWN!" Dawlish strode forward and unfroze him, letting his wand linger. "Sirius, you brewed me a love potion in our 4th year... who did I administer it to?"

Sirius would have grinned on any other day, but today... on this horrible night... he found that he could not. "Narcissa Black," he said in a tired voice.

Dawlish looked him up and down for several moments before speaking, "What are you doing here? I thought you were stationed at Hogwarts?"

"I felt the wards fall," replied Sirius. "The second the Fidelius broke. I'm keyed in."

Dawlish gave him an apprehensive glance, "James? Lily?" Sirius shook his head. Dawlish looked down at the sleeping girl in Sirius' arms. "You got here in time to drive them off then?"

"No."

"What? What do you mean no? How is the child alive?"

"I didn't…. I didn't get here in time. Voldemort himself did the job." At this Dawlish and the ten other Aurors in his brigade stormed into action racing for the house forming shields and flanking positions. Sirius called out, "There's no need. He's gone."

Dawlish looked at him blankly and said, "gone? He just left without killing the daughter? He was hell bent on killing every last Potter. Merlin knows why."

"No Dawlish. Gone. Dead. Upstairs, third door on the right." Sirius gestured absentmindedly, his eyes returning to the scar on Harry's forehead. Dawlish spluttered incoherently before his thoughts seemed to form rational patterns.

"But Black, how can he be… if you got here too late… Did James and Lily wound him?"

Sirius considered the child in his arms before he spoke. "Well James managed to puncture flesh... but nothing that seemed fatal. Lily… I couldn't tell you, it almost looks like she went quietly in the nursery. Dawlish this might sound crazy but, I think she did it."

Dawlish looked at him strangely and asked slowly, "who? Lily?"

"No... Harry. Dawlish look at the bruise around the cut. It's a curse scar. I'm sure of it."

Dawlish was a smart man... not a powerful man, but a smart one. You had to be the slightest bit brilliant to become an Auror Captain. What Sirius was trying to convey was not lost on him. "Black what you're suggesting here is absolutely impossible. No one survives it. It can't be done. The spell is literally death. Death in corporeal form. It can't be stopped, it won't stop until the wizard's energy from the spell dissipates or it absorbs enough life. It even kills those little germs floating in the air that the muggles are so fond of. You're actually telling me You-know-who's Avada Kedavra bounced off the forehead of a girl in diapers and hit him instead?"

"Yes. I actually think I am." Sirius sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well. "Maybe this was it. The prophecy. Maybe it said she could end him. I knew he was after them due to a prophecy I mean, but I was never told what it said," Sirius paced with Harry, thinking hard. "What I really want to know is how the Fidelius broke in the first place. The keeper was totally secure."

Dawlish gave him no support in answering his questions. He was looking nervously at the house. "Black are you sure he's dead? There isn't some kind of a trap waiting for us up there is there? Because if he's gone… well, if he's gone, we can… we can all be free from this war. It means we've won." Dawlish's voice got lighter and more energetic as he spoke.

"We didn't win Dawlish." A surge of violent anger coursed through him and he wanted bloody revenge for this atrocity. "And if that monster isn't dead then he's sure as hell in a coma after the stunner I…" Sirius trailed off as a shadowy figure a few streets down skittered around a corner.

"Oi Sirius!" Hagrid came barreling down the road as fast as a broomstick could fly. "Dumbledore is ou'side the Apparition wards tryin to take em down. He told me to come and find yeh. Not let yeh out of me sight he says."

Sirius was paying little attention to Hagrid, however. His eyes were fixated on the corner. Oh no... Please tell me you didn't. When his attention snapped back to the present situation, he realized he would not be able to do anything with Harry still in his arms. "Hagrid. Harry survived. I need you to take her to Dumbledore. Use my bike. Dawlish can fix it for you. I'll be back." Sirius shrugged off the sleeping child into one of Hagrid's enormous arms, and ran off toward the street he had seen the shadow disappear into.

0000

"Survived… Sirius! Wai come back!" But the Auror had already sprinted around the street corner at full speed. Hagrid could do nothing but watch him sprint away. He looked down at the sleeping girl with amazement. She survived!

Walking over to Dawlish, they got the bike standing and repaired for travel. Dawlish barked orders to his brigade about clean-up and containment. "Abbot, McMillan, go after Black. He must've been on to something. They'll watch him Hagrid, you can assure Dumbledore. I imagine the headmaster thinks he might do something rash." The two fittest Aurors of the bunch went jogging off in the direction Sirius had taken. "Well Hagrid best get on your way back to the Headmaster."

"Aye," Hagrid sighed deeply, "tha I should." The giant man straddled the bike, the seat magically expanding to fit his overly large size. He shifted the small girl from one arm to the other so he could fit her properly in the sidecar. As he had pulled away, her tiny hand had tried to wrap around one of his fingers. When she could not wrap her fingers around the massive digits that were Hagrid's fingers, she grunted unhappily and her bright emerald eyes flew open. She stared at Hagrid unrelentingly, as if he had done her some great personal wrong. As Hagrid stared intently back into those big green orbs, a small plush broomstick made its way into the girls mouth. Hagrid threw back his head with a great bark of laughter. Harry withdrew the broomstick from her mouth, smiled a wide three toothed smile, wiggled her feet, and let out a gurgle that could not be understood by adult ears. Hagrid found her smile to be infectious. Grinning at her, he said gently, "Hullo `Arry... or should I say Lily? I'm Hagrid."

She blew a raspberry and made a loud happy squawk as the bike lifted off the ground.

0000

Sirius threw himself down an alley, chasing after the short man that had just dodged into it. He was running as fast as he could and gaining on his prey. Sirius' legs were long and he was quite fit, while the man running from him... was quite a different story. Sirius could tell he was slowing, losing his energy. Yet the short slightly pudgy man could still run bloody fast, the fear of being caught driving and pushing his adrenaline levels to their limit.

It was always the case back at school. Whenever they were about to get caught performing some late night prank this boy would always be the first one back to the common room. He had thanked his lucky stars that Voldemort had put up anti-animagus wards laced through the anti-apparition barrier. It was both a stag trap... and a rat trap. The rat would have gotten away long since had this not been the case.

"GIVE IT UP PETER! YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WHILE THE WARDS ARE UP! ITS AT LEAST FORTY KILOMETERS TO THE BARRIER'S EDGE. SLOW DOWN MY FRIEND! I JUST. WANT. TO. TALK!" He screamed and screamed at the man in front of him, accentuating those screams with stunners and bone breakers. Peter yelled nothing back, just dodged into alley after alley, using his magic to thrust debris in Sirius' path and block the oncoming spells.

Peter, somewhat like Dawlish, didn't have the power to throw high powered stunners and curses around like baseballs. He had to rely on shield charms, conjuring, hexes, and his own resourcefulness. Peter was the type of duelist that noticed you we're dodging most of the spells sent towards you, so he would freeze the floor with a household freezing charm, throw a bunch of nonverbal jelly legs jinxes at you that were indistinguishable from stunners, and then conjure ropes to bind you as you slipped over your feet trying to dodge. He didn't need power to overpower you. He was just more aware of surroundings then other people were. He did seem to have a very strong survival drive. Remus was the only one of the Marauders who could best him continuously.

But tonight of all nights Peter wasn't going to best him, or use a bit of cunning to slip from his fingers. Sirius was driven by the rage and grief of a betrayal.

"PETER!" They rounded the edge of a building and came out into a large clear suburban street. "I. SAID. SLOW. DOWN!" Four bone breakers left his wand. The first two were wide by a foot or so, and went sailing into a red tank that sat propped against the nearest house. The second two hit home. Peter screamed in agony as his wrist and shin shattered. He fell over his feet, dropped his wand, and landed flat on his back on the hard concrete.

Before Peter could recover and pick up his wand, Sirius had caught up with him. He stomped down on the black ash wand the smaller man was scrambling for and was rewarded with a sharp crack. Peter moaned slightly. Sirius then pulled back his leg and kicked Peter as hard as he could in the stomach. He kicked out again and again, breaking down in angry sobs as he did it.

Peter had curled into a ball trying to shield himself from Sirius' blows. Eventually, he was able to grab onto a leg and hold it in place to his chest. Sirius lost his footing and fell on top of the smaller man with a thwump. Sirius let out a cry of anguish as they struggled. He managed to free his arm... pull back... and then punch Peter in the jaw as hard as he could. He felt two fingers break. Ignoring the pain he pulled back and slugged the rat again. Peter was groaning and cowering underneath him, expecting more blows. Sirius was about to let loose the next blow, when he heard the man's quivering voice say, "Padfoot…. please."

He grasped Peter's collar roughly and screamed, voice rumbling with rage, "PLEASE? PLEASE? WE ALL SPENT A YEAR LOCKED UP JUST SO YOU COULD MAKE THE WRONG CHOICE!" YOU DON'T GET A SECOND CHANCE YOU BASTARD!" Sirius pressed on Peter's windpipe and the small man's face started to swell and turn blue.

"Prongs… *gasp* …wouldn't-"

Sirius roared, dragged Peter up and slammed him into the nearest lamppost. "YOU DON'T EVER GET TO SAY THAT NAME AGAIN! YOU LOST YOUR GODDAMNED RIGHT! YOU'RE NOT WORMTAIL! YOU'RE A BLOODY DEATH EATER. YOU DESERVE WHAT YOU DEAL OUT! TRAITOR! He screamed that last word as loud as he could. Lights flickered on in many of the nearby houses, but neither man noticed.

Sirius threw Peter down to the ground, collapsing next to him. He was silent for the longest time. He sat, watching Peter closely as he arranged himself into a position so he would feel the least amount of pain.

"Why?"

Peter looked at Sirius contemplatively, but said nothing.

"Why?" Sirius asked again. "How could you do it?"

Peter remained silent.

"How could you do it to James? To me? We treated you like a brother the second you stood up next to us when Malfoy called you a Mudblood on the train. How could you do it to Lily? The one person who would listen to your problems because she knew exactly what it was like? To Remus. The man who taught you everything you know about magic. We both know you're dyslexic and can't read a textbook to save your life. He spent months of his life sitting with you in the common room, dictating descriptions of spell after spell, potion after potion. His kindness and patience is the reason you're not the equivalent of a squib. How could you do it to Harry? You're her uncle! Not in blood but by bond. You killed your own brother, your own sister. You betrayed us all and you deserve to burn!" Sirius finished his rant with a huge breath.

Peter gazed at him. "Yes... I do."

He gave a small chuckle and continued. "I never told you that the hat wanted to put me in Ravenclaw first did I? It saw my intelligence, my desire to learn, to succeed in this world of magic. Yet it also saw my disorder. I would never be welcomed in Rowena's house. Don't you remember how long it took the Hat to decide? I had traits that 3 of the 4 houses prized, yet the Hat could not decide for me. Finally it asked me where I'd like to go. I saw you sitting at the Gryffindor table; I saw James behind me in line and I knew he would be sitting there soon."

Peter gave him a sad smile. "So I asked the hat to put me there as well. It yelled 'Gyrffindor'… even when I didn't have an ounce of bravery in my body. I knew I had no place there, but I chose to stay. You know the story after that. We all became great friends. I had even convinced myself that you were my real friends, not just protectors and benefactors."

"We were Peter!"

He ignored him. "

"When you asked me to be the secret keeper instead of yourself, I was so incredibly honored. Imagine that for once, the three greatMarauders needed the fourth for more than just an extra body on prank quests. And I took that honor and held it to the best of my ability. I hid in the Shack. I was going to wait out the war. Sit and wait until Dumbledore finished him off for good. But he found me... well, Snape found me really. He and the Dark Lord were looking for ways into the school. Snape remembered the Shack and he noticed my rat form as I slept."

Peter shivered. "He summoned the Dark Lord. He ripped the knowledge of the Fidelious from my mind, yet he could only learn James and Lily's exact location if I told him willingly. They tortured me for hours and hours. I knew I would die if I did not give them what they wanted. When that time came... I gave in. The Fidelious broke and I knew James, Lily, and Harry would be dead within the hour. I am... I am glad the girl survived. I am glad he is gone.

Sirius growled at him.

Peter winced and continued. "At that moment I knew that I deserved to die. I'm a weak man Sirius. I cared not for my friends in that moment. I cared only about the pain. I cared only about continuing to live my meager existence. It was always about me surviving. I chose Gryffindor that day because I wanted to be safe from thugs like Malfoy and his band of goons. But I'm not a Gryffindor. I'm not a brave man Sirius. I couldn't be brave enough to face my death. I don't belong in any one of the houses. I am not worthy of the magic I own. The only reason I appeared here tonight was to make sure Voldemort would not come after me, had the Potters not been there." Peter, monologue over, gazed hollowly at him.

Sirius raked his eyes over the bloody man and whispered fiercely, "you should have died! Had it been you I would... I think you should know that for a short time on this earth Peter, there were four people that would have risked their lives to save your own." Sirius stood slowly and gazed down the narrow street. Muggles were crowding at their living room windows to see what the commotion outside had been all about. Seeing two men out alone in the middle of the night wearing shabby and strange looking clothes usually meant a pair of quarreling vagrants. Many turned off the lights, yet a few lingered, peering out through their curtains.

"That sounded much like something you would say at a eulogy Sirius."

Sirius raised his arm. He pushed the wand tip into Peter's throat. "I should do it."

Peter nodded, "You should. I don't want you to. All I live for is the ability to live. But maybe... maybe I wouldn't feel so scared if it was you that did it."

Sirius' eyes hardened. He killed James. He killed Lily. He killed our family. He as good as killed himself. "The ability to live? Spoken like a true Death Eater, Peter."

"Then do it. Kill me. I'm a man that kills to survive, and I'm going to keep on doing it. I will keep destroying families and lives if I must." Peter spat blood from his mouth onto the concrete. "I am ready."

Sirius moved closer to his once friend. He leaned down and spoke softly into Peter's ear, "I would never."

"Then we're at an impasse."

"No. You have two choices. One: stay here under my wand tip and wait for the Aurors who are sure to be closing in on us shortly. You will be taken to a Ministry holding cell, await trial, be tried as a willing accomplice to murder, and receive a minimum sentence of 40 years. Two: I let you leave. Completely walk away. You leave the country. In two weeks without James and Lily I will change my mind, hunt you down, and you will go through step one anyway. In that time on the run you might be able to find some peace of mind."

"Those don't sound like very good options to me Sirius."

"The deepest circles of hell Peter, are reserved for those that betray their family. Your options are already severely limited."

"But what about choice three, Sirius? I like my chances with choice three much better." Peter had caught sight of the winking lit wand tips rushing down the road from the distance. His grey eyes narrowed, and then he grimaced. "The wards fell. You knew I was stalling. You should have killed me Sirius, and I'm sorry for this."

Before Sirius could even think to cast a spell, Peter hurled one of the broken pieces of his wand at the red tank several feet behind them. Nothing happened. He looked back at Peter who was glaring at him, face full of anger, blood dripping down his hand. The Aurors chose that exact moment to apparate to Sirius' side.

"JAMES! LILY! SIRIUS HOW COULD YOU?"

Realizing what Peter was doing, he raised his wand. His lips opened. His wand tip flicked upward to form the rudimentary stunner... and the world itself exploded around him. It was if he was the conductor and the destruction of the entire street was his opening chord. Knocked off his feet, landing on his back, ears and temples pounding from the blast, he tried to piece together what had just happened. He was... he was waiting for enough gas to rise out of that tank you smashed! His wand core is Firecrab tail, he was waiting for the wards to fall, and waiting for witnesses. He framed you. He played you. A repeat performance of your schoolyard duels. You slipped on his household freezing charm, and he bound you tight with ropes.

Rat 1- Dog 0.

And even when everything that had happened tonight came crashing down around him, even with the wands he felt pressing into the nape of his neck, Sirius threw back his head and laughed uproariously. Peter Pettigrew had just pulled the greatest prank in the history of the Marauders. It was really too bad… that only he and Peter were in on the joke.

0000

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