The Marauders and Lily

Friendships

Sirius
I sat in the window seat of Lily and James' common room, staring at the stars. The clock showed me that it was two AM. But, I didn't have it in me to sleep.

My mind was repeating those two words. Avada Kedavra. My own cousin had tried to kill me. I knew I was dead to them, but I never had realized how true that was. I thought they were just mad, I thought that one day I'd go home. 

I looked to the people that had become my family, the people who had saved me. Peter was curled up in front of the fire, Remus taking up the entire couch with my absence, Lily with her head on James, and James cradling Lily's body with his own. I knew I usually would have been on the couch with Remus, right where I belonged. But, tonight, I longed for the family I no longer had.

I stared out of the window until my eyes lost focus. An arm wrapped around my shoulders tightly, Lily's arm. An unexpected, but welcome, comfort. She didn't say anything. She just held me. Tears began to slip down my face, turning into sobs. Sobs that wracked my body. She pulled me into her chest wordlessly, giving me a safe place to sob. I cried for everything I'd lost, everything my family wasn't, and everything that had hurt me.

No judgement radiated off of Lily while we sat in silence as my sobs died down. I looked up at her and for the first time saw what James saw in her. It wasn't her striking looks; those were obvious. It was the way she loved so effortlessly and completely; the way she looked at you like you were everything in that moment; the way she made your heart flutter with happiness when her eyes were on you. But, those reasons would never make me romantically love Lily; they were the reason why she was not my best friend, but my sister. This night together transformed us and I knew she could feel it too.

 We would never be the same after she saw the truth of me, the truth that all the Marauders had come to find. On the outside, I was the "bad boy", the boy you don't take home to your parents, but have the best night of your life with, I was the boy everyone either wanted to be or be with. But, in reality, I was the boy broken by the world at a far too young an age. 

I pulled my head off of Lily's chest and pulled her into a tight hug. Showing everything I couldn't find the words to say. When we pulled away, she sat beside me on the window seat; laying her head on my shoulder. That's how we fell asleep, together. 

When I woke in the morning, everyone was up around me. Lily and Remus were seated at a table doing homework, while James was planning our beginning of the year prank, a tradition. Peter was gone, as he had been all year. I didn't question it though, I knew when we needed him he would be here. That was Peter, reliable. 

I wandered over to James and began planning our first prank- dying all of Slytherin's hair red and gold. Just in time for our second quidditch match of the year. A easy prank, no real repercussions, but funny enough to get people talking. A James prank through-and-through. 
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Peter

I looked behind me, making sure I wasn't being followed as I quickly jogged up the astronomy stairs towards the death eaters meeting spot. I thought of my true friends in their common room, enjoying their morning, hating myself even more. They would never understand why I was doing this. They were strong and capable and had a future to ahead of them, a good future. I had none of that- I was a failure. My grades would never get me anywhere after Hogwarts. I had to rely on someone coming to power to get me out of the situation I was in. You know who was just the man to save me.

I found myself surrounded by Slytherins sooner then I would've liked- knowing they'd kill me if I no longer was useful. Bellatrix stared at me with black eyes, "Tonight's the time to prove your loyalty Pettigrew. Meet us at the edge of the forbidden forest, midnight."