Chapter Text
Sirius Black had been running on little more than instinct and coffee for the last forty hours. A rather brutal encounter recon mission turned ambush turn almost massacre, followed by a nasty confrontation with his least favorite cousin, chased by the news that his lover was a week late to report, and finished by a chilling discussion about the prophecies fate of his favorite -- only, James would correct -- godson. It had been a trying week, and he was never very good at acting reasonably under pressure. He couldn’t really be blamed for deciding in the spur of the moment to turn down Dumbledore, the only wizard Voldemort feared, and propose himself as his brother’s secret keeper. If anything, it was James’ fault for agreeing. Nevertheless, Sirius could not find it in himself to report a change of mind. It may just be a mixture of the caffeine and the paranoia still lingering in his nerves, but despite the reassuring words Dumbledore had given, there was something desperate in his eyes.
He never thought he would ever use that word to describe the old man, but Dumbledore was getting desperate. The war with Voldemort was only escalating and here came what might as well have been a solution to all their problems. A prophecy of his downfall, but a child to be sacrificed to that fate. No, he would trust Dumbledore with his life, but not James, not Lily, and not Harry. Not when the choice could fall between their safety and victory in the war.
Sirius was reckless, but he didn’t think himself a fool. He was no slouch of a wizard, but he was no Dumbledore. If he were to become Secret Keeper, the moment the spell was cast he would be hunted, and even with all his skill, he could not evade Death Eaters forever. One level of protection, no matter how strong, was not enough. Especially when that layer was perhaps the most predictable action. He needed some unpredictableness in his work. Perhaps a Keeper swap. But, even more unpredictable, would be to bring a new factor into the equation all together. So, here he was, in his apartment flat, hastily scrawling out a request to a person and a location he could barely remember. Konoha, where he could hire a shinobi to keep his family safe until the Fidelius Charm could be cast, and maybe even after. A just in case.
And with parchment wrapped and tied by ink stained fingers, he cast a timed two way portkey spell and sent his owl on its way.
Sandaime Hokage H. Sarutobi
Hokage Tower, Konohagakure
Relief flooded his system for a moment before reality caught up as the world warped around his owl and the beating of its wings vanished. He had completely forgotten to tell James and Lily about this.