"Evans!" Professor McGonagall barked, silencing the entire great hall when they took in her disheveled state. The twins immediately stood, along with their boyfriends when the professor simply raised her hand motioning for them to join her.

"Yes, Professor?" They asked in unison, disturbed at seeing their normally strict and well put together professor in distress.

"Just you girls." Professor McGonagall sighed sadly, placing a hand on each of the girl to lead the towards the headmasters office. Before they could question her further, she noticed the four boys following them and scowled. "Get to class."

"Are we in trouble, Professor?" Lily's voice broke through the sudden tense atmosphere. The marauders continued to follow behind them, all four wizards staring back at their head of house with playful, easy smiles.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and detention for the four of you if you do no relocate yourselves to the charms corridor immediately." Professor McGonagall huffed impatiently, making herself a firm barrier between the twins and the four mischievous wizards.

"Now, Minnie." Sirius started smoothly, a charming smile on his face. "If you are about to assign them their first detention ever-"

"-then we definitely want to be there-" Remus cut in, a wolffish grin on his face as he threw a casual arm over Sirius's shoulder.

"-and find out why we were not informed of their act of rebellion." James was practically vibrating with excitement as his eyes darted to the redheads.

"Yeah!" Peter exclaimed with a slightly crooked smile on his face.

"Neither of them are in trouble." Professor McGonagall snapped impatiently, once against trying to shoo the boys away. "The headmaster has requested their presence immediately, not that it's any of your concern."

Sirius's face turned red and the charming grin slipped from his lips only to be replaced with a small, cold smile. With his shoulders thrown back defiantly he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I think you'll find that-"

"It's fine." Hermione spoke up, effectively cutting him off. There was nothing worse than seeing that look on his face. The haughty demeanor just made him resemble his brother too much.

"Yes, we'll catch up with you once we meet with the headmaster." Lily stated in a no-nonsense tone with a tight smile.

When they reached the headmaster's office, it was empty but before they could question it, their professor simply marched them to the fire place. They landed in the Leaky Cauldron to find a large group of aurors squaring off against the headmaster who was standing over an unconscious, bound Petunia Evans. Lily and Hermione didn't even think before they rushed to their disheveled older sister.

"What is going on here?" Hermione demanded loudly, flicking her wand to release the magically conjured ropes while Lily casted a silent enneverate. Petunia's eyes opened and she jerked up in a panic. Her bright blue eyes swept the room before she gathered her sisters into her arms and tried to shielded them from the wizards and witches in magenta robes.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Miss. Evans..." The headmaster's twinkling blue eyes swept over the three girls with regret, keeping himself between his students and the aurors. More people were entering the pub and the whispers broke out, many of the spectators watched Petunia Evans with thinly veiled disdain.

"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded, pushing her sisters' limbs out of her way so she could stand beside Hermione.

"Perhaps we should take this somewhere we can have a little privacy?" Albus Dumbledore asked softly, reaching out to shepard the sisters back to his office.

"So, you can mess with my memories?" Petunia shouted, catching the attention of the entire pub while she pulled her sisters away. "I'll be taking them with m-"

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, they are technically now wards of the school." The headmaster stated gently, folding his hands in front of himself regretfully but his words made the twins freeze.

"Wards?" Lily and Hermione repeated incredulously, looking to their older sister for clarification. Petunia's eyes clouded with tears and her arms wrapped around each of the girls' slender shoulders a little more tightly.

"I would have like to tell them in the privacy of our own home, Headmaster." Petunia sneered haughtily, her blue eyes flashing angrily as she swallowed down the grief she felt bubbling in her throat. "Since I'm an adult and our paren-"

"Mum?" Lily cried out weakly.

"Dad?" Hermione asked softly, tears welling up in her bright emerald eyes.

Petunia ignored them both for now, not taking her eyes off the headmaster and the aurors shuffling awkwardly behind him. "I will be taking my sisters home with me, we have...funeral to plan. I know our parents already had their affairs in order so I would ga-"

"Your sisters are witches and since you're a muggle, you can't possibly think you would be their guardian." One of the aurors spoke out incredulously, rubbing his balding head while he shared a glance with the man beside him.

"If you think you're going to take my sisters from me, you've obviously taken too many reductos to skull." Petunia spat, dragging the weeping girls away from the headmaster and aurors. Just as Albus Dumbledore took a step forward to join them, the floo erupted, ejecting a furious Charlus Potter.

"What is the meaning of this?" The head Auror thundered while he stalked forward with his ebony and dragon heartstring wand in hand. "Why have I just received notice that the sister of my sons' betrothed is to be obliviated of all knowledge of the magical world?"

With a few deft flicks of his wand, a transparent yellow dome appeared around them. A greying wizard with a handlebar mustache stepped forward with a sneer. "Auror Potter, sir. This muggle came into the Leaky, causing a scene and demanding physical custody of witches still in Hogwarts. Obviously, we co-"

"Auror Selwyn, were you aware that this young woman was visiting with my family for Yuletide this year?" Charlus raised a superior brow as he placed himself directly in front of the Evans girls. "Or that her sister is betrothed to the Heir of House Potter?"

Several of the aurors appeared alarmed and threw panicked glances at Auror Selwyn. Even the headmaster raised his bushy silver brows in the redhead's direction. Not that she noticed, Hermione and Lily were too busy holding their older sister tightly and trying not to cry. Not only were these people talking like their parents were dead but even the headmaster was trying to take them away from the woman who always protected them.

"I was unaware of any betrothals." Auror Selwyn appeared to choke out the words before a thin, clearly forced smile appeared on his sweaty face. "Congratulations on finding your son a match."

"I'll be expecting a much more believable explanation in my office tomorrow morning, Selwyn." Charlus sneered, not at all convinced by the wizard's words. The rest of the aurors were quick to make their exit in their superior's heated glare and soon it was only the headmaster. "I'll be taking them to the manor, Albus."

"Might I say that I'm happy you could find such a wonderful match for your son." Albus smiled jovially while he offered his gnarled hand out to his old friend. Charlus accepted it immediately with a thin smile. "I'm only sorry that it cannot be properly celebrated in the face of such tragedy."