Chapter Ten
James was thrilled at the approach of the Quidditch final between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. His excitement was infectious; the Gryffindor boys of the first-year dormitory sat in a corner of the common room and discussed strategies late into the night in the week before the match.
Meanwhile, warm weather moved in, and Sirius began relaxing out in the courtyard in his spare time. It was May, which meant he had less than two months until it was time to return home. Most students were spending free time studying for exams, so the courtyard was a quiet place to clear his mind of nagging worries.
He hadn't heard from Bellatrix since her letter in March, but he hadn't forgotten about her warnings that he was being watched. Whenever a Slytherin approached in the corridors, he would watch from the corner of his eye until whoever it was had passed. He felt he hadn't done anything that would particularly upset her. He'd received a couple of detentions, sure, but they were only for hexing other students. The Black family was perfectly comfortable with disagreements, even when they involved Slytherins.
Tuesday afternoon in Charms they were learning the Mending Spell. Sirius enjoyed this greatly for two reasons: he succeeded at the spell on the first try, earning fifteen points to Gryffindor, and he got to break objects so that they could be fixed.
After his fifth try, James had the spell conquered as well. They started a game in which James tried to repair objects faster than Sirius could smash them. Sirius was standing on a desk, lifting a set of scales over his head when the bell rang for the end of class. As students began to gather their things, he shrugged and chucked it to the ground anyway, and it shattered.
"Reparo," said Remus, and the scales were mended. He returned them to Mary MacDonald, then joined James in repairing the other things Sirius had destroyed.
"We've got free time until Astronomy tonight," Sirius said, handing Professor Flitwick's glasses back after repairing the lenses. "Let's go for a swim in the lake."
"We ought to study for our exams," Remus said. "You still can't remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion, can you?"
"We've got ages before our exams, you swot," Sirius said.
"He's right, you know," James admitted. "We had better study."
Sirius groaned. "Peter, you're with me, right?"
"Well," Peter said, looking down at his feet. "I don't reckon I should. My mum will kill me if I fail any of my exams, and I'm dreadful at Charms, you've seen me."
"I need to do something!" Sirius complained. "I'm bored!"
"Quit whining," James said. "We can play Quidditch tonight after dark."
Sirius huffed. He had discovered an interesting spell and was itching to try it out, with or without his friends. As they headed for the library, he muttered, "I'll catch up with you," and crept through the corridors, looking for an unsuspecting Slytherin.
As luck would have it, he found Snape wandering alone in the History of Magic corridor. "Excellent," he whispered to himself and crouched down, taking aim.
And then there was a hand on his shoulder, turning him away from Snape. He was face-to-face with Professor Dawlish. "Now I know he hasn't done anything to you," Dawlish said. "Why are you trying to start a fight?"
"Boredom," Sirius said. "James, Peter and Remus wanted to study."
"And you're just planning to waste your skills, are you?"
"What?" Sirius asked, bewildered.
"Sirius, I've seen your grades," Dawlish said. "You have a natural talent. You've got the makings of an Auror in you. You're not going to let that go to waste so you can cause meaningless destruction."
"I'm not?" said Sirius. He had never been spoken to by an adult in such a manner before.
"Come to my office after dinner. We're going to put your excess energy to use."
"Okay," Sirius said. He loped off to the library, trying to figure out what had just happened.
After dinner, Sirius reported to Professor Dawlish's office as ordered. When he entered, Dawlish handed him a sheet of parchment.
"What's this?" Sirius asked.
"A list of more advanced spells," Dawlish explained, not looking up from the third-year essays he was grading. "I expect you will master each of those spells."
"You're joking," Sirius said, peering at the list. "What sort of teacher would want someone like me to know a spell for sticking someone's tongue to the top of their mouth?"
Dawlish peered through his glasses up at Sirius. "I once knew someone very much like you, Sirius. You are the type of person who needs to be kept busy. Now, you will learn these spells. I had better not catch you starting unprovoked fights until you have finished this list. These spells will give you a leg up for Auror training down the road."
"You're leaving at the end of this year," Sirius said. "I won't have these finished by then."
"Then you will keep up a correspondence," Dawlish said briskly. "Send your owls to the Ministry of Magic, they will find me."
"Why are you doing this?" Sirius asked. "Why do you care what I do?"
"Because I know your family. You're a good lad, Sirius, but you need a positive role model in your life. "
Sirius didn't know how to respond to that.
"Go on now," Dawlish said with a wave of his hand. "And stay out of trouble."
"Yes sir," said Sirius.
Sirius refrained from sharing with his friends the meeting he had with Professor Dawlish. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. However, he found himself intrigued by the spells on the list. He read and reread the items and practiced them in his free time when he was out in the courtyard. They were difficult, and he had only managed to cast a very weak Shield Charm before the day of the Quidditch final arrived.
"James, we are not leaving this table until I have finished my breakfast," Sirius said, taking a big gulp of tea.
"We need to get good seats!" James protested. "I don't want to miss any bit of the action!"
"Yes, I'm sure there will be a lot of action half an hour before the match," Remus said. "We wouldn't want to miss out on any interestingly shaped clouds."
"I'll go whenever you're ready, James," Peter said, loading his pockets with toast.
"You're still here?" Marlene asked them, arm linked with Lily's. The girls were finished with breakfast, though Lily did not appear as thrilled or alert as Marlene.
"You see?" James hissed at Sirius. "They're going already! I swear to Merlin, if I miss anything –"
"Oh, belt up already," Sirius said. "Fine, I'll go with you if you'll stop complaining."
Remus decided he didn't want to sit for breakfast alone, so all four of them headed out to the stands. They took seats beside Lily and Marlene, joined shortly after by the other Gryffindor first-year girls.
James was happily chatting with Marlene on which Ravenclaw Chaser had the best statistics. Peter was eating pocket toast, Remus was reading a book on Dark creatures, and Sirius was practicing wand movements from Dawlish's spell list. The Slytherin team was assembled in the field below, working out strategies.
Rabastan Lestrange, one of the Beaters and Slytherin team Captain, had become aware of their presence. He walked to the edge of the field nearest the stands where they were sitting. "What do we have here?" he said. "Mudbloods and blood traitors go home!"
"You're quite right, Rabastan," Lucius Malfoy, who was the Keeper, said. "I don't think I'll be able to concentrate on the game with this abundance of filth on my field."
"Get buggered, Malfoy," Sirius called, not dignifying their words with a glance.
A moment later, Malfoy was less than a foot away from Sirius. "I don't like your tone, boy," Malfoy said in a near whisper. His wand was at Sirius' temple.
Sirius could hear the other Gryffindors pulling out their wands, but Lucius did not seem to mind. "You're so tough and rebellious when surrounded by your friends, aren't you? Your mother always said your mouth would get you into trouble," Malfoy continued. "Now you seem to be set on tarnishing the name of the family that I will soon be joining. Your poor cousin is beside herself with worry."
At that moment, the rest of the school begin filing down to the match. Malfoy glanced at the crowd, then leaned down close enough that his breath tickled Sirius' ear and said so that no one else could hear it, "You and I know that at home, you are powerless. Cross me or Narcissa and I will kill you." He returned to the field without a backward glance.
The game passed in a blur to Sirius. Ravenclaw won, 170 to 20, but it hardly mattered. His friends tried to cheer him up, but he could only think about the number of people in his household that he had managed to enrage.
The Wednesday after the match was a listless morning for Sirius, who was trying to eat breakfast, even though everything tasted like cardboard. Peter was rambling about some Gobstones tournament that was coming up. James was transfiguring Remus' book for practice, much to Remus' annoyance.
The disassociated buzzing in Sirius' head stopped as a newspaper was dropped onto his plate by Lily, who had tears in her eyes. The name of the unauthorized paper was Wizards Unite, beneath which said in bold letters: "UNCOVERING THE TRUTH IN OUR NATION". The front-page article was titled, 'Death During Squib Marches; Ministry Aware'. Sirius read,
Public tension has been rising in the past week after the
disappearance of Muggle enthusiast and well-known Squib,
Mitch Henderson. We have received information from our
anonymous Ministry official (hereafter referred to as "Eric")
of Henderson's whereabouts. For those who don't know, three
days ago, Henderson was arrested by Ministry officials during
a Squib march in London, but was never officially charged with
anything. Eric informed us that the original complaint to which
Ministry officials responded was that Henderson was "stealing
magic from purebloods". After Henderson was apprehended,
he was placed in a holding cell within the Ministry. It is
unknown precisely what happened to Henderson in the
following four hours, but Eric informed us that Henderson
was found, bludgeoned to death, in his cell. Written in
blood on the wall of his cell was, "Mudbloods go home".
Eric says that Ministry officials have been ordered not to
speak of this event.
Sirius passed the paper on to Remus, feeling like his stomach was filling with lead. Rabastan Lestrange's words from Saturday echoed in his head. Did Lestrange know something about this? Dread blossomed within him as he wondered, did his family know something about this?
Frowns and worry lines enveloped the Gryffindor table as the paper was passed through hands. No one paid attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts, they were too busy discussing the contents of the article. The class could hardly focus on the Knockback Jinx they were supposed to be learning.
Dawlish paired them up, with the instruction that they would practice one at a time. He had set up cushions in front of which the target would stand. He was arranging Mulciber and Florence Greengrass to be the first pair, when a scuffle was heard from the back of the classroom.
James and Sirius turned to see Marlene holding Nicholas Nott in a headlock. There was a scramble as people took sides, Gryffindors moving to help Marlene, and Slytherins to aid Nott. In a matter of a few seconds Professor Dawlish turned to see the commotion, someone uttered a spell, everyone froze in surprise, and Marlene fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Marlene!" Lily shouted, rushing forward.
"Nott!" Dawlish roared. "Get up here NOW!" He levitated Marlene and the three of them left the classroom.
No one moved except for Evan Rosier. "Filthy magic thief!" he said viciously. "Mudbloods go home!"
Sirius saw James begin to raise his wand, but Lily beat him to it. "Conjunctivo!" she cried, and Rosier groaned and clutched his face as it crusted over. Without another word, she stormed out of the classroom.
"Let's go," said James. They didn't need telling twice. All the Gryfindors followed James to the hospital wing. Dawlish was just stepping out.
"She'll be fine," he said darkly. "Clear out. I have other matters that need tending to." He strode off in the direction of Dumbledore's office.
"I guess we should go to lunch," Peter said.
James nodded. "Alright," he said, "but this is getting out of hand. We've got to do something. Sirius?"
"Nah," said Sirius. "Go on without me, I'm not hungry." He decided to go to the library instead, thinking he might try to study Potions to take his mind off things.
He sat at a table with his Potions book out, and attempted to read it but found that he kept reading the same line over and over. He sighed and put his head down, wrapping his arms around. He started when he heard the shuffle of footsteps near him. It was Evan Rosier, face clear of the Conjunctivitis Curse Lily had used. Wilkes, Mulciber and Snape were with him.
"We took care of your little problem, Black," Rosier said quietly, so that the librarian wouldn't hear them.
"What problem?" Sirius hissed, gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white.
"The Mudblood," Rosier said, smirking. "We did her in for you. Special favor to Bellatrix."
Sirius slowly stood and his chair fell to the ground noisily. He didn't notice, but instead left the library without a word. He wandered without purpose and again ended up outside, in the courtyard.
His hands were shaking. He stared at his usual spot and debated sitting down, but instead whirled around and pointed his wand at the hedges. "Reducto!" he said, and the hedge exploded into a thousand bits of leaves. "Reducto!" he shouted at a bench and it, too, splintered into infinitesimal pieces. He growled in frustration.
"Sirius?"
He turned around. Lily was sitting alone in the grass adjacent to the courtyard, with her wand on the ground in front of her.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, walking over to her.
"I'm on strike," she said. "Why are you out here?"
Sirius grimaced. "Evan Rosier, the bloody git," he said. "What are you striking?"
"Squib and Muggleborn rights," she said. "Maybe I can't join them in London, but I can still make a point here at the school."
"Hard to do that with only one person," Sirius said, sitting down beside her. "So you're just planning to sit here?"
"Oh yes," she said. "I'm not hurting anyone or doing anything illegal, but I am proving a point."
"I suppose I'll join you then," Sirius said. He crossed his legs and took his spell list out of his bag.
"Where did you learn that spell?" Lily asked.
"Dawlish gave me list of spells to learn," Sirius said, showing it to her. "He thinks I'm going to be an Auror or something. That was the first time I've done the Reductor Curse, I was just really angry."
"Earlier was my first time doing the Conjunctivitis Curse," Lily said.
"I was really impressed," Sirius said. "You didn't see it, his whole face crusted over, it was disgusting."
"Good," Lily said.
"Oi! Sirius!" called James, as he, Remus and Peter came running towards him. "You've been sitting out here in the grass with Evans?"
"We're on strike," Sirius explained. "We're protesting the unfair treatment of Squibs and Muggleborns."
"Okay then," James said and sat down beside Sirius. Remus sat on Lily's other side and Peter sat beside James. "Does anyone know any cushioning charms?"
"We didn't see you at the hospital wing, Lily," Remus said. "Professor Dawlish said that Marlene will be okay."
"I heard, thanks," said Lily, rolling out a bedsheet.
"Depulso," Sirius said attempting the Banishing Charm on a small stone, but it didn't budge. "That Henderson bloke was arrested in London," he muttered. "I wouldn't put it past my family to have had something to do with it. Depulso!"
Lily was opening a paint set and brushes. "I'm making a banner," she explained to James' questioning look. "How else will people know what we're sitting for?"
"Lily!" called another voice from the courtyard. Emmaline Vance was striding toward them, followed closely by Mary MacDonald and Alexis Fawley. "Are you protesting?"
"Yes, we have a sign," Peter said helpfully.
"Suppose you'll need our help then," said Vance, and the girls took a seat.
It wasn't too long after that when Gideon and Fabian saw the group. "Protesting for Squib rights?" Gideon asked.
Lily nodded. "Right-o," said Fabian, and they sat as well.
By the time lunch had ended, students from other houses had joined them. Sturgis Podmore and Edgar Bones of Hufflepuff, Benjy Fenwick of Ravenclaw, even Fletcher of Hufflepuff (whose first name they quickly learned was 'Mundungus') had joined them. On the Gryffindor end there were upperclassmen as well.
Lily had completed her sign. It now read: All Blood is Created Equal. An older student had performed a spell so that the letters would change colors. Lily spread the bedsheet out in front of everyone, so that her message faced the school.
The ring of the bell that signified the start of the first afternoon class brought silence over the group. This was it. They were breaking the rules.
Five minutes passed with no one speaking. Then just at the moment that they began to relax, Professor McGonagall stormed out of the oak front doors.
"What is going on here?" she demanded. "Why are none of you in class?"
"Professor, we're protesting the unfair treatment of Squibs and Muggleborns," Lily said, standing up.
McGonagall stared at her. "To what are you referring, Ms. Evans?" she asked.
"There is a political faction which is gaining strength," Lily began. "It is a wealthy group of individuals who have great pull at the Ministry of Magic, who call themselves 'pureblood'. They have been slowly and systematically crafting lies about those of us born to magical parents who have no magic and those of us born to non-magical parents who have magic. They say we weaken magic. I say we strengthen it!"
A chorus of cheering followed this, and a few calls of "Here, here!"
"They say we steal magic," she said, her eyes ablaze with passion. "I say we create it!" More cheers followed this statement, and as one, they joined her in standing.
To Sirius' surprise, McGonagall's eyes visibly softened. "I understand what you are trying to do," she said in a voice very unlike her own. "But this is futile. You must come back inside."
"I'm sorry, Professor," Lily said. "This must be done."
McGonagall sighed. "Then I shall fetch the headmaster," she said, and returned to the castle.
"That was fantastic, Lily," Sirius said, thumping her on the back.
"Well spoken," agreed Remus. "You have clearly taken care to be informed."
"This is the first true test," she said to the boys. "Professor McGonagall will bring Professor Dumbledore out here and he will impress upon us the seriousness of the situation. The school can't have a protest on its hands, they will do most anything to get us to come back inside. However, as long as we remain peaceful, no legal action may be taken."
"My students," said Professor Dumbledore, stepping onto the lawn before them. "Professor McGonagall has informed me of your intentions, which, I must agree, are both genuine and noble." The crowd cheered in agreement. "Children please hear me," he spoke above the noise. "Although I agree with your sentiment, if you remain here, the Ministry will be informed. I say this not as a threat, but as a statement of facts. The Ministry will find out about this, and they will come out here and end it, one way or another. As I am not the Minister for Magic, there will be nothing I will be able to do about it. I do not wish it upon any of my students to face reprisals from the Ministry."
"I do not claim to speak for everyone here," Lily said to the headmaster. "However, I cannot, in good conscience, return to my studies with the knowledge that there are those who have the power to take away everything I have of the wizarding world, or even my life."
"For Mitch Henderson!" shouted Fabian and Gideon from the back.
"Then, my dear," Dumbledore said sadly, "I am afraid you shall be sitting out here a very long time." He and Professor McGonagall turned and reentered the castle.
After they missed Transfiguration, Potions passed them by. As History of Magic began, Sirius reminded himself how nice it was to be outside on such a sunny day. Lily had brought her radio, and she, Remus and Sirius sang along to the music, "So where were the spiders while the fly tried to break our balls? Just the beer light to guide us. So we bitched about his fans and should we crush his sweet hands?1"
It was nearly dinnertime when Hagrid strolled across the lawn carrying a tray laden with food. "Hallo, Hagrid!" Lily called, waving. Hagrid smiled, unable to return the wave with his hands full.
"Thought yeh might be hungry," he said, setting down the plate in front of her. "I wanted teh show my support fer the work yer doin'."
"Cheers, Hagrid," said James, helping himself to a crumpet.
"We've got ter support each other," he grunted.
"Why not sit with us, Hagrid?" Sirius asked. "It's a lovely day, and we could use an adult on our side."
"Can't do that," Hagrid said. "They want the students to come back, but they'd just replace me."
"There's no replacing you, Hagrid," Lily said with a smile.
"That's sweet of yeh, Lily. But I've got ter get goin'. Thestrals need feedin'." He set back off across the lawn, whistling to himself.
Sirius found himself growing bored as the evening wore on. He was still trying to perform the Banishing Spell, this time with James joining him. "Depulso!" James said, succeeding on his tenth try.
"Prat," Sirius said jealously. "You don't even know the Summoning Spell yet. What good does the Banishing Spell do you?"
"Just watch," said James. "Depulso!" Peter's bag flew twenty feet into the courtyard. James looked on, amused, as Peter ran after it.
Bent over with one hand holding his bag, Peter froze. He was staring at the side entrance of the castle and had a frightened look on his face.
"What is it, Peter?" Remus asked, but they soon saw Rabastan, Lucius, and Tarquin McTavish walking coolly towards him, as if they hadn't a care in the world. Peter snatched up his bag and scampered back to safety by his friends.
"Well, well, well," Lucius said, standing before first-years. "Look Rabastan, the Mudbloods have all converged into a group for us. How nice of them to make themselves known. Oh look, they've made themselves a little sign." He pointed at the bedsheet Lily had painted with a sneer. "It's too bad animals don't have rights."
James threw his bag on the ground and stood up, shoving his wand into Malfoy's face. Seeing that Malfoy towered over James, Sirius decided James needed backup and stood beside him, raising his wand as well. "Shut your gob, Malfoy!" James roared. "You think you're superior. You're just an inbred, loony, mummy's boy! Anyone would be glad not to share your blood!"
Malfoy acted as though James had not spoken. He said to Sirius, "Times are changing, Black. Soon the filth will be cleaned from the streets. You had better make sure you're on the right side."
"You're the filth, Malfoy," said Sirius. "We all bleed red."
"Allow me to take you down a peg," said Lucius, his voice turning icier. "You are no more important than the name you bear, Black. Once you carry on your line, you have completed your purpose in life. I could kill you and you wouldn't be missed."
Sirius stood as tall he could. "If I didn't have a younger brother, I'd kill myself right now and end the bloodline. I'm not afraid of you, Malfoy."
Malfoy raised his wand. "Cru – " he started.
"Protego!" Sirius shouted. There was a great cracking sound as Malfoy's spell rebounded off Sirius' Shield Charm, which reverberated over the collectively silent group. Following was a full five seconds of silence, but it might as well have been five minutes. Then, beginning at the back of the group, there came a barrage of sounds happening simultaneously. Sirius could not at first identify the rush of noise growing behind him, but when he saw the flashes of light all around him, he realized that every student was casting spells at the Slytherins at once. After a minute or two, the smoke cleared, and he could see three vaguely slug-shaped lumps where the Slytherins had stood.
"Allow me," said Frank Longbottom, having made his way to the front. "I always take care to clean up my messes. Wingardium Leviosa!" There was an extended squelch, followed by a suction sound as the hexed boys were forcibly parted from the ground. With a flick of his wand, Frank deposited them into the dust bins on the far side of the castle. The Gryffindor boys roared with laughter.
The atmosphere felt more relaxed as people settled in, conjuring sleeping bags or Summoning bedsheets from their respective dormitories. Someone started a bonfire, and they were very comfortable. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were huddled up in their blankets eating candy and playing card games when Professor McGonagall emerged from the castle in her tartan robe.
"Attention!" she called and silence fell immediately. "I have an announcement. By order of the headmaster, for every class period missed, each student shall receive a detention." She raised her voice over the sounds of outrage from the crowd, "This means that everyone here has three detentions already. By the end of tomorrow, those who remain out here will have accrued an additional five detentions. We cannot make you come back inside, but these are the consequences." Without waiting for comment, she turned and left.
There was a great deal of murmuring following her statement. "Lily," said Sturgis Podmore, putting his hand on Lily's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Edgar and I must go back to the castle. We can't get any more detentions, and I've got OWL's starting in a week. I've got to go study."
"Sorry Lily," Edgar Bones muttered, and the two Hufflepuffs gathered their things and returned to the castle. Several fifth year Ravenclaws followed them, agreeing that their time needed to be spent studying for OWL's.
The departure of the fifth years caused a ripple of concern through the remaining students. "I can't miss my exams," said a third year Ravenclaw. "What if we're out here until then?"
"Three detentions already," said a pudgy Hufflepuff girl with her hands over her mouth. "I've never even had one!"
"By all means," said James loudly, his voice carrying over the crowd. "If you think detentions are more important than standing up for what's right, go ahead and leave now. This is a purposeful demonstration and you're treating it like some joke." His eyes lingered on the several students who were wearing television aerials on their heads. "This isn't some ploy for your personal popularity and it shouldn't be taken lightly. If you're here because you see this as a Hogwarts fad, then maybe you ought to rethink your priorities."
No one responded, although whether that was due to people heading James' words or the shock of being scolded by a twelve-year-old Sirius wasn't sure. Nevertheless, no one else decided to end their involvement in the protest.
Sirius wrapped his blankets more snugly around himself. As drowsiness began to set in, Sirius watched the more energetic students surrounding him. He drifted off as Mundungus Fletcher was applying Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magic Mess Remover to his hair in an attempt to clean it, then frantically screaming that his scalp was burning.
He experienced a dreamless sleep, but woke up abruptly early in the morning to the sound of an argument.
"You cannot be on the premises. The headmaster is in London currently speaking to Minister Jenkins about this very subject. The Statute of Education states – "
"I know the laws perfectly well, thanks, Minerva. We are here on a protection basis only, which I think you will find is quite permissible under the Statute of Education."
Sirius squinted through the dim light of dawn at the figures crowded in the center of the courtyard. Professors McGonagall and Dawlish were standing between the sleeping students and a group of adults who Sirius guessed were from the Ministry of Magic, but whose specific departmental affiliation he could not identify.
"Your protection is not required, Mr. Crouch," McGonagall said. "They are perfectly safe here."
"These students are not breaking any laws, Crouch," Dawlish said. "This is a Hogwarts matter, not a Ministry matter."
"You have clearly been secluded here too long, Dawlish," Crouch said, not bothering to keep his voice low. "You're losing your touch if you don't know of recent events. Didn't you hear? A maniac Squib went rogue and attacked a group of pureblood bystanders on Monday. Tensions are high. My only wish is to keep the peace."
"Arriving unannounced with a squad of Hit Wizards is not a method of 'keeping the peace'. It will cause unease and sow distrust," Dawlish said. "And you know that. You're intentionally setting the stage for a riot so you can fabricate a story that favors purebloods."
"Unfounded accusations continue to be your downfall at the Ministry, Dawlish. I see you've learned nothing, Alastor Moody cannot lift you out of every hole you dig yourself into."
Sirius looked to his left and right and saw that his friends were awake as well, listening intently. Other students were also discretely paying attention to the conversation.
At that moment, another group of people entered the courtyard from inside the castle. In the increasing light, Sirius could see that they were students.
"This unruly mob has unlawfully cursed three upstanding purebloods!" said a voice Sirius recognized. "We demand action be taken! The Sacred Twenty-Eight are under attack!"
"That is a lie!" Lily shouted, leaping to her feet. "Lucius Malfoy was trying to curse us and we defended ourselves!"
"Just look at him!" the student in front said, and Sirius realized it was Avery. Standing beside him were the amorphous blobs of Malfoy, Lestrange and McTavish. Turning to Crouch, Avery said, "Do you really think three people would be so lacking in sense that they would attempt an unprovoked strike on thirty violent Muggle rights extremists?"
"That's bollocks!" shouted someone from behind Sirius.
"We didn't do nuffing!" said Mundungus Fletcher.
"Stop!" said Lily to all of the murmurers. "You are giving them what they want. They are feeding your agitation, hoping you'll prove them right!"
"Muggle loving scum!" roared a Slytherin from behind Avery.
"These uncontrollable anarchists are trying to push their ideas on us!" said Avery. "Muggles are a threat to our lives and they should be put down!"
A purple spell shot past Sirius' shoulder and hit Avery. He covered his face, but yellow goo spurted everywhere.
A dam burst and hexes began flying through the air. The professors were Disarming students near them and using Impediment Jinxes for those farther away. Lily was resolutely sitting on the ground, arms folded, wand in front of her. The boys were ducking and evading, but not throwing hexes. Crouch and the Hit Wizards were Stunning students without regard to whom they were hitting.
Sirius narrowly avoided a Stinging Hex, but tripped over Remus' shoe. He hit the ground just as Snape shot a spell at Peter, causing him to double over and begin vomiting.
Sirius roared and leapt to his feet, James at his side, hitting Snape with every hex they could think of. Remus crouched beside Peter to try to reverse the spell. James stood in front of them as a shield.
Sirius ran forward, mixing curse words with curses. In mid jump, he was struck in the chest with three identical red beams of light. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.
"Ziggy Stardust", David Bowie