for the one i love ; fred weasley

chapter 36

lots of flashbacks! italics

NARRATOR'S POV

"What did you do?" Breathes out Fred as Sirius takes a break from speaking, drinking a small amount of tea before turning his attention back to Fred.

"I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life," mutters the older man, lowering the cup once again.

James was walking down the hall, looking for Peter and Sirius. It was a full moon that night and he needed to find their friends so that they'd all go the Shrieking Shack with Remus. Suddenly, he spotted Lily, walking in his direction. "Evening, Evans," he said, nodding at the pretty red head.

Lily rolled her eyes at the sound of James' cocky tone, only replying out of pity, "Potter." The boy pushed his glasses further up his nose, a grin on his face as he stopped in front of her. A heavy sigh left her lips and she turned around, as if she were looking for someone. "Have you seen Severus, by any chance? He told me that because Remus was sick today he'd keep me company during rounds." The grin on James' face soon disappeared, replaced by his signature scowl.

"I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him tonight," replied James sarcastically, shrugging slightly. "He must be off, pestering some First Years or doing something Snivelly," he muttered, making Lily squint at him in annoyance. "You seen Pete? I've been looking for him and Sirius for ages!" Wondered James, sighing deeply.

The green eyed girl hummed, thinking about it for a second before nodding. "Saw Peter about... three minutes ago, just outside Charms," said Lily, being honest. James was about to ask her if she was sure when he raised her hand, "I'm certain. I distinctly remember him saying: Oi, Evans, did you know James saved a Muggle kid from dying in a fire?" James snorted, pursing his lips to keep himself from laughing louder. Lily's expression remained blank as he stared up at the brown eyed boy. "Ridiculous, really. As if you couldn't be any more conceited."

James' mouth drops as Lily pushed past him, continuing to look for Severus. "Evans!" He called after her, frowning slightly. "C'mon, Pete's just joking! He's just trying to - Lily!" The girl ignored him, not even turning around when James called her by her first name. Trying his best to shrug it off, he made his way to Charms to find Peter. Whistling lowly, Potter strutted the halls, smiling as students waved at him and said their greetings.

Finally, he arrived at the classroom, opening the door with a loud bang. The excited look on his face fell when he saw Sirius and Peter talking, brows furrowed and lips tight. Both of them turned towards James, and Peter quickly got up. "Oh, James, thank Merlin, Sirius just -"

"- Shut it, Wormtail -" Tried Sirius, following after Peter.

"- No!" Peter interjected, making James' heart beat faster. Peter would never speak to Sirius like that. Not unless it was something really important. "Sirius told Snape about the Whomping Willow! About the secret passage!" Exclaimed Peter before Sirius could physically stop him. James gasped, glancing at Sirius with a furious look on his face. "H-He said it was just a prank but - but I think it's dangerous! Isn't it?" Peter now sounded unsure.

"Of course it is!" Shouted James, shaking his head, already taking steps back. "What did you just do, Black?" Asked the Gryffindor Chaser, turning around and sprinting down the hallway. At the mention of his last name, Sirius felt his heart drop. They both ran after James, hissing at him to stop, but James didn't let up. "Shut the fuck up!" Shouted James as they ran through the secret passageways. "You might've just killed someone!" He screamed.

Sirius glared at the back of James' head as he ran, "This is Snape we're talking about! He's about to become a Death Eater!"

"And Remus is our friend!" James screamed, shoving Sirius to the ground once they were out. The longer haired boy fell, flat on his back, disbelief written all over his face. "You know how lowly he thinks about himself. He only just stopped calling himself a monster and now you've proven to him that that's precisely what you think -"