August [j.p]

041- Those eyes add insult to injury

Like you'd get your knuckles bloody for me
Second, third, and hundredth chances
Balancin' on breaking branches
-
exile (feat. Bon Iver)

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31 October 1981

"Peter is the rat." Remus stormed into James's one bedroom loft, clothes were strewn everywhere, dirty dishes were piled in the sink and James didn't even know where his tubby cat, Augustus was.

The Order was under immense pressure and every member reported sleepless nights and paranoia. James himself hadn't gotten a full nights sleep in what felt like months and his eyes were bloodshot and his vision blurred from constant migraines.

But his migraines and sleeplessness paled in comparison to the Longbottom's problems. Alice and Frank, his dear friends, brought a baby boy into the world only for a prophesy to declare that he could vanquish the Dark Lord. This put Neville Longbottom on death's door because Voldemort would not let a child vanquish him.

"Moony, slow down. What are you talking about?" James grabbed his friends by the shoulders. "Wormy is a rat."

"Wormtail is the rat!" Sirius barged into James's flat, a stormy look on his face and week-old stubble growing on his face.

"I have to lock this door." James sighed to himself. "What are you bloody idiots talking about?"

"Hello love." Sirius acknowledged his fiancé, his face softening for a second.

"Darling." Remus nodded back affectionately.

James smiled at his friends but felt the twist in his own heart, like an iron fist gripping his heart and wrenching it in his chest. As if he wasn't already down, the world decided he needed an extra kick in the gut and in strolled Augustus.

"There you are you fucker." James reached down to gently scratch him behind his ear to which he responded my nuzzling James's hand affectionately.

"Stop stroking your fucking cat and listen. Peter's ratted the Longbottom's out, we have to get there. Now." Sirius clenched his fists, his arms straining beneath the thin fabric of his nightshirt.

"Okay. Okay." James rubbed his hands over his face. Could he not catch a fucking break?

"You're sure." He looked at the two males steadily.

Remus nodded, "I'm afraid we are." Sirius reached his hand out and Remus winded his fingers through the outstretched hand.

James glanced quickly, he'd think about August later. He'd wonder about whether she was safe, if she was still alive, what horrors she saw. He'd think about it all later and he would pray for her.

He hand never believed in religion but desperate people found faith and he prayed to every spiritual deity out there. That she would be safe. That her heart would be protected.

James grabbed his glasses from the kitchen counter and his wand from the couch. "Let's go then." He said gravely.

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The Longbottom's had a
quaint little house with a colorful garden. In the darkness of night the red roses looked more like blood spatters than a symbol of love.

"No one is here." James whispered into the dark.

"Just wait, the prophecy predicted this. The last night of October." Sirius muttered back, his fingers toying restlessly with his hair. Tying it up into a pony and then loosening it, only to tie it up in a bun but then deciding better of it.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...." Remus recited it out of habit. James knew that his friend had been spending every second of every day reading and analyzing it, trying to find a loophole to protect baby Neville.

A sudden flash of light drew their eyes to the winding path leading to the house. A short, stubby figure in a dark cloak.

"This can't be real." James denied, unbelieving that his friend would betray them.

"Fucking rat." Sirius snarled before standing up from his crouch and striding over. "Ou! You fucking traitor!" He exclaimed as he aimed his wand at Peter.

James and Remus were up after him in seconds and Remus grabbed Sirius by his arm to stop him. "Calm down." He said firmly, yet gently.

"Peter." James said shocked, "How could you-"

"I'll tell you why! He's a spineless piece of shit!" Sirius shouted angrily.

The lights behind them in the Longbottom house flickered on.

"Peter." James pleaded with him, "Pete, we can fix this. Okay."

He approached the shorter boy slowly, like he would approach a skittish animal ready to take off.

"Peter, we're best friends. We can help you." Remus tried to comfort too.

"You can't help me!" Peter snapped, "None of you can."

"Do you know why? Because it's always you three and I'll always be the sad, sorry one that trails along."

"Wormtail, it was never like that." Remus soothed.

"It was and you know it." The boy puffed out his chest in an attempt to seem taller next to his friends. "You three are always the stars of the show, always loved, always admired and people never look at me. You never look at me." He pointed an accusatory finger at the three other Marauders.

"You never noticed when I was reserved because James said something funny, you never noticed when I was upset because Sirius was having mommy issues, you never noticed when I said something witty because Remus said something smarter. I am so sick of never being good enough for you."

"Listen mate, we're sorry if we ever made you feel that way. You know we love you, you're one of us." Sirius tried to put hid hand on the boy's shoulder only for him to shuffle out of reach.

"I'm not one of you anymore. I'm one of them. And I'll never be forgotten there." Peter said vindictively before pulling up the sleeve to his shirt.

The ugly tattoo stood out against his fair skin. James felt the air knocked out of him.

With vengeful fingers and venomous eyes Peter drew his wand and dug it into the Dark Mark. "It's over now."

Remus could no longer hold Sirius back as he lunged for his old friend. Grabbing him in a choke hold and slamming how down to the ground, the gravel crunching under them sounding like bones snapping.

"You're sick." Sirius spat in his face. "You're sick and I hope you fucking rot in hell."

James didn't bring himself to stop his friend as Sirius drew his fist back and collided it with Peter's nose because secretly he wished he was getting the punches in and if Sirius killed the rat with his own hands in that moment, James was afraid that he would've joined in.

He glanced over and the tear tracks on Remus's cheeks told him that the lycanthrope, for all his kindness and grace, was thinking the exact same thing.