THC, Round 8, Slytherin, HoH, Standard.

Prompt: [Time] Midday

Word count: 2612

Beta(s): Aya Diefair, Butterflies765, CupCakeyyy, ShynGreat

Post-Transformation Plans

Remus groaned, shielding his eyes from the bright light that tore through the tattered curtains. It was giving him a headache. Or perhaps that was from a particularly bad transformation. His body ached as though he had just run a marathon in his Werewolf form. He hated when that happened.

Pulling himself up wearily from the ground, he glanced around before dressing in the robes he had left for himself. They felt heavier than they had yesterday.

Gingerly, he made his way back to his home. There was no point in rushing; he never planned to do anything on either side of his transformation currently. It was a rule he had to make when they tried to send him on missions straight after a full moon.

Today, his day would start at midday when he'd go shopping for himself—he needed sugar and milk—and for James and Lily. They relied on other people bringing them their shopping. After all, they couldn't leave their cottage.

With a stifled yawn, Remus slid out his wand and Apparated directly back to his home. After advice from Lily a few months ago, he had begun to prepare everything for when he got back from his transformation. This routine was almost second nature to him. A few hours of no distractions.

So, ever trusting his auburn-haired friend, he mentally got the recovering list out of the back of his mind and set to address the first issue—the residing pain. Remus stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the taps to fill up the bathtub with piping hot water—that was sure to help with the muscle pain he currently had. While waiting for it to fill up, he'd grab the sandwich from the fridge he had made yesterday and scoff it down. Then it was time for a nice hot tea and chocolate digestive biscuits which he'd eat in the bath.

Throwing off his clothes, he sunk into the depths of the water before kicking the taps off.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he allowed his muscles to soak in the bubbly water. The lavender scent—thanks, Lily—filling his nostrils and calming down his tense body.

Once the water began to cool down, he'd drink the usually lukewarm tea and eat the biscuits before running the soap over his body and shampooing his hair. Remus started to spend longer and longer in the bath as the months went on. Eventually, after the water had gone cold, he pulled himself out of the tub, wrapped a towel around him, and was ready to sleep the rest of the morning away.

Nothing could interrupt and disturb this.

However, as he walked into his bedroom, a single towel around his waist, he knew something wasn't right. There were letters laying on his bed, an owl at his window, and—the most obvious sign—Mad-Eye Moody, standing in front of him.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"It's James and Lily. Voldemort got them."

Blood drained from Remus' face as the words slowly sunk in. James and Lily killed. Both of them. He didn't know what to think. How could that have happened?

James and Lily.

Two of his best friends.

His legs slowly gave way as he sank onto his bed, his eyes stinging and his hands shaking. This couldn't be happening.

He looked up at the Auror and for a very short, insane moment felt like he was the one at his fault for their death. He opened his mouth to say something. But as his eyes glanced over to the clock, 10:03 am, and, absentmindedly, something at the back of his mind pushed at his conscience. It all sounded really familiar.

Remus couldn't speak, he didn't know what he would say if he did anyway. They didn't deserve to die. Nobody did. Too many people had died already.

Though, something about James and Lily's death seemed familiar. Voldemort getting them on Halloween night. Where had he heard this plan before?

Wait… Sirius! Sirius had been supposed to be house-sitting at one point before James and Lily cancelled their plans to leave their house—again.

Wait… The plan… The plan.

Remus ran his hand through his sandy-coloured hair as he remembered a few weeks ago. It was a few days before his previous transformation and he had already started to feel the effects. He and Peter had gone out drinking and come up with a wacky plan after Sirius had put their lives at risk during a mission. Their black-haired friend was still reckless. He hadn't gotten one bit better than how he'd been back at Hogwarts. You would think he'd have learnt a thing or two by now.

But this sounded a bit too familiar. Tricking Sirius. Sending Voldemort to Potter's Cottage on Halloween when James and Lily were sneaking out to take Harry Trick-or-Treating in a Muggle location. Sirius would be house-sitting; as it was easier to keep up the protection wards. Though, it was just a drunken prank idea if you could call it that, nothing that either of them would ever even consider. At least, that's what Remus thought.

However, Voldemort attacking on Halloween in the middle of the night was exactly what they had been talking about that night.

It wasn't possible, though. It was a coincidence. Peter didn't have anything to do with this, he couldn't have, he was their friend. He wouldn't take a drunken night plan and put it into action like this. And how… Peter wasn't a Death Eater. Right? How would Voldemort even...

He looked up at Mad-Eye. "Can I see them?"

Mad-Eye gave him a confirmation nod. "Get dressed."

Looking down, Remus felt the embarrassment radiate up through his body. He forgot he was just in a towel. Quickly, he grabbed a set of clothes and threw them on before heading off with the Auror.

All too soon, they had arrived, and Remus was pulled out of his disturbing thoughts.

The top of Potter Cottage had been blown apart, the entire roof gone. A massive hole.

"You coming?"

Remus looked at Mad-Eye, the usually impatient man was surprisingly patiently waiting only a few feet away. His legs felt like concrete, stuck to the ground. Slowly, he pulled his legs forward, one step at a time, walking towards the previously homey house.

His whole brain was numb when he saw James on the floor, laying sprawled out. It was true, James is dead. Scanning his eyes around his friend, he couldn't locate the wand: Did Voldemort steal his wand?

It didn't look extremely damaged downstairs, however, by the sight of the roof, Remus knew it would be different upstairs. So much so that he found himself stopping again. His eyes zoned in on a clock, 12:00. Was that midday or midnight? Was that the time now? A few seconds of it ticking, or lack of, told him the clock didn't work.

With a sigh, he followed Mad-Eye up the stairs. He couldn't remember if Harry had been mentioned and was not prepared to see anything that might have happened to the little boy.

Remus felt an invisible force stop him at the door as he looked down at Lily's lifeless body. She's dead, too. Mad-Eye didn't lie. Half of him hoped that Mad-Eye had been wrong.

"Where's Harry?" he asked, more like whispered, when he noticed the cot was empty.

"He's alive and in the care of Hagrid right now. We're working out what to do with him."

Remus nodded. That was all he could do. Nothing else was processing in his brain, how was he supposed to think or even act? Somebody had just taken away Harry's best chance at a happy childhood. And Remus was sure that Peter had something to do with it.

One step back.

Another step back.

He had to get out of here.

It was all too real for him.

Remus gasped for air as he got outside, the tears freely falling down his cheeks.

"Mr Lupin," another Auror greeted, this one he didn't recognise. His head was feeling as if it was filled with cotton and he couldn't really make it formulate a thought. He rubbed his eyes aggressively, causing stars to shoot across his vision. As he opened them again, a dull pain lingering in them, just as much as in his bones, his eyes caught the sight of the Auror's watch. It indicated it was nearly midday. It was almost the afternoon and for some reason, that thought filled Remus with dread. What had happened since his friends had been killed? He looked up.

"Yes?"

"We need confirmation that Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper, he's claiming that Peter Pettigrew was."

Remus looked up at this unknown man, to the house, and then towards Sirius who was standing a few metres away, three Aurors pointing their wands at him. How long had he been there? "I…" Remus started, his mind filled with a variety of thoughts.

Peter had killed two of his friends, he had done wrong, and he should be prosecuted. But what if it wasn't Peter? What if Remus was wrong about this? What if Sirius had something to do about this?

Remus was under the full impression that Sirius was still James and Lily's Secret Keeper, however, part of the plan had been for Peter to convince them to move it over to him as he wasn't the 'obvious choice'. What if that had happened?

Who was the traitor? Was there even a traitor?

There must have been and it would have been the Secret Keeper.

Even though Sirius had been an awful person, he had also been a great friend. Accepting him, despite his monstrosity. Including him. Being his friend.

But Peter had been his friend, too. And wasn't the one who pulled dangerous pranks on others.

"Let me go! It was Peter! Let me go and find him!" Sirius' ragged voice shouted, gaining nearly everybody's attention.

"Well?" the Auror asked.

There was only one thing Remus could do at this stage, and that was answer honestly with what he did and did not know. "James and Lily would have notified somebody if they changed the Secret Keeper," he answered hesitantly. "They didn't tell me anything."

In slow motion, he watched Sirius being petrified and taken away to Azkaban. He heard that Sirius had killed Peter; though, that only increased Remus' confusion—Sirius just said he was still alive.

Glancing down to avoid Sirius' glance, he noticed the time: Midday. This was not what he was expecting to do at this time. According to Lily's how-to-get-better list, he should be reading his favourite book right now. But it was now impossible to go shopping, that wouldn't be right. He'd just have to live without sugar and butter for a bit longer.

The following day, Remus stepped from side to side awkwardly as he waited in the dim alleyway near Diagon Alley. Checking the time, he groaned, 11:58 am. He was late. Was he even coming? Was he even alive?

That didn't surprise him. But, as usual, Remus was loyal enough to wait around a bit longer.

A minute passed by. He was almost half an hour late. That was enough time for Remus to doubt everything that he had done; he should have told the truth. Sirius had been taken straight to Azkaban yesterday, twenty-four hours ago. It was wrong.

Checking his watch, Remus took a deep breath, if he couldn't prove this then his friend would rot away.

His watch struck midday as a nearby clock struck once, twice, thrice…

"Remus, you came!"

Four, five, six.

"They think you're dead," Remus commented, counting the strikes.

Seven, eight, nine.

"I had to."

Ten, eleven, twelve.

Twenty-four hours ago he lied and destroyed one of his best friends' life.

"Did you?"

Peter twitched and remained lingering in the deep shadows. His face was dirty and his hair darker than usual. "He was going to kill me."

Remus pushed his hair out of his face and stepped forward. "What happened? Why is James dead? And Lily? What happened?"

The blond man shook his head and backed into the wall, almost becoming invisible. "Sirius was supposed to be there."

Remus felt a realisation hit him suddenly. Peter really had gone through with their drunken plan to try and get back at Sirius. But how could he have been so stupid! Even considering talking to Voldemort was unthinkable! So using him as a method to scare their friend was absolutely ridiculous! How could Peter have even thought it was acceptable to… Remus shook off his thoughts and listened to his so-called friend continue.

"He said he was going to be there. But… I couldn't check again. It took me hours to get the information through and I didn't know if he would buy it. But he did… and he entered just before midnight and… and… well… it exploded." Peter gestured the explosion with his hands.

"That's when the clock stopped," he muttered to himself. James and Lily Potter never spent even a second in November. Peter just confessed to betraying them. "What happened after?"

Peter began to get shakier, more nervous. "I…" he stopped and looked around nervously. "They're after me. Sirius is after me! The Death Eaters are after me!"

"Focus!" Remus insisted, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

It didn't help the slightly chubbier boy calm down. "Sirius came there about two minutes later and went in. And then he saw me. He tried to kill me! I barely got away. I had to get away."

Remus ran his hand through his hair. This wasn't right. This was wrong. But Peter had been his friend since they were eleven, could he fully turn him in? "Run. Hide."

"What?"

"Turn into a rat and hide," Remus advised. He looked around, taking note of any shadows that moved. But now it was too late, the shadows were coming in closer. Remus looked into his friend's eyes and rested a hand on his shoulder and saw the trust reflecting. Though, as he looked, he knew that the person standing in front of him wasn't the same boy that he had grown up with. "It will be okay. Friends don't betray one another."

Peter nodded. "I won't betray you!"

Remus gave him a sad smile and took a few steps backwards. "Then there's only one way forward and that's to protect real friends."

Peter froze, his limbs clasping together tightly, his expression still hopeful, as he fell to the ground. The petrifying spell had taken full effect.

"Good job, Lupin," Mad-Eye Moody commented, walking up and looking down at Peter in disgust. "We will bring him to justice."

Remus dropped his head. Although Peter had betrayed his friends, it still seemed wrong to lure him into a trap to capture him. He watched as Aurors levitated him away and backed away until his back touched the cold wall.

"Wait!" he called suddenly. "What about Sirius?"

Mad-Eye gave him a glance. "He'll get a fair trial now that Peter has confessed. I'd leave a light on for him."

Remus nodded in response and aimlessly wandered away from this alleyway. The last twenty-four hours had changed his entire life and that of his friends.

Eventually, he got home, sat on his bed and waited to hear word of Sirius' release.

He carried on waiting when the sunset.

He was still waiting when the sun rose.

And it was only when the sun was directly above him, at midday, that a knock on his door was the news he had been waiting for.