31st of October, 1981. The date that Sirius Black would never forget. The date that his best friend, his brother, his family, has died. And all because of one person.
There he stood. Peter Pettigrew.
"Well, well, well," Sirius said. "It's good to know that the rat survived."
Peter turned to see his old best friend (one of his old best friends, Sirius reminded himself), standing in the light of the streetlight. For the first time he wasn't smiling.
"Sirius! Oh, my friend!" Pettigrew howled. "Have you heard..."
"About James and Lily?" Sirius laughed. "Yes! I saw their house, Peter! I saw my friends' death bodies!"
His eyes were full of tears.
He could never forget that sight. James, lying on the ground. His eyes, once full of life and happiness, now were lifeless. His body wasn't moving. He cried. He didn't cried as much even when Regulus died.
Then he found Lily. She was lying there- near Harry's crib. For a moment he thought that she was just asleep like so many times before. Even the last time he visited. "Look at her!" James had said. "I really don't find use in our bed anymore." But when he shook her, when he screamed her name... She didn't move.
He tried to find Remus. He tried to contact Dumbledore. The only thing he could do was to call his wife to see if she and their little girl were alright. "Don't wait for me," he said, his voice almost breaking.
Today, 31st of October, 1981, he wasn't losing just his best friends, he had to loose his wife and daughter too. Sirius was hurting. He didn't care if Peter could use one of the Unforgiving curses, he didn't care if Peter could kill him... No, Peter wasn't as good wizard as James and Sirius were. He would be dead if it wasn't them.
Peter's smile disappeared immediately.
"So it's true then," Wormtail said. "You did it, Sirius, didn't you? You finally showed your true face!"
Shock. That was everything that Sirius of the Noble and most ancient house of Black felt in that moment.
"Me?!" he roared soon after. "Oh, how many times I have warned James and Lily about you!" And yet he was the one who advised them to turn to Peter about the secret. It was his fault. His and only his.
"How could you!" Peter cried out. "James was like a brother of yours! You betrayed him and... and... Li-Li..."
Sirius reached out for his wand but before he could get it the little dark street they were on exploded. He saw the bodies moments later. He saw two little girls with dark hair. The younger one was still a baby. Like his little girl. Cassiopea. Cassie.
Sirius didn't even realize that the Ministry has come. They didn't listen. They didn't want to listen.
They were sending him to Azkaban for the murder of Peter Pettigrew and... The betrayal of James and Lily Potter.
*****
Emma Black (née Rosier) sat on the kitchen table waiting for her husband not knowing if he will ever come back. She has been waiting for him all night and she was just going to try to find him when she heard a knock on the front door door of their house.
"Remus?"
Moony. That's what all of them called Remus. But now, after a sleepless night, Emma just needed her husband. She needed to feel his warm arms wrapped around her, to hear his laugh.
"Please, come in," Emma said after a long minute in which the last two Marauders were realizing that there are no good news.
She made tea and gave a cup of it to Remus. Emma tried to smile. She really did. This was Remus, one of her best friends but she was too worried.
" Where is Sirius?" she asked. "What happened this time?"
"Em... I don't know what to say," Remus started. He was crying, Emma realized.
"He... He isn't dead, right?" she asked with eyes filling with tears. "Please... Please, Remus, tell me he isn't dead!"
She didn't care if her scream would wake Cassie up. Her husband, the father of her child might be dead and Remus Lupin didn't want to tell her.
" He isn't. It's worse."
Emma was trying to figure out what was worse than the death itself. Sirius was a good person. He never didn't nothing wrong.
"Em...he's in Azkaban."
She laughed.
"Really, Remus?" she asked. "Is that all you can think of? Azkaban?"
"I am not kidding... Emma, James and Lily are dead. Killed by the Dark Lord."
"And what does Sirius has to do with that? Please tell me he killed him!"
But what bad was there into killing the Dark Lord? All of the Wizarding Wold would know Sirius' name and his family will finnaly shut their mouths!
"I'm afraid that's not the case... Emma, Sirius... He has betrayed James, Lily and Harry to Voldemort. Harry is alive, he defeated the Dark Lord but James and Lily weren't as lucky."
Emma couldn't hear the last sentence.
No. No. No! It wasn't possible. Sirius loved James more than his own brother. James was Cassiopea's Godfather as Sirius was Harry's. They were always together.
Emma Black née Rosier fell on her knees and started crying. She heard Remus's voice but didn't stop. "It's alright... Emma, please..."
She buried her hands in her hair and let out a scream that shook the heavens. A baby cry came from somewhere in the house, but neither Emma nor Remus paid any attention to it. Clinging to each other, Emma Black and Remus Lupin cried together. They cried for Sirius. They cried for James and Lily. They cried for everyone they had lost in this damn war.
"We have won," Remus whispered through tears. Emma, burying her face in his shirt, repeated his words in her mind several times.
They have won. But on what cost?