The Bug Collector | marauders

Happy Halloween

"No way, James. I'm staying here with you." Rose countered firmly as she locked eyes with James.

He didn't even have a wand.

"You'll take Lily and go, Thorns. Now." The Gryffindor repeated himself, glasses fogging up ever so slightly.

"You've not even got a wand James!" Rose yelled as the door creaked. James reached up into her hair, and pulled out a green wand with ivy engraved into the wood. A wand she'd received as a gift from Sirius long ago.

"I've got one now. Go." James said, eyes softening on his wife and sister-in-law.

"I love you both." He said to them, before the two turned and ran upstairs.

While they traversed the stairs into the baby's room Lily mumbled frantically. She'd been reciting every incantation she could think of, doing anything and everything she could to protect her son and sister.

Rose picked Harry up out of his cradle and held him tightly to her chest as Lily rambled out every protection spell she could think of.

They could hear James yelling for a while, then the sounds of muffled footfalls climbing the stairs, then a loud thud.

The thud had been James' body hitting the hardwood floor. Lily let out a single sob for her husband and just kept reciting spells and charms.

Rose looked into her sister's desperate eyes as the door creaked opened behind them. Then, there was a blast and a quick flash of green, a vile colour. It should have killed them all, but it hadn't. Rose's sister lay dead before her, yet she and Harry had survived.

They held matching scars for rest of their lives. Haphazardly covered with bangs and glasses.

—

Remus arrived later that night, after the Aurors(who were practically wizard police). When he arrived Rose had already heard the news that Peter was dead, and that Sirius was arrested for the crimes. It had all happened so quickly.

"Peter's dead too." Remus said, as he took a seat next to Rose who sat outside with her crying nephew in her arms.

"I heard." Was her only response as she looked forward into the vast darkness, the wand James had died using sat on the ground beside her.

Remus' hair had grown longer in the war. The dusty brown stands came to about his shoulders. It was straight and a little messy. His facial hair was slightly overgrown and prickly.

"I had something to tell all of you tonight." Rose admitted, tears welling in her eyes and sorrow tugging at her voice.

"Yeah?" Remus asked, taking a quick look in her direction, his eyes were desolate, his tone matched its hopelessness.

"Yeah." Rose responded, holding Harry close as he cried over their conversation.

"I'm pregnant." She said as surely as she could manage. She and Sirius had meant to tell him for weeks, but never found the courage.

There was a long silence after that. It was as if Remus had gone through all the stages of grief in one moment.

Remus had known something was different between the two of them, he'd never outright asked, but he had known.

"It's Sirius' then? You— you know." He said without anger, without grief, he simply asked for the truth.

"Yeah. Yeah it is. I'm sorry, it was a mistake and you don't have to forgive me for it." She said as she looked ahead at the (Aurors) walking in and out of her brother-in-law's home.