Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
Regulus Arcturus Black is a changed man. He is no longer a death eater. Today was the one year anniversary of the last Marauder's death. And that is why he stood in front of the [now void of life] Marauders house. He was on the porch, keys in hand. He was squeezing the keys so hard his knuckles were turning white. He opened the door, dust flying astray from not being opened in years. But everything else seemed to be practically perfectly preserved. It only hit him as he looked around the abandoned house. The Marauders were words unwritten on pages that were faded and yellowed. They died off slowly. James and Lily. Pandora. Mary. Dorcas and Marlene. Sirius. Peter. Then, finally, Remus. In their house, everything was the same as before. Untouched by the looming shadows of time. Glasses in the cupboards, Harry's crib in his nursery, notes on tables, drawings on the fridge, and Sirius's last letter to Regulus was left on the kitchen table. Waiting to be sent. But it would never be. Sirius would never live to see the day his baby brother reads his frantic scribble of ‘heading to the m.o.m. be back soon.’ He'd never live to be able to realize his last message to regulus was a lie. Regulus stood in the doorway to the house, preparing to take a step in. He did it. It was a mental leap of faith as he set foot in his friends’ old house. He slowly walked farther in. Pictures of his friends hung on the walls when they were young. Happy. Unaware. One photo was taken by Mary. Sirius’s head was laying in Remus's lap, Peter was making funny faces at Harry, James and Regulus were passed out on the couch, Lily and Marlene were drawing mustaches on James and Regulus, and Barty, Dorcas, and Evan were playing twister, and Mary had caught Evan face-planting on camera. Another photo was Sirius and James standing on a table with hairbrushes in their hands, screaming karaoke songs. Another was Marlene and Lily braiding Sirius and Remus's hair. The last one on the wall was Regulus and Sirius standing side by side, taken just a week after Regulus had joined him at the Potters’ house. Regulus was fighting back tears, looking back at what could've been forever. It could've stayed like that. But it didn't. The emotions he felt right now were like snakes wrapping around his neck and butterflies flying out of his mouth, choking him as he tried to cough them up. This was all too much. His breathing was heavy, and tears were flooding his face as his body shook. His friends are gone. Actually gone. Dead. Never coming back. He collapsed onto the couch and eventually cried himself to sleep. As he awoke, there was a tape playing in the tape recorder. Remus's voice flooded the room as Sirius snored in the background, still asleep. Remus was whispering in this recording. His voice was shaky, like he'd been crying.“Um. Whoever's listening to this, this is Remus John Lupin. This is being recorded on the fifth of June of the year 1995. I suspect that by the time this is next played, I will be dead. This is proof that not everything was as it seemed. Albus thought I was unfit to take care of Harry. He put them with his most closely related blood relatives. Muggles. The dursleys. They abused him. The Order was given specific orders to not try and rescue him because Albus had a plan for the ‘greater good.’ Newsflash, there was no greater good. This is the only tape I will leave. Sirius will never know this exists. Please leave it in good hands, as some day it might be the last document of proof The Marauders ever existed. But Sirius, if you are listening, you have outlived me. Thank you so much for continuing when life was pushing you down again and again. I love you to the moon, the stars, and back ten billion times again. If this is Regulus listening…Hey, kid. Great job. I am so proud of you. So proud. I know how dangerous it was for you to switch sides hallway through a war. Don't forget you deserve love. Don't forget that even though I may not be with you now, I will forever be with you in mind and soul. And if this is Peter…May you rot in the deepest depths of the afterlife, old ‘friend.’ There's a special seat reserved down there just for you. May you never find peace. I hope you stay up every night reliving the moment you betrayed your friends. You are a traitor. So, uh...Thank you for listening. Sirius is waking up now, I've got to go. Goodbye. Ever so sincerely, Moons, Prongs, Padfoot, and our honorary marauder, Ms. Evans-Potter.”