HEAL ME | JAMES POTTER

THIRTY-SIX

- CHAPTER 36 -

❝To hell with your Dark Lord!❞

Hogwarts.

IT WAS OCTOBER THE 31ST, or as known by most people, Halloween night. The air around the witches and wizards had felt thick, filled with emotions of fear, and determination.

Being back at Hogwarts had reminded the Marauders of their school years, each in their own different ways. And even though the situation hadn't been the absolute best, they still could not help but reminisce about the past.

A place they had once called home, and a place where they had felt the safest, was nothing but a battleground now.

"James, look out!"

Amongst all the chaos, spells were being casted left and right. Each wizard standing up for himself with courage, and power. No side was ready to yield, especially with their futures in mind.

It was time for them all to fight back, against the people who had ruined their lives. All because they had craved power, and had been cowards to live in the real world. Cowards that would not face their challenges head on, and live behind a mask of blood purity all day long.

"Look, the boys are at the bridge!"

The two could feel their hearts start to race up, their bodies covered with sweat. Running up towards the bridge, they could sense that something had been incredibly wrong.

Remus Lupin was holding his boyfriend back, while Peter Pettigrew had a fearful look etched all across his face. It was a sight they had least expected to see. The Marauders fighting their own friend, their own brother Wormtail.

"You bastard!"

"What is going on?"

Looking around them, Grace could realise the truth with ease. A thought that had never crossed their minds before, came true right in front of their own eyes.

A blow to their stomachs, when they had least expected it. Is this what people would mean, when they would say that life had worked in mysterious ways?

"Peter, he was the fucking traitor all along!"

"N-No, you don't understand! The Dark Lord, h-he—"

"To hell with your Dark Lord!"

James Potter had thought that losing his parents was hard. But to lose someone, even when they were alive and well, it was a feeling that had been much worse.

The Marauders have been four since the very beginning, and had made a promise when they first met. A promise to stay together, no matter what calamity would be upon them.

The Marauders were brothers, in this life and the next. But alas, fear was a path that would lead even the nicest of people, into the dark side. And if you were not courageous enough, you would fall right into it's trap, and never come back.

"W-Why? Peter, why?"

Amongst all the chaos, Theodore Nott had been looking for his sister with fear spreading all throughout his body. The bravery he had showed to his parents, it was nothing compared to the love he had for her.

Theodore could see the Marauders atop the bridge, one being more familiar than the others. But his heart had stopped beating, the moment he had seen his sister standing right next to them.

"The bridge is collapsing, we've got to go!"

Before the Marauders could move a single step, Peter Pettigrew had disappeared out of their sights, and into thin air. The brothers could feel themselves break apart, and their eyes well up with tears.

A feeling of betrayal, it was like no other. They had been pointing fingers in the wrong directions, and their hearts had become heavy with guilt after realising the truth.

The traitor was right next to them, and it was hidden beneath the boy who had loved chocolates, and had treated the rest of them like his own blood.

"Hurry!"

For the past few months, Grace and James had wondered about the reality of death. Was it like how it was written in the books, or was it something much worse?

To die alone, it was something that no one should go through. But to die in the arms of your lover, would it be considered a blessing, or would it be considered a curse?

James could feel himself about the past, when they had first met in the kitchens of Hogwarts. Life was so easy for them back then, and time had moved too fast for them to comprehend it all.

Fate did not give any of them a chance, to live the lives that they had all deserved. A life without worries, and a life where they would not be forced to grow up too fast. A life where they would not have to fight, as mere teenagers at least.

They had been ill-fated, but could their luck strike at this exact moment? Or would they remain as two star-crossed lovers, who would be at peace in the next lifetime, or the one after that?

But the ground, it had crumbled beneath their feet, with no intentions of holding back.

"Prongs, no!"