Every Suspicion
Concretya
Disclaimer: Not mine. JKR's.
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Chapter Two
1981
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"I don't believe it," James replied flatly.
"I don't want to believe it," Lily added, staring at Dumbledore, flushed.
"You think I do?" Sirius all but screamed.
"Well, maybe you misheard."
"But I didn't. Prongs, listen to me. I heard them. He- he really did turn to them."
Lily closed her eyes; she could feel James slump beside her. "What's happening now?" she asked tentatively.
Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "Remus Lupin is nowhere to be found; his house is abandoned. And Voldemort's supporters know that Sirius is your secret-keeper."
"They could have figured that out by themselves," James mumbled.
"They also knew where I was hiding!" exclaimed Sirius.
"Which is why," Dumbledore fixed him with a firm eye, "You will need to relocate to a more secure location. I will set it up as soon as possible. In the meantime-"
"Wait-" Sirius started to say something.
"-Try to remain sane. This is an important time for us all. I wish you more than luck."
---
"After all that we've done for him!" James sat at the kitchen table, staring at the dents in it. It was soft wood, and quite roughed up by Marauder play. But that, of course, wasn't what he was thinking about; he wasn't even thinking about Lily, who was sitting silently across the table. "I mean…"
Sirius was stalking angrily around the room. He had been silent up until that point, seemingly content with glaring at everything and everyone in his way; but now he snapped at his friend. "Oh, shut up!"
James' face contorted for a moment, before he managed a strangled "'scuse me?"
"I said shut up." Sirius kicked the refrigerator door. "Just shut up about what we've 'done for him' and all that rot. Who really cares?"
"Um."
"He's just a bloody bastard, plain and simple, so why start making up crap about 'old friendship' and stuff?"
"Sirius."
"James."
"You don't really mean that. I mean… it's Moony."
Sirius scoffed. "Moony. Oh, right. Him."
James stood up slowly. "Sirius, just calm down. And don't talk that way."
"Problem, James? You got a problem with me knocking down a fucking Death Eater just because he used to be in our House?"
Wow. Just… wow, James thought. He was taking this hard himself, of course; it was Moony and this bloody war ruined it all…. But Sirius was really worked up. And rather… harsh? Obnoxious? The part that scared James was that he wasn't sure if Sirius was being more or less reasonable in this screwed up rationale.
"For better or for worse, dammit, you can't deny what happened, Sirius!"
"Oh, don't pretend to act all stupid, James."
"Why don't both of you shut up?" Lily snarled, "Before I'm tempted to kick you out of my house."
"Well," Sirius retorted huffily, "if James would stop being so delicate I would tell him what I think we should do instead of sitting around on our asses talking about that bastard."
James winced at the wording, but responded simply. "Do tell."
"Well… Dumbledore seems to think it's enough just to find another hiding place for me. I really don't want to become wolf bait, but maybe that's just me."
"But this time," Lily pointed out, "There won't be anyone to tell the Death Eaters where you are, right? So what're you talking about?"
"I think we should get someone else to do the charm."
"What?"
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Like who, and why?"
"Peter, of course!" Sirius said. "And… I'd just feel safer. Y'know?"
"Not really, no." Lily replied as her husband remained silent. "But maybe Dumbledore would-"
"Wait one second!" interrupted Sirius. "Let's not go rushing off to tell Dumbledore, huh?"
"Whyever not? Don't tell me you suspect him now, too?"
"No. Of course not. I mean, of course I trust him. But the fewer people who know the better, right? You guys, me, and Pete."
James spoke. "I get the whole Wormtail-thing, Pads, but… I think it'd be safer to tell Dumbledore. And this is really important."
"We didn't tell him everything in the Marauder days! Hell, we didn't tell anyone anything!"
"In case you haven't noticed, this is different! This is our lives."
"Not to mention me and Harry and lots of other people, too, Sirius!" Lily added.
He ignored her and continued talking directly to James. "Oh, so our seven years at Hogwarts weren't life? We should disregard everything we learned and did just because, hey, it was only school? It didn't really affect us or anything?"
Lily narrowed her eyes at Sirius before glancing at her husband; James stared at the table for a minute.
"Right. Let's do it, Padfoot. Get Peter."
---
"How did it go, Headmaster?"
"It went, Severus, it went."
Severus Snape scowled. "Given as I provided you with the relevant information, and may even have more, I would appreciate more detail, sir."
Albus sighed. "Very well. The Potters- all three of them- and Sirius Black have been notified of Remus Lupin's betrayal. Lily and James had trouble believing it at first-"
"I wouldn't put it past them to still not believe," Snape put in snidely. "Judging from-"
"Severus. They are now adjusting to the fact that their friend has become a Death Eater."
"Not a Death Eater. Just a spy for Voldemort. Keep that in mind."
"Very well, and thank you, Severus. We will find a new, secure hiding place for Sirius as soon as possible; in the meantime, he's staying in the Potter house. Hopefully, Lord Voldemort will never think to look there, of all places."
"That's where there's a problem, Headmaster," Snape said quickly. "Apparently, Black is no more trustworthy than his filthy friend."
Dumbledore frowned. "Do explain, quickly- or is this just a rumor?"
"No," he snapped. "I was invited to a meeting of Death Eaters and found some interesting information. It appears that Black is also a spy within our ranks." He paused, but the other man did not say anything. "I heard Malfoy and Lestrange referring to him. I believe 'he will give us the information soon' was the phrase they used."
"Which would mean that Sirius Black was going to betray the Potters to Lord Voldemort?"
"They also mentioned that the staged fight between Lupin and Black had proceeded according to plan. We've played right into their grasp by trusting those two."
---
James had never run so fast before in his life, not even in stag form. This was probably because never before had Voldemort been knocking at the door of his family's house.
"This Halloween is so different from all the ones at Hogwarts," Lily had said a few hours earlier. How right she had been. How horribly right.
"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James screamed, hurtling down the long halls of his empty house. I hope they never celebrate Halloween again as long as they live, he thought suddenly; and then he almost threw up from what was implied.
And then, without warning, Voldemort was upon him, cackling madly. "Poor bugger, probably doesn't even know whether his precious friend Wormtail is dead or a traitor. Probably doesn't know which is worse," someone said in the background, probably a Death Eater.
"Avada Kedavra."
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Dumbledore sat in front of a roaring fire, head in hands, trembling. "It's a pity," he said out loud in a frail voice, "that no matter how powerful a wizard, you lose strength in their old age. And it's such a pity that sleep has to be interrupted with bad tidings."
And then he just sat there in silence. It was hard even for him to comprehend what had happened that night.
Voldemort was gone, yes, but not forever.
Maybe if Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had loved Lily and James as they claimed, Lily and James would have survived. After all, it was love that saved Harry. James and Lily were deserving of love, but for some cruel reason, they hadn't received it.
And now the world had changed.
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Author's Note: I added a bit more since the last time I posted this, since I hadn't ended it where I wanted to. I'm still not completely satisfied with the ending, but it seems a bit more complete.
