Last Rights

Last Rights:

Moony!

He did it -traitorous little rat! I can't believe the nerve of him, I can't believe that none of us noticed! How stupid are we? He sold them out! They were meant to be his friends and he just wrote them off for God knows what reason! I'm going to KILL him! Maim him! Rip out his whiskers one by one! Maybe I should rid him of some limbs myself next time instead of something he's done himself. Ooh, that little sneak - how the hell did he end up in Gryffindor! Should have been a slimy little snake, then we wouldn't have this problem!

I tried to get him for them, Moony, but he's a tricky bastard. He tricked me and now they all think he's dead when he's still around somewhere doing who knows what... probably begging for sympathy, miserable little bugger! And he LIED to them all and now they think I murdered my best friends: bad enough that he does it, but then he blames me... when this is all sorted out (it HAS to be!) I won't need help to tear him to pieces! I'm not a murderer but if I'm going to be treated as one, I may as well finish the job!

We TRUSTED him - and he's thrown it back in our faces! He's worthless!

We set this all up to be right, Moony; Lily, Prongs and I did it to protect them and not damn them! I'm sorry, we thought it might be you... it's just, you've been so distant lately and well... what with your condition... affliction, problem, whatever you want to call it... we knew he might go for you! We were afraid you'd give in, because everybody seems to give in now and, well, you were the person with most obvious motive and...

Well, I'm really sorry. I should have stuck with you, not doubted you (it seems so obvious now!), but then maybe you doubted me... I know things haven't been great for a while, but we're still okay, right? We're the last two Marauders - one dead and one good as. We should stick together through everything... we've got through worse situations in the past, haven't we? We've always had the Marauders... and recently we've had each other in more ways than one. We can always remember that. Even now, we have each other.

Aw, shucks, Moony; you know I'm no good at this touchy-feely stuff. I'm not a romantic guy. I don't need to say everything, we both know how we feel and that's enough. Isn't it?

You can't hate me, Moony. Not even if Wormtail gets away with this. You can help me, can't you? Tell them our secret - you know the one - that's enabled his escape. They'll know what to look for then, they'll find him. A rat out of rat territory can't be so difficult to find... I mean, he never was THAT smart, right?

You can do that, can't you? You can help... for me, for us, for the Marauders. For Prongs... you can do this. We can do this - we can do it together! Everything will be fine. He'll be caught and everything will be great! Everything will be back to normal. It can't stay like this - I don't think I have enough bad karma for this to backfire on me.

I hope things work out, Moony - for both of us. I hope this won't be the last letter I can write in a long time. I hope that, if the worst comes to the worst, you'll still be with me. And I hope you're well.

Wishing you a long happy life (and Wormtail a slow painful death),

Padfoot.

- - - - -

"Hey!" a voice demanded imperiously, waving a thin arm through the bars of his cell. In his hand was a piece of dirty and slightly crumpled parchment. For a moment, the guard was surprised. Not a lot of people chose to do this any more.

They all knew there was no point, really.

He took the paper. The man - the prisoner, Sirius Black - watched him. He didn't protest when the guard read the paper; maybe he'd resigned himself to not having any privacy.

Once the guard had finished reading, he stared at the man for a moment then chuckled. He was getting far too old for this. "Kid, you're a nutter," he exclaimed. The prisoner's eyes darkened and he appeared to be ready to retort when the guard tore the paper down the middle.

"What? But... that's illegal!" It was the first objection that came to Sirius' mind.

The man chuckled again and walked away, pausing at the door to say, "Neither is what you did, but it didn't stop you, did it?" He walked out.

Sirius snarled in frustration and punched the wall. A moment later, he was nursing his bleeding knuckles.

"Damnit! Remus..." he muttered.

The hope had ripped away in the guard's fist; his one way out gone. Now, he knew, he was just another man condemned by an incompetent ministry, a man forgotten except for a betrayal which he did not commit.