Disclaimer: All characters and anything HP-related that seems even vaguely familiar belongs to J.K. Rowling. My thanks to her for giving us such wonderful characters to work with.
On a chilly Halloween night in 1981, I was robbed of my best friend, James Potter. Upon discovering the ominous disappearance of the secret keeper from his hiding place, I’d rushed to the Potters’ home only to find it in ruins. I remember only the shock and the horror at finding the pile of rubble with the bodies underneath. It simply didn’t make sense. How was it possible?
Ever since our first day aboard that Hogwarts Express, we’d stuck together through thick and thin. Of course we’d had many friends, most notably Remus, Lily, Frank, and, on occasion, even… little Peter, but we were… brothers. Padfoot and Prongs - the names had always been said in conjunction with one another, as though they were synonymous, as though we were one. And, in truth, in many ways, we were. We were one.
We’d both grown up the eldest sons (well, in his case, the only son) of wealthy, pureblooded parents. We were, admittedly, a little arrogant and more than a little mischievous. We were Gryffindors, two of the four Marauders, and we were proud of it. We ruled the school; both feared and revered, although the Slytherins would never have admitted it.
He was the only son of rather well-aged parents, while I was the eldest of two purist maniacs; the only Gryffindor in the Black family line for as long as anyone could remember. My family had been outraged at my disgrace, but their views on “mudbloods” and “bloodtraitors” did not force us apart; rather, it strengthened our friendship, and, in my sixth year, when I left home for good, it was James and his family who took me in, who accepted me for the person I was, and the path I had chosen.
It had been the two of us who had shared a love for adventure, a love for quidditch, (and, to be honest,) a love for the ladies. We had been the ones to riddle out Moony’s secret, to create a specialized two-way mirror for communication, and to explore the school. And though we’d had a little help from Moony and Wormtail, we’d been the mastermindss behind the design of the map that tracked everyone and everything in the school.
And now he was gone. He was murdered… betrayed by someone I had placed my trust in, and murdered by the very one I’d been trying to shield him from for years. I’d talked to him only the night before, laughed and joked with him about his son’s fascination with the gift I’d given him for his first birthday. I couldn’t even comprehend what it meant. He was dead, and with it, a part of me had died too.
There was only one person it could have been… only one person who could have divulged the key to finding Lily and James’ hiding place. Pettigrew… but how could he? The confusion I felt was surpassed only by the burning rage I felt swell up within me as I processed this revelation. And then… he framed me. I hadn’t believed it possible; this boy, who I’d grown to like and trust, had turned over my best friend and blamed me for his murder?
It didn’t make any sense, and yet, as I was led to the cell that would become my home for the next twelve years, it did. It made perfect sense. I’d been the one to suggest the switch; I’d practically murdered James and Lily with my own hands. I was innocent, that I knew. But deep within my heart, I also knew that I deserved this punishment, whether or not I’d actually committed the crime.
It is 1993, and I finally have the answer. I have found him – even after all these years, it is blatantly obvious. I have been waiting for twelve years, and still his betrayal is as fresh as the day I saw him last, the day he ran down the sewers like the rat that he is. Twelve years – since I’d been confined to this hellhole known as Azkaban. He is at Hogwarts, and soon, very soon, I will have my revenge.
In 1981, I was robbed of my best friend. Only I know who is truly responsible, and yet it is I who must pay the price for his betrayal. And when I am free, he will be paid back in full. I swear it.
This is my first venture into Harry Potter Fan Fiction, so please be nice and leave a review!
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