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James adjusted the broken glasses on the body on the floor resembling himself. The James on the floor looked exactly like him— except he was in a pool of fake blood, bloodied robes, broken glasses, and dull glassy eyes.
Perfect.
James snickered and stood up. Then realized he was missing something. If his body was in the bathroom like this, then one of his friends might be accused of murdering him. James didn’t want that.
Then the idea popped up in his head.
He could simply just act like he had committed suicide.
James smirked.
“Accio,” he murmured as reaching his hand out for the parchment and quill to collide into his hand.
James crouched on the floor and started to write a suicide note.
Dear Sirius, Remus, Peter, mom, dad, or anyone else that care,
I’m sorry. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Everyone just expects me to be the happy, quidditch player, prankster James Potter and I just can’t. Everything is just too much. I can’t— I give up. The smile soon became fake and the pranks didn’t make me laugh anymore.
Sirius, I wish you well brother. I would swim across the ocean and back a hundred times and that wouldn’t be enough to show my gratitude towards you. You have made my cloudy days shine bright and made me laugh when I felt like shit. No one else in this world could ever replace you. You are always welcome at my parents’ house. And to make me happy, never go back to Grimmauld Place. Please forget about me and move on, yeah? Continue our legacy, the dynamic duo.
Remus and Peter, I love you both. I don’t know what else to say. Remus, stay strong! I will always be with you during and not during the moons. I also would like you to know, that I loved your book collection to bits and would read them at night when you were sleeping. I have actually always been quite interested in books….a shame we couldn’t have done more together…Peter, I want you to know that I am rooting for you. Stick up for yourself and make me proud. I want to see your inner Gryffindor shine. Pursue that bakery dream for me too, alright? Don’t forget to save me a few of those strawberry pastries next time we meet. Love you Pete.
I hope that I don’t shed too many tears. I love every single one of you, and I could keep writing forever on everybody. Though my hand is tired and I can’t wait to finally have peace.
Please keep my memory alive, and remember me as James Potter the Boy Who Loved, and not James Potter the Boy Who Committed Suicide.
Love,
James
James smiled as he dried the ink with a simple charm and placed the note beside his body, just out of reach of the fake blood. Then, he transfigured Sirius’ nearby shampoo bottle into a knife, placing it in his copy’s hand. James fiddled with the bloody chest, pouring a bit more blood onto it. Then he stood, and stepped back.
James nearly fainted at how real his creation looked and he considered whether to proceed or not for a split second.
No. I need to win this Prank War.
James walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. He grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk and draped it over his head. Then he sat down his bed, humming and kicking his legs as he waited for his friends to arrive.
10 minutes later
James jerked his head when he heard the dormitory door open.
“Prongs?” Was the first thing he heard.
Sirius half walked, half ran into the room, darting his eyes around quickly. Remus and Peter slowly walked in behind him.
“Prongs! Bloody hell mate, stop hiding. It’s not funny.” Sirius hissed, walking around. Yet his voice had uncertainty in it.
“James fucking stop. You’re scaring us.” Muttered Remus as he stepped forward, Peter anxiously following.
“Maybe he’s out on the Quidditch Pitch?” Peter guessed.
“I checked.” Sirius said miserably. “The Great Hall, Hogsmeade, Shack, Forbidden Forest, all the secret tunnels, kitchens, Dungeons, Castle Grounds, and holy fuck even the darn library. I don’t know where he is— bloody hell I’m actually really worried—“ Sirius ranted, pacing back and forth.
James watched this side of Sirius he had never seen before. He cared that much to look for him in all those places?
“Pads calm down. I’m sure he’s just playing with us. He’s probably ju….” Remus’ voice trailed off.
He looked around in confusion and started sniffing. Then his eyes grew wide.
“Moony— Remus—what is it? Remus. Remus!” Sirius yelled.
“Blood— lots of it…holy shit…” Remus mumbled before running towards the bathroom. Sirius and Peter followed quickly.
James smirked and followed his friends into the bathroom and stood under the door frame, watching the scene play out.
Silence.
All three boys stared at the body on the floor.
“No…” Sirius whispered. He suddenly smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “James come out— this isn’t funny!” He said, voice rising and becoming thick.
James didn’t budge.
When Sirius didn’t get a response, his smile slowly faded and his eyes landed back on the corpse.
He reached up into his hair and yanked out his wand from behind his ear. Taking a step back, he cried, “riddikulus!” as pointing at the body.
Nothing happened.
Sirius’ hand went limp.
His chest became tight.
He began to sweat.
A sickening shiver ran down his spine.
His eyes suddenly blurred with a warm substance.
His heart pounded in his chest and he felt nauseous.
Something in Sirius broke.
Like he was just hit with the stupefy curse.
His best friend was lying on the floor.
A memory flashed through the pale boy’s head.
First day of school. Sitting in a compartment alone. A tan messy haired boy with chocolate eyes bursting through the door. Called himself James Potter— and for the first time in his life, Sirius felt as though he had a friend.
Now he was lying in a pool of blood.
Unmoving.
Dead.
Gone.
He will never get to see him smile again. Never play a prank with him again. Never hug him again.Never see those beautiful warm eyes again. Never hear his voice again.
James was gone.
How could Sirius have let this happen to his friend, best friend, brother?
Sirius felt like collapsing to the floor and sobbing, but he ran forward anyway and collapsed beside the body. He was in denial.
“No…no— FUCK!” Sirius yelled. “No no no no no no no— please no—please!” Sirius cried.
Remus and Peter ran forward in two blurs.
Remus aggressively placed two fingers on the corpse’s neck and waited. He kept adjusting his placement, before freezing and going pale. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he shook his head.
Sirius let out a heartbreaking sob and started shouting. “JAMES! JAMES! JAMES PLEASE! I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU—“ Sirius’ voice broke and sobs took over his body. His head fell down, hands cupping the James’ face as his tears fell onto it. “W-W-Why…why…I can’t…l-live without you Jamie….please come back…” Sirius cried.
Peter was reading the note and he too began to cry.
Remus started to shout over Sirius’ sobbing. “JAMES THIS ISN’T FUNNY!” He screamed, tears staining his tan skin and clouding his amber eyes. “JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER!” He roared.
Remus had never screamed like that in his entire life.
“JAMES! PLEASE!” Remus wailed. “Please please please please….” he cried.
Sirius was mumbling unintelligible things. His cries were hardest. Each one shook his body and seemed like the cries were parts of his soul leaving him. His knees and hands were soaked with fake blood. James could make out a few things like “I need you,” “come back,” “I love you,” “why,” and “i’m sorry.”
James suddenly gasped, very much audibly, when Sirius abruptly grabbed the knife from James’ palm and aimed it above his chest, about to shove the blade into himself to—
Then both Remus and Peter jumped on him.
“DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!” Peter screamed. He snatched the knife out of Sirius’ hand and threw it at the wall. Sirius was caught off guard by the sudden change of character. “DON’T YOU EVEN DARE!” He said so belligerently that James flinched.
Sirius recovered himself. “GET THE HELL OFF PETER! JAMES IS DEAD AND I COULDN’T FUCKING SAVE HIM! IF HE DIES, I DIE!” Sirius roared. He kicked Peter and Remus off of him, reaching for his wand and pointing it at himself. “AVADA—“
James lunged for his wand but Remus beat him to it.
“EXPELLIARMUS!” The scarred werewolf shrieked.
Sirius’ wand clattered to the floor and he didn’t try to retrieve it. Instead, he threw his head back and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
It was filled with so much heartache that James backed against the wall, widened eyes staring heartbroken at Sirius.
Remus flinched back a good two inches. He looked as though he wanted to go forth and help but was considering it.
Peter’s face melted from hostility to panic. He looked petrified.
The whole school no doubt could hear it.
It seemed to last for a century.
When Sirius’ scream faltered, his head fell back down and he began to sob hysterically on all fours.
Remus was about to crawl forward and comfort him when his eyes landed on the dead James for a split second and he bit his lip. Tears welled in the boy’s eyes and he covered his mouth with his hand, only letting out a muffled sob.
Peter whimpered and dropped the suicide note, letting it flutter to the ground. His eyes were filled with tears too, but the frightened boy was just in absolute denial. He kept glancing at the body, thinking it would jump up any moment and shout, “gotchu!” but he was only left with more tears than before.
Then that was when Sirius caught sight of the note on the floor and he snatched it, skimming it over carefully. Slowly, his breaths became sharp. Eyes flickered with an unidentifiable emotion. Sirius slowly but surely looked like a real Black as he progressed through the note. But only for a second.
Horror then washed over Sirius’ face and Remus slowly grabbed his fallen wand, tucking it in his pocket cautiously.
But none of that happened.
Sirius crumbled the note in his fist and threw it away. He let out a sob and leaned over the bloody corpse again, shaking it. “No no no no no no…James…James please…tell me this isn’t real….this isn’t real….this isn’t real…” Sirius weeped.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…I didn’t want this… James panicked.
Remus was crying too. But silently now. One hand was on the body’s cheek the other in his hair. He was whispering things James couldn’t hear over Sirius’ bawling. He did hear a lot of thank you’s though.
Peter was in absolute denial. He started to yell at the body again— only to give up a few moments later, looking hopeless and drained. He then began to sob.
James definitely didn’t want this. He was about to whip his cloak off when McGonagall came running into the bathroom. She gasped, a hand clapping over her mouth before running forward.
No no no no….James should probably end this before something bad happens.
He whipped off his cloak, letting it fall to the ground to reveal his own tear stained and guilted face.
Peter was the first to see him— and he screamed.
Remus whipped his head around and jerked back.
“MERLIN’S BLOODY ARSE!” He yelped.
McGonagall turned around as well and nearly fainted.
Sirius didn’t lift his head. Nothing could possibly be more important than mourning his dead best friend. Nothing.
Remus and Peter just looked at James in disbelief. Then their faces melted and they got up to tackle him in a hug.
“Guys i’m so sorry— I didn’t want any of this to happen and i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry—“ James said quickly.
“Shut up we’ll talk later,” Remus muttered through muffled cries. Peter just hugged James, relief washed over his face.
McGonagall gave James a stern look and started walking out of the bathroom— though not before whispering one last thing to him.
“My office. Tomorrow. 10 PM.” Was all she said.
Then the room was back to four people.
Remus and Peter slowly let go of James and they all stared at Sirius.
James immediately ran forward.
“Sirius!” He cried.
Sirius instantly looked up and his eyes widened upon seeing James.
“J-J-James…”
James knocked Sirius over with a bone crushing hug, squeezing him tight and crying into his brother’s shoulder.
“Blame me, blame me, blame me, it was a prank i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry,” James cried.
Sirius was lost for words. He couldn’t fucking speak. James was alive…? No. No he is not. He is on the floor dead right before him. So who is this boy radiating such warmth and happiness hugging Siri?
James slowly leaned back when Sirius didn’t say anything.
James stared into Sirius’ swollen dull gray eyes with gentleness.
“Hey hey…shhh…shh…it’s me Pads…I’m real…” James picked up Sirius’ hand and touched it to his chest, allowing the boy to feel his heartbeat.
Sirius’ eyes lit up. Then he let out a sob and hugged James like he was his lifeline.
“I…I-I h-hate y-y-you!” Sirius sobbed, clutching James tighter.
James smiled sadly as he stroked Sirius’ back until he had calmed down a few minutes later.
Sirius pulled back, wiping his eyes and sniffling. He then looked up at James with a dead expression.
“James.” Was all he said.
James swallowed and smiled nervously. “Yes my wonderful dear Padfoot-most amazing-best-friend-ever?”
Sirius stared at James coldly. He took a deep breath.
“You…you absolute FOOL!” Sirius screamed. “YOU DID THE FORBIDDEN PRANK, THE FORBIDDEN PRANK! HOW COULD YOU?!” He shrieked as launching to his feet. “THAT WAS NOT FUNNY AT ALL, WE ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”
Remus attempted to reach a hand out to grab Sirius’ hand, but Sirius batted it away.
“I WAS ABOUT TO FUCKING KILL MYSELF TOO, BECAUSE I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU, YOU LITTLE SHIT! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND— AND— I CAN’T— I CAN’T LOSE YOU!” Sirius cried. He wiped a few tears from his eyes. “None of us can….”
Remus looked sadly at James, his eyes still red and swollen. Peter was just huddled beside James, sniffling occasionally.
James wiped away a wet substance from his eyes and grabbed all of his friends, crushing them into an aggressive hug.
“I’m so sorry….I will never leave you all…you guys are my family, and I can’t lose any of you either….I love you all so much,” James sniffled.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” Remus murmured, head buried in James’ shoulder.
James nodded quickly.
“Please don’t…” Peter agreed. James chuckled a little.
Sirius held onto James tighter and wiped a stray tear from his cheek.
“We love you too Prongsie…..but maybe we should take a break from the pranks…? And please….get rid of that…thing…” Sirius muttered, shuddering, and turning his head to avoid eye contact with it.
James held Sirius tighter and used his other arm to grab his wand. He whispered a quick cleaning charm and everything soon evaporated.
Then the marauders all just stayed there hugging on the bathroom floor. No one spoke. No one moved. What could be more important than their embrace celebrating the return of their fourth member?
That was when James suddenly opened his mouth to say something stupid and ruin the moment.
“By the way Pads I kinda transfigured your shampoo into a kni—“ he began.
“Haha, good one Prongs. You did not.” Muffled back Sirius.
“um…I kinda did tho…” James muttered.
Remus and Peter closed their eyes and prayed.
“…”
“JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER— ALRIGHT NOW YOU’RE REALLY GONNA DIE—“