A/N: This is my second story, which is pretty much a story on the side at the moment. However, if I get ten billion reviews, I'll update more often. Now on with the story...

chapter one: (slightly revised)

"Death ends a life. But it does not end a relationship."

-Gene Harrison, I Never Sang to my Father

In the ruins of a once grand house, a little boy lay crying. Half the house was reduced to a pile of smoldering boards of wood, and the other barely stood at all. In the distance a low, load rumbling could be heard, and steadily grew louder and louder. A moment later, a huge motorcycle landed in front of what remained of Godric's Hollow.

Sirius took off his helmet, and stared at the destruction in horror, his breathing uneven. For a long while he simply sat there, mind refusing to properly register what he was seeing. He finally stumbled off of his motorcycle; his legs didn't seem to want to work properly, and walked with great difficulty to the house. Reaching the place where the living room once stood, and the half-gone ruins now lay, Sirius walked forward, but something caught his eye that made his legs give away entirely.

Sirius fell forward, and stared in horror at the body of his best friend, James Potter. His mouth fell open slightly, and he was unable to tear his eyes away. The sight seemed to be screaming at him. Crawling, not wanting to believe it, Sirius slowly made his way forward until he was kneeling next to James.

Sirius reached out a trembling hand, his fingertips barely grazing James' face. The skin was still faintly warm, though it had paled considerably. For a long while Sirius simply knelt next to his friend's body, brow furrowed slightly, unable to believe it. It wasn't until several minutes later that Sirius remembered something.

With shaking hands, Sirius managed to stagger back to his feet, and headed toward the staircase at the other end of the destroyed living room.

It seemed to take an eternity to walk up the stairs. Sirius had to grip the rail firmly and use the wall for support. When he had finally reached the second floor landing, Sirius could see red hair sprawled on the floor in the doorway to Harry's room.

Sirius bent over double, forcing back the urge to vomit. It was beginning to set in. It was then he heard a noise that made his whole body tense up: the sound of a crying child. Using the wall as support, Sirius staggered toward Harry's bedroom, and found Lily lying dead in the doorway, and a crying Harry on the floor next to her.

Sirius stared at the scene in front of him, trying to will his limbs to move, but they wouldn't obey. Harry continued to cry, tiny fists balled up, glistening tears staining his face. Lily simply laid on the floor, head tilted to the side and limbs slightly sprawled out. She had the same blank expression as James, the same pale skin.

Finally, Sirius moved his legs forward with an enormous effort, his breathing uneven. Picking Harry up, Sirius held him close, as though the world would end if he let go. Harry's crying ceased slightly as he lay in the familiar arms of his godfather.

It seemed to be a dream interrupting the nightmare that was reality. James and Lily were dead. But Harry was alive?

How long he stood there, Sirius didn't know. When Harry finally stopped crying, Sirius gained enough strength in his limbs and headed back downstairs, trying very hard not to look at James. It was impossible to block the vision of his best friend from his mind, however.

Sirius walked away from the ruins of Godric's Hollow, and towards the motorcycle on the side of the road, which Sirius noticed, but did not care, that he had left running. Setting Harry cozily on the seat, Sirius stared at his godson, who was drifting off to sleep.

How on earth was it possible that Harry had survived? And what was he going to do now?

It was then Sirius realized the full extent of the predicament he was in. No doubt it was only a matter of hours before the Ministry was after him: the entire world would think he did this; that Lily and James had died because of him.

But it was his fault. Lily and James were dead because he convinced them to switch to Peter.

Peter.

For a moment Sirius paused, taken aback slightly from this realization. Almost immediately anger Sirius had not known in years suddenly coursed through his veins. His hands shook now, not in shock, but in rage as he realized what Peter must have done.

Peter. He did this. Their own friend, in whom Sirius had trusted the lives of his best friend's family.

Shock was soon replaced by a made desire for revenge. The world may never know it was Peter who betrayed Lily and James, forever think it was Sirius, but Peter would pay for what he had done.

Sirius lifted the now-sleeping Harry into his arms, put on his helmet, revved up the engine, and took off into the distance.

"I'll be back soon, Harry," Sirius said before leaving. His voice sounded unnaturally calm. "If not...well, then all I can hope for is that you'll grow up, and remember that it wasn't me."

Just as he reached the doorway, Sirius paused, and said, "I love you, Harry."

Sirius rushed downstairs, and out the front door. The sky was lightening, and the stars grew fainter as the sun began to rise. Taking out his wand, Sirius apparated into the town where Peter lived.

He was going to kill him.

Sirius first headed toward Peter's hiding place, to see if Peter had bothered to return, perhaps to pack any belongings. But Sirius couldn't find anything gone, and there were still dishes in the sink. It looked just as though Peter had simply left, and would be back any moment now. Exactly as it did an hour before.

For a brief moment, images of Godric's hollow flashed in Sirius's mind. However, it only fed his desire for vengeance even more.

Sighing in fustration, Sirius decided to go to the small wizarding villages in the entire area, and if he couldn't find Peter, look everywhere he was known to go.

Peter couldn't hide from him forever.

Peter was hurrying out of a shop, and heading for the entrance to the muggle roads. Sirius, never taking his eyes off of him, followed. Several people protested as Sirius walked right through them, but he ignored them. Peter walked from the main part of town, to an area that was less crowded with people and cars, Sirius all the while following, though not as fast as he'd like. Even though this side of town was less populated, there was still a large amount of people dividing him and Peter.

But Sirius didn't let that stop him.

For a moment that seemed like a lifetime, Sirius watched as Peter glanced around him every few seconds, as though expecting a sudden attack. It was hard to resist the temptation to blow him up from a distance right now.

As if sensing him, Peter turned in his direction, and spotted Sirius. He froze for a split second, eyes widening, then tore off running. Sirius was right behind him.

The muggles around them yelled in protest, but Sirius and Peter ignored them, running flat out. Peter turned to his left suddenly, and disappeared into an alleyway. But Sirius was only twenty feet behind him.

Peter knocked several garbage cans in the way as he ran, but Sirius simply dodged or jumped over them, eyes still fixed on Peter as he pulled out his wand. The moment he was preparing to curse him, Peter had reached the end, and disappeared around a corner. Cursing, Sirius lowered his wand and followed.

The alleyway opened up into a muggle neighborhood, where there were more apartments, and fewer shops. Halfway down the road, Peter suddenly stopped, and turned around to face Sirius, his breathing heavy. Peter slipped out a knife, and held it in his hand, out of sight from those around him.

"Why?" Peter yelled suddenly. "How could you do it?"

The muggles on the road turned to look at them. A few children in the nearby park stared as they swung or else shot down the slide.

"Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?"

Sirius stared at Peter, who had most of the knife hidden up his sleeve, as he cut off his finger. He was taken aback for a moment, then realized what Peter was about to do. Sirius whipped out his wand, ready to curse him, but then—

BOOM!

A sound like a bomb going off echoed all around them, and a split second later, terrified screams could be heard everywhere. Dust and smoke so thick it was impossible to see through filled the street, and the sounds of blown pieces of the road crashed back to earth. The street trembled violently at the unexpected explosion, and shook slightly as pieces of pavement returned to the road.

Coughing, Sirius got to his feet, and peered blindly through the thick cloud. Smaller pieces of debris continued to fall like rain. Sirius staggered forward as the dark cloud thinned, searching for Peter. But all that remained of him was a pile of bloodstained robes and the small appendage that was once Peter's index finger. Nothing more.

Sirius began laughing to himself. At first it was quiet, then grew louder as he realized what Peter had done, and what a disaster he was in. James and Lily were dead, at least a dozen muggles lay on the ground all around him, and Peter, the only one apart from himself who knew what had happened, had disappeared. It was only a matter of seconds before the Ministry came.

Sirius laughed even harder at this. The Ministry, as well as the rest of the world, would think he had done all this. Sirius was as good as dead now. The only thing to do now was wait until the Ministry came. There was no point in leaving: his world had already ended.

What about Harry?

Sirius remembered Harry, lying asleep in the upstairs bedroom, parents dead. His laughter began to falter; he couldn't just leave him like that.

Picking up his fallen wand, Sirius disapparated back to his flat, leaving behind the cataclysm Peter had created.

Running up the stairs, Sirius found Harry lying on the bed, fast asleep. He picked him up and was just about to disapparate again when he paused. Did he really intend to let the Ministry simply throw him into Azkaban, or worse?

He wasted no time in packing a suitcase of clothes and some other necessary things he couldn't leave behind. Stuffing his muggle passport and ID in his bag, Sirius shrunk it with his wand, and pocketed his suitcase.

Sirius paused at the foot of his bed, and looked at Harry. Should he leave him here for the Ministry, or attempt to bring him to a safer house? He didn't know when the Ministry would arrive, and when they did, what they might do if they thought he was still here. Sirius couldn't leave him, but he certainly couldn't take Harry with him.

Sirius heard several loud cracks from outside, and looked out the window. Dozens of Hit Wizards appeared out of thin air, and began hurrying toward the flat. A moment later, loud bangs were heard as the wizards tried to force their way in through the electronically-locked door a few floors below.

He had a split-second to make a decision. Before he could make his mind up, Sirius heard an explosion downstairs, though not as large as the one in the muggle road. The entire apartment building shook, and Sirius picked up Harry and disapparated.

He looked back at Harry, and debated whether he should try to comfort him before he left. He owed him at least that. Walking into the tiny kitchen, Sirius searched for something to give Harry to eat, and found some left-over mashed potatoes.

Heating them with his wand, Sirius quickly fed Harry, who seemed to enjoy the potatoes. Sirius glanced at his watch, and saw that it had only been twelve hours since he had found James and Lily dead.

CRASH!

Sirius grabbed Harry, and looked in the living room. There was a gaping hole in the front window, and a small metal container lay on the floor, gray smoke filling the room. Sirius looked back out the window, and saw the same Hit Wizards from twenty minutes ago.

"Crap," Sirius muttered to himself, moving away from the living room. How had they managed to trace him so quickly?

Sirius glanced out the kitchen window, thinking fast. He knew there was no way he could leave Harry here for Lupin to find: Harry would probably die from the gas. There was no choice but to take Harry with him.

Sirius tried to disapparate, but nothing happened. When he attempted it a second time, Sirius realized the Ministry had put an anti-disapparation enchantment on the house. He grabbed the nearest object, a tea kettle, and transformed it into a portkey. The Ministry already wanted him for murder, what difference did it make if he used an illegal portkey?

Sirius quickly sped through the back door, Harry in one arm and the tea kettle in the other. It only took seconds before he heard yelling and the sound of Hit Wizards and Aurors coming to the back of the house. Before another moment passed, curses were flying at him from ever direction.

Sirius ducked behind the large, ancient barn, hoping he had put enough distance between himself and the protected house. The last thing he needed was to discover the entire field was protected with wards to keep him from leaving as well.

Sirius held Harry's hand to the portkey, and instantly they were lurched forward.

Sirius then walked for over an hour, until he reached the buildings and houses that lined the edges of the city. Knowing he must look very conspicuous with dust all over his clothes, he headed into a bathroom of a nearby tavern, and magically removed the dust from his and Harry's clothes. Enlarging his bag to its normal size, Sirius pulled out a wad of muggle money, and stuffed it into his pocket. He decided to take a taxi to an airport, and go to some random country that he could live in for now.

Noticing a cut on the side of his head above his brow, Sirius rinsed it with water, ignoring the slight stinging. He washed off Harry as well, though he was unhurt, and grabbed his bag before walking out to the road. He took a city bus to a more populated part of town, where he got into a taxi, and headed to the airport.

Remembering Harry needed a passport, Sirius conjured one out of thin air, and instead of Harry's real name, the passport read: Adam Thomas. Taking out his own, Sirius changed the name on his passport and ID, so the last name matched the one on Harry's.

Sirius walked into the airport, and bought two tickets for the soonest flight out of England, which happened to be New York City, leaving Southampton at three thirty.

Sirius went through baggage check and the metal detectors, and waited at the gate for the flight, Harry sleeping in his arms again.

Barely half an hour later, Sirius and Harry boarded the plane, and sat down in row 23A.

Fifteen minutes later, the plane took off from Southampton Airport, and flew to New York City, three thousand miles away.

"Thank you for flying British Airways," a voice over the loudspeaker announced. "The time for New York City is 6:18 PM."

Sirius looked at his watch, and saw that it was in the very early hours of the morning in England.

Grabbing his bag, and carrying a sleeping Harry, Sirius walked out of the airport. The memories of the past day flooded his mind, and Sirius heard nothing but the echos of the screams in his head that refused to die.