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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper. T.S. Eliot.
-----
The corridors of the Ministry of Magic were gloomy—or at least they seemed that way to James. To be honest, the entire world felt gloomy. Today was the day of the final trials for his friends—Remus and Sirius. Today, the verdicts would be announced.
James walked beside his father, who had insisted on not letting his son go alone. Fleamont Potter walked proudly upright, his face a stony mask devoid of emotion—but James knew that beneath it lay worry, almost as great as his own.
The prank Sirius had played on Snape had ended in tragedy—James had been only two minutes too late. By the time he arrived, breathless and panicked, the werewolf was already tearing at Snape’s throat. Just the memory of that scene made James feel nauseous. Not that he liked Snape—far from it. But he had never, ever wished him dead.
Now, however, Snape was dead, and Sirius and Remus were accused of his murder. Sirius—because he had coaxed Snape into going to the Whomping Willow during the full moon, and Remus—because it was he, in his werewolf form, completely unaware of what he was doing, who had killed Snape. James shuddered as he remembered Remus’s face while he was being led out of Hogwarts by Aurors. He had been jeered at by students who threw whatever they had on hand at him, shouting that he was a murderer. No one listened to James’s pleas, threats, or cries for them to stop. They had already delivered their own verdict on Remus.
Dumbledore had been removed from his position for allowing werewolves into the school and endangering the students. But James knew that Remus had never been dangerous. That human Remus. He was full of kindness and gentleness. Yet now, in everyone’s eyes, he was nothing more than a monster and a murderer.
Tears welled up in James’s eyes, which he quickly wiped away with the back of his hand. His father cast him a furtive glance.
"Is everything alright?" Fleamont asked softly.
James shook his head and fell silent. His father placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever happens, I’m here," Fleamont said.
James let out a small, involuntary laugh.
"It’s not about me, dad," James muttered. "It’s about Remus. And Sirius."
Fleamont sighed and squeezed James’s arm tighter. Finally, they reached the courtrooms. Slowly, more people began to gather. In the distance, James spotted Walburga Black—she looked flawless, as always, and her face showed boredom, as if she was wondering what the point of this whole farce was. She smoothed her elegant robe and entered the courtroom with her head held high.
"The trials are at the same time," Fleamont said, looking around. "Where do you want to go?"
"To Remus," James answered without hesitation.
Fleamont took a step forward, but James didn’t move from his spot.
"James?"
"What’s going to happen to them, dad?" James asked quietly.
Fleamont sighed.
"I don’t know, son," he replied.
James couldn’t take a step. He was terrified of what was to come. He knew that Sirius would likely face a lesser punishment—the worst they could do to him was expel him from school. No one would dare do more to a pure-blood heir of the respected Black family. The situation with Remus, however, was worse—he was a half-blood wizard and a werewolf, and he had killed Snape. Unknowingly, that was true—but it didn’t matter to the Ministry. It didn’t matter what kind of person Remus was. In their eyes, the only thing that mattered was that he was a werewolf. A beast. James felt another wave of nausea.
"We can wait here," Fleamont suggested.
James quickly shook his head and took a step forward. No matter what happened, he needed and wanted to be with Remus now.
When James entered the courtroom with his father, it was already crowded. In the center, between two officials, sat Remus. James felt his stomach leap into his throat. Remus was shackled, like the worst of criminals. His face was pale and tired, but it expressed calm. Slowly, James walked toward him on trembling legs, and Remus forced a weak smile when he saw him.
"James," Remus said in a hoarse voice. "Good to see you."
"How are you holding up, Moony?" James asked quietly, trying to ignore the threatening glares from the officials.
"It’s been better," Remus replied, attempting unsuccessfully to sound casual. "Have you seen my parents?"
James furrowed his brow.
"Aren’t they here?" he asked, looking around. Indeed, there was no sign of Lyall and Hope.
Remus shook his head and looked down. James felt a pang in his chest and instinctively reached out his hand to comfort his friend, but one of the officials quickly grabbed it.
"You can’t touch the accused," he growled.
James blinked quickly and pulled his hand away, throwing a threatening glare at the official. However, he immediately looked back at Remus, and in that moment, he noticed something that froze him. Remus had fresh bruises on his neck and left ear.
"What happened to you?" James asked quietly.
Remus forced a pale smile again and shrugged.
"Eileen Snape visited me," he said. "She’s Snape's mo.."
"She did this to you?" James asked in disbelief.
Remus nodded.
"She has no right!" James exclaimed, outraged. "No... Who even let her in to see you?"
"She has a right," Remus replied softly. "I killed her son."
"No, Remus, no..." James desperately tried to control the tremor in his voice. "Moony, it was an accident..."
"We’re starting the trial!" the judge shouted, banging the gavel.
"James," Fleamont approached them and placed his hand on James’s shoulder. "Come on, we need to take our seats."
"But I..."
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Remus greeted.
Fleamont looked at him kindly and smiled.
"Hello, Remus. I hope the verdict will be favorable for you. And, most importantly, fair. You don’t deserve to be here."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Remus smiled.
Fleamont tugged at James, who cast one last glance at his friend before taking his seat. He looked at his trembling hands, and his stomach flipped when the first witness—Leopold Riggby—was called. Their former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who had taught them in their third year, loathed werewolves with all his heart, and consequently, Remus.
"Dad, Remus’s parents aren’t here," James whispered, trying not to listen to Riggby’s disgusting tirades.
Fleamont nodded.
"I’m not surprised."
"What?" James raised his head and looked at his father in disbelief.
"They’ve been hiding a werewolf for years," Fleamont explained, clenching his fists. "They didn’t register him. If they get caught, it’s Azkaban for them."
"But... but they’re his parents!" James couldn’t believe it.
"They still can’t help him in any way," Fleamont replied grimly.
James turned his face back to the judge. He clenched his hands tightly and fell silent, praying silently that Remus would make it through this situation unscathed.
---
Sirius left the courtroom with a mixture of relief and irritation. Beside him walked his mother, casting superior looks at anyone they passed. Sirius spotted James in the distance. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, his gaze lowered. Sirius felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had to find out as quickly as possible how Remus's trial had gone.
"Come on, let’s get out of here," Walburga announced, gripping his arm tightly. Sirius turned to her.
"Wait, mother. I’d like to talk to…" Sirius gestured toward James.
Walburga narrowed her eyes at James for a split second before turning back to Sirius.
"We don’t have time for this nonsense!" she snapped, furrowing her brows in a stern frown.
"Five minutes. Please." Sirius adopted his most pleading tone.
Walburga studied him for a moment, as if deciding whether it was worth indulging his request. Finally, she nodded curtly.
"Five minutes, and not a minute longer," she said coldly, turning away.
"Sure. Thanks," muttered Sirius, and quickly jogged over to James.
"Hi," Sirius greeted hesitantly.
James raised his head, and Sirius felt a knot in his stomach when he saw his gaze—his eyes were red and swollen, as if he had just been crying.
"Hi," James replied, forcing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "How did it go?" he asked, gesturing toward the courtroom.
"Oh, fine," Sirius said, waving his hand. "You know. The Blacks have their influence."
James nodded and looked away, staring off into the distance, his hands clenching into fists.
"So, what’s the verdict?" he asked, not looking Sirius in the eye.
"They acquitted me," Sirius answered uncertainly. "Completely. I can even go back to school."
James bit his lip and lowered his gaze. His shoulders tensed.
"That’s good," James said. "For you. Right?"
Sirius nodded, frowning, feeling the growing unease. Something was definitely wrong.
"And what about… Remus?" he finally asked, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
James grimaced and rested his head against the wall.
"Well, he..." James’s voice trembled. "He didn’t have the influence."
Sirius felt as though the ground was about to slip away from under him. He reached out and steadied himself against the wall.
"What do you mean?"
"They tried to defend him," James still wouldn’t meet his eyes. "My dad. Some of the teachers. Even Dumbledore. But… it didn’t help."
Sirius was seriously worried now.
"James. What happened?"
"They… they..." James was on the brink of tears. "They sentenced him… They sentenced him, Sirius!"
James broke into sobs, covering his face with his hand. Sirius felt his own body start to shake.
"Sentenced?" Sirius asked quietly. "But... what does it mean? Did they expel him from Hogwarts?"
James just shook his head, still unable to control his tears.
"Azkaban?" Sirius asked, realizing how his own voice was trembling. "How long?"
James shook his head again, took several deep breaths, wiped his face, but it was pointless—another wave of tears flowed from his eyes.
"They sentenced him," he whispered softly. "They sentenced him... to death."
At that moment, Sirius was sure the world had stopped. He stared at James, but the words James had spoken couldn’t seem to reach his brain. After a moment, his eyes involuntarily filled with tears, and he realized he wasn’t even standing anymore—he was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.
"But…" Sirius couldn’t believe it. "But...? What?"
"They said terrible things about him," James spoke slowly. "That… that he’s… a monster. That since he’s killed once, he’ll kill again. That he needs to be gotten rid of."
James broke into sobs once more.
"No, this can’t be true," Sirius shook his head. "It can’t be. How…"
James turned toward Sirius. Sirius slowly rose to his trembling feet and wiped his face from the tears flowing from his eyes. He looked at James, who had put on the most wretched kind of smile—an artificial one.
"But it’s good that you were acquitted," James said. "After all, it’s all Remus’s fault, right?"
Sirius had never felt such a deep shame in his life. He turned his gaze away from James.
"James, I didn’t..."
"What?" James sounded irritated. "You didn’t want it to turn out this way? Then go tell Remus that."
Sirius fell silent.
"Great prank, Sirius," James said with irony. "Really great. Too bad both Snape and... and Remus had to pay for it with their lives."
"Sirius! Hurry up!" Walburga’s irritated voice broke through, but Sirius decided to ignore it. Walburga and her anger were the least important things right now.
"James, I..." Sirius forced himself to look at his friend. But he took a step back when he saw how cold James’s gaze was.
"Forget it, Sirius," James said coldly. "And enjoy your acquittal."
James turned sharply and walked away.
"James!" Sirius called.
James paused but didn’t turn around. His hands were clenched into fists.
"When... when..."
James looked back over his shoulder.
"What? When will they kill him?"
Sirius felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his gaze and nodded.
"Seventeenth."
"A week from now," whispered Sirius.
"A week," James confirmed, his voice sharp as a knife. "They want to get it done before the full moon."
"Sirius, we don’t have time!" Walburga called threateningly.
Sirius, however, didn’t move from his spot.
"Go to her," James gestured to Walburga. "She saved your freedom."
"James, I..."
"No!" James snarled harshly. "I don’t want to hear it. Never speak to me again."
James stormed off. Sirius stayed rooted to the spot, unable to take another step. Remus. His friend. He was sentenced to death, and it was all because of Sirius’s stupid prank. Remus would never, ever intentionally hurt anyone—Sirius did it, with full intent. And he should be the one sentenced, not Remus.
"For Merlin's sake, Sirius!" Walburga hissed, now standing behind her son. "Let’s go."
"I..." Sirius turned to his mother.
"Stop whining!" Walburga snapped. "You’re bringing us shame!"
Sirius clenched his fists.
"Big deal," Walburga rolled her eyes. "The werewolf will be killed. And good riddance. I don’t know what Dumbledore was thinking, letting..."
"Shut up!" Sirius snarled.
Walburga gave him a sharp look.
"I don’t want to hear any more about that werewolf," she said in a cold tone. "We’re leaving."
Sirius allowed himself to be dragged away by his mother. He walked mechanically, barely aware of what was happening around him. His thoughts were consumed by Remus, who was losing his life because of his stupid prank, and by James, who clearly hated him now.
---
The last few days had been a torment for James. He barely slept, and when he did manage to fall asleep, he was haunted by nightmares. He only ate because his mother forced food into him. James couldn’t remember the last time he had been this depressed. He couldn’t stop thinking about Remus and what his friend was going through now—completely isolated from any visitors, which broke James’s heart. Today was the day of the execution. Fleamont had finally managed to pull the right strings at the Ministry, and both James and Peter were allowed to visit Remus.
James could now say with certainty that he hated the hallways of the Ministry— a place that should be associated with law and safety, now only reminded him of their hatred for anyone who wasn’t like them. They hadn’t even given Remus a chance— the moment it was revealed that Remus was a werewolf, a sentence had already been passed on him. There was no defending him.
Fleamont walked beside his son, his hand still resting on James’s shoulder. Eventually, they reached the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where James spotted a familiar figure. Peter Pettigrew was sitting on one of the benches, his gaze lowered, and thick drops of tears were streaming down his robes. James and Fleamont approached him.
“How are you feeling, Peter?” Fleamont asked before James could open his mouth.
Peter lifted his reddened eyes to them and sniffed a few times.
“Hello, Mr. Potter,” he replied quietly, rubbing his eyes. “I’m hanging in there.”
Fleamont nodded, and James sat next to Peter, putting an arm around him.
“We’ll manage somehow,” James whispered, trying to comfort his friend.
However, Peter burst into tears and buried his face in his hands. James held him tighter.
“I’m so sorry,” Fleamont said, watching them both with a look of sympathy.
“Yes, yes, at one o’clock. We have a werewolf here, but I should be free in an hour. Please prepare the documents…”
James turned toward the voice. The tall, broad-shouldered man was just giving instructions to his assistant. James narrowed his eyes, and Fleamont quickly walked up to him and placed his hands on his shoulders.
“Calm down, James,” he whispered.
The Minister for the Control of Magical Creatures finished dictating tasks to his assistant and walked past them.
“How do you plan to do it?!” James hissed.
The Minister turned to him with his eyebrows raised.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m asking how you plan to kill my friend!” James snarled, standing up and ignoring his father’s warning growls.
“Son, I don’t understand…” The Minister frowned and looked around, as if searching for someone to explain what all the commotion was about.
“Remus Lupin,” James explained through clenched teeth, his hands tightly curled into fists.
The Minister sighed.
“A werewolf?”
“My friend,” James repeated, taking a step forward, and Fleamont tightened his grip on his shoulder. “A human. First and foremost, a human. How do you plan to do it?”
The Minister looked at him for a moment, then shrugged.
“He’ll be given a lethal injection. It’ll be quick and painless, I assure you,” he said in a tired voice, turning on his heel as if to walk away.
James felt his insides boil with rage.
“You’re going to put him down like some animal?!” James barked, pulling away from his father and advancing toward the Minister, who took a few steps back, eyes wide.
“This is the most humane way to deal with the threat of a werewolf,” the Minister said unemotionally.
“The most humane?!” James exploded. “You’re heartless!”
The Minister blinked rapidly.
“Son, I don’t appreciate it when…”
“We’re sorry,” Fleamont interrupted, and James looked at him in disbelief. “My son is taking this very hard. Remus is his friend.”
“Well, your son should choose his friends better,” the Minister remarked, adjusting his glasses on his nose.
“He chooses them perfectly well, thank you very much,” Fleamont replied coldly. The Minister just shrugged and walked away.
“You shouldn’t apologize for me,” James said indignantly, crossing his arms. “That filthy little bastard. How can he just…”
“The fact that you’re attacking them won’t change anything, James,” Fleamont said calmly. “Unfortunately, you can’t help Remus anymore. And you said you wanted to see him, right?”
“Of course I do!”
“Then try to keep your emotions in check,” Fleamont said. “I need to take care of a few things now. You should be let in soon. Will you be okay?”
James glanced at Peter, who simply shrugged.
“Sure,” James replied.
Fleamont hesitated for a moment, then hugged James tightly.
“I’m so sorry, son,” he whispered.
James squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to burst into tears. He had to stay calm. For Remus.
Fleamont looked at them for a moment longer, then moved forward, disappearing behind a pillar. James stood for a moment, watching his father go, then sat back down next to Peter, putting an arm around him again.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Peter whispered through his tears.
James just nodded.
“My mom didn’t want to let me go,” Peter continued, “Neither to the trial, nor here.”
“Why?” James asked, frowning.
“She said it was irresponsible of me to associate with a werewolf,” Peter said, his voice breaking. “That he could hurt me. But Remus would never hurt anyone.”
“Suddenly, everyone’s forgotten what kind of person Remus is,” James muttered darkly. “Both the people from school and your mom. Now they see a monster in him, and they forget what a wonderful, warm person he is and how he’s always helped everyone when they needed it.”
Peter nodded and wiped his face with the back of his robe.
“They really...?”
“Yes,” James confirmed quietly, trying to steady his trembling voice. “They’re just going to kill him. As if his life doesn’t matter at all.”
Peter nodded and, after a moment, started crying again. James tightened his embrace and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to regain his composure. For a while, they both sat in silence until the quiet was broken by slow footsteps.
“What are you doing here?!” James snarled threateningly.
Sirius looked like a shadow of himself. His skin was nearly translucent, and dark circles stood out under his swollen eyes. His face was wet with tears. He stopped a few steps in front of James and Peter and leaned against the wall.
“I wanted to see him...” Sirius explained in a whisper.
“You killed him!” James shouted, and several heads turned curiously toward them.
Sirius lowered his gaze and squeezed his eyes shut.
“I know,” he whispered. “And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. But I need to talk to him. I need to... apologize.”
“Apologies won’t save him!” James clenched his fists.
Sirius fell silent.
“How do you even know that we...”
“Your dad told me,” Sirius explained quietly.
James felt another surge of fury — now not only at the shameless minister and the even more shameless Sirius, but also at his own father.
“Why the hell...”
“I need to talk to him, James,” Sirius said firmly. “And you won’t stop me from doing that.”
James snorted and crossed his arms. Peter watched them both with concern.
“Whatever...” James muttered.
After a moment, the jail doors opened, and a small, elderly woman with her hair tightly pinned in a high bun stepped inside. She scanned the three of them with a gaze and cleared her throat.
“Visiting Remus Lupin?”
“Yes,” James confirmed, standing up abruptly. Peter followed his example, and Sirius straightened a little.
“Alright,” the woman said. “You each have three minutes. We have to hurry. Please, one at a time.”
“Do you want to go first?” James whispered to Peter. Peter quickly shook his head, and James sighed, stepping in after the official into the jail.
James felt a shiver run down his back as he crossed the threshold. The room was icy cold and dark—illuminated only by a few dim candles. He moved forward toward the guard, who looked particularly tired as he flipped through the pages of a newspaper. James stood in front of him, and the guard glanced up and lazily waved his wand. The door opened, and James felt his heart race. He took a step toward the door but then stopped suddenly. Remus looked awful, but it wasn’t the appearance of his friend that put James off—it was the thick chains and shackles binding Remus to the wall.
“You chained him up like some damn criminal?!” James yelled at the guard, who merely shrugged.
“These are the procedures…”
“I’ll tell you what I think about your procedures, you…” James hissed.
“James?” he heard a weak voice.
James turned his gaze to Remus, who was looking at him with a surprised expression on his face. Clearly, no one had bothered to even tell Remus that someone was coming to visit him. James quickly approached his friend and knelt to be at his eye level. The sight of Remus broke him—tears began to gather in his eyes, and stopping them was now pointless.
“What are you doing here?” Remus asked calmly.
“I…” James tried to force a smile onto his face, holding Remus’s hands. “I came… I came... to give you… c-comfort.”
James burst into tears, and Remus squeezed his hands tightly.
“It’ll be alright, James,” Remus whispered, giving him a weak smile.
“Alright?” James looked at Remus through his misty gaze. “How can it be alright, you…”
“It’ll be alright,” Remus reassured him in a calm, gentle tone.
That was too much for James. He leaned in and hugged Remus tightly, crying into his shoulder. Remus returned the embrace.
“Really. It’ll be alright,” Remus said, gently stroking his back.
“Moony, you…” James pulled away for a moment and looked straight into Remus’s eyes, where tears were now also gathering. “You didn’t deserve this…”
“I did deserve it,” Remus said with a gentle smile. “I killed him, James.”
“No,” James shook his head. “No. You didn’t know, it…”
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to die, James,” Remus admitted, a grimace briefly appearing on his face, which quickly shifted back into a soft smile. “I really don’t want to. But I don’t have a choice.”
James felt his heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. He hugged Remus tightly again.
“I’ll never forgive Sirius for…,” he whispered, but at that moment, Remus gently pulled him away and looked him straight in the eyes.
“You can’t destroy your friendship with Sirius, James.”
“What?” James was confused. “But he…”
“It was an accident, James,” Remus said calmly, wiping the tears from James’s face. “You can’t destroy your relationship with Sirius over this. I don’t want that. I want you all to stay friends. The three of you. I think that’s the only way I can stay close to you.”
“Moony, I…”
“I’ve forgiven Sirius,” Remus said. “Please. Forgive him too.”
James looked at his friend. Of course, Remus had forgiven Sirius—he wouldn’t be Remus if he hadn’t. Remus always forgave them and always had their backs.
“Alright, I’ll try,” James whispered. “For you.”
“Thank you,” Remus replied with a smile and hugged James.
“Enough!” James heard a woman’s voice behind them. He turned to see the official standing in the doorway, now tapping her finger on a watch.
James gave Remus one last look.
“Remus…”
“Goodbye, Prongs,” Remus smiled. “You’re a great friend.”
“Let’s go!” the official snarled, grabbing James by the arm.
“I’m going,” James hissed, freeing himself from her grip.
On shaky legs, he left the jail and stood again in the corridor before Peter and Sirius. However, he didn’t pay them any attention. He leaned heavily against the wall and broke into tears, sinking to the floor.
---
Peter didn’t know what to expect. The past few days had been the hardest moments of his life—he couldn’t believe he was losing someone he owed so much to. Remus had been his first true friend. He was the first person to notice Peter’s worth and befriended him not for any benefit, but purely because of who Peter was. It was Remus who introduced Peter to James and Sirius. Thanks to him, Peter now had such wonderful friends.
Peter approached the guard, who gave him a brief, tired glance and waved his wand, opening the door. Peter stood there, rooted to the spot. Remus lifted his gaze from the wall to which he was shackled and smiled weakly but sincerely at the sight of him.
“Pete…”
“Remus,” Peter said, trying to compose himself. But in the end, he let his emotions take over. He quickly rushed to Remus and threw himself into his arms.
“Moony, this can’t be happening,” Peter sobbed, holding Remus tightly, who returned his embrace.
“It’s going to be alright, Pete…” Remus comforted him.
Peter pulled away from Remus and looked into his eyes, not letting go of him.
“It can’t be alright, you…” Peter stopped. Remus was still smiling, and his face was calm—almost as if he had made peace with his fate. “How am I going to manage without you?” Peter whispered.
Remus smiled wider and reached out his hand, gently caressing Peter’s face.
“You’ll manage,” Remus reassured him. “I’m sure of it. Remember, you’re a wonderful, good, and brave person. And you’re stronger than you think. You’ll get through this.”
Peter felt more tears welling up in his eyes. Remus held him tightly.
“Don’t forget your worth, Pete. Never. Okay?”
Peter nodded.
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Peter whispered.
Remus was silent. After a moment, he pulled Peter away and smiled.
“Look after James and Sirius for me, alright?”
“That might be a tough job,” Peter muttered, to which Remus chuckled softly.
“You’ll manage. You’ll all manage. I’ll live on in you.”
Peter nodded. But after a moment, the official appeared and ushered him out of the cell. Peter gave one last tearful glance at Remus, who smiled at him soothingly.
----
Sirius watched helplessly as James wept on the floor. He longed to go to him and comfort him—but most likely, it wouldn’t end well for him. James hated him, and rightfully so. Over the past few days, Sirius had been overwhelmed by guilt, and now, here he was—he didn’t even know why he had come. The thought of speaking to Remus made him feel nauseous, and his hands began to tremble—how could he look the man in the eye, the one he had practically sentenced to death? But when Fleamont Potter sent him an owl saying he could meet Remus, he didn’t hesitate—it was probably his last chance to apologize to his friend. But James was right—an apology wouldn’t save him.
Sirius watched as Peter—his face tear-streaked—left the jail. James quickly got up and hugged him immediately—the two of them stood, embraced, crying in each other’s arms. More tears filled Sirius’s eyes. The official standing in the doorway glanced indifferently at James and Peter, then cast a questioning look at Sirius. Sirius took a few deep breaths and, with trembling legs, moved toward the door, catching one last painful glance from James.
The prison room in the Ministry was terrifyingly cold—Sirius wondered if the low temperature was meant to be an additional punishment for those imprisoned here. In the magical world, executions were rare—most people ended up in Azkaban, and only the worst criminals received the Dementor’s Kiss. But a simple death penalty? That applied only to those the Ministry didn’t consider human. Hags, vampires... werewolves.
Sirius reached the grim guard and looked at him questioningly. The guard sighed heavily and waved his wand, opening the door. Sirius froze when he saw Remus, shackled to the wall.
“What do you think, that he’s going to attack you?!” Sirius snapped at the guard, who only shrugged and returned to reading his newspaper.
Sirius was already wondering what the best way to dispose of this soulless official would be when he heard a faint voice:
“Sirius…”
Sirius slowly turned around, feeling his heart pounding. He walked in slowly, staring at the ground—not able to meet Remus’s eyes. More tears began to flow down his face and turned into sobs as he collapsed to the floor beside Remus.
“Re-Remus…” Sirius sobbed. He had intended to apologize, to tell Remus how stupid he was, and beg for forgiveness, but no words could pass his throat.
“Sirius…” Remus whispered.
Sirius heard the clinking of chains as Remus tried to move closer to him. Sirius hesitantly looked up and moved closer to Remus—much to his surprise, Remus grabbed his hands tightly.
“I’m really glad to see you here,” Remus said quietly.
Sirius looked up—his heart stopped when he saw that, instead of being rightfully angry and hurt, Remus was... calm.
“I’m s-sorry… I’m so sorry, Remus. I’m sorry!” Sirius sobbed as Remus held his hands tighter.
Sirius couldn’t control himself. His sobs shook his body, which trembled all over.
“It’s alright, Sirius,” Remus replied. Sirius looked at him in disbelief. “I’ve already forgiven you. Now, you need to forgive yourself.”
“W-what?”
Sirius was confused. Forgiveness was the last thing he had expected. Remus smiled gently.
“I’ve forgiven you, Sirius. It’s not your fault.”
“It is my fault!” Sirius cried out. “My fault! I told him that…”
“You didn’t know he would go there,” Remus said. “You couldn’t have predicted it.”
“I…”
“Sirius. Please forgive yourself. I... I can’t stand the thought of you carrying this guilt for the rest of your life,” Remus said, his voice trembling. “I want you to live a wonderful and long life. You deserve that. You deserve to be happy, and…”
“How can you say that?” Sirius interrupted. “They... they...”
Remus looked at him calmly.
“They’re going to kill you, Remus…” Sirius whispered softly.
Remus nodded.
“Yes. But you will live. You have to live, and I... I don’t want you to live crushed by guilt. I want you to be happy. For me.”
Sirius sobbed and threw himself into Remus’s arms, holding him tightly.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Moony…”
“It’ll be alright, Sirius…”
“No,” Sirius sobbed. “It won’t be alright. I should be the one here, not you!”
“Sirius,” Remus gently pulled Sirius away from him and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Please,” Remus said. “Please don’t torment yourself with this. This is how it must be.”
Sirius noticed that tears had gathered in Remus’s eyes. His gentle smile faded, and a grimace of pain appeared on his face.
“I’m so scared, Sirius,” Remus whispered with a broken voice. “Really. So scared.”
Sirius felt a sharp pain in his chest. He squeezed Remus’s hands. Remus cried quietly, and Sirius hugged him again.
“We’ll be here,” Sirius whispered.
Remus nodded and squeezed Sirius’s hands tighter.
“I love you,” Sirius said.
“I love you too. All of you,” Remus whispered.
“It’s time,” a female voice announced.
Sirius gave a tearful glance at the official and turned back to Remus. He was as pale as a ghost.
“Soon it will be over,” Remus whispered quietly, trying unsuccessfully to force a smile.
“I’ll never forget you, Moony,” Sirius said. “And I’ll live. For you.”
Remus nodded and squeezed Sirius’s hands.
---
Sirius ran out of the prison, not even realizing his own steps. He didn't know when he found himself outside, panting heavily by the window. He felt his body refusing to obey him—his breath still interrupted by sobs. Remus had forgiven him. Sirius had done the worst possible thing to him, and Remus forgave him. Sirius knew he didn’t deserve that forgiveness—because of him, in just a few moments, Remus, wonderful, good Remus, would lose his life.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned sharply. Standing next to him was James, though it was hard to recognize his silhouette through the tears welling up in his eyes. James did something very unexpected—he hugged Sirius tightly.
“W-What... what are you... doing?” Sirius asked, unsure how to react to the situation.
James was silent. He simply held him.
“J-James...” Sirius hesitantly raised his arms to return James's embrace.
“I know Moony forgave you,” James whispered softly. So quietly, he was sure only he could hear it. “And I’ll try to forgive you too. We have to stick together now. For him.”
Sirius broke into another round of sobs and began shaking in James’s arms, who now gently rubbed his back.
“And we have to be strong.”
Sirius nodded, but he still couldn’t control himself. After a moment, Peter approached them hesitantly. James extended one arm and pulled Peter into the embrace. Now, they only had to wait for the worst.
---
Remus felt his heart pounding wildly as he crossed the room of the verdict hall. In the center stood a small bed, on which he would soon lie, dead. Memories from his entire life began to swirl in his mind. The bite, the first full moons, Hogwarts, his friendship with the Marauders, the moment his friends learned he was a werewolf, how they decided to help him and became Animagi. Now, it would all come to an end. He had lived sixteen years, twelve of them as a werewolf. He would die as a werewolf. The thought of his parents crossed his mind again—he had seen them last at Christmas. They hadn’t been there for his arrest, the trial, or even when he was sentenced. Remus understood; they had probably fled to avoid Azkaban, and there was nothing left for them to do for him. Yet, the pain of their absence was still sharp.
"Lie down on the bed," one of the Aurors announced.
Remus mechanically walked to the bed and sat on it. It was over. Soon, he would lose his life—just like Snape had. He began to wonder if he would have a funeral—if so, who would attend. Surely, James, Peter, and Sirius—his friends, who had stood by him to the very end. But would anyone else show up? After Snape’s death, Remus had realized that the students at Hogwarts had already passed judgment on him. He would leave this world hated by them. His parents were probably already far abroad, beyond reach. Would anyone care about the funeral of a teenage werewolf?
"Give me your hand," said one of the Aurors. She was very young, likely fresh from training as an Auror. Remus wondered if this was her first time executing a werewolf.
"Will it hurt?" Remus asked, feeling foolish for such a childish question. She, however, looked at him with concern.
"No," she answered softly. "You’ll just fall asleep."
Remus nodded and stretched out his trembling hand, which the Auror took in hers. Moments later, Remus felt a light prick. He thought about the Marauders and his parents as the world began to spin before his eyes, and his eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. He tried to blink, but each time, his eyes opened less and less. Finally, darkness descended, and Remus heard only the faint sound of someone saying the sentence was carried out.
---
Time dragged mercilessly as James, along with Sirius and Peter, sat on the bench. They sat very close to each other, silent, each lost in their own thoughts. The door opened, and the aurors stood in the doorway—two of them with serious expressions, while the other three were discussing what they would have for dinner, which triggered another surge of anger in James.
"Did you do it?" James asked through gritted teeth, already knowing the answer he was so afraid to hear.
"The sentence has been carried out," one of the aurors confirmed.
James wiped away the tears streaming down his face with the back of his robe, while his friends, sitting next to him, trembled, holding back their sobs.
"Can we at least see him?" James asked quietly.
The aurors exchanged glances, and then one of them shrugged in response. James stood up hesitantly, and Peter followed him. However, Sirius remained seated, hiding his face in his hands.
"Padfoot?"
"I-I can't," whispered Sirius.
James knelt down to meet his gaze and took his hands.
"It’s over," James said quietly. "Now we have to take care of his... his..."
"Body," Peter finished in a sobbing whisper.
James nodded, and Sirius looked at him through his swollen, red eyes. After a moment, all three of them went inside to face their greatest nightmare.