Sleepless Night

A/N: Hey guys, here is the last chapter before third year. I'll be totally honest and say I'm going to take my time with POA because it is so big for the marauders and I don't want to screw up. That being said, I hope that - in between school and some other projects i have - I should have the next chapter up by maybe the end of February but more likely the beginning or middle of March. Wish me luck and as usual ENJOY R&R PLZ!

There were smiles all across the room. Hermione closed her notes for the last time for the day. She looked around at her companions all of whom were caught in that limbo between joy and exhaustion.

Lily yawned, "I think we should head to bed now." The rest nodded wearily and trouped silently upstairs. Hermione went to her room, Lily and James to their own, and Sirius and Remus were sharing the second guest room.

Hermione's room

Hermione sat down on the bed and rubbed her eyes. She braced her elbows on her knees and let her head fall forward, it had been a very long day. She turned her gaze to the third year notes that lay innocently on the dresser. Tomorrow would be hell, for herself and the marauders, thinking about the discussions she had had with James and Remus made her insides churn. She grabbed her beaded bag from the bedside table and pulled out her album. She brought out that picture of her and her boys after Harry's first match and stared at it for a long moment. She tried to put herself in the marauders' position, how would she feel if one her boys betrayed them the way Pettigrew had done. She knew how it felt when Ron left them but she didn't think that could even compare to how it would have if he had purposely brought about Ginny and Harry's death and condemned their son to a life of misery. Hermione wondered whose place she would take in that scenario. Would she be Sirius? Completely torn apart because she felt she was personally at fault and ready to kill Ron in revenge. What about Remus? The bystander of sorts, lost all her friends, and believed the remaining one was a traitor and a murderer. Perhaps a combination of both? Hermione sighed and shook her head, the worlds of Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus were about to be shaken up like they wouldn't believe and she was the one who had to do it. Chanting it was necessary in her head didn't help, in a few hours she would have to give them the awful truth. It was weird in a way, she had had no qualms about discussing them dying but this was sending chills down her spine. Maybe, she thought, it was because the deaths could be changed but Pettigrew couldn't be saved. He was already the spy, there was nothing in their power to fix this. Hermione lay down on her bed and switched off the lamp. She closed her eyes, willing the exhaustion to take over but she knew sleep would be scarce tonight.

James and Lily's Room

Lily fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow but James lay awake, staring at the darkened ceiling. Mya's hints at what was in store for them tomorrow all seemed to not bode well for him. He was tempted, being a marauder, to nick the notes from the girl but he stopped himself. That wouldn't be fair to the others and he'd probably need Mya to really understand them anyway so it would have been pointless. James rolled on his side, his bedside table had a picture of the marauders during their graduation from Hogwarts. He did not know what became of Remus or Peter but Sirius was going to be condemned to Azkaban. That alone shook his core. He turned over to the other side, no longer able to look at the picture anymore.

"James?"

James raised his head, "Lily love, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok," Lily whispered. She moved to face her husband and caress his cheek, "I know you're worried about him."

James wasn't remotely surprised that his wife knew, "Lily he was sent to Azkaban for revenge. He may be rash but he doesn't do that, he wouldn't do that unless..."

"Unless he sought revenge for us?" Lily supplied and James nodded painfully.

Lily sat up, "I've thought about that too, it does seem that way. I overheard Mya talking to Remus when you guys were upstairs. She said he had good reason to do what he did."

Now James sat up, "Okay, but it would have to be big for him then, I mean he even left Harry." James looked down,

Lily shook her head, "I agree it had to be big but remember Hermione said in the beginning they were a lot of reasons that Harry had to go to my sister. I don't think Sirius was the main one, in fact what if it was the other way around?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If we died all Sirius would have is Harry, Remus, and Peter. Let's count out Remus and Peter because we don't know what happened to them so that leaves Harry. Now Sirius is told Harry has to go to live with my sister, then what would stop him?"

"Nothing to lose..." James murmured and Lily nodded. James rubbed his face, "it's a plausible idea but why does it still feel like we're missing something really obvious?"

"Because we don't know the whole story love," Lily leaned on her husband's shoulder. "But we will tomorrow so let's get some sleep." The couple kissed and settled back into bed although one pair of eyes remained open for a while before closing futilely.

Sirius and Remus's Room

Remus POV

Remus lay on the bed having been bullied by Sirius into taking it (the full moon was a few days ago). He tried not to toss and turn on the squeaky bed lest he wake Sirius but he simply could not sleep. Hermione had a soft, sweet tone but her words were like a harsh curse in his mind. Logically, he knew the girl couldn't just come out and tell them everything without giving them the back story but the hints she did drop were like drops of water to a man dying of thirst. He wanted - no - needed more than that. That nasty niggling thought that had been around for while in the back his head came out. What if Sirius is the spy? NO that was impossible, Sirius was a good man and friend. Good people don't go to Azkaban, you have to be bad and that too do something bad. That is true yet no one knows what he did. Hermione does, if it wasn't so bad why would she hide it? Because they needed to know everything else that had happened first. She said he went looking for revenge so he must have followed through on it. He must've at least hurt someone if not killed. How else do you land in Azkaban? That doesn't sound like a good man. Hermione knew everything, why would she trust him with this information is he was the spy? Maybe she is hoping to change him too. That means there is a chance for him so he can't be all bad, Remus ended this internal debate forcefully. He pushed those darker thoughts back, and focused on that. He thumped his pillow and resolutely closed his eyes, waiting for sleep that would never come. Sirius had a chance if nothing else and Remus would give him that.

Sirius POV

Sirius lay on the floor wide awake. He could hear Remus fix his pillow but he couldn't hear those telltale snores that normally accompanied his lupine friend's slumber so he must be awake too. That didn't really surprise him, tomorrow the proverbial axe would drop. He had seen the almost fearful look in Hermione's eyes and heard it in her voice when she spoke about it . He didn't need to be a Seer to know all hell was going to break loose. His friends had spoken to Hermione behind his back about it. He had caught the expression on Remus's face when he came in with James. Revenge, he went looking for revenge. It had to be for the murders of Lily and James but who? and why? Why not let the ministry deal with them? He knew when he found out who was resposible for the deaths of his friends he would be furious but enough to try and hurt them. Normally that sort of thing would have made his mother proud and disgusted himself. Was it because there was no proof? But there is always Veritaserum. What about it was so personal th- Sirius's blood froze, it was personal. His eyes flickered to the bed. He had had suspicions about Remus being the spy for some time now. He normally chalked it up to war paranoia but now... What if Remus sold out Lily and James to Voldemort. That would definitely make him angry enough to hurt his school mate. They all trusted and love each other, they were more than family. If someone broke that bond the way Hermione described he certainly would be out for blood. Then again Remus trusted them more than anyone else too. He had trusted them enough to tell them about his condition and to keep his secret. But at the same time, Voldemort was promising a better tomorrow for werewolves. But Remus knew that was bullshit. Besides he wouldn't be here, in the most secret of all meetings, if he was a spy. So what was it then? Hejust wished he knew what happened. Well wish no more Sirius, you'll find out tomorrow, he thought derisively before shutting his eyes praying for what little sleep could come to him.