Shadows Of The Past: A Marauders' Tale

8 | Journey to the North

~1st of September, 1993~

Sirius Black

His feet were burning, and his joints were clicking painfully. A breeze was hitting his dry nose, relieving it from the hot sun and he could feel his paws sinking slightly as they made contact with the soft forest soil. Sirius Black had been travelling on foot for days and was starting to curse himself for choosing such a useless mode of transportation. He hated to admit it but sitting in Azkaban for 12 years really did not maintain one's body fitness, let alone improve it. Not to mention he hadn't the faintest idea where exactly he was or which day it was for that matter. What if he missed an opportunity? What if he missed the opportunity to get hold of Peter? What if he missed Halloween?

Since he had seen the photograph in the Daily Prophet, Sirius Black spent countless sleepless nights imagining, planning, fantasizing about finding Peter and finally getting his revenge. Some of his ideas were too tame, others so extreme, even a Marauder couldn't pull them off. Nevertheless, one thing was certain. Sirius will kill him on Halloween. It was only fitting, wasn't it? Killing him on the anniversary of his betrayal. The death had to be significant, it had to send a message. It had to be so powerful that even James could feel it. Sirius owes him that much.

A shimmering blue appeared at the end of the forest. He trotted towards it, letting the trees move away and their presence was slowly being replaced by a large lake. He continued trotting along the bank of the lake, a burst of renewed energy flowing through his body, empowering his paws. He took note of the craggy, high mountains covered with a green blanket, which meant he was in the North of England - a fact that was rewarded with a single wag of the tail and a moment of rest.

He stopped running and sat down on the soft grass, watching the small mists slowly circle on the lake's surface. For a moment - he himself was not sure how long it lasted - he stared into the distance, thoughts completely absent from his mind. He breathed in the cool, misty air and felt the slight breeze make its way through his fur, numbing his emotions. He almost felt as though he was at peace.

The moment was interrupted rudely by a squirrel, which had jumped from the nearby tree, causing Sirius to jump in surprise. As he relaxed again he couldn't help feeling his stomach do a loud rumble. When was the last time he had a meal? He glanced again at the squirrel, which was now jumping towards the neighbouring tree.

~~~

13th of June, 1981

" Skwuh-wul!," Harry announced happily, clapping his little fists together!

"Yes, it's a squirrel, Harry," Lily said, smiling. She was sitting on the green couch, watching Harry, as he was standing on his tiptoes, looking through the window.

"New word?" Sirius asked, turning his head away from the ongoing chess match.

"Indeed," Lily said, momentarily glancing at Sirius, "he absolutely adores them."

"Skwuh-wul!" Harry announced again, almost losing his balance, as he turned around, pointing his chubby finger out of the window.

"Oh wow, a squirrel!" Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically. Harry was satisfied with the reaction. He laughed happily and turned around to stare through the window again.

"Pawn to d5," James said finally, still not looking from the board, his eyes satisfied as his pawn started battling with Sirius's bishop. Upon hearing the sounds of his shattered pieces falling on the board, Sirius frowned and turned back to the game.