Sirius landed on the top bunk, blood splattering over them all as well as the blue blankets and dripping to the floor as he screamed and writhed in pain.

Peter landed on the bottom one, curling around the stump of his hand and clenching his teeth against sobbing.

It was controlled chaos as the others reacted on instinct to help, Remus almost achieved flight as he snatched the nearest person's wand away to be where Padfoot was, a quick charm to mend the stream of bleeding at last, he only paused long enough to see the skin seamlessly fold back together without a trace and then a desperate look around at the others.

Regulus was doubled over coughing, it had been his wand. There was a sickening crack as Frank made something in Lily's chest go back to where it should be and she sobbed and wrapped her arms tighter around her torso. James had a disturbing patch of hair that was matted with blood to the side of his head where Alice had just tried to fix.

Remus was still holding Sirius down, his boyfriend cussing them out like music to his ears as he fought back a fresh wave of terror. He was alive, thank Merlin he was actually still alive...

Regulus had stumbled over to Peter and was trying to roll him over to see if there was anything else he could do. The place where his skin ended was solid black, no bone or sinew even showing what once had been there, it just folded and twisted in a sickening display where the flesh now lacked.

"What happened?" Alice demanded in pure horror. James recast the healing charm on himself, finishing up the damage and feeling the disturbing slide as his skull fully reconnected and the bones clicked back into place.

"Tree," he muttered before he realized she wasn't talking to him and saw it too.

"Some crazy fire," Peter croaked miserably, his voice so shoddy nobody would have recognized it if they weren't staring at him. "Tried to, grab the, di-" he stopped and coughed so hard the bed shook with him. "Burnt up, I think-" he stopped and pressed his face against the pillow and seemed to be biting it to stop a scream.

Remus nearly fell off the bed he leaned over the edge so dangerously to get an eye on him and see, then gagged and did tumble to the floor when he saw the missing appendage. James was already in motion, duplicating the blanket Wormtail was sprawled out on a dozen times and then hastily tried to tuck them all around him in a frantic burrito style that was probably painful, but Peter never uncurled himself to stop him.

"Molly might have some Skele Gro around here," Frank tried to soothe as he looked anxiously towards the door.

Lily was just amazed he'd taken in they were at the Burrow, she still couldn't think past much of anything except hearing all of the screaming when they'd landed as she rubbed at her sternum.

"Won't work," Regulus finally straightened up, brushing impatiently at his hair, his voice sounded as rough as if he'd swallowed the whole room he'd been trapped in as he watched James's progress. "That was Fiendfyre, cursed fire. I, I used sectumsempra to cut it off, it was spreading, it was going to... I, I don't think it'll grow back."

James made a strangled noise, a scream lost on the way out as he couldn't take his eyes off of Wormtail and then darting back up to where Padfoot's blood was still seeping into the other bed. Remus crawled back up there with him and tried to rouse a better response and explain what was going on, but he didn't seem to be taking in a word as Moony pulled him semi-upright against his chest.

"What happened?" Frank repeated, looking from Peter to Sirius, the bubble of blood still on the corner of Lily's mouth, the patch of it on the floor where James hand landed, before looking all around for the book. It was in no obvious place, so he summoned it. The golden binding came shooting out of a secret gap in the wall along with a few very old and dusty Ton-Tongue Toffees. Frank hastily flipped to where he'd been, the spot should be obvious, right in the middle of a paragraph-

Instead, the rest of the page was blank. He flipped to the next and saw the new chapter title.

"You guys, you heard that right?" Frank kept flipping the page back and forth as if determined to find the trick. "It just cut off-"

"I think Sirius died," Remus sounded surprisingly calm considering he was still covered in his blood and so sickly white his nose looked likely to leap off his face.

"Don't be ridiculous Remus," James scoffed, squeezing Sirius's knee, making him keen and moan another cuss to prove his point.

"Whatever it was," Sirius slurred as he shifted unhappily around, but Remus wasn't letting him go, "I don't f'ing recommend it happening again!" He couldn't yell though, there was zero energy in him, for once, and then he simply fell asleep like that. Sprawled out on his back and still shivering slightly.

Frank and Alice tried the door and found it opened, so they quickly departed, still whispering uneasily about this as well as getting food ready for when the two woke up and anything they could still scavenge to help Peter's hand somehow.

James was just quivering on the spot, the urge to help with nothing to do leaving him like a spring ready to snap at the slightest tension. His hand was still a mess of splinters as he touched the spot on the back of his head where the throbbing had vanished in moments, he'd never felt a thing before it all went black... She came forward and uneasily touched the back of his hand, asking, "would you come out to the Weasley's garden with me? See what they might have out there?"

He didn't respond, didn't drag his eyes off them, but slowly began backing towards the stairwell under her guiding touch until she gently closed the door behind them.

Regulus touched Peter's back for a moment, but he seemed to have passed out as well, so he hauled himself up to the top bunk and watched Sirius, now curling up miserably in Remus's lap.

His brother's boyfriend was brushing at Sirius's hair, his eyes distant as he kept one arm tightly around his moving chest, his brother's whole body was squirming as he tried to roll onto his side instead but Remus wasn't giving him much mobility.

"Did he really die?" The way Peter had been screaming, the way everything had gone dark and dim...Lily's ribs looked like they'd been smashed through her chest...who's to say it even had been Sirius. Regulus watched as a few strands of his Sirius's tickled along his nose, arms wrapped so tight around Remus's waist as he moved restlessly. He'd never heard his brother mutter in his sleep before, but he was now as he struggled to get comfortable, perhaps not even unconscious but too ill at ease to be awake either as his mind still slagged.

"I, I think so," Remus sounded so terrified, like he'd never blink again as he just kept watching him. "The, explanation makes sense anyways, why else would we be bunted before the chapter was over like that..." His face was so human as his voice caught, fear of the knowledge he could have lost him, all of them, a concept no animal could ever grasp. "I could have, there was this moment where I could have grabbed my wand or him, and I thought it was obvious at the time, but I, I'm such a fool, I should have gone for my wand! If I had I could have caught him before he fell, and, oh Merlin, he really died because I-"

"That's not fair," Sirius's little brother boldly put in. He was as blunt as Sirius sometimes, but in a more refined way, he had a way of speaking that made what he said seem more smooth. Less like Sirius shoving a fact in your face, and more like making you see the reasonable solution had been there all along. Remus bit at his lip as he finally tore his eyes away, he hadn't even realized who he'd been talking to. He silently handed Regulus his wand back and watched him for an explanation he couldn't give himself. "Who knows if you would have managed that, he might have still fallen and been on the grounds alone when he died of this injury or, or anything. I'm sorry you two don't have your wands anymore, but you did the best you could in that moment."

Remus watched him for several moments, his dark green eyes which had golden flecks in them were the only thing that could have given away what he really was. Remus smiled then, almost relaxed as he glanced down at Sirius and then back to him. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

"Mm, Moony," Sirius muttered, voice groggy with frustration, still trying to roll over and grumbling when he couldn't for the arms still around him.

Remus still tried to shush him and keep him in place, but even half dead or half awake or whatever he was, that stubborn streak would be his last as he kept trying to pull free of the confining grasp, so Regulus watched as the guy had no choice but to let him go.

Finally getting his reward, Sirius relaxed and nestled right back against Remus's legs, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling in close. Breathing out a laugh, Remus gently pulled himself free, only to lay down and press his back against Sirius, who finally exhaled and his face went lax in relief as he hitched his leg up over him, twisting himself on top of the poor guy as much as he could as the tremors stopped.

Regulus watched for a few moments as Remus's eyes closed, not in sleep, just contentment. He let himself fall back to the floor with a soft thump before sitting on the edge of Peter's bed.

It was there again, as James stepped out of the room and the door closed in front of him. That tender, worried expression as his hand lingered on the knob for his friends.

Lily did not ask herself why she did it, she just moved on impulse and kissed him.

James stood before her for exactly seven seconds before he realized what had happened and kissed her back.

He held her gently, the trembling wood-marked hand resting on the small of her back, the other going to her hair as he returned each brush of her lips with an eager one of his own. It was sort of awkward at first and neither were entirely sure of what they were doing, but there was a soft tingling sensation in place on her lips when she pulled back. Only after she did and his hazel eyes blinked open did she bite her lip and really ask herself what she was doing, while not pulling out of his arms.

Maybe she just wanted to know what it felt like to be loved by someone, no strings attached. Her parents had wanted her to go on to do such great things and never asked what she wanted. Petunia and Severus had hated her for not being like them. James had never once in his life asked her to change for him, he'd just always loved her exactly the way she was, but she'd never asked, "why do you love me?"

He smiled, that one she'd grown so fond of without even realizing it. The one she'd seen out of the corner of her eye back when all this started, just for his friends. He just looked so simply happy as he told her, "that passion of yours Lily. You, you do everything with your whole heart. Whatever you're learning, or defending your friend, I always knew from that first day if I could just have a little of that in my life I'd be happy."

Her hands lingered on his chest just where she'd put them. His hands tightened where they were for just a moment as he understood what she was about to do, he'd always been able to do that too as she stepped out of his arms and dropped her palms away.

They fell back to his side, she watched the sadness in his eyes he didn't bother to hide, he'd never hide anything from her really. She reached out tentatively and touched the back of his hand. The sadness didn't entirely vanish, but he smiled again. "Thank you," she whispered simply.

"Don't take these books as prophecy now," he told her cheerfully, still forever making a joke it seemed, she heard that clear as day in his tone. Even now his hand twitched to hold her as close as he could, but he didn't. Letting her do as she pleased apparently. "You don't have to wait tell seventh year."

"Oh I'm well aware," she promised. She turned and left, as always feeling his eyes watching her go, and smiled as he fell in step beside her.

The first thing Sirius did when his eyes fluttered open wide awake was to smile down at Remus curled against his chest. One of his arms was numb from where his boyfriend was using it as a pillow, and he did not care. Moony wasn't asleep, there was no way with the lack of snoring, but he seemed so comfortable where he was Sirius automatically wanted to lean in and kiss him, and maybe a little more if he could get him in the mood as warm as he woke up feeling. He opened his mouth, a salacious comment on the tip of his tongue as he let his hand travel past his stomach, but then froze and tipped his head to the side as he heard somebody else's breathing.

Damn that filter. He'd still love to make Remus blush at least, but no, Moony definitely wouldn't like that. Sighing with regret, he instead moved his hand up to gently trace his lips, a reward in itself when his boyfriend's smile tugged and fluttered to catch the tips as Remus chuckled softly and whispered, "glad you're feeling better."

"Could wake up every day like this," he promised softly as he pressed a tender kiss to his temple.

Remus hummed and pressed himself in closer as he whispered, "how's your leg? Not feeling lightheaded are you?"

Somebody had cleaned up their landing, the gash felt good as new, the skin not even tender, but Sirius was still feeling a little out of sorts he had to acknowledge. "A little dizzy," he admitted, wrapping his arms tighter around him and feeling an actual flutter in his chest when Remus sighed and still leaned more into him, "nothing some breakfast and a little blood restorative won't fix. How long was I out?"

"Not sure," Remus sounded very much like the Burrow could have gone up in flames and he wouldn't have opened his eyes to check.

"Not long," Regulus answered casually below them. Neither were surprised, but both pouted and made a similar face at their moment being interrupted.

Remus finally shifted to get out from underneath him, and Sirius let him by flopping onto his back again with grumbled protest even as he shook his arm and felt more naked than if his pants were off for not being able to grab his wand to get the sleeping limb awake.

"How's Peter?" Moony startled him by asking gently as he began lowering himself down.

"What?" Sirius squawked in surprise, tumbling off and landing in an eerily similar ungraceful landing in the exact place Moony had as he bounced back to his feet even as Peter slurred, "not fine!"

Only the top of his tousled brown hair was visible as he remained in his little cocoon.

"James taught me how to keep a numbing charm on it, but," Regulus spread his hands miserably as Sirius fought back the urge to rip the blankets off and see what exactly.

Remus leaned in and whispered in his ear for a moment, and Sirius hissed and balled his hands up, for a moment very much looking like he was going to thump Peter on the little of his visible head.

Regulus watched his brother open, then close his mouth, miraculously seemed to think before he spoke, and then snapped, "I'll bring food up," and stomped out.

Remus gave him a small smile before going out and gently closing the door behind him.

"He still thinks I'm an idiot," Peter whispered. He'd kept his hand clasped so firmly around the stump for so long now he was sure his remaining five fingers were broken and couldn't unclench them.

"I think he thinks everyone but him is an idiot, that lovely arrogance," Regulus sighed heavily. An awkward pause, before he asked softly, "I thought we all agreed not to risk our lives on a chance Pete? We don't even know if that horcrux could come with us, why did you try to grab it?" The smell of bacon made his stomach curl in disgust as it wafted up the stairs, the lingering stench of burnt flesh he'd cut off...

A quarter of Peter's face slowly creeped out, just his forehead and the very ridge of his eyes as he softly asked back, "think I skipped a few steps and now everyone I care about won't die?"

Regulus groaned and sat back more comfortably on the bed, now feeling the edge of his shoes pressed against his best friend's hip. "Please don't talk like that."

"At the moment I just, I just wanted to try. I, I thought I could-" he stopped, but wiggled enough the rest of his face was now visible, just resting comfortably on the pillow where the wet spots had long since dried. "Now, I don't know, maybe it's for the best. Maybe I, paid my dues already and, it'll go better this time."

"You never owed anyone anything," Regulus corrected primly. "You never did anything wrong."

"Yeah," Peter smiled at him like he finally believed that. His hand unclenched.

The door gently opened and James and Lily came in with a bunch of finger food. Peter sat up just enough he could get one arm free, keeping the other out of sight still so that James couldn't keep fussing as he leaned over and was very clearly fixing to do. "You lot can get started on reading," Wormtail suggested casually as he plucked at a sausage. "Don't wait on me to come down, I'm not getting up until I'm flung from this bed."

James laughed appreciatively while Peter sat the rest of the way up, gingerly removing the stump of his other arm but keeping it pressed to his side.

Sirius hadn't said a word as he violently went through the Weasley's home in search of a spare wand someone may have left around, and when that turned up fruitless and Remus was still following him with that pursed up look on his face, he slammed down into a seat just as Prongs and Lils went up with food for Peter and snapped, "what? I didn't say it."

"If you're mentally yelling about his attempt not working, get it out now," Remus sighed as he pulled the bowl of sugar towards him. "Nobody else wants to hear it love." Alice and Frank were still at the stove debating if somebody dying had been the problem at all. They weren't coming up with many other solutions, and the extremely grim topic of someone dying to skip all this along faster was wetting nobody's appetite and not going to be indulged past Frank's morbid, ever analytical mind.

"I'm not pissed at him for not grabbing it," he corrected at once. "I'm pissed at him for trying to grab it! For being an idiot and almost getting himself killed!" He still didn't want Peter dead! He was now no longer confident it even had been him who died, maybe Wormtail's injury had been bad enough his own heart had stopped beating. They'd never know.

Remus relaxed in relief beside him, and squeezed his hand. "Then, maybe you should tell him that." Sirius froze with a bite almost to his mouth. "We can't read your mind Sirius, and if I thought that, well, he probably is too."

Sirius swallowed nothing in his mouth and let the food fall back to the plate as he nodded his agreement he'd do just this. Moony leaned in and kissed his jaw and Sirius smiled softly at him.

Lily and James sat in the stairwell to read, as far as she could drag him from Peter. They couldn't hear what the two were talking about, if they were at all, but he still felt twitchy and the visceral need to do something had him snatching the book away from Frank to get them on with this already!

A shadow would forever hang over more than them for this night, but now the Burrow too. Fred Weasley had died, and Harry's grief echoed out of every word on the page.

The chaos they'd been a part of, apart from, and nearly died in was given in detail. Harry was never alone though, as Ron's grief was wrestled into submission by Hermione and his son's friends traversed the madness with him every step of the way once more.

Lily hadn't always been so lucky, she'd started this so alone and only slowly made friends along the way as she allowed herself to admit the distance in place between her and Severus, now on full display as she sat casually beside James fighting back tears for whom Lucius Malfoy had been told to fetch, where Snape's place was in this fight, at Voldemort's request in the Shrieking Shack.

He wanted to comfort her, reach out and hold her hand, do anything to catch her attention, but that wasn't what she needed from him. It was only as he restrained himself and turned back to the book did it finally occur to him the horcrux had no longer been in his grasp when he'd awoken. He didn't bother to try summoning it, he knew it had been lost in that disaster...and yet the feeling of failure did not resurface as she stayed beside him, brushing at her hair. His friends were alive, despite all odds, they'd made it this far once in the worst of circumstances going into this mess. They'd do it again, better the second time.

He kept reading as Hagrid vanished into the Forest, their son nearly gave up on everything in the face of dementors, and she finally leaned into his side, put her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder, as Dumbledore's Army stepped in for their boy, he always had true backup.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione went through the tunnel once more, and James's mind lingered on his friends as always, for how much had changed. Would he have been able to cut Peter's hand off to save him? He wanted to say yes, of course, but he wasn't as practical as Regulus, or impulsive as Sirius. Wormtail had showed time and again, by saving Lily, by being in that room with Regulus when he knew without having to be told a single detail his friend could have made a break for it. He could change from a selfish, bitter Death Eater who would sell him out to be someone better.

Snape begged, was a coward to his last breath as his own murder bit him in the ass. He'd been the one to kill Dumbledore, and even Voldemort didn't regret disposing of his own henchmen to gain another level of power in the Elder Wand. Would Severus Snape change, if given the chance? Or was history still doomed to repeat on some level just like it had to Wormtail? Were they fooling themselves into thinking any of this had a point to it? Were they still trapped on a horrible path of repeat when they went back?

Lily turned her face into his chest, her dark red hair spilling down them both as she tucked herself closer to him for the last sentence glimmering up at them.