IWSC Round 6
Theme: The death of a leader. Write about how the disappearance of a role model impacts people.
Main Prompt: [First Line/Last Line: It was 11 o'clock when time stopped.
Additional Prompt: [Emotion] Hopeless.
WC: 2330
Modern Day Muggle Musician AU.
It was eleven o'clock when time stopped.
BREAKING NEWS: "The band, Phoenix Rising, has been killed in a plane crash. There were no survivors…"
Once the news broke, the world seemed to come to a standstill, when in reality, it hadn't. It only felt that way to the fans of the band.
Phoenix Rising had Marlene McKinnon on vocals, Benji Fenwick on drums, and twins Gideon and Fabian Prewett on bass and guitar, respectively. Marlene had a vocal range that had been out of this world. Some said that she could have been the next Stevie Nicks.
The news of the band's death caused almost every social media platform to crash as fans took to Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr in an almighty outcry of devastation and heartbreak.
James Potter sat in his car in shock. When the news had broken, he'd almost crashed his car into a tree. It had been the last thing he expected to hear through on the radio.
He placed both of his hands at the twelve o'clock position on the steering wheel and leant his forehead against his hands before beginning to sob. Phoenix Rising had been his all-time favourite band. It had been because of them that James had decided to form his own group with his friends.
The Marauders band members were Sirius Black on vocals, Peter Pettigrew on the drums, James Potter on guitar and Remus Lupin on bass. They were still only a garage band at this point, but they were due to attend an open mic night in a month's time. If they performed well enough, then there was a possibility that a record label might pick them up and sign them.
When they'd first started playing together, they had practised playing Phoenix Rising songs until they found their own niche. Then they had bought in James' girlfriend, Lily Evans as a songwriter for them. She had brought a new energy to the band that was innovative and gave them a rockier edge to their music.
James' phone started ringing. He fished it out of his pocket and saw Sirius was trying to call him. James took a moment to try and compose himself before swiping to answer.
"Mate, have you heard the news?" Sirius asked. He sounded nasal, his voice thick as if he'd been crying too.
"Yeah, I damn near crashed my bloody car too," James said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I just can't believe it!"
"Shit mate, are you okay? I know, neither can I. How in the hell did it happen?" Sirius' voice shook.
"I'm alright. I managed to pull over. I can't even comprehend all this at the moment."
Both sat in silence for a few minutes, each deep in thought. It wasn't until James' phone started vibrating that he realised that they'd stopped talking.
"Mate, I have to go — Lily's trying to call."
James hung up on Sirius, before answering the phone to his girlfriend. "Love?" came Lily's voice. "Are you okay? I just saw the news on Twitter."
"I don't know right now if I'm honest, Lils," James said sadly. He felt as if his heart was breaking over and over in his chest.
"Where are you?" She asked in concern.
"Parked up in a layby on Derbyshire Lane. I was driving home from my nan's place when the news broke." James' voice cracked with emotion.
"Darling, do you want me to come and get you? I'm not happy about you driving in this state. You might crash if you continue driving."
James said nothing. He didn't want to worry Lily.
"James?"
"Come and get me," James acquiesced, his voice small and quiet.
"Hang tight, my love. I'll be there shortly."
Once Lily hung up, James tossed his phone into the passenger seat. He felt a sense of hopelessness wash over him. He gripped the steering wheel again and tried to breathe, but he felt hysteria begin to creep through his veins. Instead, he gritted his teeth, and hot tears fell in his lap. Why was he reacting this way? It's not like he knew them personally. He only knew what the band had chosen to share.
A tap on the driver's side window made James start. He looked up and saw Lily's concerned face through the window. He pushed the door open and turned to get out, but she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck. James reciprocated, and held her as he sobbed into her shoulder.
When the Marauders finally got together again, they all hugged each other before sitting on whatever they could find in Sirius' garage to perch on. The garage was largely kitted out for Sirius' father's bike building business, but Sirius had a small corner at the back for his keyboard, guitar, bass and drums.
"How are you all?" Peter asked. It seemed the news hadn't affected him very much.
James merely shrugged. He felt so hopeless. Sirius looked as if he had lost a member of his own family. Remus' eyes were incredibly sad. Only Peter seemed upbeat.
"Bloody hell you guys, it's not like we knew the band," said Peter, his tone flippant and dismissive.
"How can you say that?" asked James incredulously. Fire danced in his eyes as he took a threatening step towards his bandmate. "You know how much admiration we had for that band! They're the reason we're all here and playing together."
"It's not a big deal, James. They weren't all that!" Peter exclaimed.
"What the fuck, Pete?" said Sirius. His face contorted in confusion as Peter sat in his spot, looking calm as ever.
Before anyone could react, Remus was on his feet, standing in front of Peter.
"Say that again. I dare you," growled Remus, fury radiating from his stance. No one stopped him when his fist connected with Peter's face.
Peter seemed to shrink into himself as Remus continued to pummel him down. He seemed to shrink further until he was almost a huddled, whimpering mess.
"Remus, that's enough," said James sternly. He roughly placed a hand on Remus' shoulder and dragged him away.
"Guys, we have a Battle of the Bands competition coming up," Sirius piped up, "and we need to practice." His tone half-hearted.
"How can you think of practicing?" asked James dejectedly.
"I…" Sirius faltered.
Suddenly, Peter got to his feet and bolted from the garage.
That was the last time they saw him for a few weeks.
The funeral for Phoenix Rising was held in their hometown. James and Lily watched the coverage on the news. Fans had laid many flowers and candles outside the band's house and millions of them stood in clusters, mourning their loss. The vigil was heart rendering.
Both James and Lily were in tears by the time the coverage was over.
The Marauders didn't get together again for another three weeks. They attempted to practice the song that they were planning on performing at the Battle of the Bands, but it was lacklustre at best.
"Guys, we need to get our shit together, or we'll still be playing in this garage in two years," Peter snapped over the top of the drum kit. Despite having taken a beating from Remus, he was still as crass as he had been when the news of the Phoenix Rising members' deaths broke out. "I'm beginning to think I'm the only one who is serious about doing Battle of the Bands at this point."
"Pete…" Sirius began, but he was cut off by the arrival of Lily on her moped.
Once she pulled her black motorcycle helmet off, she was grinning at the guys.
"Guys, over here," Lily said joyously as she quickly strode towards Sirius' keyboard. "I have something new for you."
She sat down with a flump, switched the keyboard on, and began to play. Her voice ran clear and haunting as she sang the words. The four guys all looked at each other in awe, loving what they were hearing. This was something else. By the end of it, there wasn't a dry eye amongst them — including Peter.
"Lily…" James couldn't speak beyond that due to the amount of emotion coursing through him at that moment.
"You are bloody brilliant, Lils," Sirius said excitedly, launching himself at the redhead and pulling her into a bear hug.
"That was so beautiful…I have no other words to describe it," said Remus, his voice wavering.
Peter's huge grin said it all.
With the new song Lily had written, it seemed to breathe new life into the band. They practised for hours on end until they had it absolutely perfect. It was so brilliant that every day for a week, they had Sirius' neighbours stand in front of the open garage door, listening and cheering them on.
The new song gave them the fire they had desperately needed ahead of the Battle of the Bands the coming weekend. Finally, the feeling of being hopeless had burned away, and they were ready to smash it at the competition.
Saturday dawned, bright and sunny. James stretched in the warmth of the sun streaming in through the curtain. He rolled over and found Lily staring at him.
"Good morning, my love," said James.
He pulled Lily closer to him and held her.
"How are you feeling?" Lily asked sleepily, her green eyes looking clear and well-rested.
"Really, really good," James smiled.
Lily kissed him fervently before pulling away. "Time for breakfast. What do you want?"
"Pancakes, please."
Lily slipped her dressing gown on and left the room. James stared at the ceiling, deep in thought, for a few minutes before rousing himself and going to take a shower.
When he joined Lily in the bright, airy kitchen, she had a pile of pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup waiting for him on the table in the bay window, along with a steaming mug of coffee.
After they'd finished breakfast, James and Lily drove over to Sirius' place to practice again before the competition that evening.
The Marauders arrived at the venue at long last. It was a massive club with a stage in the centre of the room. Lights flashed, and it was packed with people. Some bands were waiting to play, some were spectators, and some were people who could change any band's life. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were waiting for their turn to go on stage. A feeling of nervous energy thronged between the band members.
"You're going to be great, guys!" Lily shouted over the band currently on stage.
The band said nothing and huddled around Lily in a group hug, making the redhead laugh.
After what felt like weeks, it was finally their turn. The band members quickly hugged each other and jogged onto the stage.
"Hi, we're the Marauders," James announced as he took the mic. "Tonight, we dedicate this performance to Phoenix Rising. They are the reason we put this band together. Their music inspired us to play. This song was written by my gorgeous girlfriend, Lily Evans," he finished as he put his guitar strap on. "This one is for you!"
Sirius counted the band in, and they began to play.
By the end of the song, everyone was on their feet, clapping. Lily stood front and centre of the stage, her hands in the prayer position in front of her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. As the band came off stage, Lily threw herself at James and hugged him.
"That was incredible! I'm so proud of you, all of you!"
After a few more bands played, it was time for the winning band to be announced. The Marauders all stood, clasping each other's hands tightly, as they waited for the MC to tell everyone who had won.
"And the winner of tonight's Battle of the Bands is…."
Many seconds passed, and as the pause grew in length, James felt himself about to burst.
The MC directed his twinkling gaze at the band founder, and that was when James knew they had won.
"THE MARAUDERS!" the MC hollered.
The entire club went crazy. James pulled Lily into a fierce embrace, Sirius hugged Remus, and Peter jumped up and down on the spot.
After the initial hype surrounding the Marauders' win died down a bit, one of the producers, Albus Dumbledore, asked James if he could sign the band on to his record label. The band leader was beyond excited when he realized that Dumbledore had been the same producer who produced Phoenix Rising's music.
"You are magnificent performers, I must say," the older man told the group. "If possible, I'd like to make a deal with you. Do you think we could negotiate a contract on Monday?"
"Yes, of course!" James beamed, shaking Dumbledore's hand vigorously. "Thank you so much. It's an honor."
Sirius and Remus nudged each other excitedly as Peter looked about ready to explode in euphoria.
"You go home now," Dumbledore told them. "You deserve to rest after the great work you have displayed tonight."
"Thank you again," said James reverently before signaling to his bandmates and girlfriend that it was time to leave. The guys and Lily followed James out of the club before rejoicing at their success.
"MATE!" Sirius whooped, thumping his best friend's back in excitement. "Well done!"
"I couldn't have done it without Lily," James replied, slinging an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. "Let's go down to a pub to celebrate, yeah?"
The cheers that resounded were all the answers James needed. He couldn't believe the luck they'd had. After the bad news of Phoenix Rising and the Marauders fall-out, James was feeling hopeless. But it seemed like a bit of the band's magic had stuck around.
It was eleven o'clock when time stopped. But this time it was the best news James could ever hope to receive. This was the start of their new life, and they couldn't be more excited.