IT'S MAGIC ❤︎ WHY DONT WE

thirty five

"happy birthday christina!" zach squealed as he and daniel entered the great hall for breakfast. regardless of being in different houses, the group of eight would always sit together at one table on a birthday.

then after they eat they head out to the courtyard and just hang out there. hand presents to the birthday girl –or boy, depending on whose birthday it is of course.

and as the group sat around, zach pulled out his sketch book. finishing off one he had started the previous day. "whatcha drawing now?" christina wondered, taking a seat next to him, peering over his shoulder.

"is that cedric? my gosh zach!" the hufflepuff girl giggled, "hang on. are you dating cedric diggory?" jonah questioned. "no. not dating.. i don't think. i-it's not like that." zach stuttered. "but you are a thing?"

"i-i mean we hang out. i like him... i-i don't know– don't think we're dating or anything it's just.. nice." the boy attempted to explain, holding back his little smile.

and like the other day in the great hall, zach looks over and sees cedric at the other side of the courtyard. "y-you guys don't mind if i just– if i go...?" zach bit his lip, "no! go go go!" gabriela and kay both pushed him.

•••

that evening was when professor lupin had confiscated the map from harry. when he had returned to his quarters, he saw zach sitting on the extra bed. the bed remus brought in for zach specifically.

"well hello zach, when'd you get here?" remus grinned lightly. "couldn't sleep, t-thought we could talk?" the young student pursed his lips together, his legs crossed. he fiddled with his hands in his lap.

remus walked over, placing himself next to his student. "is everything alright? another nightmare?" over the past month zach had been experiencing awful nightmares. ones that keep him awake for nights on end. that's where remus comes in.

"what's that?" zach asks, pointing to the parchment remus held. "this... is the marauders map." he replied with a small smirk, showing it to him. "you made this?" the professor nodded.

"me, james, sirius and peter." remus smiled, letting flashbacks consume his mind. "we started making it back in our fourth year. finally finished it almost two years later."

zach furrowed his brow, tilting his head as he observed remus' demeanor. "are you okay? something seems wrong."

"harry had the map. and he said... he said he saw peter's name. b-but that's impossible. he's dead. peter's dead. sirius killed him." remus let out a heavy breath, easing the slightest bit when zach hugged his arm.

"and you know for a fact that sirius killed peter? and that harry saw his name? what if the map was wrong?"

"the map... is never wrong. if harry said he saw peter's name, it really was there. peter was there." remus sighed. "so that means that sirius didn't kill him. peter's alive. which also means sirius is innocent. right?"

remus closed his eyes tightly, letting a shaky breath fall from his lips. "zach just because he didn't kill peter doesn't mean he didn't betray us."

"but how do you know for a fact that sirius did betray you guys?" the hufflepuff wondered. it didn't make sense, not to him at least. "you told me sirius and james were best friends. that sirius ran away and lived with james. if he loved james that much why would he betray him?"

"i don't know zach..." remus sighed again. "come on, get some rest. you have classes tomorrow. exams are soon." the professor said, "but remus it just... it doesn't make sense. it doesn't add up."

"zach.. you need to get some rest." remus held eye contact with the young boy before speaking again. "come on, i know you only want to keep talking because you're scared of having another nightmare."

"but don't worry okay? i'm gonna be right here. if you have another one, i will be right here to help you okay?"

so zach agreed, crawling under the covers of the bed, letting himself slowly drift off. but remus stayed awake. for a few reasons.

he wanted to stay awake to make sure zach would be okay. but he also kept thinking about sirius.

about what happened back in 1981.

zach's right. it doesn't add up.

so remus flipped through every part of the map, looking for peter's name himself. and when he saw it... everything clicked for him. sirius really was innocent.