A/N: Hi friends, work has been so boring as of late that all of this chapter was actually written there. Please. Please. Please review it would be so helpful and encouraging to hear from more of you all.
Disclaimer: Is my name J.K. Rowling? No. Therefore I own nothing
After getting Dora to bed for the night, Andie descended the stairs to see Ted sitting at the counter with Cissa's letter. She'd set it in front of him on her way past when going upstairs to tuck Dora in. Andie rounded the counter and stood across from her husband, leaning on her elbows.
"So?"
"I think I'm confused here, love. I thought Narcissa would be like Bellatrix now, or Lucius."
Andie picked up the letter, skimming it as she talked. "That's what I was afraid of, I was afraid she'd changed but apparently we are both wrong. Because if anything she sounds more rebellious than she did when we were at Hogwarts."
"But how isn't she like them?" His voice pulled her eyes back up.
"I don't, I don't know Ted," she paused, biting her bottom lip, "But I think I need to figure it out."
He sighed, "I thought you might say that."
"I need to find out if she is really still my sister if only because outside of you and Dora she is my only family." Andie's eyes dropped back down to the letter.
"Sirius is what, a mangy dog?"
She snorted softly, "Sirius is definitely family, but Narcissa…she's my baby sister Ted."
Ted nodded, "Just be careful love, please."
Andie walked past him toward the table kissing his temple on the way by. Sitting down she summoned a fresh piece of parchment, quill, and ink. As she began writing Andie felt herself slipping into the more formal tones that had been drilled into her as a child and stopped. She only did that when she was nervous. Shaking her head, Andie summoned another piece of parchment and started again, this time making sure to keep the letter in her own voice.
Dear Cissa,
Hello baby sister, trust me I have missed you just as much if not more. It made me incredibly happy to read your letter and know you haven't changed since I left. Where your plans are concerned I think selling the manor is a brilliant idea. Nothing good has come from that place in a long time and getting out while you have the chance sounds like an easy decision to me. As for changing your name I'm not sure I'll be much help. The name Black means something very different to me than it does to you. I ran from that name, maybe in the same way you're running from Malfoy. I can't tell you what to do on that front, but if it would make you happy then I would encourage doing it.
Love, Andie
P.S. If you would be interested in getting coffee sometime, just let me know the time and place. I'll be there.
It took the Marauders another two weeks to clear the house up to the next landing. And in that time they slowly migrated into the house semi permanently. Sirius and Moony took one bedroom, James and Harry in the other. The whole crew went back to Moony's on Sundays to do laundry and grab clothes and nappies for the next week. They'd also begun deciding who would be in what room once the place was finished. Sirius would take his old bedroom, because why not, Moony said he'd take Regulus's room. Sirius decided to leave it as a surprise as to just how much silver and green was in there. Prongs would take the master bedroom and the spare room across the landing would become the nursery.
Sirius had to admit, he was starting to enjoy ripping apart the house his parents had loved so much. Another easy decision, tearing all the house elf heads off the walls. As a kid they'd scared the shit out of him and caused awful nightmares, and he wasn't going to let Harry go through that. If Harry was going to grow up in the same house as he did, then Sirius was going to make damn certain it was the opposite from what it had been for him.
Sirius's stomach gave a conspicuous growl, looking at his watch he started practically whining, "Moony, Prongs it's so far past lunch, I might collapse on the stairs."
Both of them checked the time, Moony chuckled and Prongs son of a bitch, Prongs actually cracked a smile. Sirius had nearly forgotten what that had looked like.
"Pads, it's all of ten past noon," Prongs was still smirking slightly.
Sirius stayed deadpan, "Like I said, collapse."
Still chuckling, Moony took his arm to "help" him, as they neared the kitchen Sirius could hear Harry giggling and saw Kreacher entertaining his godson with new smoke tricks.
Within the last week Sirius had noticed a change in the house elf, he seemed to try and stand straighter and Sirius hadn't failed to realize the rooms they'd already gutted and sanitized stayed clean, despite the fact that they hadn't been touched in weeks now. Even the kitchen was more spotless than it was when the they'd first finished with it. Kreacher was by no means respectful, but most of his under the breath comments had become inaudible as of late.
"Kreacher, any chance there's something ready for lunch?"
Looking up at his master Kreacher nodded and grabbed a platter of sandwiches from the counter, carrying them to the table while levitating a pitcher of milk behind him. Prongs picked Harry out of the travel cot and set him in the high chair that had also migrated from Moony's flat.
Sirius sighed as he sat down and reached for a sandwich, although he'd been confident at the funeral they could handle anything the house could throw at them he was still a bit surprised at just how well they were doing. His mother was notorious for never throwing anything out and she'd died shortly after Regulus had, leaving Kreacher nothing to do, it was a bloody miracle the house hadn't eaten itself in the intervening years.
The friends ate in amicable silence, listening to Harry babble while eating the bits of sandwich on the high chair tray. After about half a platter of sandwiches, they heard a knock on the door. Within seconds, all three Marauders had their wands in hand and stood facing the entryway. Sirius did a mental count of the people who knew they were here. Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, Molly and Arthur…maybe one or two others.
"Kreacher, take Harry into the sitting room and do not come out unless I call you."
He knew from the crack behind him when his godson was safe. With that knowledge all three men began to advance toward the front door. Prongs stepped forward and grasped the door handle, nodding to both Moony and Sirius before flinging the door open. Dumbledore was standing on the doorstep looking focused, and completely unconcerned about the three wands pointed at his face.
"Sweet Merlin Professor, we almost took your head off." Moony sagged against the wall and let his wand drop as Dumbledore stepped into the entryway.
Sirius looked back toward the sitting room door, "Kreacher, come out it's safe." Another crack and Kreacher appeared with Harry in his arms. Sirius walked over and picked him up from Kreacher and with his godson playing with one of his shirt buttons, he returned his attention to Dumbledore, who looked at each of them in turn before resting his gaze of Prongs.
"Peter has been caught."
James felt his breath catch and waited. Waited for Dumbledore to take this away from him. But the headmaster just looked at him, eyes filled with something James couldn't identify, maybe a mix of pity and sorrow. He heard Padfoot begin to growl next to him.
"Where is he?"
"At the ministry, his trial is to begin the day after next."
"I need to see him." James was more sure of that than he'd been in anything since Halloween.
He could see Dumbledore hesitate, "Professor I need the rat that did this to my family to see exactly what he's done."
James was ready to push past his teacher if need be, but Dumbledore merely inclined his head and stepped aside. James nearly ran out the door with Padfoot and Moony close behind, once outside he grasped both their shoulders and turned, apparating them all to the ministry.
When the crushing blackness that was apparation lifted James realized Padfoot was still holding Harry and, not for the first time, realized just how little his son liked apparation. Before James could take a step, Moony was there and harry was safely snuggled into his shoulder. With his son calmed down James turned back toward the ministry atrium when Dumbledore appeared next to them with a crack.
He looked James in the eye, "This won't bring her back."
James nodded and began walking. Turns out they'd put Peter in the same cell as they had Padfoot, somehow that irony was lost on James. Barty Crouch was standing in front of the door to the cell, Dumbledore must have told him they'd be coming.
"Now see here Mr. Potter, you cannot go into that cell. I promise this man will face justice, but I cannot condone taking the law into.." his words died at the looks all three Marauders were giving.
Padfoot cleared his throat, "Crouch need I remind you that you nearly sent me to Azkaban for a crime I didn't commit? Without a trial. That rat is the reason my sister is dead. He's why my best friend and godson were nearly killed. So, I suggest you step aside so we can talk to him because if nothing else we deserve a reason for why one of our oldest friends tried to destroy our family."
Crouch paled slightly and looked toward Dumbledore for assistance, but the headmaster merely looked on. Crouch stepped aside, "No torture, no killing." James nodded and all four stepped through the door.
Peter was sniveling in the corner of the cell, James saw him and felt a rage build inside him. He tamped it down.
"Peter."
With one word he saw the rat go from sniveling to afraid in less time than it took to blink. James walked closer and looked at this pathetic excuse of a man. This was someone he'd grown up with, broken rules with, trusted. Peter had been one of the first people to hold Harry, he'd consoled Lily countless times when Petunia ignored her letters. He was also the reason his wife was dead.
"Why?"
Peter stopped sniveling and began to weep openly, "He was going to kill me Prongs, he was going to make me disappear!" Peter was practically whining now.
Something inside James snapped and he started yelling, "That's why we trusted you Peter. We trusted you to keep us safe. I trusted you with my family, trusted you would die before putting them in danger and now Lily is dead. Because of you.
Peter turned toward Moony and Padfoot, as if hoping for support. "What would you have done? If the Dark Lord was going to kill you what would you have done?"
Padfoot charged forward stopping just short of Peter, "I would have died! I would have died rather than betray my friends! Died rather than betray my family!"
"I would have gone to my grave before letting Voldemort anywhere near you Peter." Moony spoke quietly, but James had never heard him speak with such coldness, such indifference.
With condemnation from his former friends Peter shrunk back into the sniveling mess he'd been when they'd entered the cell, but James wasn't through just yet. He stood and looked down at the rat.
"Peter look at Moony, look at him." Peter's eyes slowly traveled to Moony. "He is holding Harry. I want you to look the child, my child, who you tried to sentence to death. You are the one who sentenced him to grow up without his mother." Looking now to Moony James spoke, "Take Harry out of here."
Moony nodded and walked out, not looking at Peter again. When they'd gone James turned his attention back to Peter.
"Now, look at me Peter, you betrayed your oldest friends. We would have gone to our deaths protecting you and now we will make damn sure you never see the light of day again. You not only killed my wife, but you tried to get Sirius thrown into Azkaban for killing all those muggles. I've heard it said Azkaban can be a sentence worse than death. I hope it's true." He spat at the rat and walked out.
James had expected Padfoot to follow, but realized that wasn't the case. He turned and saw Pads wrestling with Peter's left arm before successfully shoving the sleeve up. James walked back across the cell and saw why Padfoot looked horrified. On Peter's forearm was the faint scar of the Dark Mark. Before he could control himself, James punched Peter once across the face. Blood began to spout from Peter's nose, and after looking on for a moment Padfoot repeated James's action. Together the friends walked from the cell.
James stopped in front of Crouch, "He's a bloody Death Eater if you hadn't already known."
He strode past Dumbledore and took Harry from Moony before all three Marauders walked out. By the time they arrived back to Grimmauld place James was practically shaking with the effort of keeping it together. Once inside, James set Harry back in the travel cot kissing the top of his head and breathing in the scent of his hair as had become James's custom.
Walking out into the small back yard, James looked at the pile of rubbish they'd planned on burning that afternoon and felt the rubber band clenching his chest snap. Drawing his wand James began banishing different items around the yard, some he made explode. When the pile was no more he began making it again and repeated the process. Each time the regathered pile got smaller until there was just a layer of rubble covering the entire yard. James couldn't see clearly through the layer of tears on his glasses. He heard Moony summon the rubble into a single pile and felt the heat as Padfoot set it burning.
"He did it for a tattoo. He thought we were going to lose and the cost of switching sides was my family. How could I be so stupid not to see that?"
"None of us saw it Prongs and we traded keeping watch over him every night." Moony's hand on his shoulder made James realize just how much he was shaking.
"Prongs, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I'm the one who told you to choose him as your secret-keeper. I'm the one who should be blamed." Padfoot was barely speaking above a whisper.
They were quiet for a while, all three watching the rubbish pile burn. James cleared his throat and wiped his glasses on this shirt.
"I don't blame you Pads. I could never blame you, any more than I could blame Lily."
He grasped his friend's shoulder for a moment before heading back to the house.
Just as seeing Peter had undone Prongs, being told by Prongs it wasn't his fault caused Sirius to unravel. Since Halloween Sirius had pushed down the guilt he'd felt that he'd killed Lily, pushed down the grief because his friends needed him and on top of it he'd been working on and living in a house that had been a hellhole for the first sixteen years of his life.
Sirius broke.
Sitting down hard on the cold ground he began to weep openly, he let himself feel it all. Sirius aware of Moony, sitting next him. Moony didn't try to hug him or tell him anything. It was exactly what he needed in that moment. When Sirius finally got control of himself again he realized the rubbish fire had burned itself out a while ago and they'd been sitting outside, on the ground, in early December.
Seeing him in control again Moony stood and offered Sirius a hand up. "Come on mate, it's nearly dinnertime."
Nodding Sirius took the offered hand and the two walked into the house.
Later that night Remus could hear Prongs and Padfoot putting Harry down, he knew Lily had usually done it and it seemed that almost anything Lily could do took at least two Marauders to get done. He went about the kitchen and made three mugs of hot chocolate. Bringing them to the table Remus hit all three with a warming charm and sat down to wait for Harry to actually go to sleep.
About 30 minutes later his friends came down the stairs and practically sighed in relief at the sight of the hot chocolate on the table. Once they were both sitting and a couple sips into their mugs Remus cleared his throat, but spoke quietly.
"Ok, let's make one thing abundantly clear. It is no one's fault that Lily died but Peter. Prongs you did everything you could to save her and honestly, it's a miracle you're not dead too. And Padfoot, you did everything humanly possible to protect our friends. Peter made his own decisions."
Both Prongs and Padfoot looked a little shell shocked. Remus was rarely this foward and it had clearly taken them off guard. After a pause Remus continued, "I'm grieving too, but I refuse to stand by and watch the two of you bury yourselves in guilt for something you couldn't control. It won't bring Lily back and it won't help you keep living. Either of you."
Remus sat back with his own mug and waited. Prongs had found a very interesting knot in the table to look at and Padfoot was still just staring at Remus. Eventually, Padfoot looked across the table at the wall behind him.
After a few minutes Prongs spoke without looking up, "If I had just realized or, or been a little fast I could have- "
"No Prongs, you did every single thing you possible could have, did everything within your power to protect her and Voldemort was stronger. He only made it to her once he thought you were dead."
Remus knew he was being blunt, but he also knew these things needed to be said. His friends were thickheaded and stubborn, the pair of them.
"What about me Moony, if I hadn't pushed for Peter as a secret keeper Lily would be here right now and we wouldn't be cleaning doxies out of curtains."
"Padfoot none of us had any inkling as to what Peter would do. I didn't. Prongs didn't. Dumbledore didn't. Even Lily didn't. We all thought he was one of us and nothing short of seeing the mark on his arm would have convinced us otherwise."
Remus was beginning to get desperate. He needed them to understand, needed them to hear him. "We can't bring her back and Harry needs us. It's going to take all three of us to raise that boy into someone Lily would be proud of. I know we're all grieving, but we can't keep blaming ourselves, we can't. Or Harry will suffer." Remus finished his hot chocolate in one gulp and stood up. "I'm headed to bed. We can start on that second landing in the morning."
With that he left his friends sitting at the table.
Long after Moony had left Sirius and Prongs sat staring into their cups. Without looking up Prongs grunted, "He's right you know."
"That doesn't make it any easier to do."
"No, but I'm pretty sure it means we have to try."
Sirius lifted his mug, "To Harry."
Prongs clanked their mugs together, "To Harry."
With that the both men left the table and went to bed.
A/N: Again I am practically begging at this point. Please Review. Also if work doesn't pick up the next chap should be posted in the next couple weeks.
