A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait but this chapter is 9,000 words so I hope that makes up for it! A lot of important stuff happens in this chapter.

Read, review and enjoy.

xoxo

13. Turning Point

It was a broken mirror; the cracks were vivid, like ripples on the smooth surface of water. The cup did not look like what it previously had. Sirius lifted it, marvelling at the shape it now was; like a scrunched up ball of paper or something. He threw it from his hand, having only moments ago snatched it from his son.

Rose was currently with Lily and Emanuelle, talking as civilly as she could to the former of the pair. They weren't going to magically become friends, but they had something in common now - the same bone-aching, heart-breaking fear for their sons. A fear that spread and settled in every inch of their bodies and wouldn't leave until their inevitable deaths.

'When are you going to see Peter?' asked Rose softly. 'Tonight or-'

'We can't,' Lily interrupted, 'it's a full moon tonight. We'll go tomorrow.'

'Is that where the others have gone?' she asked, cuddling her son when he made teething grunts and noises. Rose didn't like seeing her son like this; in pain and without the attention he was used to. But she was so worried for her boyfriend - they weren't going to see each other for a while, if ever, and she wasn't sure she could raise another child without the Father there to help her and be with her.

'No, they're choosing somewhere nearby to go to. Besides, dinner hasn't been served and you know those boys can't go without their dinner. They'll be off in an hour or so.' She smiled encouragingly when SJ made a particularly loud whining noise.

Meanwhile, in a room not too far, where James was giggling as he read some of Sirius's old correspondence letters with the Marauders - a bundle tucked neatly in the closest cabinet - and Remus was trying to think of a place in near vicinity, Sirius yawned and said: 'Can you believe she actually said that? Like really really said that?'

'If I'm honest,' said James from where he was lounging, 'I'm not that surprised. I mean come on, she's about to have another baby. A baby. She's not sure if she can deal with that. And it's more chance of them getting caught, her having another baby to care for. She's scared Padfoot. Besides, we're closer to killing Voldemort than we were a month ago. After Hogwarts, we should have all the horcruxes. At least, all the ones we can think of. We'll give it a shot.'

Sirius nodded rapidly. 'I can't believe that it's going to happen. In the next two days, we're going to try and kill Voldemort. I always thought that when he died, it'd be some catastrophic event: people would be flooding from all parts of the world to see his end. But it's not like that. He won't even know what's happening. Half the time, we don't even know what we're doing.'

There was silence, then, 'I'm really nervous.' Remus said suddenly. 'I've used the Wolfsbane potion for the past two transformations, and now I'm without it. He'll be angrier.'

They didn't need to ask who he was: Moony. The mind of the werewolf that was a separate entity to Remus in every way. But the wolf did share a similarity to Remus; they both commanded power and willed fear.

'Well, we've faced angry Moony before. It'll be a walk in the park. Well, no it won't. But we know what to expect.' Despite their reassurances however, Remus's fear didn't grow smaller, but instead grew stronger and larger - their arrogance, for once, was not acceptable in a situation like this.

Moony was going to be angry. Really angry.

'We should start getting ready,' said James quietly. 'I'll just make sure Lily's prepared everything in the healer's kit.' He spared a glance to his friends before turning and leaving the room.

'How d'you think Peter's holding up?' asked Sirius, meeting the vivid light brown eyes, which glowed gold in the light, of his friend.

Remus shrugged. 'He's been with Alice and a few of the others. They will have taken care of him. I'm sure he's fine.' He twisted his neck into an awkward position to release the crick it was holding, and then moaned low in his throat. It hurt - everywhere hurt. He remembered during their younger days they would all get a little drunk before the full moon just because it helped Remus forget about the pains of transforming. The occasional joint didn't hurt either, in fact despite how hard it was to get in Hogwarts, it did the job better than brandy and whiskey from the kitchens.

Sirius nodded. 'Yeah, he's probably fine.'

In the space of forty five minutes, they were changed, had eaten dinner, had water and food packed, had the healer's kit transfigured fully prepared and were standing before their loved ones, for the last time. They wouldn't see Lily because James had managed to persuade her that for once, she had to stay behind.

It wasn't even about gender segregation anymore, because we all know just how thoroughly Lily hated sexism and anything that painted men as the better, more able, stronger gender. For once, she understood that Rose and her child needed her just as much as Harry did. Besides, Emanuelle was with them. If anything happened, they could defend themselves.

But there was one condition to Lily's quiet submission - she was giving James a week. A week to destroy the last horcrux (hopefully the last anyway) and to also kill Voldemort. Because if they couldn't do it in a week, then they couldn't do it at all.

'A week James,' she said, her hands wound in her husband's bird nest mess of hair and her lips inches from his.

'I know,' he replied, 'one week, seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes-' He was cut off when her lips met his in a furious kiss and she murmured, 'Shut it,' to him. His arms came around to cradle her body, hold it close to his, and he was once again, like he so recently had been thinking, overcome with love and care and wonder at how this one person, this woman had been able to get under his skin and turn him from a nonchalant, arrogant boy to a committed father and husband. A man who would die for his family.

When he drew back, placing several soft kisses on her mouth and cheek and forehead, he bent down, glad for an excuse to conceal his heartbroken expression, and wrapped his arms around his son. 'Harry,' he said.

'Progs,' the boy said, for the first time actually pronouncing his father's nickname better than usual. It was almost like he understood the importance of the situation. He was such a smart boy.

'I'll see you soon,' he whispered into his son's ear. 'Take care of mummy for me.'

'Yeah,' the small boy replied, a smile lighting up his face.

On the other side of the room, Sirius was staring at Rose, angrily, scathingly but oh so lovingly. His Mother was not far from him, flinching at every show of affection and Sirius thought it was worth it to be snogging his girlfriend if his Mother kept cringing and glaring like that.

He wasn't going to see her again, if anything happened. James was lucky, his wife wasn't pregnant, she wasn't in as much danger. And Lily could keep her own back, she was amazing at duelling, having beaten each Marauder at least once in a duel.

With his arms draped loosely around her waist, and her body pressed ever so tight to his, Sirius looked down at her and murmured, 'I'll see you soon.' His hand snuck down to massage his girlfriend's stomach and then without warning, he dropped to his knees and pulled her top up, kissing her stomach several times.

His baby was in there, another baby...

She ran her hands through his hair whilst he nuzzled her stomach and then Sirius looked up and grinned mischievously as he flicked his tongue over the soft flesh. 'No manners,' Rose said with a laugh.

Sirius stood up and pressed another kiss to her before he took his son from Remus and bounced SJ in his arms. He simply had to come back, the very reason for his return was in his arms. He had a family. If he wasn't going to kill Voldemort for himself, then it was most definitely for his family.

'I love you Sirius, you better come back soon,' Rose said, joining him and resting her head on his shoulder.

'I love you too. Both of you,' he answered, alternating between kissing his son's face and kissing his girlfriend's lips briefly.

'We need to go now guys,' Remus said as he released Lily from their loving, friendly embrace. After that, it was a series of quick hugs, goodbyes and rushed kisses.

'I love you,' Sirius kept repeating to Rose, kiss after kiss, goodbye after goodbye, he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to say goodbye!

She meant too much to him and yet, here he was with an invisibility cloak covering him as he straddled the broom his Mother had provided for him. And here he was, shooting off into the sky, flanked by the two best friends anyone could ask for.

And here he was, second by second getting further and further from his family. From his wife and his two children He hoped that they would have a second child - he so desperately hoped.

xo

There wasn't anyone in the world braver than Peter. After all he had been through, here he was, once again fighting just to make it up to his friends. He knew he had let them down. But he didn't want people to think of him as a let down anymore.

But right now, he had none of that courage. Right now, what was racing through his body was fear and regret. He let out another whine, never having experienced such painful tremors and muscle aches like he was now.

So this is what Remus goes through, he thought before another one racked through his body and he couldn't hold back the scream that pierced the room. A light flickered across his face, the window letting in the silver from the large full moon. When it cast across his face, he couldn't hold in the scream fighting furiously through his body.

Distantly, Peter could hear the sounds of running feet. Then he saw Fabian, throwing the door open, watching Peter convulsing on the bed. Then he was asking, 'WHAT'S WRONG?' and Peter's eyes turned a molten orange.

'Moon,' he managed to pant. From there, it was chaos. The Prewett twins dragged him from his room upstairs, screaming to Alice and Frank, watching as the married couple started shooting spells to open doors. In the garden lay a large shed, large enough to house a werewolf at the very least.

They shot spells, like bullets, at the shed - shields, charms, curses, anything to make sure they kept Peter in there. It felt like he was on fire, but the part that felt quite literally as though someone had poured lava on it was the scar, the large bite mark on his neck. He was moaning and grunting the whole way down there, screaming out when hair, like pin pricks, sprouted all over his skin.

It was everywhere, the pin pricks. As though millions were poking at his soft, malleable skin. Then Fabian buckled under the weight of Peter when the younger man started writhing and shaking as his bones started snapping.

'Help,' cried Fabian to his brother, who had stopped carrying Peter to help Frank and Alice install spells on the shed they planned leaving Peter in for eighteen hours. The rat Animagus was, moment by agonising moment, slipping into the mind of a wolf and from the mind of his true self. Gideon tripped over in his haste to help his brother out and carried the other half of Peter's trembling body once again.

He cried out again when more of his bones broke. Why was it taking so long? He tried to stop focusing on the pain and instead thought of Remus, the best role model in every sense now. How did he remain so calm even in his transformation? So composed and perfect.

Because he was Remus and Peter was … Peter. He wasn't special like James, or wild like Sirius or important like Remus. He was the last Marauder, the least significant, the least unique, the least reckless. The least of everything.

Another scream racked his body and he threw his head back, just as he was pushed, stumbling into the shed. He tried to talk but all that could come out of his mouth were grunts and howls. He lifted a hand up and it was hairy with short, tan coloured fur. Oddly enough, Peter couldn't remember why it was so weird.

His last thought, other than the pain, was how grateful he was of the twins and the Longbottoms, taking care of him. Or, rather, taking care of themselves for him. Then Peter's inner wolf took over and he couldn't remember a single thing apart from one tiny thought.

Blood.

xo

It was a lot more aggressive than they were used to, thanks to the very obvious and apparent lack of the Wolfsbane potion. Moreover, Sirius was so preoccupied with thoughts of his girlfriend, and whether he had told her he loved her enough, and whether the kiss they shared was special and enough to leave a lasting memory.

Because if he never saw her again and someday in the far off future she met another man, settled down with their two children, he still wanted her to remember him, god, to even just feel him in the most intimate moments.

James too was very preoccupied and didn't pay nearly enough attention to the roughhousing pair of canines. Dogs, he thought with a mental laugh.

Moony was vicious, slashing at Padfoot and not caring how much he hurt his friend because for now, they weren't friends. He was furious at the fact that he had been locked up on the full moons too these past few months. And a 'Sorry' for once would not suffice. He wanted to attack Padfoot and Prongs because he couldn't attack Remus and they were the closest thing to Remus.

It was a long full moon though, but as usual, Moony's energy dwindled quickly due to the length of summer nights. Padfoot desperately wanted to transform and become a human again just to heal the copious number of wounds the wolf had inflicted on him. But luckily, Sirius had anticipated, like his friends, such a rabid, feral attack from Moony and had at least expected such wounds. There weren't any broken bones though which was a huge relief.

After an endless number of hours passed, their friend started convulsing as he hit the floor. They looked away and tried not to listen, but unlike their eyes which could easily be diverted, they couldn't block their ears, especially not in their Animagi forms.

When the crying and gut-wrenching moans subsided, and they could only hear the harsh panting and the heavy breathing, they transformed back into their human forms and hurried over to Moony, James setting to work healing his injured friend and Sirius simultaneously dressing Remus.

'God,' the golden haired werewolf breathed, 'have you got-'

Sirius whipped out a bottle of firewhiskey and handed it to his friend without another word, watching as Remus pulled off the lid and took several hearty gulps from it. 'God,' he laughed softly again. 'This hurts so bad.'

'I'm doing the best I can,' murmured James, biting his lip and pulling out the Dittany from the healer's kit again.

'James we can't go to Peter's with him like this, we can't go to Hogwarts with him like this,' Sirius said before yawning long and hard.

'No, I'll be fine,' said Remus when like his long-haired friend, he let out a jaw-breaking yawn, damning the infectiousness of the universal action.

'No, you won't. Turn over...' the bespectacled Marauder trailed off however, when a blinding white light, bursting with vibrancy and beauty, stunned their eyes and stilled their movements. She was a dove and so obviously female, only something delicate and dainty like a woman would have such a beautiful animal for their soul. A dove. The meaning of the word love.

'I'm s-so sorry but, damn,' Alice's voice rang across the clearing they were in, 'it's Peter, something's wr-wrong with him … he … oh god, he started shaking and crying out in pain and t-then hair sprouted a-across his bo-body and I t-think he's been in-infected. You need to come now.'

Despite the bottle being cushioned by the forest ground, there was a tinkle as the whiskey broke and a crunching noise as Remus jumped up and stood on the broken glass. With the majority of his cuts healed, he looked almost normal.

'We need to go-'

'He might not-'

'SHUT UP JAMES!' cried Remus. There was silence. He rubbed his hand over his face and stood there, trembling for a moment. 'Didn't you hear what she said? He's a werewolf. That's the end of it.'

'I-I thought he wouldn't get infected by Dolohov...' whispered Sirius. He waved his wand and everything shot into James's backpack.

'We need to go. He's going to be in so much pain,' Remus's voice broke on the last three words. 'We need to go now. Get on the brooms.'

When Sirius and James hesitated, the werewolf shouted, 'WE NEED TO GO NOW!'

Both boys suddenly realised very quickly, whilst fumbling with their brooms and shooting after Remus into the sky, why they never got on Remus's bad side. He could be terrifying and simply a look from him, something they had during their time at Hogwarts, dubbed "The Prefect Look", had them running to clean their dormitory or do their homework or shut up during revision time.

They hadn't seen such a look for quite a while and it invigorated their small sense of fear.

For once, James wasn't at the front, leading on a broom and swerving with artistry and skill. Instead, Remus lead them with force and speed and power - they couldn't keep up even if they wanted to, let alone exceed him.

It took over an hour to get to the Longbottom's large house despite the furious speed they flew at. But when they got there, they made themselves known. They slammed down within seconds of each other on the Longbottom lawn and ran to the door, hammering on it and so glad that Frank's sophisticated wards had accepted them as allies, had let them through.

The door was thrown open and they were met with two wands in their faces, their wielders identical in every aspect right down to the determined expressions etched on their faces.

'Fab, Gid,' panted Remus, when after about twenty seconds, they didn't move. 'Where is he?'

'How did Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew come to call themselves the Marauders?'

'Are you being serious?' sneered James, 'It's us. We wouldn't have been able to get through-'

'HOW?' cried one of the Prewetts, and his wand started shooting sparks.

'You and your brother were caught sneaking into Filch's office,' Sirius began in a monotonous voice, his body trembling with fear. They got through the wards? Wards that proved their innocence. Which meant that whatever had happened was dangerous, terribly dangerous. He continued talking, 'And you tried to steal the firework collection Filch has been confiscating for years now. But you Gideon set all the fireworks off and Filch, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey came to get you guys out of the wreckage. The whole school, including us, could hear McGonagall screaming at the top of her lungs "I HAVE NEVER MET SUCH TROUBLED, MARAUDING FOOLS IN MY LIFE!" and it was from then that we called ourselves the Marauders because, as we proved with our Quidditch prank, we were the troubled marauding fools of Hogwarts, not you.'

Gideon and Fabian exchanged glances and lowered their wands, albeit a little reluctantly. They cocked their heads and moved aside to let the group of three in.

'What happened?' Remus said immediately, barging past the others and hurrying to the lounge, where the moans and cries were coming from.

'Fabian found him transforming in the bedroom, we dragged him to the garden whilst Alice and Frank shot spells at the shed to keep it strong, durable and sealed shut when Peter entered it.' Gideon explained slowly, and Sirius was shocked to see tear tracks on his face.

Had it really been that bad?

'We had to silence him after he started screaming and howling inside the shed. He was so loud, so-'

'-in pain,' finished Remus, his voice no louder than a whisper. He tentatively pushed open the door to the lounge and peered inside, Sirius and James shortly joining him. Frank and Alice were dashing around, potions, bandages and towels in their hands. In the centre of the room, on the blood stained sofa, was Peter.

They couldn't recognise him. His face was matted with blood, as was his usually blond hair. He was trembling so hard it was almost as if someone was physically shaking him. His eyes were closed shut and a constant stream of cries and whimpers escaped his mouth.

He was in agony.

His first transformation, what did they expect?

It was Remus who approached Peter first, ignoring the questioning glances from the Longbottoms. He understood best. He knew the pain Peter was going through, despite his first transformation having been over seventeen years ago.

'Wormtail,' he whispered. Only, Peter wasn't really Wormtail anymore. He was still going to retain his Animagus powers, he'd still be one. But his patronus wouldn't be a rat anymore.

Azure eyes, swimming with clear tears, opened ever so slowly. Wormtail let out another moan and more tears fell, leaving a trail of skin as they washed away some of the blood from his cheeks. 'Moo'y,' he panted and then when Frank poured a bubbling green potion down his throat, he started gagging and moaning again.

'Shh,' said Remus, eyes watering. 'It'll be alright.' He took his friend's hand and held it tight, his other hand smoothing the blood-matted hair. 'We're here.'

Sirius and James came into Peter's view and he tried to greet them, but stopped trying when Alice approached him with another potion for him to drink. The potion gave off the strong stench of lacewings. 'Is that a Sleeping Draught?' asked Sirius, smelling the air and frowning.

The question was answered when Peter's blood-soaked face relaxed and he fell into a deep slumber.

'I'm way out of my head Remus, I don't know what to do. He's so cut up, he's broken over ten bones in his body, he punctured his lung and it's healed but I don't know for how long,' Alice cried, her eyes rimmed red and her throat clogged with barely restrained sobs.

'I'll take care of it.' He murmured in a deep, low voice.

'How?'

'I'll take care of it!' He shouted. Remus sat down beside Peter, having stood up to get a bowl of water and a cloth, and picked up his friend's hand again, holding it tight between his own. They didn't understand or even comprehend what Peter was going through right now. It was a miracle no one had been harmed or infected, thanks to the bravery shown by Frank, Alice, Fabian and Gideon. But sometimes, bravery wasn't enough. Sometimes, the ability to understand and be understood meant so much more.

'You should go without us.' Remus whispered, keeping his eyes glued to his friend. 'They don't know how to take care of Peter and … and I'm the only one who knows what he's going through right now. Leave without us.'

'We can't do this alone Remus.' James said.

'You won't be alone. You're forgetting that in Hogwarts is Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid and all the other people who support us.' The werewolf answered.

Sirius shook his head vehemently, 'No, we need you-'

'Peter needs me, Padfoot. You guys just want me to make sure you er … stay out of trouble. You have each other, you'll be fine. I'll come as soon as he's better but right now...'

'Right now, he needs you.' Frank finished for him. He then looked at the group of three standing before him and spared a glance to the man on the sofa. 'I'll help you Remus, whatever you need.'

The other man spared a nod to his older friend in gratitude, too tired, too drained of energy to do anything but nod.

'Moony,' Sirius began in a deep and commanding voice but he was cut off by his best friend slash brother who instead said, 'Alright Moony, whatever you think is best.'

A piece of parchment was stuffed into Remus's hands, old, worn and very special to the Marauders. It was their map.

'We'll have the cloak so you take the map,' James explained. 'You know what we're going to be looking for first. We'll send you a patronus if we leave Hogwarts to look for Voldemort. But you need to promise Moony that as soon as Peter's better, you'll come straight to us.'

'Would I ever do anything else?' he replied, half scathing but also full of care for his friends. He embraced Sirius first, murmuring into his ear, 'Take care of yourself Padfoot. I don't want to have to hear from someone else how you died tragically.'

'I will Moons.'

James and Remus embraced shortly after, then quick handshakes and hugs were exchanged with the Longbottoms and the twins who had been standing at the door.

And when it was time to leave, they took their broomsticks and mounted them at the door, sparing a last glance at the Longbottom's residence before spiraling off into the sky, not at all slow but not necessarily fast either.

They had time ... didn't they?

xo

It was a hassle to be without their Apparation Licenses - how easy it would be for them to close their eyes, think of a place and be there in the space of a second or two. Instead, it took most of the day to get to Hogwarts.

The Knight Bus was a big no, as was any means of magic transport really. They took a train to Melrose and from there, rode their brooms in the sweltering heat. Luckily, due to them flying so high to keep out of the public eye, the skies kept them cool and refreshed even.

They stopped in Edinburgh to send a patronus to Remus, telling him where they were. It was there that they changed their appearances, stopping in a cinema and entering the toilets together.

'We look kind of gay don't we,' murmured James, squeezing in a cubicle after Sirius and laughing when they could barely fit.

'No one saw,' answered Sirius, tucking his hair behind his ear and watching his friend carefully. 'Alright, you do me first.'

James broke out into giggles and Sirius couldn't help but laugh with him, the stall trembling with their laughter. 'Alright, I'll do you first.'

It took at least twenty minutes for both of them. They altered everything; their hair, their skin complexions, their height and weight - everything. Sirius self-consciously ran a hand through his short, spiky blond hair and flinched.

'Let's go,' said James softly. He wasn't wearing glasses, and his nose was shorter. His cheekbones didn't stand out so much and his ginger hair contrasted heavily with his tanned complexion.

There wasn't a person in sight and they were grateful for it. Billboards and posters littered the walls of the cinema, actors and their gleaming faces stood out vividly, Sirius was bombarded with images and titles of different movies. He remembered going to the cinema many times with the Marauders and later, with his girlfriend Rose.

Maybe when this was all over, he could go to the cinema again with Rose and with the Marauders and Lily and everyone. Maybe after the whole war was over things could go back to normal?

But then Sirius looked down at the writhing dirty white mark on his already pale skin and he knew nothing would be normal. He traced the thick ragged scar that James had inflicted on him and he cringed. He knew that for a million years, whether he died today, tomorrow or in a century, he would never forget what Voldemort had done to him. The pain, the torture … the fear he had invigorated in Sirius like never before.

In fact, Voldemort was continuing to do it to him, making him feel pain and fear. Sirius was trembling. Nervous didn't even begin to describe what he felt, how he felt. As he straddled his broom and shot off after James, he couldn't help but wish that the journey to Hogwarts didn't speed by and instead took its time, loped towards them rather than sprinting faster than lightning. But like most unfortunate things, it felt like Sirius closed his eyes for just a moment and opened them again only to find himself in Hogsmeade.

Near Hogwarts.

Near the horcrux, he hoped.

xo

Severus liked to think of himself as a good Headmaster as well as a bad person with good intentions. Because he wasn't going to lie to himself, if it wasn't for a certain redhead, he would be just like Dolohov, Avery and the rest of the Death Eaters.

He wanted to take care of the students in his school, whether they did good in the future or they committed wrong. Because whilst they remained under Dumbledore and some of the Order members right now, it was his school. Or at least, he had come to think of it as such.

But each spell that was removed put him and the Death Eaters and most importantly, his Lord, a step further back. They had to launch an attack now. There weren't any students under the age of seventeen at the school. There had to be what, fifty people at Hogwarts, right? And with the sixty seven that had been rounded up, Severus knew they would most probably win in the fight over Hogwarts.

It was a beautiful school, with history and magic and greatness etched into every nook and cranny. Maybe that was why the Dark Lord was so desperate to get his hands on the school. Because he thought it would make him greater.

Standing at the front with Bellatrix, Malfoy, Dolohov and the Dark Lord leading them, the Death Eaters followed without a word. He could have been leading them to their deaths and they still would have trailed behind him blindly, like puppies and without a single complaint.

The loyalty made Severus somewhat nauseous. They were barely a few hours away from purging Hogwarts and showing Dumbledore some of their power. Demonstrating to the old Headmaster of Hogwarts just how pissed off they were.

'Shhh,' rang across the large open space they were in. The Malfoy Manor garden, as it so happened. It was the only place large enough to house the ten giants they had. 'Silence.' A cold, chilling voice whispered. Yet, somehow, that whisper carried across to the sixty seven Death Eaters.

'Today,' said the Dark Lord as he turned around to face his followers, his giants, his army, 'is the day that Albus Dumbledore dies. Today is the day that we destroy each and every member of the Order of the Phoenix and today is the day that we make ourselves known to the whole world. We are not a force to be played with. We are strong and we are going to win this fight.'

There were shouts, screams, hasty agreements and an applause. They all nodded, but perhaps Snape's nod was the most reluctant, the slowest, the shortest. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.

'We defeated Sirius Black, we defeated Bodewell and the rest of the Ministry and now we will defeat the last man standing in our way of victory - Albus Dumbledore.' His face changed from one of determination to one of pure anger. 'I refuse to let that … that Muggle-loving fool win any longer. Today, we fight for everything we believe in.'

There were cries and declarations screamed as the Dark Lord paused. A sly smile flickered across his face before he composed it. 'We will win.'

'LONG LIVE THE DARK LORD!' cried Bellatrix, and instantly, the rest copied her, including Severus. He remembered when there was a time and he so passionately believed in everything Voldemort said; every ideal and belief the man had. All the ways in which he tried and mostly achieved his beliefs. But when Lily Evans was put in danger (she would always be Evans to him), he didn't care about anything other than her and her life. She was all that mattered to him, not Voldemort.

Severus closed his eyes and tuned back in to what his Dark Lord was saying. He had been bidding his time, doing what was asked of him, being the best ruddy Death Eater for the Dark Lord but he was waiting until he could turn against his own side and protect everything Lily Evans stood up for.

He loved her, still. After all this time, he loved her so much.

So damn much it hurt.

xo

Sirius had transformed into Padfoot to make things easier and less obvious when he and James walked through the streets of Hogsmeade. People looked at them less when it was one young man instead of two. It all seemed very different. The shops were less vibrant, the people of the streets rarely smiled and even though the skies ahead were golden with the sun's beams, grey seemed to be the only colour James and Sirius could see. Well, before Sirius transformed into Padfoot of course.

He followed after James very carefully, sticking to his "owner's" side and demonstrating to anyone who so much as looked at them that he was James's. No one cared though, they had too much on their minds. Something, it was seem, had happened. Something big...

It was James who saw first. He almost stepped on Sirius's paw in a haste to get to the newsstand. He grabbed it and read the large, flashing headline.

'HOGWARTS STOLEN BY DUMBLEDORE AND CO' it read. The article was laced with bias and obvious lies, but the message remained the same. Dumbledore and the Order had taken Hogwarts from Voldemort.

They had stolen it. Stolen something that no one believed to be steal-able. James wanted to sing, to dance, to scream at the top of his lungs. They could do it now! They'd be able to get into Hogwarts, find the horcrux and destroy the damn thing! He and Sirius wouldn't have to be extra careful now. It was vacated of students, save a few willing Seventh Years which meant everyone in the castle was on the same side, his side.

James pocketed the paper and flung a galleon at the newsstand owner who looked at the gold coin, broke into a wide grin and thanked James profusely.

Padfoot barked furiously several times before James managed to sneak them into Honeydukes. The owner wasn't watching, and it was a matter of throwing the invisibility cloak over the both of them without a single soul noticing. Then it was a matter of sneaking into the basement and not being obvious about it, which was, of course, not easy at all.

As soon as the cloak was thrown off them so James could find the loose floorboard, Sirius snatched the paper out of his friend's hand and scanned it.

'He's not there?' Sirius whispered. 'None of them are there?'

'Only Dumbledore and the Order,' breathed James, eyes flicking to the basement door every few seconds. He used his long nails to pry the floorboard loose and then jumped down into the tunnel. The backpack and invisibility cloak followed shortly after before Sirius jumped down and summoned the floorboard back in place.

'James, we can do this. He's not here! Dumbledore is! We can do this, I swear, we can find it and destroy it and get Voldemort.'

The bespectacled Marauder nodded several times. 'I know Padfoot, but I think we should look for the horcrux first before we disturb Dumbledore.'

Whilst they spoke to each other, not bothering to keep their voices down, they walked as fast as they could in the shadow-ridden, dim tunnel before James cast a Lumos and the tunnel was filled with light.

'We're going to the Room of Requirement first then, yes?' panted Sirius.

He didn't need to see James's nod to know his friend agreed. It took, ten, fifteen, almost twenty minutes before they at last reached the end of the tunnel. It was a tight squeeze under the invisibility cloak, and Sirius was ashamed to acknowledge that parts of his body were pressing into parts of James's body and it was totally inappropriate but just a little funny.

'Stop huffing down my shirt Padfoot,' hissed James. Soon, it was time to push past the statue that guarded the entrance and then they were in-

'Hogwarts,' murmured Sirius, 'I never thought I'd see this place again.' He looked around the wide, long corridor and eyed each obstacle in their way.

'Alright, come on,' James said, tugging on the cloak and leading Sirius to the closest staircase. They knew their way around Hogwarts instinctively, they knew each corner, each corridor, room, hall of the school and they were proud of themselves for it.

Hogwarts was a home to each of them in so many different ways: it was a place where James had escaped the suffocation he'd endured from his parents and their loving ways, where Sirius could run away from all the expectations his parents had placed on him, a refuge for Peter from his drunken, tempestuous Father and a place where no one knew about Remus; where he had built himself a new identity, something that didn't begin with 'were' and end with 'wolf'.

They encountered a few ghosts along the way, and saw more than once a few Seventh Years walking down the corridors, lugging books and potions and other things to give to Dumbledore. Everywhere they turned, they heard the name Dumbledore.

A name that was too great for any one man.

When they arrived to where the Room of Requirement was, they threw off the cloak and paused. 'What if it's not here Padfoot?'

'Then we try the Slytherin common room and we try the Black Lake and all the other places Voldemort could have hidden it. But he's got to have hidden one here Prongs, it's the only place he felt was a real home for him.' Sirius explained. 'He loved Hogwarts.'

He started pacing, running a hand through his short spiky blond hair and finding that it wasn't spiky anymore, nor was it short. His features were returning to their natural state. Panic coursed through his body. No, he still had time. Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes before he was Sirius again. He looked at James and was met with hazel eyes, not of the chocolate hue they had been minutes before.

'We're returning to ourselves aren't we?' Sirius said. 'No matter, we still have time. Now, what type of room should we wish for?'

'The room where Voldemort hides things?' laughed James.

The long-haired Marauder shook his head, half a smile on his face. 'Somehow, I don't think that'll suffice. What about a room where dark artefacts have been hidden?'

James clapped his hands together and said to Sirius, 'Perfect.' Then he paced in front of the black expanse of wall, chanting repeatedly in his head, I need the room where dark artefacts have been hidden, I need the room where...

A door, not large but not small either, appeared. And when James opened the door, he saw many things. More than he had anticipated. There were knives, glistening like diamonds in the candlelight, hung up on the walls. There were potions of ominous colours and with evil-sounding names, radiating cruelty.

Sirius couldn't help but look at the potions, curiosity taking over. There were potions that removed souls, potions that killed, some that paralysed and some that destroyed the human conscience.

He couldn't help but shiver, imagining what else the potions could do.

'Padfoot,' James called, his voice distant.

'Hmm,' murmured Sirius distractedly.

'Slytherin had a locket right? And Gryffindor had the sword and Hufflepuff had her cup, yeah? But what was it that Ravenclaw had?'

Sirius fingered the bottle of the potion that made your organs fail and said at the same time, 'She had a crown or tiara of some sorts. Why?'

'I think I've found it.'

Sirius dropped the bottle, a dark grey, murky sort of liquid pouring out and covering the floor. He jumped away from it and all but leapt over some of the boxes and craters to make his way to James.

There was a bust but Sirius paid no attention to it. The thing that captured his attention, his heart, the object that dared him to hope was none other than Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem nestled comfortably on the bust's head.

His body trembled; they found it, this was the horcrux, this was it! His Dark Mark burned and courage filled Sirius's body. He swallowed hard and reached out with shaking fingers to touch the diadem. A sharp pain filled his body for barely a second before he snatched the diadem and stared at it.

'We've got it Prongs,' he breathed. 'You found it. Merlin, we've got it.' A minute passed where he thoroughly inspected it, ran his fingers over every inch of it. Then Sirius held his hand out and clicked his fingers. 'The dagger, Prongs.'

Wordlessly, James placed the long, silver dagger into Sirius's hand and stepped back. The room was silent, save the ticking that had been going off since they entered the spacious room.

'It could all be over,' Sirius whispered. 'If I destroy this and we're right, this is the last one, then we've won. We've done it James.' He swept his arm along the table and flung everything off the surface, including the bust, which as they expected, shattered. He wiped his nose on his hand and then placed the diadem on the table, right in the centre.

But it obviously was not going to be as easy as all the other horcruxes. They were thrown back, colliding with dark, enigmatic objects and yet they didn't do anything about it. They were too busy watching the figure that had risen from the diadem.

Rose.

She looked stunning. Her hair was long again and golden, her skin tanned and gloriously dark, her eyes were gemstones in her beautiful face. She bit down on her vibrant, red lips with pearly teeth and stared at them both.

'You've always been jealous James,' she whispered, 'even though you've got Lily and Harry, you've always wondered what life might be like if you were twenty one and not married, if you weren't tied down to Lily and your son. If you were with someone more free and liberating … someone like me.'

Her voice was seductive, sultry and low. 'You've envied Sirius and the relationship he and I share. But it's all your fault James, you were the one who let me go.'

Her light green eyes, so striking in comparison to her sun-kissed skin, flickered to Sirius. Her boyfriend, her lover, the Father of her children. The man she owed everything to and the man who owed her all the same.

'But you Sirius,' she breathed, nearing them. With a jolt, Sirius noticed that she was naked. How had he not noticed before? But the mist that had formed around her with each word seemed to flow just perfectly to cover her most intimate parts.

She started talking again in that soft purr and Sirius's eyes snapped up to meet hers. 'You, my darling, are the worst of all three of us. You pretend to care about me, you pretend that each time I feel pain, you're hurt too when you are the very reason I cry and stutter and want to die. What's more is that you pretend that each time you see me with James or Remus, it's okay for me to talk to them when really, you can't help but think that I could be cheating on you with one of them.'

Sirius wiped his eyes furiously, wanting to scream at her, to say that it wasn't true. That he loved her! Oh, god, he loved her so much!

But she continued talking, taunting him. A cold smile covered her face. She was enjoying this. 'I'm only with you because you are the Father of my two bastard children. I would still be running after James and I would still cheat on you if it weren't for our two children-'

With a roar, Sirius plunged the blade into the hard, strong diadem and watched as Rose disappeared in a cloud of thick smoke, the last thing to glimmer in the soft candlelight being her beautiful golden hair. There was a calm quiet now, filled only with the sounds of their shallow breathing and that godforsaken ticking.

'You know she would never-' James began hesitantly but Sirius stopped him, drawing his friend into a rough embrace before picking up the dagger from the ground. He was glad his face was covered. His eyes were still watery. It was like the diadem knew his every fear, each insecurity he was saddled with and he hated it.

'I know Prongs.' Sirius breathed.

'What do we do now?' James asked, leading the way through the wreckage of where they had landed and the craters of dark objects.

Sirius opened the door and stepped through, looking left and right, satisfied with the empty hallway and stepping out. He turned to face his best friend. 'We look for Voldemort-'

Sirius was cut off when a series of shuddering cries interrupted him and what he was saying. They were loud bellows, the sort that meant giants were here.

Here.

At Hogwarts. Giants.

They were here! More bellows and cries radiated across the hall, and Sirius felt the ground and walls of the corridor tremble. He looked at James, seeing his shock and fear mirrored in his best friend's face.

'Padfoot, if those are giants then that means Voldemort is here.'

'I know. What d'you say we go down to meet him, or should we stay up here and plan first?'

Despite Sirius's cool exterior, inside he was trembling. Inside, he was begging God and Merlin and all the other authorative figures out there to just give him a damn moment to compose himself.

Just a minute or two.

xo

Tom Riddle watched as the giants purged forward first, their great bats swinging at their sides, their heads thrown back as they roared at the skies, their enormous legs thudding with each step.

They looked so powerful, they were everything the Dark Lord saw in himself and more. Yet, here he was, commanding such ungovernable forces. With an army of almost seventy wizards and witches behind him, and ten giants leading the way and batting aside the large gates of Hogwarts, Voldemort had never been more content and confident in his life.

He was so close to achieving his goal. Dumbledore was in the castle and Tom Riddle planned on Dumbledore never leaving the castle again, unless it was in a coffin of course. He would kill the man and he wouldn't rest until it was done. And with Dumbledore's downfall would come about the end of the Order of the Phoenix and all those witches and wizards who were still fighting and defying the Dark Lord.

Running out of the Great Hall, in groups, were the Order of the Phoenix. There were more of them than Voldemort had anticipated but he knew that his Death Eaters would win. They were stronger this time, better, and they still outnumbered the Order and their leader.

Dumbledore was hard to spot at first, despite his distinctive face and frame, but he was there, with his long indigo robes and his long white beard. Voldemort and his Death Eaters didn't wait, they pounced. Werewolves and vampires pounced too.

It was a war at its fullest.

Spells cackled in the air, series of blues and greens and reds were thrown across the front of the school, the bit of greenery between the large gates and the front doors of the Great Hall, hidden behind the Entrance Hall.

Voldemort looked to his left, where Lucius Malfoy was battling McGonagall and barely managing to gain the upper hand. But she was old. Despite her spells holding power and radiating strength, she was old and therefore not as fast as Malfoy.

Bellatrix was battling two Seventh Years at once and seemed to be restraining herself; they couldn't beat her even if they tried.

Fixing his eyes ahead and tossing back the spells that snaked their way towards him, Tom Riddle watched with hawk eyes, the nearing figure of Dumbledore. Their eyes met, a collision of red and piercing blue, before they cried spells at the same time. Green and blue crashed mightily and their fight began.

Voldemort had a feeling he would win. He just knew it. But then again he always thought he could win.

xo

'Sirius,' cried James. 'What are we going to do? Look at them, fighting him and his followers. We can't just sit here and-'

'I'm thinking James, give me a moment!' Sirius shouted back. His shoulders slumped. He couldn't die and that was fine with him. But what if Voldemort couldn't die too? What if this was all for nothing and he still had another horcrux to find. What if there were two more, three, five? What would he do then? Spend the rest of his life fighting Voldemort?

Because Sirius had another baby on the way and he didn't want Rose to give birth when Voldemort was still alive. He couldn't bare it. She wouldn't be able to bare it too.

'Look how hard we've worked Padfoot, no … let me finish … we've worked so hard to bring you to here. We've done all we can Sirius. And now, now you have a chance to finish him! You're so close Pads.' He clasped Sirius's shoulder and shook him. 'We're so close.'

Sirius gritted his teeth and looked up at James. 'What if I can't Prongs?' his voice broke. 'What if he's got more?'

'Then we keep on looking for them and we keep on fighting because we both have families and too much to lose.' James's voice was strong, passionate and yet it trembled ever so slightly. He was just as scared as Sirius. 'I'll be there the whole time Padfoot. I'll take care of you.'

'Right,' said Sirius. He straightened up and held his wand tighter. 'You'll be there the whole time?'

'Every second of the way Padfoot.'

'Thank you Prongs.' Sirius whispered. Then he started to walk. Not run, not lope or amble. He walked because that was what men did when they were at war. They didn't put up fronts and fake personalities. They were totally honest because the worst way to die was when you weren't honest with yourself. If Sirius was going to be harmed, or if he did somehow manage to die, he wanted to die proudly and honestly.

James stood beside him and for the first time in a while, they weren't the fearless, brave boys that everyone knew them as. They were scared and frightened but they knew that they had a job to do.

Sirius didn't care when the ghosts saw him and they started gasping in shock, he didn't care when he stepped outside and people began to recognise him.

The only thing he paid his attention to was the man duelling Dumbledore, the man that hadn't seen him yet. The man with the shockingly pale skin and the ruby red eyes.

Lord Voldemort.

Sirius heard his name being chanted around him, he flicked a shield the same time James did and watched as spells were rebound from the shield. Many stopped battling, too busy watching with increasing avid attention, the scene that was sure to unfold.

He knew when the other man had seen him because the whole battle field went silent. Moments from their potential deaths and the Death Eaters and Order members still had the time and confidence to watch what was going to happen.

Sirius shivered as he felt those vibrant red eyes on him. He heard the gentle whisper as he stood beside Dumbledore of 'Impossible' and the soft thud as Voldemort's wand fell from his hand onto the floor.

'Did you miss me?' he whispered.

A/N: It's easier than ever to review now, please leave a few words about what you think. Thanks to everyone who left a review on the last chapter!

Gem: I agree, it wouldn't be fair for Sirius to miss anymore time with his son, but since when have things ever been fair for him lol. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter. Bree: You're welcome. I hope this chapter was good. Jade: Finally, someone who acknowledges Walburga as anything but a bitch haha. Thank you very much, I think she's an important character and there's more to her than the whole "blood purity" thing and you're right, she does care a lot about SJ. Persephone: Firstly, I love your name. Second, I wish I could promise you that but things never really go Sirius's way. He usually faces things in the worst way possible. I can guarantee though that he doesn't miss his second child's birth but shhh, it's a secret! Thanks for the review! Maya: Your name is really important in this story but I'm sorry to tell you that you won't know why for a very long time - till the last chapter of this story really haha. Read this chapter and find out if they do cross paths, thanks for the review. Guest: Good suggestion, I'll keep it in mind :D

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews, please do leave one on this chapter!