Following the events of the same universe where Juliet Potter and Remus Lupin fell in love, the insouciance has faded into misery as all parties prepare for the war, willing to pull any card to win a war from which none will truly come out victoriou...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
December, the 2nd, 1979
There was only silence when Voldemort's dead body just decomposed into the air. They knew he wouldn't be back, ever, and they found some sort of relief in that matter.
The boys looked at each other, before staring back at Juliet, who stared at the Elder wand lying on the ground. If he had just been smarter, Tom Riddle could have come to possess all three Deathly Hallows. He had the resurrection stone and did not care for it, he could have taken the cloak from her family if he had tried hard enough with his attacks, and all he wanted in the end was the power that the Elder wand would procure him.
He brought his own demise on himself.
"It's over?" Amos checked.
"Arrests still need to be made, Aberforth and Minerva should be contacting the Ministry right now." Juliet responded.
"But, apart from that?"
She was about to nod, when they all froze, hearing a scream echo inside the walls of Hogwarts.
"PETER!"
It took Juliet, Amos and Regulus a second longer than the two Marauders to rush in and see what had happened.
And on the marble staircase, the sight that none of them wished to see on the day of their victory.
Peter Pettigrew had died, and he died a hero.
"No, no no no!" James muttered rushing to his body, that was being held by a sobbing Sirius. "Peter, wake up mate!"
"James..." Marlene put a hand on his shoulder, teary-eyed.
"No! He's going to make it, it's okay, Peter has seen worse." He refused.
Juliet couldn't bare stare at it longer, she looked down to her feet. James always went through denial the longest. He was like this when their parents died too, and when she left.
"Peter, please, come on mate." James encouraged the lifeless body.
Remus fell to his knees, in utter shock, grasping on the shoulder of his dead best friend. Juliet bit her already bloody lips, before she turned her back to them, yelling, and allowing the echoes of the fallen walls to travel her voice.
"FAWKES!"
The phoenix flew in upon his name being called, once more he landed on the forearm of the leader of the war. Juiet rushed to the boys, leaning her arm near the visible open and mortal wound on Peter's hand.
"Please, I know I've asked a lot from you." Juliet whispered under her breath to the phoenix, who was already bowing his head, to let tears fall.
Just like with Severus, the wound closed, burning under the tears of the bright bird, but that was it.
"Check his pulse." Juliet told them nervously, leaning back and petting Fawkes' head.
It was James that threw himself on it, desperately looking for a heartbeat on the pulse of his wrist, then his neck, then he let his head fall on his best friend's chest. He didn't move from there, leaving the rest of them in a long anxious suspense, but none could bring themselves to rush him.
When he broke into a fit of sobs did they understand. It was too late, the venom had already reached his heart and there was no point of return.
~
The funeral for Peter Pettigrew, and the few others that lost their life fighting, all took the same place. Juliet stood behind the three remaining Marauders, that were facing their friends' grave, holding onto each other.
As for her, she had her baby balanced against her hip, wearing an elegant black dress, her coat hanging on her shoulders, her hair neatly tied back, and eyes fixated on the grass below.
It was barely three days after the war, many arrests were made, and the world was still a mess. It was a mistake, for them to think everything would be fine after they won the war. There were so many things to fix.
Baby Andromeda was clinging onto her mother ever since she's been back, crying the second she tried to separate herself. Well, both her parents really, but Juliet was taking a lot of responsibility off her boyfriend's shoulders to allow him to grieve properly. Yet he insisted on taking Romy. He would cuddle her in his arms and zone out sadly.
Juliet sighed, looking down at the four month old baby wearing a tiny black dress and a tiny black jacket over it. Romy was looking at the back of her father, with her hand tucked in her mouth.
The young mother turned when she heard loud sobbing, spotting Peter's parents sat on a bench and painfully comforting each other, as Marlene kneeled down in front of them, her head hanging low.
She pondered, looking between the boys and the parents, before finally taking a few steps towards the bench, the free hand that was not holding a child comforting the shoulder of her devastated blonde friend.
Had her and James seemed that way on the day their parents were buried?,
"I'm so sorry. He saved me, it's my fault." Marlene cried.
"You're not to blame, child." Peter's father sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat, as he patted his wife's back.
"Peter was brave, and he proved to us that he would do anything and everything to protect his friend." Juliet offered those simple words to the mourning with a tender tone. "He was good, and he was kind, and he would hate us looking so sad."
It's true, Peter was the one to hate the awkward moments the most, let alone a funeral. He always attempted to break the silence, bring some peace by concluding any misunderstanding as quickly as possible. Marlene and Peter's parents knew that too, calming their sobs slowly.
"I offer you my deepest and most sincere condolences, Mr and Mrs Pettigrew. I hope you know we would never allow the memory of your son to be forgotten. He will go down in history as a hero." Juliet gave them a sympathetic smile, repositioning her baby before walking away with Marlene.
"How can I ever get over this. He's given his life for me and Dorcas." Marlene buried her face in the palm of her hand.
"Swallow your sorrows and hold your head high, you must stand to honor the sacrifices made in order to clear your path."
Marlene looked over Juliet, and for a second there she thought she saw Euphemia. When did Juliet have the time to become so wise? Maybe she was always this way, and they could see it only now that she was the sole glue keeping them together.
