Rat to catch! [ Harry and Sirius - Private (Ask to join) ]

Harry opened his eyes as soon as his feet hit solid ground, they had apparated from just outside Grimmauld Place under the cloak. He blinked, his eyes getting used to the brightness again as his throat went dry. He was home, back where he should have belonged had Voldemort not ruined everything. He glanced around, still under the cloak and shivered, not from the cold. Standing in a lane, mist and sleet on the cars but no signs of snow yet, the sky was dark but clear and the stars would be out soon enough. It was Afternoon nearing Twilight and the atmosphere was calm, all except under the cloak, his hands were now shaking as they held his wand. Cottages stood along the road, a few Christmas lights and decorations in the windows. A little way ahead unlit streetlamps indicated the centre of the village. Harry didn't move but looked across to the man at his side, who would soon enough take a different form.

Sirius breathed in deeply as he arrived, looking across at Harry with anxious eyes. The task ahead seemed close to impossible, and the fact he had to remain hidden during a majority of it put him on edge, and gave him reason to be anxious. He stepped forward, observing the area carefully. There was a undoubtable tension of which Sirius put to the back of his mind for now. He didn't dare speak yet, he was unsure whether they were alone. Something unseeable scuttled away in the distance, reminding Sirius instantly what they had came here for; not that he required a reminder.

Harry noticed his anxiety and slowly shook his head."I'm okay, its just...been back here.." He explained making sure Sirius knew he didn't care about there task, he had plans and was determined to bring Sirius justice. He felt the cloak slide and was brought to earth, moving as Sirius so it didn't come off him, he needed to be sure there was no one around before coming on show."Dog." He muttered from the corners of his pale lips. Harry frowned turning his head back to the front, looking to the centre."Right..this is going to be hard for me..I know what this involves, you must not come human to comfort me..I'm better dealing with it alone like I always..have.." He spoke slowly as it hard to describe and then fixed his gaze back onto Sirius."I love you because of your trust, your the only one who doesn't treat me like I child, trust me now and listen, were going to succeed." He whispered quietly his throat remaining dry. He sighed softly waiting for Sirius to change, change into a dog companion.

Sirius smiled with fondness. "Just don't expect me to remain a dog if our plans are demolished." he said quietly. He felt suddenly cold, a coldness that had nothing to do with the weather. He patted Harry once on the shoulder before transforming into the familiar bear-like, coal black dog, waiting eagerly to proceed forwards, his bright beady eyes searching the area for any danger.

Managing a weak twitch of his lips and a roll of his eyes, Harry shrugged."Wouldn't dream of it." He muttered feeling stronger at the pat. He pulled off the cloak as soon as Sirius had changed, stowing it under his jacket as he took his first steps in his true home. The cool air brushed against his cream skin as his hair blew in the wind. He glanced to Sirius encouraged and bowed his head a second, raising it soon after."Let's do this boy, come." He whispered slowly making his way to the centre.

He obeyed, paws making a soft padding sound against the leaves as he followed. He kept slightly ahead of Harry, not willing to let him be the one to face any oncoming danger first. He came to a halt, waiting for Harry to catch up. As he did so he searched the area with his eyes once more.

As he trudged up the street after Sirius, his heart hammering in his chest, he clenched and unclenched his fist around the wand which was loosely by his side, hidden by his sleeve. He found his hands were suddenly sweating profusely, despite the coolness of the air. His eyes swept the street like his dog guard, looking for danger but there was nothing except the cottages, he had spoken to people and knew what to expect but hadn't being prepared for the realness.

He began forwards again, picking up speed as he trotted, which soon turned into more of a run as his eagerness increased considerably. This time he had not stopped to wait for Harry, he continued forwards instead.

"Bag dog." He muttered under his breath as he ran to catch up ignoring the sense of fear in his body, he scanned around slowing as he reached the heart of the village, a small square. Strung around was rainbow Christmas lights."D-.." Harry stopped, what on earth was he supposed to call Sirius, he could hardly call him dog. He sighed and his teeth trailed across his cracked lips, a whistle escaped the corner of his skin as he tried to attract Sirius's attention.

Sirius skidded to a complete stop as Harry whistled, realising his eagerness had lead him too far ahead. Once Harry had caught up with him Sirius trod carefully, seeming hesitant, proceeding with caution.

Running to catch up to the stationary dog which was Sirius, Harry swore quietly."Thank you." He watched Sirius out of the corner of one eye as his other swept around. His green orbs found a Christmas tree but that isn't what really attracted his attention, the tree was infront of an old war memorial. He frowned, it was weird why on earth would something so old mean something? He blinked and carried on looking around, they were several shops, a post office, a pub and a little church. The stain glass windows glowing in the dim afternoon light."Heel." He ordered nervously.

Even in his dog form Sirius refused to take orders from anyone, not even Harry. He stood defiantly after hearing the nervous order, concentraing on something else other than Harry.

Harry rolled his eyes trying to shake of his nerves, he knew Sirius could hear and was just being badly behaved. He sighed as he saw a few late shoppers making there was home to the cottages, they had a home here. An oldish woman looked across at Harry, clearly a muggle and smiled fondly."Aww what a lovely dog you have dear!" She exclaimed gesturing with a wrinkled hand to Sirius. Harry chuckled weakly and nodded, surprised he had been spoken to."Lovely but disobedient!" He agreed saying the last word louder, hoping Sirius would under and come to heel.

As the elderly looking lady gestured towards him Sirius growled lowly, proving he wasn't lovely at all and was in fact quite the opposite. He didn't want to seem an easy target. His growl increased, suddenly louder as he became irritated by the presence of the woman.

Harry gave her an apologetic smile and nodded her away, he shivered feeling lonelier as it was clear Sirius was messing around. He looked behind the church and stopped in his tracks, shaking his head slowly."H-Heel!" He stammered again, his voice shaking. He could see the Graveyard but didn't want to go anywhere near it, not yet anyway.

Sirius was unexpectedly obedient, now directly behind Harry, awaiting his next order. The trees swayed above them, his pitch-black fur ruffled by the strong gusts of wind.

Jumping as he heard Sirius behind him, he turned and frowned."Good boy." He continued across the square but stopped dead again."O-Oh..." The war memorial had transformed into a statue of three people. James his appearance uncannily like Harry's, Lily pretty as the pictures had shown and Harry, a baby in stone. He drew closer and gazed at the once happy family, brushing his shaking hand across his stone self.

Sirius was tempted to transform back but moved closer to Harry, anyone could be watching and that was a risk too far, even for Sirius. He nudged Harry's leg, attempting to move him away from the statue. It would be too traumatic.

Harry glanced down a tear falling from his eye and sniffed."M'Okay." He assured pulling his green eyes away from the statues. He nodded knowing what Sirius wanted and glanced in another direction."Come on." He croaked, his voice filled with emotion before his concentration returned and he strolled down the dark street leading out of the village in the opposite away.

How Sirius continued in his dog form was a mystery, never had it been as tough to stick to something he was comfortable doing. He obeyed, not as eagerly as previously. He wanted this over and done with as soon as possible, every aspect seemed to drag.

As Harry turned around the bend in the road, his breath caught in his throat. The lots on either side were vacant, making it appear that it was set on its own in the forest. Nature had reclaimed most of the land and it was overgrown with weeds and vines. In the midst of it all, Harry could see the remains of a stone structure. The house still stood amidst the rubble and stone in a depressed crater. Harry found something lodged in his throat, and swallowed painfully. He had to drag his unwilling feet closer as his mind warred with the conflicting desires to both see the destruction and to run away from it. He had the oddest sense of familiarity, even though he knew that was impossible. He’d been just over a year old when he’d left here; there was no way he could remember this place. Still, the feeling persisted as he trudged closer.

The silence built up to an undying tension, a distant rumble of thunder causing Sirius to tread slower, hardly making a sound against the ground. Surely it was safe to transform back now ?. The time seemed a blur to Sirius, everything seeming surreal, even the coldness that threatened to increase with each and every movement. The darkness was no indicator of what the time might of been, the drastic change in weather no guidance.

He again felt that prickling on the back of his neck and turned around apprehensively. The bitter wind blew the trees , but other than the darkness and a few birdcalls - owls probably , nothing disturbed the peace of there surroundings. Harry kept his wand in his hand as he moved closer.'It’s just nerves.' Thick clumps of lilies grew along the edge of the house foundation, and Harry wondered if his dad had planted them for his mum. He swallowed again, realizing for the hundredth time how little he actually knew about his parents and their life together. As he inched closer and closer towards the ruins, he wondered – if things had happened differently – whether his dad would have put a tire swing on a low-lying branch of one of the garden’s many trees. There was a swing at the Burrow that appeared to have seen a lot of use, and it had come to symbolize a happy family home to Harry. He would have liked to see a swing in his own yard. He wondered if he might have had younger brothers or sisters who would have swung with him or maybe demanded that he push them. He thought he would have liked being a big brother.
The persistent lump in his throat grew in size as he imagined both his parents taking him to King’s Cross on his first day of Hogwarts and actually accompanying him onto the platform. Everything could have been so different….Rage and loss filled Harry’s heart as he stared at the destruction around him with deadened eyes. Voldemort did this. He stole whatever chance of happiness and a normal childhood Harry had ever had. It wasn’t fair! 'It doesn’t do to dwell on dreams…'
Dumbledore’s voice echoed in Harry’s head as he he moved closer to what once was his family’s home. Harry shuddered; there had been entirely too much death already. He could feel a tingling sensation under his skin that made him uneasy, and he glanced warily at the street once again.
Nothing disturbed the peacefulness of the night, and Harry scolded himself for losing his nerve. Being here was making him jumpy. In his mind’s eye, he could vaguely imagine how it would look if all the walls had remained intact, there wasn't a hole in the roof where the curse had backfire and thanks to the memories the Dementors had evoked in him, he could hear the echo of his parents’ voices."I-I..don't like this..." He muttered quietly, his eyes wide.

Sirius had finally reached his limit, he was no better off in his dog form and it had been a bad idea afterall. There were no signs of their target yet, and Sirius had doubted from the start whether they would be able to find him, let alone capture him. He took advantage of being behind Harry, transforming back to his usual self quicker than Harry could realise. He placed his familiar hand of support on Harry's shoulder, waiting for him to object him transforming back. This was the least of his concerns, the memories that flooded back and refused to disintegrate were dizzying, sickening in a way. He tightened his grip on his shoulder, more to prevent himself from stumbling backwards than anything else. He felt light headed, recognising the sensation which only worsened it. "We'll go back, this isn't right." he muttered sadly, one look at Harry was heart wrenching, enough to make him want to return, with or without Pettigrew.

[ I know this is emotional, I'm trying new ways with my writing, ready for a book. Also sorry it's so long, I got carried away.]

Harry shook his head slowly, he was in pain but knew he would be worse with the guilt if he didn't bring his godfather who meant everything to him, Justice. He didn't make a noise to Sirius, not caring no more he just wanted to be away and alone but first he needed the right person to pay for his parents betrayal. He shakily placed a hand on the gate as writing rose on a board, he scanned it quickly and felt his heart literally in his mouth as he saw the memorial and comments on it, people were fighting for him and he had never being pleased for his fame than that moment."No..please." He replied to Sirius, giving him a weak shrug. Harry winched and pushed the gate open, the sign disapeared as though it knew its owner was home. Stumbling up the uneven path he made a small noise of pain before going quiet again. Harry felt a rush in his head as he stepped over the threshold. He was in his house, the feeling didn't last long, replaced by the dread again. He inched forward, pushing random pieces of rubble out of the way with his foot, until he came upon a piece of blackened, scorched earth. It appeared as if there had been a fire on this one small bit of ground. Harry knelt down and ran his hand in the dirt. It felt decayed, lifeless, as if nothing would ever grow in that spot again. A chill ran down Harry’s spine. This was where his father stood when he’d been murdered. Harry knew it with the same certainty that he knew his own name. He shut his eyes tightly and took a deep, shuddering breath. He continued walking through what once was his home, staring without really seeing. He kept hoping for some stray memory to surface, but there was nothing. An overwhelming sense of despair and hopelessness washed over him as he sank to his knees and sat amidst the ruins, uncertain where to go or what to do next though he knew Sirius was somewhere. 'Sirius is right, this isn't right. I shouldn't be here.' He rose back to his feet not wanting Sirius to see him fail. 'No, I have to do this!' He urged himself back to the start and glanced around, finally seeing some stairs. Harry stopped in his tracks, the whole place could come down in a second and he would surely be killed, killed where he should have been."Go back." He ordered Sirius stepping over the mark and up the stairs.

Finally he reached the top, his face now deadly pale, his lips covered in sweat as his hands shook, still holding his pencil - like object, his wand. He lowered it slightly, his eyes scanning around trying to work out where exactly it had happened. He edged into a lightish room and his eyes widened again, his room. He swallowed the lump moved to he back of the dwelling, where much of the rubble was piled. The hole was above his head and he felt himself glance just once."Oh..my god..." He shook his head trying to remain strong and continued, stepping carefully now as he didn't really want to be lost, he wanted to continue and kill Voldemort. He moved some stones and dirt again until he saw the same, deadened black marking. This was where his mother had died, where he’d received the mark on his forehead. Harry absently ran his fingers along the scorched earth, his mother’s screams echoing in his head as his scar burned extremely painfully . Harry sighed heavily and stood upright rubbing the lightning read as real lighting echoed above him. There was nothing here but memories now, it was spooky, and he’d have to test his emotion and ability in a less traumatic place. As he turned on his heel and took a single step, he saw a quick flash of a long, wiry tail flicking behind some rocks. Harry raised his wand, aiming at the pile of rocks. “Reducto.” He hissed, blowing the rocks apart so the structure shook. The rat squealed and scurried toward another pile of rubble, revealing its tell-tale silver paw as it sprinted. “Reducto.” Harry growled again, sending more dust and particles into the air, forgetting the house could fall. “Hiding in cracks and holes again, Wormtail? I suppose a rat can never change its spots, either, eh? Come out and face me man to man.” As the dust from his second blast settled, Harry looked around warily. There was no sign of the rat anywhere and he knew Sirius would soon be joining him, maybe feeling the shaking or else hearing Harry. “Come out, Wormtail. I don’t have time for your sodding little games. You did all this ; you must have something to say. Spit it out before I do what I should have done a long time ago.” Harry said, his hand shaking. All the rage, fear and pent-up emotion over seeing the destruction of his parents’ home finally had an outlet, and Harry was nearly radiating fury. Here in front of him was the stinking little rat who’d betrayed his parents and was directly responsible for everything that had happened here. The thought that Wormtail could still find his way here because he was supposed to have been this home’s protector made his blood boil. Harry was going to see to it that he finally paid. “Where are you?” He snarled, enraged. A slight noise caused him to spin and blast a spot on the ground, but still Wormtail didn’t reappear. “You coward. You’ve always been a coward. You never deserved their friendship.” He continued, panting. He was met with silence. He stalked around the area, chest heaving and clenching his teeth as he tried to control his anger.

» Digging up infomation for Sirius' innocence (Tonks, Sirius, others who want to join in, ask.)
» Wizengamot (Sirius Blacks Trial)
» A Bright Christmas (private)
» Christmas with the Twins (private..Remus and Tonks invited)
» ABC's of Harry Potter