October 30th, '81
Peter Pettigrew arrived in the muggle part of Surrey at five o'clock in the morning on October 29th.
Colin Jones found his cousin, Damien, dead in their living room ten minutes later. He had been awoken by the bang and rushed down. He fell to his knees over the boy's body, sobbing as he noticed the dark mark above his house. There was a figure in the garden, he rushed out, wand outstretched, lowering it as he realised it was Peter Pettigrew.
"Peter," Colin breathed. "How did you get here so fast?"
"We were just notified," Peter said calmly. "I came as fast as I could."
"Is anyone else from the order coming?"
"Colin, I'm in auror training, it'll be okay."
Colin leant back against his house and cried into his hands.
"Did you see anything?"
"No- I- Damien is in Slytherin! He has good relationships with everyone, he plays nice with the death eaters, I don't understand!"
"Damien was a muggleborn, correct?"
"Yes," he said through tears.
"And no Slytherins ever knew about this?"
Colin paused, "Juliet Romilly did, in school. But I don't think she-"
Peter painted a distressed look on his face, "ah, I see."
"She wouldn't, she's been on our side-"
"The order has had a spy," Peter said quietly. "We have all suspected her quietly, trying not to provoke her."
Colin sat down on the grass, his head against the brick breathing heavily, "she got the dark mark, in school, I remember."
Peter nodded and sat opposite him, feigning sadness.
"We all wanted to trust her."
"I'm gonna kill her."
"I'll summon the others," Peter sighed. "It's better if you say you saw her, quicker to get them to Azkaban that way."
Colin nodded.
It was six o'clock in the morning when Alastor Moody entered the flat which Juliet and Remus shared. Dumbledore had heard the news, and got rid of the wards, being their secret keeper.
Juliet shrieked at the sound of the door being broken down and rushed into the living room, wand outstretched. Remus was already there, he looked at her, confused.
Alastor entered the flat and promptly disarmed the witch.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Remus asked. "What are you-"
"Juliet Romilly, we have reason to believe this morning you murdered Damien Jones," Alastor said, stepping aside as ministry officials entered the flat.
Remus stared at her, she was fully dressed.
"Damien is dead?" She asked, in shock, her arms limp as men took ahold of her.
"She didn't," Remus said quietly. He looked to Dumbledore desperately. "She wouldn't, it was her who bloody protected him all those years ago! It was her-"
When they apparated only he and his old headmaster remained, there were tears falling down his face and the old wizard put a hand on his shoulder.
"Colin has said she was there. That he saw her."
Remus shook his head, "bullshit, no-"
A few hours later a wolf patronus appeared in front of Sirius' window. He jumped out of bed and ran outside. As soon as he heard Remus' voice he apparated, seeing his friend with his forehead to a wall in muggle London.
"Remus, mate?" Sirius asked.
"They took her."
"What?" He asked, worried, putting behind all hostility between the pair.
"Juliet, they took her."
"Who did? When? I was just with her?"
Remus' eyes snapped up, "what?"
"I patrolled with her, until just before six this morning."
"That's why she was fully dressed," he murmured.
Sirius shook his friend's shoulder.
"Moony."
"Damien Jones was murdered this morning, at five o'clock. They've just taken Juliet in for the murder."
"What-"
"Someone told Colin that there's a spy, he told the aurors 'here's your spy.' They came, and they took her," he said, swallowing back a sob.
Sirius quickly hugged his friend, regretting the space that had been between the marauders, and feeling guilty for everything he had said about Remus.
"Let's go."
"Where?"
Sirius grabbed him and apparated him to outside of a red telephone box.
"The ministry," Sirius muttered, "used to come with Orion, know my way around fairly well."
The two wizards sprinted through the Ministry of Magic, towards where Sirius promised Juliet would be being held and questioned. When they reached the room they knocked.
"No use, boys," Albus Dumbledore said. "They won't let me in either."
"Who's in there with her?"
"The minister for magic, Millicent, as well as a few other officials."
"I was with her," Sirius said. "She and I patrolled today. I have the letters, where we arranged it. I told James Potter about it."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up a little, and he knocked the door, speaking a few commanding words. He entered, and a few minutes later, the door opened fully, revealing Juliet bound to a chair, looking half-conscious.
"Cruciatus," Sirius whispered to Remus as they entered, willing himself to stay calm.
Remus however, did not.
"The fucking cruciatus?" He said, looking straight into the eyes of Millicent Bagnold, the Minister for Magic. "Dumbledore, how could you let this happen?"
The woman stood up stiffly, "it has been legalised, Mr..."
"Remus Lupin," he spat.
Her features softened a little, "I knew your father-"
"I don't give a fuck about my father. You used it on her?"
"It's been legalised for death eaters, Mr Lupin," another woman, who had her wand pointed at Juliet, said.
"She isn't a death eater," he said, his voice raising.
The Minister for Magic glanced at the dark mark on Juliet's arm, and then back at Remus.
"Mr Lupin-"
"I was with her," Sirius interrupted. "Juliet and I patrolled this morning, until just before six o'clock. I apparated her back to outside her flat, and then returned to mine. I have the letters, and I told James Potter about the meeting."
"This is also what she said," an official whispered to the minister.
"It is only your word, we have then, I presume?"
"And what do you have from Colin?" Remus snapped. "His word? He's not even a bloody order member?"
"Sirius is a trusted member, and future order, Millicent," Alastor Moody said from where he stood with Dumbledore. "And, might I add, as is Mr Lupin, and as was Miss Romilly."
"I cannot make decisions based on the word of twenty year olds," the minister shrieked.
"Then allow me to make it for you," Dumbledore said. "We have Sirius' word, and I trust him, we can speak to James Potter. Colin Jones needs to also be interviewed. Allow us to apparate Miss Romilly home, she will be held there. An auror can guard the flat, and I will be the secret keeper. You cannot send a witch to Azkaban based on one young man's word."
The Minister for Magic sighed and nodded, leaving the room.
Sirius and Remus walked back through the Ministry of Magic, neither saying a word to each other. Colin Jones walked past with an official and Remus nudged Sirius.
The dark haired wizard met Colin's eye and said, "liar."