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chapter eighteen; all-consuming rage
A week or so later, James couldn't stop thinking about Peter and what his tainted magic meant. He knew Amaya was right, he knew why she didn't trust his friend after all his magic made her sick since the beginning—James wouldn't have trusted him either if he only met Peter now.
But the truth was, he met Peter when he was an eleven-year-old chubby kid, who, to be fair, got on his nerves in the beginning but grew to be one of his best friends. They'd grown up together, and Peter was the only one out of the four of them who had never been in a disagreement with anyone. Always agreeable, always the middle man.
He couldn't get the fact that perhaps something was wrong with Peter's magic because they were straying away and in part putting him aside and perhaps he was dabbling with the Dark Arts as a coping mechanism. Of course, he knew how ridiculous that sounded, but he was afraid to jump to conclusions when it was his friend he was talking about.
That must've been why he didn't tell Amaya he felt the dark magic she always felt around Peter. He didn't want to keep that a secret but in the back of his head he knew if he told her it would become real, and he knew he would have no choice but to believe his friend was gone.
One way or the other, James was on Amaya's side. She was right (like always) and Peter had most likely tried to fucking kill her with a bludger. If James had proof he would've flamed the rat—friend or not.
As a solution to everything, James planned for them to go out after a day of the week, so he could either make sure Peter knew he was still their friend and find out whether he tried to kill Amaya or not—he wanted to save his friend from whatever vile magic had taken a hold of him but if he endangered Amaya, James couldn't promise he wouldn't kill Peter or maim him at least.
That's how he found himself sitting in a booth at Three Broomstick they used to sit in when they were at Hogwarts. They agreed to meet there for a night out. James had greeted Rosie on his way in and sat down as he waited for the boys.
Sirius had gone to see Marlene first and Remus was still focused on whatever he and Amaya were working on—they'd kicked James out of the library at some point and Amaya had winked at him on his way out, as she faked a silent moan as she looked at Remus who was concentrating on something on the desk (James had let out an audible laugh and Amaya had grinned his way before magically slamming the door in his face).
And Peter was supposedly on his way.
James was on his second butterbeer when Peter arrived and the others were still to get there. His friend—James still wasn't sure whether the title prevailed—greeted James with a grin as he went to get a drink, and for a split second James regretted ever thinking something was wrong with him, it was Pete. And then he tried to feel his magic again and the same darkness took over his senses.
