Rated M for slight mentions of mature themes; namely rape and torture.

For the sake of this AU, I envisioned the Marauders to be relatively young and I will be writing Tonks in to be the same age as them cuz I'm a sucker for RLNT...if I kept the canon age difference between her and Remus I doubt she'd even be of legal age...

They had been friends once. Years ago they had gone to school together and Sirius and James would poke fun at Peter while Remus tried to play peacekeeper. Everyone would laugh about it at the end of the day and life could have gone on forever in the carefree days of childhood.

But that was years ago. Before their world was turned upside down and death was at every corner. Before the betrayals and the murders. Before the werewolf, once an amazing power for excitement, became a beast of terror. Marking Remus. Marking the boys. Marking everyone around them.

And for all extents and purposes, James Potter should have known he could never truly run away from his past.

"Good evening Potter. I don't believe we've met. I am Alastor Moody. Your friend and I were just having a little chat."

James froze.

After five years in hiding, the Ministry had finally managed to track them down. James had to admit it was rather expected but he had thought he'd have put up much more of a fight. It didn't help that he didn't have a wand and it didn't help that Remus had been weakened by the full moon from only yesterday to put up much of a fight. He had expected a battle to the death, a reading of his crimes before an Avada Kedavra finished him off. He had not expected to come back to the little shack they called a home to find his best friend, beaten and bloody, tied to a chair at the table and sitting across from a gruff Auror.

"Take a seat Potter," the Auror said casually in his raspy voice, conjuring up a chair beside Remus.

"What did you do to him?" James growled instead, indicating Remus's prone form.

"Just some stunning spells. Sit down boy," the Auror replied, rolling his wand on the palm of his hand. It was meant to look like a casual gesture but James knew it was a threat.

James glared at the thin piece of wood before assessing Remus again. The werewolf was tied to the chair with a Incarcerousspell, a trail of blood trickled from the back of his head but other than that he looked no worse than when James had patched him up after moon set.

"Moony?" James asked, shaking his friend's shoulder a bit as he sat down.

Remus didn't make a sound but his eyes opened slowly and James let out a mental sigh of relief before it was quickly replaced by anger at the Auror in front of him.

Remus took a good minute to wake up fully and when he did his slumped position suddenly went ridged.

His head snapped to James and his eyes went from confusion to shame before turning to a deep, dreading compassion.

"Run Prongs. Please just get out of here and leave me," they said but James looked away.

"It's gonna be alright Moony," James muttered, eyes now fixated on the Auror in front of them but he could feel his friend's pleading stare at the side of his head.

"Hands on the table now," the Auror interrupted, his wand still in plain sight.

Without breaking eye contact with the Auror, James slowly raised his hands, placing them firmly on the table.

"Well Potter. I suppose you know why I'm here," Moody went on, both his magical eye and his regular eye staring fixatedly in the two boys' directions.

James remained silent. Remus looked away.

"To put it simply," Moody said, leaning over to the two men, "I've caught you Potter," he said, jabbing his wand at James who met it with a steely glare.

"And under The Ministry of the Magic. James Potter and Remus Lupin are to be brought upon public firing squad for the murder of Ministry official Peter Pettigrew at Godric's Hollow on October 31st, 1981," Moody recited gruffly.

James could feel Remus tense further beside him but James' voice remained steady when he spoke.

"Then take me. I planned it all. Let Remus go."

"Don't be daft," Moody snapped, "We have your wands. The records register that the killing curse was used by both of you. Besides, aiding a murder deserves the same punishment as committing one," the Auror growled before his magic eye looked over to Lupin, "Remember, killing a Ministry official is one thing, being an unregistered werewolf is certainly another."

James could have sworn Remus had stopped breathing and even he couldn't help the wince his own face produced. Werewolves in this day and age were treated brutally as slaves by purebloods. They were beaten, starved and used for their owners' sick plots and fantasies. Every full moon was spent in a ring, forced to rip each other to shreds as people watched in fascination and greed. Those that survived the ring ended up killing themselves eventually or developed a case of such extreme paranoia and shock that they were put down when their usefulness expired. With a life like that, a simply killing curse even seemed favourable.

"Right. Now that I've got everyone's attention," Moody growled, palming his wand once more.

"I'd like to propose a deal Potter."

There was a moment of silence as James and Remus processed this thought before Moody continued.

"To be frank. I couldn't give a rat's ass about you two," Moody said, leaning back into his chair, "You killed some lad five odd years ago, the world's moved on," he said impatiently.

"Constant vigilance is always what I tell all those fools at the Ministry. To think Pettigrew would be bested by some low life school children!"

James' mind was furiously trying to help him make the connections to plot out where this was going.

"No. You two aren't who I'm looking for," Moody said, "Rather. It's the third I'm most interested in."

James' heart sank.

"You want Sirius. Sirius Black," he said, eyes once again narrowed as he tried to stem the flow of memories and emotions that were now associated with that name.

"Got it in one Potter."

"We don't know where he is. We left him years ago," James insisted and Moody gave him a rather smug frown.

"Oh that's alright. I'm sure you'll have an idea. In the meantime I'll take Lupin here until New Years."

James whipped his head to the side but Remus met his eyes with a cold determination.

"I'm not leaving you!" James muttered, angry that his friend would even think of accepting the offer so that he could run free.

"But that's the deal then," Moody interrupted, "Give us Sirius Black within two weeks and I'll personally free both you of any charges regarding Pettigrew's murder. I'll also let a certain furry little problem skip my mind. You'll be free men just in time for Christmas."

James sat for a while contemplating this trade off. As free men they wouldn't have to hide in shacks out in the middle of nowhere. They could get a house and proper medication for Remus during moons. He still had lots of money in his vault over at Gringotts. If he were free of all criminal charges he'd be able to access it. They could live the life they'd once had.

"And what happens to Sirius?" James asked, pushing all other thoughts out of the way, "What happens to Sirius if I turn him in?"

Moody smiled.

"For Black's crimes, a simple killing spell would be too nice. No, Black deserves a fate worse than death. If not life in Azkaban then perhaps..in the form of a kiss," the Auror mused aloud.

"You're going to take his soul," James said plainly, letting his hands curl into fists upon the table.

Moody growled.

"You know Black deserves it. For everything he's done. You were right to leave him Potter and take Lupin with you. Black's walking down a dangerous path. It didn't stop with Pettigrew for him. What he's done to the Prewett brothers; their sister still swears vengeance to this day. And what about the Longbottoms? They'll be in Mungos for life mind you," Moody mocked.

The two captives sat in stony silence. Remus being meek enough to stare into his lap while James' white knuckle grip on the table intensified.

"And the final straw. The one precious card that sent the whole thing tumbling," Moody added, both eyes trained on James once more.

James's blood ran cold.

"Lily."

"He killed her Potter. He killed her and raped her," the Auror spat, knowing the man in front of him had made the right connection, "While she was pregnant."

The air was thick enough to cut a knife and an uneasy silence settled once again between the three men in the room.

"I'll do it."

It came out more of a half whisper so James took another shuddering breath and tried again.

"I'll do it. I'll bring in Sirius Black," he clarified, voice growing increasingly stronger.

"And once I do. You let me and Remus free."

For the first time, Moody sat back in his chair with an ugly grin.

"Very well, Mr. Potter, you have yourself a deal."

"Will you, James Potter, bring in Sirius Black to the Ministry holding at Hogsmeade village before New Years Day?"

"I will," James said, clasping hands with the gruff Auror as another one hovered over them, wand in place to bond him to the Unbreakable Vow.

"And will you, Alastor Moody, free me and Remus Lupin of all past crimes should I return with Black before New Years Day?"

"I will," Moody all but growled and James was quick to grasp his hand harder before the other man could signal the vow to be finalized.

"And will you," he said quickly, "Ensure Remus Lupin's survival until New Years Day?"

There was a pause; James's stare didn't waver.

"I will," Moody eventually said before signaling the Auror standing over them to complete the bonding.

"Good move Mr Potter."

James glared, "There was every possibility that you'd just kill Remus and when I got back with Sirius you'd kill the two of us in one blow," he reasoned.

Moody didn't bother to respond. Instead, he waited for the other Auror to finish bonding the pair before standing up, staggering slightly but not losing his air of authority.

" Shacklebolt," Moody addressed, "take Lupin to the headquarters," Moody instructed as he reached to withdraw something from his robes.

"Wait," James said, moving quickly to Remus's side once more and grasping his friend's shoulder firmly.

"I'll come back for you," James whispered, "I'll bring in Sirius and come back. I promise you I will. Don't think for a second you're not important to me. You're my best friend Moony," James insisted, clenching onto Remus's shoulder so tight it was painful, "You're all I have left Moony. I won't let Sirius take you from me too."

And with a final nod from Moody, James backed up and watched as his friend was apparated out of the shack with a bang.

"Oh do relax boy," Moody growled as he handed James a thin box that he'd managed to retrieve from within his cloak pocket, "He'll be at Hogsmeade's Ministry headquarters. Not bloody Azkaban."

James mutely took the offered box and opened it. He stared at the thin stick of wood inside it for a long moment.

"Figured you'd be needing that," Moody growled when James failed to respond.

His 11 inch mahagony wand lay in the box. Absently, James's finger traced its spider web pattern before taking a deep breath.

"I don't want it," James insisted as he closed the box and sent it skidding across the table.

Moody raised a curious eyebrow.

"I don't need some Ministry blokes scrutinizing every spell I make thank you," James answered hotly.

Moody gave him a grim smile.

"So you do have some brains after all."

More rustling of fabric before another slim box was pulled out from the Auror's heavy cloak before being passed back to James.

James held his breath as he stared at the contents of the box.

"10 1/4 inch willow. I do recon it's familiar," the Auror growled, tapping the lid of the box meaningfully, "Took some effort to get a hold of it."

James stared. For sitting within the box, was the wand that once belonged to Lily Evans.

"Well Potter? As far as the Ministry's concerned, this wand is meant to be buried six feet under. They certainly won't be observing it anymore."

The seconds ticked by slowly before James finally grasped the handle of the wand. A burst of magic seemed to course through him, swirling up the dust in the shack as if a great wind had suddenly blown through the area.

When the pulse died, James's looked into the eye of Mad Eye Moody with a renewed confidence.

"I'll take it," he said and Moody nodded his head.

"I'll see you soon then Potter."

And with a bang the veteran Auror disapparated out of the building.

"Wait for me Moony," James said as he pocketed his new wand and rummaged through their meager belongings, "I'm going to finish this once and for all. For our sake."

With a small pack in hand, James strode out of the shack without so much as a backwards glance and disapparated as a final thought floated through his head:

"For Lily."

AN: For the record, I predict this story will mostly be about the relationship between everyone rather than James's hunt for Sirius... And I know we all love Sirius (I do too!) but let's face it, Peter doesn't have the guts to pull off some of these things. :/

Anyways, I'm hoping it doesn't get too long. I tried to keep the world they're in simple and still kinda canon. The past will be explained in subsequent chapters.

And if you're nice enough leave me a review!