A Lucky Knut

A story about what might have happened had Sirius have gone to see Remus before seeking out the betraying Peter on the night of Lily and James's murder.

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with the brilliant J.K. Rowling.

It was a cold, rainy night at the end of October, and Remus Lupin was rather bored. Having just finished this month's cycle of Lycanthropy, he wasn't feeling much up to going out at the moment, so he decided to settle down with a good book.

"Hmm, let's see," Remus spoke aloud to himself, his fingers gently running across the books on the shelf. "The Secret Garden? No, no I just read that one a few weeks ago. The Hobbit? Really? A talking dragon? J.R.R. Tolkien should have been more realistic. How about– oh! I know! Peter Pan. I haven't read this one in a good two years!"

With a satisfied smile, Remus sank into his favorite cozy red armchair in front of the fireplace. He flipped to the first page and was just about to delve into the words when the power went out.

"Urgh! Muggle electricity! Suppose I should go check the breaker," Remus muttered as he walked into the kitchen toward the carport. His hand wrapped around the door handle and he looked down, a glint from something shiny catching his eye. He bent down for a closer look and reached for the object.

"A knut—and it's on heads! Must be my lucky day!" Remus exclaimed. He straightened back up and peered through the window, staring straight into stormy gray orbs on the other side of the door.

"Agh!" Remus yelled as he fell backwards onto the kitchen floor. "Breathe, just breathe Lupin. You're okay. Lumos." His wand ignited to the silhouette of one of his closest friends, Sirius Black.

Jumping up quickly, he opened the door and Sirius stepped inside.

"Bloody hell, Padfoot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, Moony," came his raspy reply. Shocked at his voice, Remus took a closer look. Evaluating what he did not see at first glance, Remus saw that Sirius stood before him completely disheveled: his usually luscious locks hung limp in his face, his clothes were covered in ash and torn in some places, his shoulders and head slouched forward slightly, and his eyes were swollen and red.

"Sirius…are you alright?" Remus asked in concern.

Sirius looked up at him through puffy eyes. "They're dead, Remus. They're dead." He dropped his head back down as his body trembled in sobs.

"Sirius? Sirius! Calm down! Who's dead, mate?" Remus questioned as he walked them toward the living room and they sat in front of the fire, power outage forgotten.

"Moony, don't you see?" Sirius asked in a shaky voice. "He found them and now they're dead! Lily and James…Voldemort killed them."

"Killed Lily…and…Lily and James? Dead?" Remus repeated, disbelief and hurt etched across his face.

"Yes," Sirius sniffed, trying to compose himself. "Their house is demolished."

"But...but what about Harry? Is he…is he gone too?"

"No! No, he's fine, Remus! I went to Godric's Hollow saw all the damage, found…their bodies, and then I heard it: this small crying sound from underneath the rubble. I walked over to some wooden boards jutting out at odd angles and moved them out of the way, and there was Harry. His crib was lying on its side with him still in it. I suppose it was the only thing that kept him from being crushed by the boards. I pulled him out to see Hagrid walking toward me, arms outstretched. He said to give Harry to him on Dumbledore's orders. I sent them away on my motorbike and started walking. I really didn't know where I was going, but I ended up on your doorstep. I feel so…empty inside," Sirius sighed.

A lone tear ran down Remus's cheek. "I'm sorry, Sirius. Everyone loved Lily and James, but I know you had a special bond with them."

"Yeah." A sad smile played on Sirius's lips. "Just yesterday I went over and had dinner with them. Afterwards, James and I chased Harry around while he rode the new toy broomstick I gave him for his birthday. We were having so much fun. Then Lily came in and said, 'Alright boys, it's past Harry's bedtime. Oh don't pout! You'll be able to see each other again soon. It's only a short goodbye.'…but she was wrong. It wasn't just a short goodbye." Sirius broke into tears again.

Remus patted him on the back. "I'm sorry, mate. I'm glad your last memory of them was a happy one at least. And I hope you realize that it wasn't your fault Voldemort found them."

"Not my fault…" Sirius muttered. "But I know whose fault it is." He stood up abruptly.

"Padfoot, where are you going?" Remus asked in surprise.

"To kill a rat," Sirius growled. With that, he ran through the kitchen and out the door.

"Sirius! Sirius, wait!" Remus called as he ran to the door. But it was already too late. He watched a shaggy, black dog disappear into the cold, wet night.

When the dog was gone, he glanced down at the shiny knut still resting in his hand. "I guess it isn't my lucky day after all," Remus said as he chunked the knut out into the rain and slammed the door.

Remus walked back to the living room and sank down in the corner. "Lily and James. Dead." He cried himself to sleep.

While Remus slept, Sirius was framed for the murder of twelve muggles, Peter Pettigrew, and an assisted murder of Lily and James Potter. He received a lifetime sentence for Azkaban. A supposedly dead rat known as Peter Pettigrew scampered off into the night, missing a finger and carrying the burden of assisting in the murder of one of his closest friends.

Just as a side note, I meant no offense in any way to the books Remus didn't want to read at the beginning of the story. And I know that Hagrid actually found Harry and Sirius was the one to show up later, but I decided to switch it around in this story. Hope you liked it! It was a sad story to write.