Home Again

Chapter 9-Where are you?

Remus POV
     When we arrive at Peter's house, everything looks normal. The front yard still has the rows of flowers that it did 20 years ago, the house is still painted a dull yellow with blue shutters and a red front door, and the address plate still says "1103 Yorkshire Avenue" in big, green letters. Harry starts to tense up, we all know that's never good, it always happens when we're about to learn something bad. Sirius obviously sees his discomfort and tells him he can stay outside if he wants, but Harry declines. "I have to go in there." He says, "They're my parents after all, I have to help them." Sirius nods. "Alright then, I propose a buddy system. We have an even amount of people here, so unfortunately, someone will have to be with Snivellius." Severus glares daggers at a smirking Sirius, who now has his arm around Regulus, and starts to rummage around in his bag for useful supplies. I decide to intervene, "That's a good idea, Sirius. How about I be with Dora, you with Regulus, and Harry with Severus." Everyone agrees and gets in their groups as I remind everyone to be careful, "because we simply do not know what- or who is in there." When we all get to the doorknob, Harry hesitates, and then opens the door. That means it's unlocked, which on its own is never good.

     The inside is a horror show. The dining table is flipped over on its side, one chair (at least I think it was a chair) is on the floor in splinters, the couches are in ruins, and then there's the blood. It's everywhere, on the counters, the furniture, and the floor. "Oh my god." Dora whispers with her hand over her mouth.

     Everyone turns paler as we start to look through piles of things, each pair taking a section of the house. In the end, we've found James's jacket, Lily's scarf (neither are bloodstained, thank goodness), letters to and from Death Eaters, a Death Eater's mask (presumably Peters), and a bloody knife. At this point, Severus, Dora, and Regulus are as white as sheets, Sirius and I are tearing up, and Harry is silently crying. None of us can believe what is happening, only Sirius is able to put it into words. "We almost saw them." He says quietly, but his voice gets louder by the second. "I can't believe he did this. I- I just wanted to see my friends." Now he's crying, but it's different than Harry's. Sirius just lets the tears stream down his face, while Harry now has his head on his knees and is shaking and sniffling. "I'LL KILL HIM!" Sirius shouts, making us all jump, "THE NEXT TIME I SEE HIM I'LL KILL HIM! I DON'T CARE IF I GO BACK TO AZKABAN FOR IT, PETER IS-" "Sirius calm down!" I shout, knowing it's no use. "CALM DOWN?!" He yells, nearly making me fall on my arse in surprise. "HE'S DONE IT AGAIN! JAMES AND LILY HAVE DIED TWICE BECAUSE OF HIM!! HE'S THE REASON THAT-" "SIRIUS!" I shout, which makes him freeze. "I'm not saying what he did wasn't wrong. I miss them too, and so does Harry, and everyone else here. But did we find them here? No, and that means they could be somewhere else, perfectly alive. They might not be in the best conditions, but we have no proof that they are dead. So why don't you calm down so we can find them, okay? Good. Now let's evaluate the possible outcomes. Any ideas?" The room stays silent for a minute, and then Regulus speaks up. "There could have been an initial struggle here before they were taken to Malfoy Manor. That's usually what happens." Everyone nods in agreement, before Harry says something. "Y'know Peter's probably looking for us, he must know we're alive, right?" "He has a point." Dora says, "If James and Lily, people who died before we did, are alive, then who's to say we aren't? Peter might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'll admit it, he's not a dunce either. I don't see any reason for him not going to look for us, especially you, Sirius. We all need to watch our backs." "Good point." Sirius mumbles, his face a mix of concern and fury. It's Severus's turn to speak now, and he asks the question that we're all thinking about: "What do we do now?" None of us know, all we can think of is that the Death Eaters most likely have James and Lily, and who knows what could happen to them there. "I say we go look for them at Malfoy Manor." Harry says, his voice shaking like an earthquake, "I don't care if that means facing Peter. If anything, that means I can hurt him so badly-" Sirius cuts Harry off with a hug to quiet the both of them down, but all it does is make Harry cry. "I agree with Harry's idea." I say, my voice trembling ever so slightly. "But when should we go?" "Honestly," Regulus says, "We're already on the move, why not just go now? I bet we all think that time is not to be wasted here." "Right then," Sirius says as he stands up, pulling Harry after him, "Let's go."

     Something tells me this won't end very well.

A/N:
OMG I'M REALLY SORRY THIS IS LATE I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER I SWEAR!! The chapter's long tho, that's good, right? Anyway, the next chapter, titled: "Breaking into the Manor" should be up soon, but no promises (cuz ugh school)!

XOXO,
The_fandom_bookworm