It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

The End: Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black

"I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending." - Taylor Swift (ft. Bon Iver), Exile 

     Something was wrong. Of course, nothing was actually wrong technically speaking. But, something was seriously, terribly wrong. Sirius Black could feel it. It was in the way his fingers were tingling. It was in the way a rock had settled in the pit of his stomach. It was in the way his chest ached with the astounding rhythm of his heartbeat. Something was wrong.

     Feeling rather jumpy and unable to contain the bursts of energy within his muscles, the dark haired man mounted his motorcycle and took off to go check on his friend, Peter, almost two hours earlier than he had planned. 

     Sirius was content with his choice to swap the secret-keeper to Peter. Sirius could handle death eaters coming after him as the obvious choice, but what if they somehow knew it was Peter? What if they tortured him? Surely, they didn't suspect him. Sirius was James' best friend; he was the godfather of his first born for Merlin's sake. Surely, Voldemort suspected Sirius and not Peter.  

     The night sky was cold as Sirius flew through the clouds. He smiled, remembering how Lily and Charlie had helped him perfect the charm on his bike that would allow it to take flight. A squeeze in his heart hurt at the memory and how much Charlie loved to fly. He missed her like crazy when thoughts like this bombarded him. 

     His mind wandered as he raced through the night. Tears stung his eyes, and he couldn't be sure if it was from the wind or from the fear. 

     Sirius began to land as he came to Peter's safe house. The small home was tucked away from the city, sitting on the edge of a forest. It had been selected for Peter when he went into hiding because it was in a safe place and kept him away from people. It was easy to protect the establishments with the necessary enchantments out here, away from muggles. 

     Sirius dismounted his bike immediately upon landing, skidding dirt everywhere in his haste. There were no lights illuminating the windows, and it was eerily quiet. Sirius raced for the front door, beating against the wood. 

     "Wormtail!" No response. 

     Bang, bang, bang. 

     "Pete!" No sound. 

     Bang, bang, bang. 

     "Peter!" Silence. 

     Sirius' heart sank. He reached for the doorknob to find that the door was locked. Seeing as patience had never been one of his strong suits, Sirius Black swiftly lifted his leg and promptly kicked the door in, watching the wood splinter. 

     Sirius drew his wand. "Lumos."

     The light from his wand illuminated all that was in front of him. As the dust settled around the fallen door, the house revealed itself to be weirdly untouched. No sign of break in. No sign of a fight. No sign of Peter Pettigrew. 

     "Pete?" Sirius called out. He was less hopeful for a response but was still unsettled when he was met with no answer. 

    Sirius made his way through each room, and in no time he had covered the whole house and there was no sign of his friend. And, there was no sign of his wand. 

     Something was wrong. But, it was wrong in a completely different way than Sirius had feared. Peter wasn't here. He wasn't hiding. And, it looked as if he had left willingly. Nothing was broken. There was no blood. And, the door was locked as if Peter had left to run errands and locked the door behind him. He was supposed to be here; he said he would be here. Something was wrong.