This is a new story I'm working on. Pairing is yet to be decided, but if you have one in mind, let me know!

Chapter One:

This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,
Was once thought honest. You have loved him well;
He hath not touch'd you yet. I am young, but something
You may deserve of him through me, and wisdom
To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb
To appease an angry god. ( .14-19) – MacBeth ~ William Shakespeare

October 31st, 1981.

No, no, no! Sirius ran through the small house in Godric's Hollow, taking in the devastation around him. This can't be happening. He thought. The wall next to the staircase had huge chunks missing, pieces of plaster and stone covering the stairs. Scorch marks littered the walls. The barely used pram was turned on its side, the metal twisted, the material burnt.

Come on Prongs, where are you? Sirius thought frantically. He froze, standing stock still. He heard a muffled groan coming from the living room.

"James?!" Sirius shouted. "James!"

He was about to start digging through the rubble when he heard someone outside. Straightening up and gripping his wand more tightly, Sirius started to step back out into the half destroyed hallway. The huge figure making his way up the pathway had Sirius sighing slightly and his posture relaxed, only by a fraction.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" He asked. Hagrid looked at the young man.

"Professor Dumbledore sent me, to pick up young 'Arry." He answered. Sirius shook his head.

"Harry will be coming with me Hagrid, I'm his Godfather." Sirius replied. Hagrid frowned.

"I'm sorry, but I've got me orders. I'm to take 'Arry to Professor Dumbledore."

Before Sirius could reply, a wail broke through the air. He started up the stairs.

"I'll get Harry." He told Hagrid, his tone firm. Hagrid nodded, a sad expression on his face. Running up the stairs and nearly sprinting to the nursery, Sirius flung the door open. Bright green eyes, filled with tears, stared at him.

"Unca Pa'foo?" The small voice asked. When Sirius exhaled, he was shaking.

"Thank Merlin." He whispered, rushing forward. "Hello, pup." Sirius said, picking the child up and running a hand through his hair. He frowned when he saw the scar on his pup's forehead, a thin, angry looking scar in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Dada, unca Pa'foo?" Harry asked. Sirius shook his head.

"I'm not too sure where daddy is pup." He replied. A small sob escaped Harry and Sirius held the small boy closer. "Don't worry pup, we'll find Prongs and everything will be okay, I promise." Sirius whispered, gently rocking the boy. Harry's bright green eyes stared up at Sirius, full of a childish innocence that made his heart ache.

"Unca Pa'foo find Dada?" Sirius nodded.

"Uncle Padfoot will find your dad, I promise."

And Sirius hated making that promise, because there was a very high chance that he might not find James, he might not be alive, and then Harry… Harry would have lost both his parents.

Lily Potter had passed away, nearly a year ago now, defending her son when one of the Order meetings had been ambushed. James had been anguished, Harry didn't understand where his mummy had gone and still asked for her occasionally.

Slowly, Sirius made his way back down the stairs, carefully stepping over the piles of rubble that covered the floor. Hagrid was still stood in the door way, shifting uneasily. Sirius figured it would be because Aurors would be turning up soon, and when they arrived, so would the press. He could hear the shouting coming from outside, heard the gasps as people saw the destroyed building, and if the reporters weren't already here, Sirius would bet every galleon in his vault that they would be soon.

"Give me 'Arry, Sirius, an' I'll take 'im to Professor Dumbledore." Hagrid insisted. Sirius looked down at the bundle in his arms. He really didn't want to let the kid go, but he knew he had to find James, and find out what had happened.

"Keep him safe, Hagrid. I'll be by soon to pick him up. Take my bike." He hugged the child to him, and looked the boy in the eyes. Bright green met steel grey.

"Hagrid will keep you safe pup. I'll be with you soon, along with Daddy." Sirius kissed Harry's forehead, ran a hand over the messy black hair and handed him to Hagrid.

"Where will you be taking him?" He asked, as Hagrid carefully adjusted his arm, securing Harry in his grip. Hagrid shook his.

"I can't tell you tha'. Dumbledore's orders." Hagrid said. Sirius frowned.

"I have the right to know, as Harry's Godfather." He said. Hagrid didn't reply, just stared at Sirius, a sad look in his eyes. "Go to Dumbledore Hagrid. Let him know that I'll be by to pick up Harry later." Hagrid nodded, and with Harry carefully tucked under his arm, turned around and left the small cottage. Harry let out a soft cry.

"Unca Pa'foo!"

Sirius winced, and made to move towards Hagrid again, but the half-giant was already on Sirius' moterbike, the contraption letting out a loud roar and then they were gone and Sirius was left feeling like he had just made a very large, very bad mistake.

A low groan rent through the air. Sirius started, spinning around, wand out. He had forgotten that he had heard something earlier, before Hagrid had arrived, before he had gotten distracted. He stayed quiet, walking softly towards the living room, where the sound emanated from. He figured that even if there was someone there, intent on causing him harm, they would have done so before Hagrid arrived. It was one thing Moody taught him when training, though he reckoned he had already failed with that. Then again, he wasn't considered one of the Ministry's best Auror's for nothing. He heard another groan, and his eyes scanned the living room. He couldn't see anyone. His eyes passed over the rubble from one of the fallen walls, noted the scorch marks on the walls, before darting back to the pile of bricks.

There was a hand. A hand darker than his own, and it was moving. He saw the signet ring on the middle finger of the hand and his heart jumped in his throat. James!

He started digging through the rubble, barely registering the fact that the bricks were cutting into his skin. The destruction around him finally made sense. James had already lost his wife, he wasn't about to lose his son without a fight. Sirius would bet anything that James had lead his attacker away from the nursery, away from his son. Hands bleeding, the young man heaved a chunk of stone away from the floor, relief flooding through his veins when he saw the face of his best friend.

"Thank fuck James, you scared the shit out of me!" Sirius exclaimed. James groaned softly, eyes blinking blearily.

"Harry…" He whispered. "Where's Harry?" Of course, James' first thought would be for his son. Harry, little Harry, was everyone's pride and joy.

"Hagrid took Harry James, on Dumbledore's orders. He wouldn't tell me where they were taking him." Sirius admitted. James' brow furrowed, the action causing a cut on his forehead to ooze steadily. "James, what happened?"

James looked up, his expression devastated.

"Voldemort. Sirius, Voldemort was here! I managed to cast a shield charm when the wall fell on me, otherwise I would have been crushed to death. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did die! Peter…" James choked, tears spilling over. "Peter betrayed me!" He cried out. "Peter was here, watching!"

Sirius felt the blood drain from his face. Peter Pettigrew, one of his best friends, someone he considered a brother. James' secret keeper at Sirius' own insistence, sure that his friend would be safer, because nobody would suspect Peter! Not little Peter, the boy who was frightened of death, who became an animagus to help a friend, someone they trusted with their lives.

Fury crept in then, like a tidal wave, slamming to the forefront.

"I'll kill him!" Sirius roared. "I'll bloody kill him! We trusted him! The little rat!" James choked cry brought him back to attention.

"Sirius… Harry… I need Harry… He's alive? Please tell me the bastard didn't take my son!" Sirius stopped dead.

"No… No, Harry's alive Prongs. He's safe, Dumbledore has him. Hagrid took him earlier, Dumbledore ordered him to." Sirius dropped down next to his friend, carefully levitating the fallen stone away.

"Why? Why did Dumbledore take me son? Where is he Padfoot?" James demanded, his olive skin growing paler by the second. Sirius looked at him helplessly.

"I don't know, Prongs. I told Hagrid I was keeping him, I was his Godfather so he should stay with me, but he said Dumbledore had given him orders, and I thought, whilst I looked for you, he would be safer. I asked where they were going, but Hagrid wouldn't tell me. Another one of Dumbledore's orders. I figured they'll be at Hogwarts, or with Alice and Frank, and I would get him later, make sure he was safe."

Sirius shook his head. James was staring at him, and he could see his friend's mind was whirling, though the relief was evident in his eyes.

"Come on, let's get you to St. Mungo's, get you treated. You'll have Harry back soon, I swear." James nodded his acceptance.

"I don't think I can apparate… You'll have to side along me." He said. Sirius nodded.

"I'm sorry Prongs, I'm sorry I didn't hang on to Harry." The guilt from earlier was welling up now, mingling with his anger. Sirius knew he had to find Peter, had to find out why Peter had betrayed them. He'd take James to the hospital, then he would try and get some answers.

"It's fine Padfoot, if he's with Dumbledore, I'm sure Harry is fine. I'll see him soon enough." James said, eyes starting to droop.

Reining back his panic, because apparating whilst panicking was never a good idea, Sirius grabbed his friends had, and with a CRACK, disappeared from Godric's Hollow. They reappeared in the middle of St Mungo's entrance, causing a few people to cry out in surprise. Sirius ignored them, and levitating his friend, because he'd probably already caused even more damage apparating, he pushed his way up to the front desk.

"James Potter, he needs help! He was attacked, and a wall nearly fell on top of him!" Sirius nearly shouted at the welcome lady. He didn't even glance at the woman's name badge, but he did notice her eyes widening.

"Of course! Hang on!" Pulling out her wand, she called her Patronus (which Sirius did notice, because being able to do the Patronus charm was actually very difficult, and not everyone could do it), said something, and with another wave, sent it off.

Within minutes, there was two Healers appearing with a stretcher, and Sirius was pushed away as they surrounded his best friend and took him away, informing him that he couldn't follow, that he would have to wait in one of the waiting areas and someone would find him when there was news.

As much as he hated to leave James on his own, it served Sirius well. Now, he could go find Peter, and find out exactly what happened, why Peter had betrayed one of his best friends. Leaving the hospital, Sirius disappeared, this time silently.

"Why did you do it Sirius?" Peter shouted. "You were their Secret Keeper! Why did you betray James and Harry? You killed them!"

Sirius stared at his old friend in shock, unsure how to respond. He opened his mouth to speak, to say something, when a huge explosion shook the ground. The ground itself blasted apart, concrete shattering and flying everywhere. Screams surrounded him as he was blown backwards by the force of the explosion, as dozens of people were blown backwards. He knew that those who had been standing too close wouldn't survive, and Sirius could only watch as Peter, his friend, his brother, grinned triumphantly, before furrowing his brow and actually cutting his finger off. He landed hard against the pavement, his head smacking against the ground. His vision went spinning, but Sirius still saw Peter transform and disappear.

He still hadn't gotten the answers he wanted, but one thing was clear. Peter was a traitor. Peter wasn't under the Imperius, or being threatened in some way. Peter had willingly gone to Voldemort, had willingly taken the Dark Mark. And Sirius knew that for one's body to accept the evil thing, one had to be willing. Peter was willing to throw away years of friendship, willing to aid in the murder of his closest friend and a baby, and Sirius had no idea why. He had no idea why his friend had changed, what had pushed him away.

He vaguely heard the spectators screaming and crying, his ears were ringing. Through spotty vision, he saw Auror's appearing. He hardly heard a word they said, didn't even protest when they took his wand. Confusion clouded his brain when they put him in magical binds and yanked him to his feet. Head spinning, ears still ringing, he only just heard them telling him he was under arrest for the murder of Peter Pettigrew, twelve muggles, and conspiring to murder James and Harry Potter.

His last thought, before he finally succumbed to the blackness slowly clouding his head was that he was completely screwed. This was what acting without thinking cost him. He could only thank Merlin that James was still alive. He'd be able to tell everyone the truth.