Harry Potter and the Canines

I | Blood & Tears

"I'm making bubbles for Harry," laughed James Potter, his face reflecting off of Sirius Black's hand-mirror. "It's become his new favourite thing."

"Hello Harry, Lily!" Sirius grinned at the family through his own mirror, watching Harry's eyes light up as his father made stag-shaped bubbles dance about.

There was a banging at the door, and James jumped up.

"Who'd be here at this time?" Lily asked, looking up from her book.

"It's Him," breathed James. "Lily, take Harry and run... I'll hold him off..."

Sirius watched through the mirror, his heart clenching. "I'm coming," he said, slipping a coat over his shoulders and running outside. "I love you three. Stay safe. Hold on."

Before the mirror returned to it's normal state, Sirius saw James drop his wand, running to the door. He jumped onto his motorcycle and flew to the Potters's cottage, sparks flying from the bike at the speed it was going. Thousands of thoughts rushed through his mind. Were his best friend's dead? What had happened to Peter? Would Harry live?

He reached the house, crashing into the ground, and let out a sob of agony when he saw the sight before him. A green skull of smoke laced the top of the house.

Sirius inhaled deeply, trying to keep himself together. "It's okay. They're fine," he said slowly, as he walked to the front door.

It swung open, hitting something soft.

Sirius's eyes welled up with tears when he saw what he'd hit. It was James Fleamont Potter, his glasses askew atop his glassy hazel eyes. He reached down to straighten the glasses, and found his hand slipping over his eyes, shutting them.

Sirius's best friend was dead. His brother. His soulmate. His other half. Dead. D, E, A, D. Unmoving. A corpse. And his wife, Lily, was probably dead too.

A baby cried from the top floor nursery, and Sirius's eyes widened. There was a glimmer of hope in his heart. Harry and Lily could be alive.

He ran up the stairs, taking them five at a time, and found the door to the nursery open, another body lying on the ground. "Not you too," Sirius's tears fell, as he found another friend, unmoving. Her green eyes had paled three shades, making them stand out even more against her skin. Sirius wiped his tears away angrily, and shut her eyes, kissing her head as he'd done the last time he saw her.

But when he looked to the crib, Sirius wasn't greeted by another corpse. He instead found his godson, alive and well, although he was a little distraught, and there was a shining red cut on his forehead.

Sirius wanted to find Peter Pettigrew, and to murder him for murdering his friends. He really did. But he couldn't bring himself to do so, as that would mean leaving Harry in the cottage, with his dead parents, vulnerable to attacks.

Sirius took the bag that Lily had once used to hold Harry's food, diapers and toys on outings, when he was first born, and began to fill it with everything he would need to care for the baby. His collection of cloth diapers, which Lily had sewed herself. Three plush toys, a stag, wolf, and dog, Sirius burned the rat toy with his wand, two soothers, and the photo album James had put together for his son.

He looked around the small house for the cat, but couldn't find him. Crookshanks had disappeared, along with Voldemort, who'd killed the couple.