AN: Lots of flashbacks in this chapter. Keep in mind that in this fic, the Marauders graduated from Hogwarts in 1984.
Chapter 9: Judas
"The only one who took you in
The only one who held your hand
Defended you against the others
Had your back on everything
Never let you down
You turned around betrayed your only brother
Forgetting me, you took things in your hands and left me out
After we'd been through so much, how could you let me down?"
-"Judas" by Kelly Clarkson
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November 3, 2001: "What did you want to talk about, Willow?" asked Remus as he tapped his wand against his chipped, porcelain teapot to boil the water for tea. The pair was sitting in the living area of Remus' quarters, as per Willow's request a few days earlier.
Willow fidgeted nervously. She'd been so sure at first, but the more she sat on her hunch, the wonkier it sounded to her. "I have something I need to ask you," she said, looking at her hands in her lap, her long fingers twisting and twining together restlessly.
"Ask away," he said, pulling out two mismatched cups, as chipped as the teapot, with teabags already in them and pouring the boiling water over them.
Willow took the cup she was offered, pale blue with tiny yellow bows, and blew on scalding liquid to cool it. "Alright, I'm just gonna come out and say this," she said. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "What is your relationship to Sirius Black?"
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"Oy, Bill, we know you're there!"
"C'mon out, Bill, you can't hide from us forever!"
"I can certainly try!" Bill yelled from where he had barricaded himself in his bedroom. "It's nine in the bloody morning on a Saturday, boys. What the hell are you doing in Egypt, anyway? You're supposed to be at Hogwarts!"
"It's ten in the bloody morning," insisted Fred.
"Time difference, boys!" yelled Bill, still refusing to leave his room. "Ten your time is nine mine."
"Really?" said George. "Are you sure that's how it works?"
"Yes," said Bill. "Can't this wait another hour? Or three?"
"Nope," said the twins together, making themselves at home on their brother's navy blue couch.
Bill sighed and reluctantly opened his door. His hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail and he was dressed only in a pair of red and gold Gryffindor print boxers. "Can you boys at least let me get dressed before you interrogate me on whatever bee's buzzing around in your bonnets this time?"
The twins looked at each other and shrugged. "Don't see why not," said Fred.
"Be our guest," said George.
"Thanks ever so much," said Bill dryly, slamming his door shut.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," commented Fred.
"That's because someone's annoying little brothers burst into his flat, uninvited, at stupid o'clock in the morning on a bloody Sunday to annoy the crap out of him," yelled Bill from his room.
"Someone is apparently not a morning person, Gred," tutted George.
"No Someone is not, Forge," said Fred.
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"I-I'm not sure what you mean," stuttered Remus, his hands shaking as he set his teacup (butter yellow with daisies) down.
"Please," said Willow, rolling her eyes, "it didn't take much research to figure out that you went to school with Black and it only took a little more digging to find out that you knew him personally."
"We were friends," admitted Remus, "as close as brothers…or so I thought."
"What happened?" asked Willow.
Remus sighed and began his tale. "After graduation, the four of us moved into a flat together; me and James and Sirius and Peter," he told her. "It was a dark time for the Wizarding World, at the height of Voldemort's rise to power, but we were young and optimistic. We were finally done with Hogwarts, our whole lives ahead of us, ready to take on the world…"
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June 12, 1984: "Full moon starts tonight, gentlemen," said James jovially, lounging casually on their burnt orange monstrosity of a couch. "First one since graduation."
"I'm well aware, Prongs," said Remus, sitting at their wooden table stirring sugar into his tea. "It's not like I'm likely to forget."
"Sorry, Moony," said James sheepishly. "I know you hate the full."
"You try turning into a bloodthirsty monster three nights a month, your bones cracking and breaking and your insides rearranging themselves, and see how you like it," snapped the irritable werewolf.
"Chill, Moony," said Sirius, sliding up behind him and squeezing his shoulders gently in comfort. "Prongs didn't mean anything by it."
Remus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know; I'm sorry I snapped, Prongs," he said.
"That's okay; I won't hold it against you," promised the bespectacled young man.
"So what are we doing tonight?" asked Peter from the ugly brown and green plaid recliner he had found at some muggle second-hand shop in London.
"Wormtail," hissed Sirius, glaring at the short, pudgy man, "we're dropping the subject now."
"Oh, sorry," squeaked Peter, looking guiltily up at Remus. "I-I didn't mean…"
"I know, Peter," said Remus tiredly. "Besides, things like this need to be planned ahead of time. I've arranged it with Professor Dumbledore that I can keep using the Shack until I'm able to find another secure location for my transformations."
"So we're meeting up there just before moonrise, then," said Sirius casually.
"Padfoot," sighed Remus, "you're not…"
"Should we call the girls?" asked James, ignoring his cousin. "You know they'll want to be there too."
"Maybe just Jessi," said Sirius. "Gina's dating that older guy now—Albus? Alfred? Something like that—Luna's busy setting up house for my brother and Lily…" he smirked at James, "well, we all know how you get around her."
James blushed bright red. "Just for that I'm making Moony my best man instead of you," he snapped.
Remus rolled his eyes at his cousin's antics. "To do that you first have to propose, Prongs," he said.
James glared at him. "Just for that you are no longer my best man or my favorite cousin, Moony," he said. "The job's all yours, Wormy. Wanna be my best man?"
"Weren't you and Lily just talking about taking a break from dating the other day?" asked the blonde young man innocently.
James glared at him too. "I hate you all," he snapped.
All three young men burst into laughter. "Love you too, Prongsie!" yelled Sirius, collapsed onto Remus' shoulder.
"Thanks for that, James," said Remus, wiping tears of laughter off his face, "I really needed a good laugh today."
"That wasn't meant to be funny," the messy haired young man grumbled, slouching into the couch, crossing his arms over his chest, and pouting childishly.
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Present Day: "Alright, boys, what can I do for you?" asked Bill, exiting his bedroom dressed in faded black jeans, a Weird Sisters t-shirt in royal blue, and black dragon-hide boots, his fang earring secured in his ear as usual.
"What can you tell us about the 1980-1982 kidnappings?" asked Fred.
"We found a name on the list that means something to Mum and Dad, if their evasion of the subject is anything to go by."
"Oh?" asked Bill from the kitchen, where he was pouring himself a mug of coffee from a muggle pot. "What name might that be?"
"Danielle Willow Weasley," they said together.
Bill was so surprised that he actually spit his coffee across the room. "What?" he croaked.
"Danielle," said Fred.
"Willow," said George.
"Weasley," they said together. "What do you know about her?"
"Mum and Dad told me she died," he said solemnly.
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"…We all joined the Order of the Phoenix right out of Hogwarts," Remus told Willow, who was riveted by his tale. "It was a group Dumbledore created to fight Voldemort. We were all idealistic and starry-eyed back then, certain that we could take on the world's troubles and defeat them. We started out as eight: myself, the werewolf bookworm; James Potter, confident and brave; Peter Pettigrew, loyal and cautious; Regina Jordan Johnson, caring and motherly; Jessica Martini, fearless and bold; Luna Dumbledore Black, gentle and shy; Lily Evans Potter, fiery and intelligent; and Sirius Black, daring and cocky. We thought ourselves invincible back then. But then the reality of war soon set in and the Death Eaters began to pick us off one by one. Luna was the first…"
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July 31, 1988: "They're perfect," said James in awe, staring at the twins in his wife's arms with stars in his eyes.
"You two still haven't told us their names," Remus pointed out. "Or told us who's going to be the girl's godparents."
"We're waiting for the others," insisted Lily. "They should be here soon."
Sure enough, Regina walked through the hospital room door seconds later, followed closely by Jessi and Peter. "We're here," announced Jessi unnecessarily. "Where're the little tykes?"
"Right here," said Lily. "Come see them; we're still waiting for Luna and Sirius."
Fifteen minutes of cooing over the babies later, Sirius finally showed up, eyes red and a baby carrier strapped across his back. "How'd you get Cassi in here?" asked Regina curiously, smiling at the sleeping raven-haired baby nestled against Sirius' back. "Mungo's doesn't usually allow babies in."
Sirius shrugged. "I ignored the nurses who tried to stop me," he said, his voice hoarse.
"Where's Luna?" asked Lily. "She doesn't like to be so far from Cassi usually."
Tears started to fall from Sirius' stormy grey eyes as he stared at Lily. "Luna's dead," he croaked, "Orion too. I went to pick her up and found the Dark Mark floating over her house. She'd hidden Cassi in a closet under a crap-ton of spells. I found Luna dead in the nursery, but there was no sign of Orion. They must have killed him too."
"He was Regulus' son, though," said James. "Surely they wouldn't kill the son of one of their own."
Sirius shrugged helplessly. "They're all twisted; who knows," he said. "What use would Voldemort even have for a two-year-old boy?"
Tears fell from Lily's brilliant emerald eyes. "This was supposed to be a happy day," she sobbed. "Now Harry will never get to meet his godmother."
"You've named him Harry?" said Regina.
"Harry James Potter," said James, trying to smile.
"And Mary Lily Eleanor Elizabeth Brianne Guinevere Anor Potter," said Lily. She blushed at the stares the others sent her way. "We couldn't agree on a middle name and since she was a surprise, we didn't really have time to debate it."
"Lily after my Tigerlily," said James, staring lovingly at his wife and squeezing her hand tightly.
"Eleanor for James' mother," said Lily.
"Elizabeth for Lily's mother," said James.
"Brianne, just because I love the name," said Lily.
"Guinevere for my favorite great-aunt," said James.
"And Anor for James' great ancestor, Merlin's lover," said Lily.
"I hope she lives up to the names you've given her," said Remus softly. "It's a big destiny for such a little girl."
James smiled down at the small baby with tufts of bright red hair, like Lily's, and said, "I'm sure she'll do great things."
"Luna would have loved it," said Regina. "She'd love that Cassi wasn't the only one of our kids with a long-ass name anymore."
Sirius chuckled. "She would," he said. "I don't know how she ever convinced me that our daughter should have such a long name. Cassiopeia Selene Helen Hecate Anor Black; honestly, who names their kid that?"
"She didn't give you a choice, mate," said James, "just like Lily didn't give me one."
"I think it suits her," said Peter. "She looks like she's going to be a little pistol."
"Just wait til she starts dating, James," teased Jessi. "I'll make sure to tell her all the really good snogging spots at Hogwarts."
James looked at the honey-skinned brunette in horror. "No you will not," he insisted. "My baby girl is not going to date til she's thirty—at least!"
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Present Day: "James was quite the character, huh?" said Willow.
Remus chuckled. "That he was. That was just the way our little group worked, though. When things got to be too much, someone would bring up something silly or change the subject abruptly to get our minds off of whatever bad things were happening." He shrugged. "It worked well enough…for a time…"
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October 29, 1989: Sunday dinners had become a thing for the Marauders and their female counterparts (the Unattainables, they'd been called in school) after the birth of Lily and James' twins. Things were unbelievably tense nowadays, even between the close friends. The Potters were, of course, concerned about their children; Regina was distracted by her own children, a disapproving husband, and a demanding job; Jessi was so caught up in her dancing and serial-dating that she saw little else; Peter was twitchier than ever, always leaving abruptly to visit his worried, overbearing mother; Remus was constantly tired and worn around the edges from Dumbledore's missions to infiltrate the werewolf packs; and Sirius was snappish and tense, casting unfounded suspicions at his friends with little provocation.
Lily sighed in frustration at the tension between her husband's best friends. "Honestly," she snapped, "if you two have something to say to each other, get it out in the open already."
Sirius glared daggers at Remus. "I think we all know that someone here is a traitor," he snarled.
Remus glared back, clenching his fork tightly in his fist. "What exactly are you implying, Sirius?" he said, his voice even and cold.
"You know exactly what I'm implying, Remus." The two young men glared at each other, neither stare wavering in the least.
"You two are ridiculous," snapped James irritably. "No one here is a traitor. I'd trust every single one of you with my life, Lily's life—our children's lives. Now stop being idiots and let's enjoy our dinner together. Who knows when we all might be able to get together again?"
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Present Day: "That was the last time I saw James, Lily, and Peter alive," said Remus sadly, surreptitiously wiping a tear from his cheek. "The next day, Lily and James went into hiding with their kids, with Sirius Black as their Secret Keeper. The next night, Voldemort attacked their house and killed them both to get at the twins. Peter, brave fool that he was, confronted Black about his betrayal and wound up dead on the streets with twelve muggles, all the victims of Black's curse. The largest piece they ever found of Peter was his finger. As for Black…when the aurors came for him, he was standing in the middle of the carnage laughing like a madman. They carted him off to Azkaban without a trial. After that day, the three of us remaining fell apart; Jessi refused to believe Black was guilty and so wouldn't talk to anyone who did; Regina retreated back to her family to try to salvage her crumbling marriage; and I…well, my world was shattered that day. I pretty much lost all of my friends—my family—in one awful night. With all the anti-werewolf laws, I didn't even get the comfort of getting custody of my children. I've been alone for twelve years, Willow. It's not a life I would wish on anyone…not even on Black."
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Bill Weasley had a bone to pick with his parents. He loved them to pieces, but if what his brothers had told him was true, then they had been keeping a secret from him—from all of them—for years. "Mum, Dad?" he called out as he stepped out of the floo.
"In the kitchen, dear." Bill followed his mother's voice and found her chopping up vegetables at the counter. "To what do I owe this surprise visit?" asked Molly, smiling up at her eldest son.
"Fred and George said something to me today that got me thinking," said Bill. "Do you think you could clear something up for me?"
"Of course, dear," said Molly. She handed Bill a knife. "Help me cut up these veggies while we talk; I need to get the stew on soon or it'll never be done in time for supper."
Bill obliged his mother and picked up a carrot. "Mum," he asked as he chopped, "what happened to my sister?"
"We told you all about it over the summer, dear," said Molly absently. "She was possessed by a diary and forced to open the Chamber of Secrets. Poor darling nearly died." She wiped away a tear. "If it weren't for Harry and Mary…"
"No, Mum," said Bill, "I know what happened to Ginny. What happened to Danielle?"
Molly jumped, nearly slicing her finger with the knife. "Wh-what are you talking about, Bill?" she said, voice shaking. "We told you, Danielle died when she was just a baby."
"C'mon, Mum, I know you're lying to me," said Bill. "The twins told me about the list of missing kids; they found Danielle's name there. What really happened to Charlie's twin?"
Molly sighed and set down the knife. "This isn't a happy story, Bill," she said, gently pulling him over to the table and sitting them both down. "I'll tell you, but promise you'll let your father and I decided how to tell your siblings about her. You're the only one who really remembers her, dear."
"Deal," said Bill. "Now, what happened to my little sister?"
Molly took a deep, shaking breath and began. "It was a day like any other, back in 1981," she said, "I was hanging up the wash in the garden that afternoon, you were running around with your toy broom, and Charlie and Danielle were napping by the back door…"
Mary's middle names:
-Eleanor after Joan Eleanor Lupin Potter (James' mother)
-Elizabeth after Sarah Elizabeth Herd Evans (Lily's mother)
-Guinevere after Clara Guinevere Potter Ozmar (James' father's paternal aunt)
-Anor after the sorceress Anor Mysterio (Merlin's lover and James' ancestress)
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