TW:
Character death.
*
*
*
Remus paced up and down the length of the hospital room, his head buried in his hands.
Too much was at stake. Fawn was still bound to a bed, too weak to do much of anything. Remus could lose everything that night.
Instead of taking Neville and Harry out in silly costumes, knocking on neighbors doors and shouting "trick or treat!" the toddlers were stuck in hiding waiting for the light of death to fall among them.
Lily was probably panicking as the boys delivered the news Fawn had just told them. Sirius and James were most-likely putting protection charms all over the small home in Godric's Hollow. Peter was probably just as Remus was now, waiting for disaster to strike at any moment. Baby Harry was probably babbling and laughing, ignorant to the threat he was facing; ignorant to the power held in his stubby little fingers.
Remus would do anything to ensure his friends got out of this alive somehow.
The sun had set over an hour ago. The fluorescent lights buzzed and crackled overhead. Fawn was doing everything in her power not to succumb to the brewing panic attack. There was nothing she could do now.
Lily and James were powerful, they could get out of this. Harry had survived the first time, he surely would survive again. Voldemort was falling once and for all that night no matter what else happened. The war was over and no one even knew it yet.
James and Lily had their wands this time. They had Sirius and Peter with them. The invisibility cloak was still in their possession. There was no traitorous best friend. Their chance of survival was exponentially higher than it had been in the original timeline.
Fawn just hated that she had to be stuck in a bed during all of this. She hated that her voice was non-existent now. She hated that her limbs ached and burned when once she had been so strong. She hated that even though the wizarding world would be saved, she may have to suffer mentally and physically for the rest of her life.
There were three hours till midnight.
*****
Lily held Harry close to her as the boys rushed around placing protection charms over the home.
James had the invisibility cloak clutched firmly in his left hand, ready to throw to Lily when Voldemort came knocking.
Sirius and Peter worked together, muttering encouragement to each other as they did so.
There were abandoned dinner plates on the kitchen table. Harry's bottle had spilled from when Lily jumped up in shock upon the boys' arrival. A candle flickered in the living room, threatening to be extinguished. The house was a mess but the visitor the Potters were expecting wouldn't care about that.
The wards hissed and cracked a few minutes later as midnight neared.
James looked to his wife, a panicked and determined expression on his face. They had mere seconds to act. He threw the cloak to her.
The cloak had been in his family's possession for centuries. There were countless memories attached to the silky, silver fabric. James hated to think that the last memory he may have of the cloak would be having his wife hide from death. According to the stories from Beedle the Bard though, that was what the first Invisibility cloak was made for anyway. At least this family heirloom usage was coming full circle.
"Take the cloak, Harry and hide!" he shouted, knowing full well this might have been the last time he saw Lily Potter alive.
Green locked with hazel for a fraction of a second. There were no words spoken, but they knew. Their everlasting love was communicated in a single glance and that was enough.
Lily and Harry Potter disappeared upstairs just as the door to their home came off the hinges. James felt Sirius and Peter fall into place on either side of him, wands raised, ready to face death with a fight.
Voldemort in all his glory stood before them, sneering. He thought he had won but the Marauders knew he hadn't. Even if they went down, they knew it was only a matter of time before he came down with them.
Sirius stood to James' right as he always had. He twirled his wand idly, seemingly bored with the break in. His face was blank and stern, matching the expression he had so carefully crafted while stuck among the walls of Grimmauld Place. This man had killed his brother and had corrupted his family one by one. His best friend's wife and child—his godson—was upstairs waiting to cast the final spell to end it all. Voldemort winning was never an option; not when the Marauders had planned this out for years.
Peter stood to James' left, smaller and more timid but ready to fight nonetheless. His wand was raised to the snake-like man. James had always cared for Peter. James had always been the one to tell Peter jokes, give him biscuits and raise his confidence. Peter couldn't believe there was a reality where he had broken down and betrayed the men beside him. Sure, Sirius was brash and mean at time but he had always wanted the best for his friends and Peter could not see himself ever framing Sirius for murder. The Peter of the other lifetime was a coward. This one wasn't. He was still scared, terrified, but he was ready to go down with his best mates. They were the Marauders.
"Well," Voldemort grinned, "look what we have here. A group of young boys who think they stand a chance against me."
James clenched his jaw and stepped forward with his wand raised. "Hurt them and I'll kill you."
The snake laughed, a cold, high, chilling laugh. "Kill me? And how are you going to do that, Potter?"
Sirius stepped forward now, eyes shooting venom. "We know the killing curse and I, for one, am not afraid to use it."
"You don't stand a chance," said Peter, stepping closer to the snake as well.
"And yet," Voldemort whispered, "I broke through your wards, you had no Secret-Keeper, and I hold more power in my pinky finger than the three of you wield combined."
"You can kill me, I'll go to death easily, but if you hurt my friends or my wife and child you will regret severely. It will be the last thing you ever get to do."
Voldemort raised his wand, ready to strike.
Sirius' hand twitched, ready to strike back if need be, a thousand curses on the tip of his tongue.
The floorboards creaked.
James' chin was raised, a glint of arrogance that had been pushed away for years sparkling in his irises again. He was ready for this. Death was not a thing to be feared. It was the main power he held over the evil mastermind in front of him.
Lily and Harry would be okay without him. Lily was the most powerful witch he had had the pleasure of knowing and Harry, even as a toddler, held the power to defeat Voldemort. Lily would find love again and Harry would still grow up loved and spoiled. They would be okay.
"How noble," Voldemort mocked. "Any last words?"
James narrowed his eyes and smirk stretched over his face. "Yes, two actually. Fuck. You." He raised his middle fingers and watched as the words spilled from the man's pale blue lips.
Sirius' eyes widened. This was happening too quickly. This wasn't supposed to happen. James was the best person he knew. How could a person so pure, so good, so brave, face a death so cruel?
The light flashed, bathing the home in green. Sirius was jostled to the side, his shoulder bumping into the entryway wall, nearly losing his footing. Sirius screwed his eyes shut as a body tumbled to the floor; dead.
Was this what Regulus had faced? Had his brother faced death in the same way, head held high, knowing it was the only way?
"No!"
Sirius snapped his eyes open and nearly cried in relief. James was standing, alive, pale and in shock but so beautifully alive.
But James was crying. James never cried. Sirius could count on one hand the amount of time he had seen the man cry in the past ten years and even then it wouldn't even consume all five fingers.
His gaze was trained on the floor so Sirius followed it and what he saw nearly made him give up right there and then.
The small, baby-faced, twenty-one year old man with mousy-brown hair and bright, watery blue eyes had taken James Potter's place.
Peter Pettigrew, the timid little boy, had sacrificed himself to let James live.
James exhaled shakily.
Sirius blinked, not having a plan forward from here. He had been prepared for James to die, that was always a possibility. No one had planned for Peter to meet his demise. No one had thought Peter would push James out of the way at the last second right as the world turned green.
They had all underestimated him. Maybe that was why he turned on them originally because he was sick of being undermined. All those years of harmless teasing suddenly felt like an Azkaban sentence. Peter had proved himself and they could never tell him how proud of him they were.
For a single moment, Sirius wished Peter had framed him of murder. For a single moment he wished he was sitting, wasting away in an Azkaban cell. Because Merlin knew he deserved it. Because even that torture, despair and betrayal would be loads better than staring at Peter's lifeless body curled up on the floor of Godric's Hollow. Because then at least Peter would have proved himself and still would have been alive. Because how were they supposed to be the Marauders without him?
"Peter," whispered James weakly. It was not supposed to end this way. This hadn't been part of the plan.
Sirius ripped his gaze away and vowed to spend the rest of his life avenging the people who didn't survive.
"Avada—"
"Protego."
"Expelli—"
"Avada Ked—"
"Stupefy!"
Voldemort sagged into what remained of the front door. It wasn't over but it was damn-well close to being so.
Sirius stepped on Voldemort's chest and glared down at the weakened man, staring up at him, knowing he had lost.
"Get Harry, we're ending this now," Sirius growled.
James nodded. They were ending this now.
"Expelliramus," Sirius muttered, successfully taking the Dark Lord's wand. A snap was heard echoing through the room followed by two pieces of wood, connected by a dangling feather falling to the floor.
"I've got Harry."
James was panting. Lily had followed the two down, her chest was heaving and her normally pale face was tinged with green.
Lily placed her wand into Harry's tiny hand. "You can do this my love," she murmured to the child. She wrapped her hand around his. "Remember what mummy's taught you alright?"
Voldemort stared up at the toddler in fear. His horcruxes were gone and he was to be bested by a toddler. He knew when to accept defeat. He'd had a good run.
"Abbaba Kadava!"
James chuckled lightly. It wasn't quite right but what could they expect from a fifteen month old?
"Okay, let's do this together," Lily whispered, her voice shaking. "One," she tightened her hand around Harry's, "two," she directed the aim, "three," she took a deep breath and kissed the crown of the head of her messy-haired child.
"Avada Kedavra." "Abbada Kadava!"
And then the Dark Lord was no more. There was no fleeing of his soul because his soul only had one piece now. The war was over. Thank Merlin!
"Good job Harry!" James screamed, grabbing the child and kissing his face repeatedly.
Harry, not understanding that he had just murdered a Dark Lord, giggled and grabbed for his father's glasses, knocking them down off James' nose.
Lily cried tears of joy knowing she didn't have to live in fear anymore.
Sirius grinned, happy for the Potters but still grieving for the friend splayed on the floor only a few feet away.
*****
Remus woke up to an empty hospital room. Fawn was gone. He knew the war was over. James and Lily were still alive. Fawn had succeeded. She was back home in the nineties now. Remus hoped she made a full recovery and could enjoy her life now.
He stood from the chair and stretched. It was time to go to Godric's Hollow.
A/N
Hey. I don't rely know what to say tbh. This book is almost done which is crazy.
Yes I killed Peter... I'm not sorry. I know he didn't betray them and I have him redemption but I'm still not sorry 🤷🏼♀️
I have surgery soon so might now update for a while.
Bye I guess lmao.
Also America is going to shit right now so keep us in your
thoughts non-Americans <3