To Be Loyal

Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: HP is J.K.'s.

A/N: Another time skip! And another, between the second and third scenes of this chapter! We are moving along, people! Sometimes, we'll have multiple scenes in a day or two, and sometimes we'll skip a month or more. There's going to be downtime for the characters, but that doesn't mean I have to write every bit of it. We're on our way to the next big event.

When I said that Sirius is the protagonist of this fic, I meant it, okay? You'll just have to take my word for it until next chapter. James and Lily just keep pushing their way into these chapters, and Sirius is so grateful to James for what he's done for him that he doesn't say anything.

I replaced Gideon Prewett with Davey Gudgeon for the Willow part in Dumbledore's speech because it matches up with an incident in canon.

"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery." —Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"We're going to take good care of you, dear, as our own son." —Euphemia Potter to Sirius Black, summer of 1976

October 7, 1976

"Hey, Evans," James said as he strolled up to the table where Lily was working on an essay. It was late in the evening, and there were only a few students left in the Common Room. "Care for a game of wizards' chess?" James's confident tone belied his internal anxiety.

Lily glanced up. "Sure, just a second."

Slightly thrown by her casual reply, James sighed slightly in relief and sat down. Lily finished the paragraph she was working on-James read a sentence upside down and saw that the essay was about the properties of the Bubble-Head Charm.

"Good point there about how the Bubble-Head is susceptible to being punctured," James complimented. "In my experience, I've found that a well cast charm can withstand a fairly powerful blunt impact, but you could pop it with a good hit from a needle."

Lily cocked an eyebrow as she rolled up her essay. "How do you know that, James?"

James began setting the pieces of his chess set on the board in their proper places. "Let's just say that the Marauders have explored more of Hogwarts than just the castle."

"I won't even ask," Lily said as she put her textbook and essay under the table and helped set up her side of the board. "About how large of an impact, though?"

James found himself relaxing as he and Lily played chess and chatted about the different Charms Professor Flitwick had said they'd be learning that year. Lily was a surprisingly adept chess player, but James was more than keeping up.

"I'm impressed, James," Lily remarked after James managed to trap and take a castle she'd used to launch an attack on his king.

"I drive Remus crazy when we play chess," James told her. "He's always got a plan, but I'm more adaptable."

Eventually, James won the game, albeit barely. "You'll have to give me another chance sometime," Lily said as they packed up the pieces. "Not tonight, though. Full moon, isn't it?"

James grinned as he tied the bag closed. "That's right, Evans. Sirius is excited because he missed the last one due to a Slytherin's hex."

"What's going on with him is part of the reason you're acting differently, isn't it?" Lily asked. It was obviously a question that had been weighing on her mind. James wasn't surprised; he'd made a strong effort to change his attitude over the past month.

James sighed. "Yeah. It was horrible, Lily-both how he was when I picked him up from Grimmauld and his injuries in the fight last month. I don't want to be anything like that." So far, James's strategy had proven successful, and Sirius's Gryffindor bodyguards had thwarted most attempts to harm his best mate. Only Sirius's mystery attacker from before managed to hex him on a consistent basis, and none of her recent jinxes had been at all harmful. James would be eternally grateful for his housemates' help.

"Wait-that's great, really-but you helped him run away?" Lily inquired, obviously surprised.

James explained what had happened, and Lily's expression grew pensive. Her next question was almost a whisper. "You don't have to answer, but-did his father really use the Cruciatus Curse on him?"

James stared into her serious green gaze and weighed up his options. "Alright, Lily, I guess Sirius won't mind. You pretty much know anyway. Yes, it's true."

"Shite," Lily exhaled, sitting back in his chair. "I can't believe that any parent could do that to their kid." In any other situation, James would have laughed at Lily Evans swearing, but he just nodded gravely.

"I've been so mad at him ever since the Whomping Willow incident," Lily confessed, and James's eyes widened in surprise. "I know he's stopped going after Slytherins for no reason-he took your speech to heart-but I still get furious whenever I really think about it."

"He made a terrible mistake," James admitted, "but we forgave him. Remus was very hurt by the whole thing, and took months to forgive him-which I understand, because Sirius could've gotten him sent to Azkaban. Bloody werewolf laws," he muttered angrily, and smiled at Lily's emphatic nod of agreement. Discrimination was rampant in the Wizengamot, even more so than corruption. Two weeks prior, Rabastan Lestrange had managed to slip free of the attempted murder charge leveled against him, and Sirius had told James that he suspected that Orion Black had employed his usual strategy of bribes and threats. Dumbledore, however, had insisted on maintaining Lestrange's expulsion.

"But Sirius took even longer to forgive himself," James added pointedly. "I'm not sure he even has, actually. He told me that he'd let it slip right away, and came with me to help Snape. He didn't want people to know that," he explained, seeing Lily's shocked expression. "Didn't want it to distract from what he'd done. The whole thing really messed with his head," James added sadly.

"Wow," Lily said, her expression a mix of sympathy and fascination. "I never would have guessed."

For the first time in nearly an hour, James checked his watch and balked at the time. I've got to go now if we're going to follow Remus to the Shack under the Cloak.

"I'm sorry, Lily, but I've got to go," James said reluctantly.

"Well, stay safe." Lily picked up her homework and textbook and stood up from her chair. "Let's do this again sometime, yeah?"

"Yeah, absolutely," James agreed instantly, a pleasant, warm feeling growing in his chest. He turned to leave.

"And James-have fun," Lily called as she walked away.


October 7, 1976

As his skin churned and stretched painfully, Remus dug his lengthening, pointed nails into the dirt. He gasped as fur shot out of his skin, and a grimace took hold of his face as his nose began to lengthen into a long snout.

Remus thrashed on the ground, howling in pain-and then Moony rose, howling at the full moon shining through the branches above. Fresh air washed over Moony, and he felt a rush of pleasure from being outdoors instead of locked in the cold underground room or the old decrepit building he had been trapped inside in the past.

Moony's long ears perked up as he scented the presence of three animals nearby. Pack, he thought, and loped over to the thick grove of trees where they were waiting.

A majestic stag cantered out to meet him, butting Moony in the chest with his head and stepping back gracefully when Moony swiped at him playfully with one ragged claw. A small gray rat clung to the stag's neck. Prongs, Wormtail, Moony thought, although he wasn't sure where the names came from.

A tall, lean black dog followed, casting a dark shadow on the grass of the small clearing. Padfoot nipped at Moony's long front legs before galloping off into the trees. Moony bounded after him. He could hear Prongs following behind him, and he howled ecstatically at the rush he received from the chase.

Moony was free once more.

November 3, 1976

"This is way too much," Sirius declared, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it, mate," James advised as he jumped onto Sirius's bed, causing the present at the top of the huge pile on Sirius's bed to slide off onto the floor.

"But they already bought me all my school supplies, and a ton of clothes!" Sirius protested. He cast an apprehensive look at a suspiciously broomstick-shaped package.

"Hey, it's okay," James said gently, putting an arm around his shoulders. "This is what parents are supposed to do for their kids on their birthdays, and you couldn't bring much at all from Grimmauld Place."

"I'm not their kid," Sirius whispered softly, staring down at his feet. "They took me because I couldn't stay where I was."

"Sirius, they're-we're-happy to have you," James said firmly. "Remember how well we all were getting along toward the end of the summer? Remember all the Muggle card games you taught my parents, or the time we spiked my father's Chocolate Frog stash with Hiccough Sweets, and he thought it was hilarious?" James's tone was almost pleading now. "Besides, you're of age now. You only turn seventeen once."

"Sorry, yeah, I know. It's just hard, James," Sirius mumbled. He had enjoyed his time at the Potters, but he hadn't been able to fully lower his guard and be comfortable at Potter Manor.

James took a deep breath and seemed to gather himself. "I'm starting to understand, Padfoot. Don't let me push you too hard. Just… know that they care about you."

Sirius nodded, and a faint smile came over his face as Remus and Peter approached the bed bearing presents. He realized that they had been waiting patiently by Peter's bed on the other side of the room, allowing James and Sirius to finish their conversation.

"Can we add to the pile?" Remus asked, and Sirius grinned and nodded.

A/N: You might have noticed that I've used the Whomping Willow incident a lot and thought, Hey, I kind of wish he had started there. I don't think that it was the best place to start this fic, but I am open to writing a short prequel about it sometime in the future.