Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I don't make money from this fic.
August 5, 1981 Godric's Hollow, England - St. Jerome's Church Graveyard
Peter's funeral was a small affair, Order members only. Severus and Regulus showed up briefly to pay their respects, but they couldn't stay long. Regulus had known that his brother would be a mess, though, and that he needed the support.
James, Remus, and Sirius were in shambles. Hermione had seen all the men lose parents, so their grief was not a new sight, but this was different. This wasn't an illness that had taken their friend. It was murder. And there was a fire in their eyes behind the tears. Voldemort had messed with the wrong men.
The three of them had insisted on digging Peter's grave by hand. They worked one at a time for hours, switching out when they got too tired. Hermione knew they were working out their pain and anger. She knew they had to do something.
When at last they were done, and the casket lowered into the grave, Remus used his wand to etch the headstone they'd bought.
Peter "Wormtail" Pettegrew
Born August 5, 1960
Died July 31, 1981
Mischief Managed
Hermione broke into tears as she read it. Today would have been his twenty-first birthday. Sirius's arms wrapped around her and she turned into his chest, sobbing. He held her tightly, letting her get it all out. Remus, James, and Lily stood with them in front of the freshly covered grave, the rest of the Order giving them their space.
"Dumbledore agreed." James said, at last. Hermione's sobs had subsided, but she kept herself pressed into Sirius for support. Remus nodded. They'd talked about this the day before. They needed to do something and Hermione agreed. Which is why she was leaving with Sirius after the funeral for Hogwarts, and Remus was taking Harry north. They wouldn't have as much time as they'd hoped, but Dumbledore assured them everyone would be ready.
Hermione was to send word back when she found the diadem, and that would be the cue for Regulus and Snape to begin the diversion. It was also the cue for the Order members and aurors to assemble.
"I'm scared." Hermione said, into Sirius's chest. She'd been avoiding the words, trying to stay strong, but she for her own peace of mind, she had to acknowledge it.
"I'd call you crazy if you weren't." Remus said, a sad smile on his face.
"This is it, isn't it? The last time we'll all be together until after the war?" Lily asked. Realization swept over Hermione as she realized her friend was right.
"I suppose it is." James said, kissing her forehead. "But are we ever really apart? I know I carry you all with me, in my heart. Even Peter."
"Always." Lily said.
Later that day, Hogwarts, Scotland - Seventh Floor Corridor
Hermione and Sirius stood in the corridor next to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, looking at the blank wall. Hermione held Sirius's hand tightly, wondering what she needed to ask for to get the room they needed to appear.
I need the place where the Diadem is hidden. She thought, pulling away from Sirius and beginning to pace up and down the corridor, chanting that thought in her head as she went. On her third pass, she looked up, and a door had appeared, much to her relief.
"Shall we?" Sirius asked, nodding to the door. Hermione nodded, turning the handle and pulling the heavy door open.
"Fucking hell." Sirius said. They were faced with an enormous room, with piles of objects which must have been hidden by a thousand years of Hogwarts students. The piles were stacked so high, they resembled walls. There were pathways snaking between the heaps of broken, stolen, and no doubt illegal objects, and Hermione's heart sank into her stomach. She took a few steps into the room, looking out over the veritable city of hidden things. There were three major paths leading deeper into the room, with items strewn along the aisles and smaller alleyways leading off from the main ones.
"This is going to take hours." she said, crestfallen.
"Accio Diadem." Sirius said, but nothing happened. "Had to try." He said with a shrug. "I would have felt like an idiot if we searched for hour by hand when is was that simple all along."
"I think we should split up. I'll take the path on the right, you take the left, and we'll meet in the middle. I'm sure all these pathways must be connected." Hermione said, pulling out her own wand and lighting the tip to see better into the crevices.
"What is it we're looking for, exactly?" Sirius asked, lighting his wand as well.
"It's Ravenclaw's Diadem, it's like a tiara. Silver, with an oval sapphire in the center. It'll have writing on it, too."
"Alright." He nodded, moving close to her and kissing her forehead. "Be careful. Never know what kind of Dark objects you'll find in this place."
"Hopefully, just a horcrux." She said with a small smile, before turning and heading down a path with piles of broken furniture on one side and shelves of broken and chipped bottles, some with potions still inside them.
Hermione scoured the piles, picking up anything that was silvery, or reflected light back. She picked through the stacks of books, crates of old Quidditch gear, and bottles. There were several old mirrors, beginning to blacken with age, that startled her when she saw her wand light reflected in them. It took Hermione nearly an hour of scouring the shelves and crates of the little alley before she came to a fork in the path. She looked up the right path, but saw only more broken bottles and mysterious potions, and then a wall covered in paintings that were in various states of disrepair. She shook her head, looking up the left path, which was littered with shelves, old trunks, and a pile of goblets six feet high. She nodded to herself and set off on that path, opening and examining every trunk and leaving no shelf untouched.
Another two hours slipped away as Hermione's search continued, and she came to another split in the path. Ahead of her was a mound of brooms, old Quidditch robes, and discarded Quaffles and Bludgers, the latter of which were still twitching feebly. To her right, she was met with the same wall of tattered paintings, but to her left, she saw a towering pile of cauldrons looming over the room, and several old chests. She turned left, examining the piles of Quidditch supplies as she went.
Hermione was sitting on the floor, going through what felt like the hundredth chest, when she heard footsteps and looked up to see Sirius walking toward her, looking tired.
"Hey, you." She said, getting to her feet. "Any luck?"
"None. Hermione, it's been four and a half hours. Can't we come back in the morning? Dumbledore said we're more than welcome to spend the night, the house elves would even cook for us." He said, scrubbing a hand down his face.
"I want to get through this section." Hermione said, nodding to the mountain of books and cauldrons in front of her. Sirius sighed, but nodded and moved to help her in her search. They searched all the shelves, cauldrons, and trunks they could, finally moving to a blistered old cupboard and opening it up. As Sirius searched the cupboard, something caught Hermione's eye. A few feet away sat a stack of crates, covered by a black cloak. Hermione thought it was odd, but what intrigued her was the bulge in the fabric. Part of the cloak had been draped around something. Hermione frowned, moving over to the cloak and carefully pulling it away from the object underneath. She gasped, causing Sirius to look over at her.
"Is that it?" He asked, coming up behind her. Hermione reached her hand out toward the diadem, picking up the ancient tiara gently. She examined the tarnished silver, running over the words etched below the sapphire.
"'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'" Hermione read. "Yes, this is it." She said, looking up at Sirius.
"We found it." He said with a sigh. "Now we can tell the others."
"It'll be best if they wait until tomorrow. That way everyone is rested and ready to fight." Hermione said.
"I don't know about you, Hermione," Sirius said, "But there's no way I'll be able to sleep tonight knowing we're going to war tomorrow."
She looked him over and nodded.
"Still. I'd rather be able to rest while we can. It'll give us time to gather people, as well. Now come on, let's go send the patronus and eat." she told him. She took his hand and they walked together, retracing Hermione's path.
"You know," Sirius said, "How did he think this was a good hiding spot? Thousands of people must have used this place over the years for there to be this much junk here. I thought he was supposed to be one of the smartest wizards of our time, and then he goes and does something this idiotic?"
"I think his ego played a big part in it." Hermione said.
"Ah, ego." Sirius sighed. "It'll get you killed faster than bravery."
"You speak from experience." She smiled at him.
"I do," He grimaced.
"You've grown up a lot, you know?" Hermione said, looking down. "I barely recognize you as the boy you used to be."
"That so?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, you know, we could always find a nice broom closet before dinner. For old time's sake." He grinned. She blushed, but bit her bottom lip. It'd been awhile since they'd had time for any sort of romance, and Hermione couldn't help it that she melted every time he used that particular grin.
"I may take you up on that offer," Hermione said. "But after dinner. I'm starving." Sirius chuckled.
"At least you've got your priorities in order. I knew there was a reason I married you." He said.
She rolled her eyes, leading them out of the Room of Hidden Things, and paused for a moment to send a patronus to Dumbledore and Lily. She took a deep breath, then started towards the kitchens in search of food.
August 6, 1981 Godric's Hollow, England - Potter House
Lily stood in the sitting room of her empty house. James was upstairs, asleep still. The house had been abuzz with Order members and Aurors preparing for today's ambush, but now, it was quiet. Everything was still. The calm before the storm.
It was odd for Lily to not have Harry to occupy her time. These days, taking care of him was all that was keeping her sane. She trusted Remus to keep her son safe, but she wished she were able to protect him herself. She shivered a bit in the chill of the morning, rubbing her arms as she looked around the sitting, almost in a daze.
In just a few short hours, the fighting would begin. What would become of the house? Would it still be standing after all was said and done? Would she be? Lily put that thought out of her mind as she moved to the kitchen to start some tea and breakfast. Hermione and Sirius would be over before ten that morning, they'd said as much in Hermione's message the night before. She had to do something, or the worry and fear for her friends' lives would become unbearable.
Severus would be double crossing Voldemort openly for the first time today, and she'd told him several times how proud she was of him for finally coming to the light. She had missed her friend more than she could express in words. Regulus was also due to openly betray the Death Eaters, and while Lily knew that it was a crucial part of the plan, she wished Regulus didn't have to be the one to do it. For one so young, he'd already been so involved in the war. Her heart hurt for him.
Lily sighed heavily as she took a sip of her tea, leaning against the counter. Was she ready for this to end? Yes. But part of her wished that there was a way she could fast-forward her life so she wouldn't have to go through this day.