The forest was dark and gloomy. Little light filtered through the tall trees. James ran heedlessly, not bothering about sense of direction or anything; there was only one conscious thought in his mind—to find Sirius and make sure that he was safe. Then suddenly he stopped.

Sirius was sprawled on the ground.

"Sirius?" whispered James, kneeling beside him. Sirius did not move.

"Padfoot!" cried James, feeling his best friend's chest. He could detect no heartbeat. "Oh, God—Sirius—Sirius, wake up..."

James' heart was pounding furiously. Sirius was all right—he had to be—he had to be...

"No—no," gasped James, shaking all over.

He suddenly thought of how he had neglected Sirius for Lily in the last year. Was this some sort of horrible punishment? James' eyes blurred.

"James?"

James looked up shrarply. Maybe he was derilious, but he thought he distinctly heard Sirius' voice from other side of the clump of trees.

"James..." Sirius' voice was hoarse.

James got up and rounded around the trees. He saw his best friend kneeling on the ground, just like he had been doing moments ago.

James advanced and saw that Sirius bending over his dead body.

"Padfoot—what—" began James. Sirius looked up and his eyes widened in shock.

"Is it really you?" whispered Sirius raggedly.

James moved towards the body, his brows furrowed in confusion, and suddenly it changed shape and became Sirius' body.

At the same moment, it stuck both of them—Boggart Swamp. That was what the place was called.

Gray eyes met the hazel for a moment.

Then the Boggart vanished suddenly.

"Potter and Balck..." said the familiar high, cold voice.

"You here again?" asked James in disgust, turning to face Voldemort.

As Sirius stood up, he thought he saw Voldemort flicking his wand. Sirius began to feel carefree and peaceful like he had felt when Mad-Eye Moody had tried the Imperius curse on him.

"Raise your wand," said a commanding voice in his mind. Sirius obliged against his will, raising his wand on James.

"Cast the killing curse!"

"No—I won't!"

"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

"It's—it's James—I won't!"

"KILL HIM!"

"Avada Kedavra." The words were forced out of his mouth and just at the last moment, he swung his arm wildly, so that the jet of green light missed James' shoulder by about two inches.

Sirius was shaking so badly that he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"At least let him take his own decisions!" He heard James' scornful voice looming above him. Looking up, Sirius saw that James had moved to stand in front of him protectively.

"James Potter, I was speaking to your friend here."

Voldemort flicked his wand and James stumbled aside. Within a moment, Sirius had stood up and helped James to his feet. Voldemort surveyed them standing shoulder to shoulder, clutching their wands.

"Sirius Black—you come from a noble family and you could regain the honour that comes with it—which you have thrown away—if you join me."

"No."

"If you do, you could also give protection to the ones whom you wish to be safe." Voldemort's eye flickered to James.

Sirius glanced at James too. James' face was contemptuous and set. This attitude would lead to his downfall one day, realized Sirius suddenly.

Would it really be so bad if he did join Voldemort—and kept James, Remus and Peter—and Lily, too—safe?

"Thinking about it, I see," said Voldemort, smiling evilly.

"He doesn't need to think about it—you—"

"Now you let him take his own decisions, James."

"I won't join you, thanks for offering," said Sirius, trying to sound cold, but his shaking voice said otherwise.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted James, steadying his wand.

"That doesn't work against him, Prongs," said Sirius in a low voice.

Voldemort swished his wand and a horde of little orange serpents went slithering in different directions.

Within a fraction of a second, Death Eaters began Apparating to the clearing.

"Oh, crud!" muttered James. Sirius raised a Shield charm around them, but the sheer number of Death Eaters forced it aside, and attacked.

There was no better way to say it—they were dismally on the losing side.

James sent red sparks into the sky.

--------------------

Moody and Marlene had brought down all the Death Eaters near them and started contemplating which group to join—Remus, Peter, Lily and Dorcas or Hestia, Frank and Alice—when they saw the sparks.

"James and Sirius are there!" cried Marlene, and they dashed into the forest. Soon they spotted the fight.

"You inform Dumbledore, McKinnon. Too many of them," said Moony grimly, before charging in.

Marlene retreated behind a tree and took out her Kit. To her dismay, she realized that it was not working.

"Crucio!" she heard the dreadful high voice. Moody hit the ground, groaning. Marlene was beginning to seriously panic—Moody was their best warrior.

She fumbled with her wand and cast her Partronus—a nightingale. She sent a message to Dumbledore, and was preparing to step in to help the Order members, when Dumbledore's phoenix Patronus arrived and said, "Coming soon. Stay where you are."

Marlene could see his point. Moody was stirring feebly on the ground, bleeding—badly hurt. James was stunned. Sirius was the only one fighting. It wouldn't make any difference whether she joined in or not.

Voldemort indicated his followers to stop as he himself raised his wand on Sirius and said, "Avada Kedavra."

Sirius dodged it by a few inches.

Marlene lost it then. She jumped out from behind the tree and grabbed Voldemort from behind.

Voldemort had not had any physical contact with anyone for years, and for a moment, he was stunned into inaction.

Marlene took out a knife she always carried with her—and slashed it in his face.

Voldemort howled so loudly that it echoed and reechoed in the forest. His nose had been severed from his face. There was a sudden silence, which was broken by Sirius beginning to laugh.

"Talk about a genius," he said, winking at Marlene, who momentarily forgot that they were in a fight.

Sirius rennervated James and just as they were resuming the fight, and Voldemort was turning towards Marlene, his eyes glowing red with anger—Dumbledore Apparated there.

After that, Marlene, Sirius and James had an easy time of it.

Fifteen minutes later, they marched out of the forest and saw that the others had bound a large number of Death Eaters too.

Azkaban added twenty three Death Eaters that day.

--------------------

Later that night, when everyone except James and Sirius had gone back, Dumbledore asked for a few words with Sirius at the Headquarters.

"No matter what he offers you, Sirius, you can't think about joining him," said Dumbledore sternly, and suddenly Sirius felt like he was in Dumbledore's office after the Whomping Willow incident.

"No sir."

"We fight in the Order for a reason. We know we are the right side. You must learn that at times—you have to forget personal loyalty for the...well, for the greater good."

James crossed his arms and stood beside his best friend as the latter listened to Dumbledore's words, staring at his feet.

When Dumbledore was gone, James said indignantly, "As if you really thought about joining that noseless fool."

"Well, I did...for a moment."

"You did?"

"I—I just want you all to be safe." Sirius blinked. "Prongs—look here—I know I was a complete jerk for the last few months. I didn't mean to, but you see...today in the forest—it was just a stupid Boggart...but I thought—it was—it was my punishment, you know, for behaving that way towards you for so long."

James got a moment to think about how similar their minds worked, before Sirius continued in a slightly shaking voice, "I'm awfully sorry, James. And I—I want you to know that I really am happy that you got Lily—honestly—"

"I know that, Padfoot." James sat down beside Sirius and put his arm around his shoulders. "And I think you deserve an apology far more than I do. I got too wrapped up in Lily—and I was a little angry at the way you were reacting, you know. But you also know, don't you, that I trust you more than anyone else in the world? You are my best friend, mate—my brother, actually. Lily could never mean as much to me as you do. "

Sirius narrowed his eyes at James suspiciously. James glared back right back.

"Don't believe me if you don't want to," said James huffily. "But Boggarts don't lie, you know."

"James—I..." began Sirius, his voice sounding suspiciously tearful.

"What?"

Sirius didn't answer. Instead he hugged James fiercely.

"You remember a rule you made? Marauders don't cry," said James teasingly.

"I'm not crying!"

But James knew he was, and though he felt terrible about the horrible mess up between them, he also knew that such a thing would never happen again.

"You'll be best man at our wedding, Padfoot," said James.

Sirius grinned. "Isn't best man the one who's the best looking person in the hall, and whom the public loves more than the groom?"

"That's likely to change if you are best man and I am the groom," retorted James.

"Yeah, we'll see."

James and Sirius Apparated away together, just like they had done everything together during seven years at Hogswarts.

There are some things that never change.