A/N: I love all the replies so far! Thanks for all the positive feedback everyone, I really do appreciate it. I know the beginning starts a bit slow, but things pick up very quickly soon. Trust me. ;)
Chapter Four: Confrontations, Part One
Sirius' head was spinning. Three days ago he hadn't even liked Lily and now he was dreaming about her! Not
only that but she was constantly in his head during the waking hours as well.
Sirius pulled himself out of bed and threw on the first robes he found. As it happened, they were the same ones
he'd worn yesterday. He silently crept from his dorm and left Gryffindor Tower.
"OK, I'm just going to go for a walk," he said to himself. "Yeah, a walk will clear my head.
That's what I need. Just gonna mosey down to the lake and-"
"First sign of madness is talking to yourself."
Sirius spun around to face the intruder behind him. He whipped out his wand and pointed it right into the face
of-----
---"MOONY!" Sirius shouted. "Dang, man, I thought you were still sleeping. You scared the daylights
out of me!"
Remus doubled over laughing. "I know! Isn't it great?!"
"No it really- ok kinda great," Sirius relented.
"So, why are you up at the crack of dawn," Remus asked.
"No reason. Why are you up?"
"Getting the shack ready. Full moon tonight, remember?" Remus asked.
Sirius hadn't remembered at all. He felt even guiltier than he did before.
"Sorry, Moony old chum. Had a lot on my mind of late."
"Yeah, I figured," Remus said slyly. "So, do we get to meet her soon or what?"
"There is no 'her' doofus. It's other stuff." Sirius didn't quite meet Remus' eye as he
said this.
"Whatever," Remus shrugged. "It just seems like the entire world is hooking up. James and Lily, you and
the Invisible Woman, if Peter gets a girl before me I'll be so pissed."
Sirius had to laugh. When he wasn't shoving his nose in a book Moony had a very wry sense of humor. He was just
about to tell him so when a flash of red light hit Remus in the chest and sent him flying into the wall. He slumped to
the floor unconscious as Sirius once again whirled around and pulled out his wand. He stared into the cold, glittering
dark eyes of his least favorite person accompanied by 5 others from his house.
"Alone at last."
---GODRIC'S HOLLOW, NOV. 1----
Sirius had checked Peter's hiding spot, but he still wasn't there. He'd checked all their old haunts on
the off chance of finding the stinking rat, but no luck. Now, he was just walking thru London, aimlessly yet with
determination. His dark eyes scanned the area in front of him, constantly on the alert for Wormtail, all the while
unconsciously fingering his wand in his pocket. In his mind, he ran through a thousand different scenarios of what
would happen when he finally caught up with Peter. They all involved him, Peter, begging for mercy before dying in
horrible pain.
Sirius was not a cruel man under normal circumstances, but the last 24 hours had proved to be anything but normal:
James and Lily dead, Peter vanished, Harry taken away to his miserable aunt's house.... Sirius knew his time was
quickly running out. He had argued with Lily and James not to tell anyone about switching Peter for himself as their
secret keeper, thinking it was the best course of action, and now it had proved to be their undoing. The only reason
Dumbledore took Harry away was to keep him safe from his parent's murderer and betrayer - Sirius, they thought. And
to think, he himself had secretly accused Remus -
Remus. Oh God, how he wished Remus were with him. Remus would have been an enormous comfort. But Remus was cut off,
had been for months, and all because he had listened to Peter. Peter's whisperings that Remus was hiding something,
that he may not be loyal anymore, that he may have turned---and Peter had only whispered to Sirius. The burden of all
this fell onto Sirius but he was more than willing to share... He wouldn't kill Peter until after he'd
confessed to Dumbledore, but oh when the time came he would enjoy killing the slime. Wormtail would curse the day
he'd called himself their friend.
His eyes focused on a person standing a few yards ahead of him. How utterly convenient, he thought. And
just when I was beginning to lose focus... A surge of hatred and revulsion rose in him. Eyes narrowed, he pulled
out his wand and pointed it. Suddenly, the man in front of him turned to face him. The man raised his wand in his
quivering hand and he pointed it at Sirius. His small, watery eyes gazed at Sirius with emotions Sirius didn't know
or care to figure out, the at Sirius' wand, which was much steadier than his own. Sirius wanted to rail and scream
and vomit and cry all at once. Instead, in a calm, quiet voice that belied the agony inside him, he spoke to his old
friend and greatest enemy.
"Hello, Wormtail."