Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: This one took a looooong time to write. Yeah, it's the same picture in Desecration.

The picture was harmless enough, four young men standing in a garden, bathed in sunlight and surrounded by hanging baskets, ivy, sunflowers and lilies in the garden pond. It would have made him smile but Harry was speechless. His godfather's face had been scribbled over in dark ink that probably came from a biro. TRAITOR had been scrawled along his white shirt. His hands shook and Lupin snatched the photograph, ripping it into shreds and casting them into the fire.

"It was a while ago," he murmured, unable to meet Sirius' eye. "It was a bad night. I would never…"

Sirius cleared his throat. "Don't worry about it. It was years ago."

"Not that long ago."

Harry stared at the carpet, not daring to look up. He dreaded to think what he had unleashed. Dread was soon replaced by anger. Lupin had felt that strongly about Sirius' alleged betrayal? The rest of the Wizarding World had thought it too but they hadn't known him like Lupin had. He should have known. Harry had the overwhelming urge to besmirch Lupin's image in the same way. If anyone had betrayed their friends then it was…

Harry took a deep breath and came to his senses. Sirius had warned him that his former professor was in the possession of a tremendous temper, perhaps worse than his own. Besides, he had also been warned that he would feel this way. He frowned and kept his eyes trained on his shoelaces.

"I'm sorry," said Lupin finally. "It was childish."

Sirius shook his head. "I told you to forget it. Let's face it, I would have done the same to you. It wasn't entirely undeserved." He smiled at Lupin who attempted one in response. "Have you got the other one?"

Lupin shrugged. "Somewhere."

1980

"Lil, will you take them?"

Lily nodded and accepted Lupin's camera. "I can't believe you want pictures in the garden."

Lupin shrugged. "It looks nice. I want some pictures of us that aren't of Sirius being a dolt."

"I, Moony, am never a dolt. I am merely unhinged. There is a huge difference between Dunce's Corner and St. Mungo's."

Lupin frowned. "I really don't think that that's anything to be proud of."

Peter hiccoughed a response and laughed to himself. James shook his head slowly and stared at his friend.

"Are you alright, Pete?"

Peter gave him the thumbs up and hiccoughed a second time. He really ought to work on holding his Firewhiskey. It was due to Peter's reaction that Lily felt she ought to step in before the house caught fire.

"And you're sure you don't want me to make something quickly?"

James clicked his tongue. "Lil, it's summer, I'm a man and I want to grill unsavoury bits of cheap meat."

She sighed. "On your head be it. If the sensible people…sorry, Remus, person, would like some pasta with me then he is more than welcome."

Lupin laughed. "I think I'd better stay here. They'll need an adult to supervise. Besides, you can't go anywhere, you promised you'd take pictures."

James bit his lip. "And I might need someone to tell me when it won't give me Salmonella." He smiled charmingly. "And obviously, your company would be very much appreciated."

Sirius grinned. "Good save. I didn't think you were going to get away with that one." He gasped. "I've been here for four hours and I haven't even asked after Harry!"

Lily smiled grimly. "I don't know why we made you godfather. Truly, there are days when it's beyond me."

Lupin hmmed vaguely. "Especially after the Christening."

Sirius glared at him. "It could have happened to anyone."

"No, Padfoot, really, it couldn't have; at least not to anyone with half a brain cell."

Sirius, forced to admit that it was indeed the truth, smiled sarcastically. "Shut up and drink."

Unfortunately, Lupin did as he was told and was soon almost as intoxicated as Peter. Perhaps this was the reason that he did precisely what he had assured himself that he would not and accepted a piece of chicken from James.

"Moony, you know who hasn't heard your party trick?"

"Harry?"

James grinned. "No, Harry hasn't either. Lil, go and get him."

Lily was horrified. "No. He's sleeping. What party trick?"

Lupin nodded. "Oh, you meant Lily."

Sirius beamed. "Remus does superb impressions."

Peter nodded, his eyelids heavy, along with James who said, "And he sings Bohemian Rhapsody as Peter. He did it as Sirius once. That was hysterical."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Lily shook her head. "You lot ought to be on the stage. I'm sure people would pay to see this much stupidity all in one place. Come on, bunch together a bit." She held up the camera and the three Marauders able to stand, wrapped their arms around one another's shoulders and smiled for it.

CLICK!

Sirius burst into peels of laughter and pocketed his wand. He nudged Lupin and pointed at James' soot stained face and "Kiss me, I'm on fire" apron. "And now we have pictures of it," he laughed. "We can make a fortune selling these to the others. We can move out of the Hovel."

Lupin raised an eyebrow. "I love my Hovel. Go and live with Wormtail if you're that bothered by it."

Peter shrugged. "You can come if you like but that bloody cat is staying with Remus."

Sirius agreed. "He's the only one she won't try and eat anyway. Come on, Pete, get up."

Peter shook his head. "I'm fine here."

Sirius pulled him to his feet. "You've got to be in at least one of tonight's pictures. It's Prongs' first attempt at being Dad-ish."

James sighed. "I'm not being Dad-ish, and I don't care what you've put on my face but you can bloody well remove it when you like."

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know how to take it off."

James' eyes widened. He looked prepared to commit murder until his wife returned with a baby wipe and began to practically scrape the soot from his cheeks.

"Ow! Lil!"

Lily pursed her lips. "You've earned every wince, Potter."

"I notice you're not this horrible to the baby."

Lily took a deep breath. "Harry has never deserved it."

James winced. "You don't call him Potter either."

"Sorry, force of habit."

James raised his eyebrows. "Well I've kept still through all that. I've been cursed and had no sympathy from my own wife. I have been rubbed raw. I think after all that, I deserve a kiss, don't you?"

Sirius met Lupin's eye and winked. "Of course, you do. Come here."

Lily reached up and wrapped her arms around him, granting his request.

CLICK!

"I have absolutely no doubt that Padfoot is a better kisser than me and I have no intention of losing you to him."

James bit back his grin. "Really? Even after all the effort you put into avoiding me?"

She smiled. "Even after all the effort I put into avoiding you, yes."

"Is it just me," slurred Peter. "Or have you never felt like such a gooseberry in your life?"

Lupin smiled fondly. "We'd better be going."

Sirius bit his lip. "Okay, but first I have to steal that apron."