Harry's Godmother - Part 2

Halloween, 1981

Halloween, 1981

"Sirius, where are you going?" Tawny cried, tears streaming down her face. Less than an hour ago, they had learned that their best friends, James and Lily Potter, had been murdered. Their killer, none other than the greatest, deadliest, dark wizard who had ever lived, Lord Voldemort. Headmaster of Hogwarts, and leader of the Order of the Phoenix, Albus Dumbledore had sent his patronus to deliver the message. Not only had their friends died, but their one-year-old son, Harry, had survived the attack, killing his parents' murderer in the process.

"I have to find him, Tawny! He betrayed them! He can't just get away with this!" The 'him' Sirius was referring to was one of Tawny and Sirius's closest friends, Peter Pettigrew. Originally, when James, Lily, and Harry went into hiding, Sirius had been chosen as their secret keeper. His job, was that he was the only one allowed to know their location. After accepting the position, Sirius began to think that he was the obvious choice. Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, would have easily guessed that James and Lily entrusted their safety with him, and would do anything to break him to get their whereabouts. Thinking about the safety of his fiancé, Tawny, and of his best friends, Sirius chose at the last minute, to give someone else the job: Peter Pettigrew.

"He chose Voldemort over James and Lily! That traitor!" After hearing about his friends' deaths, Sirius concluded that Peter was the only person that could have been responsible for leading Voldemort to them. Furious at his former friend, guilty about his decision, and devastated at the loss of James and Lily, he wanted to seek out the person that betrayed them all.

"Voldemort could've tortured him, Sirius! We don't know what happened!" Tawny said, taking his arm, hoping to stop him. Sirius angrily wriggled from her grasp.

"He should have died rather than give up James and Lily! I would have! You would have! He should have too!" He threw on his coat and began marching to the door. Tawny pushed past him, throwing herself against the door.

"If he really is league with Voldemort, he won't hesitate to kill you, Sirius!"

"Please, Peter is a coward, and a rat! The moment he sees me coming he'll be begging for mercy rather than trying to kill me. Not that he could anyway."

"Please!" Tawny begged, clutching his face in her hands. "Don't go, Sirius. I just lost James and Lily. I can't lose you too." This time she spoke more softly. With every word, Sirius could hear her voice breaking. "Please..."

"I have to, Tawny." Said Sirius, speaking calmly for the first time. "I love you." With that, he stepped back out of her reach and apparated. Tawny's back hit the door and she slid to the floor. Hugging her knees, she broke down. Hot tears streamed down her face as she sat grieving over the loss of her friends, and worrying if the man she loved was going to come home to her.

Tawny lost track of how long she had been sitting in front of her front door. All she knew was that waiting for Sirius felt like an eternity. Her head ached from crying, and her eyes stung with tears, but she refused to move until he came back.

CRACK – Tawny jumped up the moment she heard it. Flinging open the door, she expected to see Sirius walking up the garden path. Instead, she felt another wave of distress wash over her as she saw, her friend, Remus, approaching her. His eyes were bloodshot and his body pale. He was still recovering from the full moon a few days before as well as dealing with the grief. "Remus!" Tawny choked, running into his arms.

He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her, doing his best to console her. As she cried into his shoulder, he too couldn't help but let a few of his own tears fall. Neither of them noticed the cold, autumn night air and held each other tightly. No more than a minute after Remus appeared, another CRACK alerted them someone else had arrived. Turning around, they were surprised to see Albus Dumbledore walking towards them. He dropped his head, taking a deep breath before meeting them.