September 21, 1977, 9:15 AM
HOGWARTS | ENGLAND
"Peter, what were you thinking about earlier?" Peter internally sighed, wishing that James hadn't remembered to ask him this. Sirius sent James a questioning look, to which he answered, "After the patronus left, Peter looked like he had thought of something important."
"Not necessarily important," Peter argued, but knew the argument was futile. Sirius turned an expectant look towards him and Peter didn't fight it. "Didn't the voice sound familiar to you two?"
"Familiar, Peter?" James asked, while Sirius shook his head. Peter bit his lip, trying to think of a way to explain the feeling he had.
"It isn't a voice I've heard before," he started haltingly. "But both times it's came now, I've gotten the feeling that I should recognize it." He picked at his Potions textbook as he thought of the phoenix's voice. It wasn't a discernable voice, just thicker, stronger than it had been years ago.
"Well how many people do we know who are from London?" Sirius asked, breaking Peter's thoughts. The blonde stared at the Black heir incredulously.
"London? Why, for Merlin's sake, would we be looking for someone from London?"
"It had a slight cockney accent," Sirius defended.
"No it didn't," James said, frowning.
"Nowhere close," Peter agreed, wondering how someone like Sirius, who grew up in London, mixed it up with a Scottish accent. Sirius glanced between his two friends, eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything more. Peter wondered, once again, what was going around his friend's mind. As the months passed, it was getting harder and harder to read Sirius, and Peter was growing more concerned. Continuing at Hogwarts was taking its toll on everyone, but Peter thought it was worse for Sirius, watching his relatives revel in the destruction they caused.
It was one thing knowing that they supported these events. But it was quite another to have see classmates disappearing every week and knowing that it was your own cousins hurting them.
"No meeting tonight, James?" Peter asked, trying to move the conversation to steady grounds.
The bespectacled boy shook his head. "We can't afford the risk right now. Carrow and Malfoy are likely on their guard from the message."
"Stupid rebels," Sirius muttered. James shot Peter a pleading look, but Peter couldn't help the glare he shot his friend. "What? It's their fault that we have more problems!"
"They didn't ask for this war!"
"War?" Both James and Peter jumped at the screech as Sirius flashed up. He looked angrier than he had ever been, worse than when Marlene had been taken for a few nights. Worse than when James had been questioned, early on. Peter saw that his normally light grey eyes were like stormclouds, and found himself fearful of his friend for the first time.
"This isn't a war!" He shouted, eyes boring into Peter's as he towered over the blonde. "No, the war was fought by by the bloody Aurors who lost! And we were left with the outcome!"
"It's not like they expected this to happen!" Peter snapped back, rising so they were face to face, neither giving the other the height advantage. "They didn't declare war so-"
"You're right!" Sirius growled over the rest of the sentence. "You're bloody right. Dumbledore declared war, but he up and died and we're left! We're left to die! The bloody war was over and nothing's left but a massacre. Everyone's dying and we're acting like we can change anything but we're just making it worse!"
"No we're not!" Peter resisted the urge to hit his best friend. "We're -"
"What about Jemma then, Peter? And Meghan and Johnathan? What about Charles?"
"Don't bring them into this, Black!" Peter fumed, shoving the other boy back. "You're just -"
"And Remus bloody Lupin knew this was going to happen and so he ran away -" **
"Sirius!" James finally roared, grabbing Sirius' arm and pushing back onto his bed. "Peter sit down! Sirius, shut it this instant!" The order in his voice had both boys quieting and following. Peter found himself breathing heavily, as though he had ran a marathon. His eyes didn't leave Sirius' though, and he found a pair of grey eyes staring right back. James stayed standing, looking from one friend to another. He pinched the bridge of his nose, before sighing.
"I can't do this right now," he groaned. "We still have yet to create the schedule for the rest of the year and we have four Houses full of kids who are worried. The two of you can't be doing this. Okay? I need you two to help me." Peter tore his eyes from Sirius and took in James' tired posture. He felt his stomach flip with guilt. "Mates, McGonagall's captured." He sat down heavily on his bed, his head in his hands. "How are the rebels still so optimistic?"
"Because they have to be, James," Peter answered. Sirius stayed silent, eyes downcast.
James sighed, saying heavily, "But McGonagall, Peter. It was all her plan from the beginning. And now…" He swallowed and seemed unable to continue.
"She's good as dead," Peter finished. Both his friends' heads snapped up to stare at him and he looked defiantly back. "It's true, isn't it? She's good as dead, unless we do something."
"But what can some seventeen year olds do?" Peter met James' defeated look head on.
"I don't know, James. But we have to figure it out."
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