In unity, we'll stand as one
As family we'll go
Shoulder to shoulder,
hand in hand,
into the great unknown
-For All that You Have Done, Rend Collective
...
As the season dipped further into autumn, leaves swirled through the Quidditch pitch and across the loch. Hallowe'en was coming, and as the days turned and the moon waxed, Remus watched the sky with increasing trepidation. When the moon filled, his transformation in October was seemingly unending; the Marauders were up the whole night long with him. Being as close to Hallowe'en as it was, the new first years turned to one another in fright at the howls coming from the Shrieking Shack. They conspired not about goblins and vampires, but about the Death Eaters and savage werewolves, they had read about in the Daily Prophet. Reports were coming in by the hour it seemed about attacks, whole families killed in the night, or even in broad daylight by the swelling ranks of the Death Eaters and You Know Who. Day by day, classrooms were a little quieter, Common Rooms a little emptier, and as October drew to close, parents began pulling their children out of Hogwarts altogether. The war was coming, and by many estimations had been coming for some time. At Dumbledore's word, Aurors found their postings at the gate of Hogwarts, and the teachers placed multiple security enchantments around the grounds. The student body was warned to keep out of the Forbidden Forest and to travel in pairs or groups of three. Prefects began escorting first and second years to classes, taking furtive glances around corners before ushering the others forward in fear of what might lie around the corner.
The fear of the war hadn't escaped Hogwarts as some hoped it might have, and as time went by, the divide between Slytherin and the other three houses intensified. Fights started between the houses, and shouting matches erupted in classrooms and corridors alike, students picking sides and standing tall with their friends. It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that parents of some students were members, and indeed even founding members of the opposing sides of the conflict. Professors introduced extracurricular classes on self-defence and duelling, only for the classes to fill, and when expanded, fill again. The fear was palpable, and some of those on the opposing sides held a stinging left forearm with a quiet sort of pride as they moved through their lives day-to-day.
The rumours of Dumbledore cancelling Quidditch grew as the first game of the year found itself fast approaching. There had been no word positive or otherwise from on high, so both James Potter and Regulus Black prepared their teams for a tumultuous match scheduled for the following Saturday.
Classes continued with a rotating cast, Defence and Potions, and double Charms rounded out Thursday afternoon. After dinner, the masses found themselves huddled over books and bits of parchment scribbling madly with a hunch in their spines. James called the second meeting of the Prefects, which, by all intents and purposes, had been successful. After consultations with Remus and Lily, he assigned patrols, inspired decisive action and addressed the rift without calling attention to Lily's short-fallings. The twenty-four Prefects breathed a collective sigh of relief now assured at the stability of their Head Boy and Girl.
James scheduled two more Quidditch practices, the second of which being in less than favourable weather conditions, and Marlene and Robin had complained loudly and frequently of how one couldn't possibly be expected to play in a positive deluge they found themselves in. Soaked and muddy, and only forty-five minutes into their practice, the Gryffindor Quidditch team slipped and slid their way into the changing room.
"Well, that was a waste of time," Evelyn said, tossing a soaking hat onto the bench and sitting beside it with a sigh.
"I agree," Frank said, looking much like a dog left out in the rain. "I couldn't see anything out there."
"The weather doesn't appear to be changing, so this might be it for Saturday, best get used to it," James said, wiping his glasses on his shirt. "Right, well since there's no use going back out, we may as well call it. Good practice, see you later,"
Charles stood, his broom in hand. "Still no word about cancelling the game?"
"No," James said. "But Dumbledore hasn't said anything, so the lack of news, in this case, is good news."
The team changed quickly and left, and once they found themselves alone, Sirius clasped a hand on James' shoulder.
"Bad luck, Prongs, that's all,"
"Thanks, mate,"
"Fancy a kip down to the kitchens?" he asked, drying his Gryffindor jersey with a hot blast of air from his wand. "I fancy a hot chocolate,"
"Excellent."
...
James and Sirius had long ago enchanted the pockets of their robes with an Undetectable Extension Charm, and even with that were fairly bursting of good things to share. The Elves had supplied treacle tart for James, toffees for Lupin, pumpkin pasties for Sirius and chocolate biscuits for Peter, as well as a healthy measure of hot chocolate for all. James and Sirius spread out their bounty, and when they looked up, they noticed Lupin with a mischievous look on his face.
"Close the door!" Lupin said, and James looked at him quizzically before shutting the door with his foot.
"Look what I found," Lupin said as Sirius sat down beside him. He spilled the contents of his rucksack onto his bed, and the Marauders crowded about to look. "I was poking about in Slughorn's office during the last Slug Club rendezvous—,"
"You make it sound much sexier than it is," Sirius said, putting his feet up on the register. "A rendezvous makes it sound like an escapade; it's an old man making 'connections' in a room of brandy and canapés."
Peter shook out Remus' bag and held out a pack of cigarettes. "May I?"
"Course," Lupin said, and once Peter lit one, he tossed the pack to Sirius. "Anyway, as I was saying, I had a thought for Hallowe'en,"
"Did you now?" James said with a laugh in his voice. "Thought you were too old for pranks, Moony,"
"You're never too old for a bit of fun where it counts,"
"No, indeed!" James said, biting the head off of a chocolate frog, taking a peek at the card before wrinkling his nose and tossing it in the fire. "Merlin again, for his own sake!"
"Aren't you a little old to be collecting the damn things, Prongs?" Moony asked, lifting a brow. "You are seventeen, after all."
"Weren't we just reliving the glory days, gentlemen?" Sirius said. "One cannot be both too old for pranks and chocolate frog card collections. I'm on my knees, begging you to continue, dearest Moony."
Remus lifted a large jar off his sheets and tossed it to Peter, the liquid inside red and viscous. "What the hell is this?"
"The perfect prank, we only have one Hallowe'en left at school, and we'd best go off with a bang, wouldn't you agree?"
"We won't be shone up by McFettridge again, not like last year,"
"What were you thinking?" James asked, taking the jar from Peter and examining it closely.
"As I had said, I've been fiddling with ingredients, and I can't claim to be as good at Potions as you and Sirius-,"
"Never could, Moony, but continue,"
"I think I found a combination that can change the colour of the fabric,"
"Did you?" Sirius said, taking the jar from James and unscrewing the lid. "However, considering the circumstances, I'm not sure why you would."
"What?"
"Why change the colour," Sirius said, leaning forward, "When methods exist in which you can make them invisible?"
The boys roared with laughter as Sirius tore off a piece of his curtain hangings and dipped the fabric in a jar from behind his pillow. When he raised it out, the cloth shimmered and then became transparent.
"Boys, we are in business!"
...
It was hours after sunset, and the girls' dormitory was silent, save for soft breathing and gentle snores. Lily had been dozing, unable to fall asleep with the guilt of her breakup in the forefront of her mind. He wasn't a bad bloke, not really. Arthur had been good to her, they had gone out for eight months, and he truly hadn't done anything to deserve what she had done to him. After the episode he pulled in the Great Hall, and once the lot of them had left their respective Head's offices, she had broken up with him, quickly and emotionless in the corridor just off the Hufflepuff Common Room. He had been upset, and he had every reason to, and Lily tried her damndest not to fall for his antics again. The walk back from the main floor she had done in a daze, and once Sirius had finished chewing her out, she returned to her dormitory and collapsed on her bed. There was a lump under her head, and once Lily turned, she was surprised beyond belief to see her favourite peacock quill on her pillow. She had been missing it for weeks, where the hell had it come from?
She and her dorm mates had done some homework, gone down to dinner (looking all around to see if Arthur had turned up, but he seemed to be absent) and finally went to bed. It had been one hell of a day.
She was nearly asleep, her eyes finally beginning to close, when she woke to the sound of shrieking from the next bed over, her heart sinking as her eyes confirmed what she knew to be true. Mary's limbs were twisted in the sheets, tears of pain pouring down her cheeks.
"Oh, Mary," Lily said, "Hold on, I'll get Madame Pomfrey."
Lily looked over to Marlene and Alice's bunks, and in the darkness, she saw Amelia jumping out of bed towards Mary.
Lily threw on a dressing gown over her nightgown and ran down the steps. She bolted out of the portrait hole and down a great many flights of stairs to the Hospital Wing. Once she arrived, dishevelled, and out of breath, it didn't take more than a look for the Matron to follow Lily back towards Mary.
"It's worse," Lily panted, running up the marble staircase. "Much worse. It—it hasn't been this bad for months."
Madame Pomfrey nodded, no words were needed. Ever since Mulciber had attacked Mary at the end of their fifth year, the Matron had been doing her best to treat her to mixed results.
Once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Lily stopped to catch her breath before exclaiming the password and wriggling her way through the portrait hole. When they arrived in her dormitory, Mary was worse, as she was nearly shaking to contain her shouts. Madame Pomfrey rushed to her bedside and waved her wand over Mary's form. Lily reached down and took her hand, whispering what she hoped to be calming words. Amelia rubbed a piece of damp flannel over her forehead, and the others stood in shocked silence at the situation.
"I'll bring her to the Hospital Wing," the Matron said, pulling a bottle out of her pocket and coaxing Mary to swallow its contents. "She'll need more powerful painkillers than what I have on my person."
Once the last drop of the potion disappeared down Mary's throat, Madame Pomfrey raised her wand and cast a nonverbal hover charm, and Mary rose from her bunk, looking thinner and shakier then Lily had ever seen her. Amelia lay a blanket over Mary's form, and Mary pulled it close.
"Thank you, girls," Madame Pomfrey said. "I'll take her from here."
"I'll come," Lily blurted out, pulling on a pair of slippers. "I don't have class first period. I can watch over her."
"Very well, Miss Evans," the Matron said, waving her wand so Mary could float past them through the doorway. "Come quickly, the sooner we get to the Hospital Wing the better,"
...
It was the middle of the night, and the ghosts in the halls drifted to one side as the Matron and Lily hurried past. Lily pushed open the doors to the Hospital Wing, relieved to see it was empty. Madame Pomfrey gently lowered Mary onto an available cot and ran into the storage cupboard.
Mary lay grimacing with pain, the potion beginning to wear off, her arms wound tightly around her legs.
"It'll just be a moment, Miss Macdonald," Madame Pomfrey said, pointing her wand at a hovering bag of fluid, which rapidly began to fill. "Just a moment, hold on my dear,"
Madame Pomfrey ran to her storage cupboard and retrieved a vial of a thick purple liquid, and Lily watched with worry as she stirred it slowly and added a packet of white powder to the mix. Once it was combined, the Matron tipped back Mary's throat and encouraged her to drink.
She cried out, and Lily looked on with a pained expression, holding Mary's hand tightly in both of her own.
"This will help, Mary, just stay still,"
Mary said nothing, her face contorting in pain, but in the quarter of an hour it must've taken for the potion to take effect, her face begun to relax, and her limbs settled back into the mattress. Lily sighed in relief.
"Thank you," she said, tucking a piece of curly hair behind Mary's ear. "She looks so much better already,"
"Miss Evans," Madame Pomfrey said hesitantly, pulling herbs and bits of this and that from a drawer into a stone mortar. "You must understand what I've given her is temporary and becoming less effective with time." The Matron sighed and ran a hand over Mary's forehead. "She is still in a great deal of pain,"
"Oh,"
"From what the Healers at St. Mungo's have told me, and from my observations, there is little to be done, other than to keep her comfortable, and lessen the amount of pain she's in." the Matron said, adding a dollop of something bright green to the mix, and mashing it together with her pestle. "The magical world is just as inept as curing her; I'm afraid to say,"
"What is it?" Lily asked, rubbing Mary's palm with her thumb. "Do you know yet?"
Madame Pomfrey nodded, waving her wand and watching with a distant expression as the instruments she had used turned gracefully in midair and returned to an open cupboard. "Yes, I've suspected for some time, but after a consultation at St. Mungo's, I'm certain."
The Matron sighed and turned to face her. "Miss Macdonald is seventeen and has given her express permission for you, your fellow dorm mates, as well as Mr. Balsan, be fully aware of the specifics of her condition. She has elected not to inform her parents of the specifics, which, of course, is her decision."
"Yes," Lily said with a heavy heart. Mary's relationship with her parents was strained, where it existed at all. Highly suspicious people by nature, they were shocked and upset when Mary received her Hogwarts letter. They kept her magic a secret, highly suppressing her abilities until they almost disappeared. It made Lily sick, to think of parents treating their own like that. She had never lacked parental affection, but Mary had alternated between hers and Marlene's homes since their second year during summer, Christmas and Easter hols. She hadn't lived with them since fourth year, nearly eight months before the attack.
"What she has is a deterioration of nerve function, from what I can tell about the curse itself is rudimentary but permanently damaging. She limps, and most of her pain is located along her spinal column, making walking and moving about difficult and painful. In time, her speech may be affected, and she will be unable to walk on her own,"
Lily took a shaky breath, holding tightly to her friend's hand. "Poor, poor Mary,"
"Yes,"
"Does Anthony know?"
"Mr. Balsan was told as much as you, and until I know more, I'm loathed to speak more of it."
Madame Pomfrey and Lily both looked down at Mary with similar expressions. She had done nothing wrong, nothing to have provoked Mulicber, or anyone else, and here she was crippled for life.
"I wish I could do something for her,"
"Your company does wonders, I imagine," Madame Pomfrey said, walking out of Lily's line of sight. "I'll make a stronger potion for her while she sleeps," she said, placing the mortar in Lily's hands. "It's a topical ointment to be rubbed onto the affected areas. Spread it liberally, and wash your hands thoroughly afterward."
"Thank you," Lily said, putting the solution on Mary's bedside table and running a hand over Mary's cheek, preparing for a long vigil ahead.
...
Breakfast on the morning of October 28th came with the usual flurry of owls and a general murmur of activity. Holyhead, Sirius' great horned owl, landed with a squawk with one talon in Peter's oatmeal and a thick letter and a parcel in her beak. Sirius opened his palm and ripping open the letter with a look of barely contained glee on his face.
"Mum and dad wrote," Sirius said, skimming the contents between sips of coffee. "Looks like they've got a gnome infestation in the garden again."
James smiled, taking another piece of bacon. "Anything else?"
"They said that we're not to make too big a deal of Hallowe'en, don't know why they bother really. It's like they don't know us at all,"
"What's in the parcel?" Lupin asked, leaning over to look.
"Ah!" Sirius said, pulling out a large box of chocolates. "For you, Moons, oh, and a pack of sugar quills for you, Pete. Dunno why you fancy mint when bubblegum exists, but that's for you to wrestle with."
Peter reached out to grab the package with a laugh, sucking the first one he grabbed rapturously.
"Oh, and look!" Sirius exclaimed, "Looks like they sent their firstborn something too!"
Sirius tossed a large bottle to James, who caught it and promptly groaned as he read the label.
"Since you're now Head Boy, do try and look like one," Sirius read from his letter, and the boys laughed. "So, I sent another bottle of Sleekeazy in the hopes that you'll use it this time."
James groaned, and Sirius read the addendum with a grin. "With loads and loads of love to all our boys, Mum and Dad,"
"What's this, Potter?" A voice said from beside James. He turned to look, but before he could move, they had punched him square in the jaw.
James groaned, and when he looked up, the satisfied face of Lily's ex-boyfriend smirked down on him. "What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed, and the Marauders stood at once, glaring at Cauterwal.
"Nothing," He said, taking a piece of toast from Longbottom's plate and taking a bite, much to Frank's displeasure. "Taking the lay of the land is all. Is she here?"
"She broke it off; if you cared about her, you'd leave her alone," Sirius said, standing beside James. "Not that you'd know what it is to care,"
Cauterwal stopped suddenly, looking towards the letter Sirius had left on the table. "What's that?"
"A letter?" James said, raising an eyebrow. "What's it look like?
"I didn't know they were still coming through," Cauterwal said, his voice taking a different tone. "I haven't heard from my parents in weeks."
"What's that to do with Evans?"
Cauterwal paused and gave his head a little shake before turning around and walking back to the Hufflepuff table.
"What was that about?" Lupin asked, pulling his book bag over his shoulder.
"I dunno, not what I expected, though," James said, rubbing his sore jaw thoughtfully. "Where is Evans, anyway?"
...
Luckily it was Friday, and the girls' schedule allowed for at least one of them to remain at Mary's bedside for the rest of the day. She was no longer in pain, but she hadn't woken up yet. Lily had gone back to bed after breakfast, and Marlene was glad. There was a rumour going around that James was going out with another bird, some Ravenclaw sixth year she didn't know. Marlene knew that Lily cared about him, maybe more than Lily cared to say. If the news that he was seeing another girl came about unexpectedly, she didn't know what Lily would do. The last thing she needed right now was another rumour of James Potter's fickle heart.
Marlene and the others had done their best to deny what was said, but it hadn't helped, any gossip surrounding the handsome Head Boy spread like wildfire.
At breakfast, while the others were distracted by parcel Sirius had received from the Potter's, she also received post. It was short but unfeeling, and Marlene sniffed to stop a tear from running down her cheek.
She pushed past Lily's ex-boyfriend and left early, intending to go to the library to think when she bumped quite literally into the Headmaster outside the doors to the Great Hall.
"My apologies, professor," Marlene gasped, stepping back. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Are you quite alright, Miss McKinnon?" Dumbledore said, not unkindly. "You're looking rather blue,"
"It's nothing, professor," Marlene said, tucking her letter further up her sleeve. "It's been a rather long night."
"And destined to be longer still, I would think," he said, looking down at her through half-moon spectacles, his smile warm.
"It's just a letter," she said, pulling the post from the pocket of her robes. "From my parents. I haven't heard from them in weeks, and I disagree with what they have to say,"
"Oh?"
"They said some rude things,"
"Well, my office is always open to students in need, and should you find yourself in need, you would find yourself very welcome,"
"Thank you, professor," Marlene said, a little confused.
"Indeed, if you find yourself not taking N.E.W.T. Muggle Studies, you'd find me quite unoccupied in my office."
He did know everything, Marlene thought, walking down the halls to Dumbledore's office later that afternoon, the letter from her father held tight in her fist. She had always respected Dumbledore, he was brilliant, but she had never had an actual conversation with him. What the hell was Marlene doing? He didn't care about her problems; she should handle this on her own.
She was just turning around when the gargoyle in front of his office turned about, revealing a staircase. She took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and stepped on the stair, which began to rise and twist upwards like a Muggle escalator.
Once she reached the door, she faced another moment of foolhardy trepidation. Dumbledore knew this and more about what could and indeed should happen. He was the Headmaster, and if she knew anything, she knew that Dumbledore knew best.
She raised a shaky hand, formed it into a tight fist, and knocked quietly twice on the wood.
"Come in," a soft voice said from inside.
Marlene pushed open the door and looked around. She had been inside this office twice before, for reasons best not mentioned, and felt unsure of her place here now. Her nerves plagued her, she had always been of an anxious disposition, but this was silly. There was nothing to be afraid of; it was just Dumbledore.
"Sir?" She called not seeing him immediately. She looked up and around for him, but Dumbledore was nowhere in sight. Strange little whistles and noises distracted her, silver instruments she had no name for littered every available surface. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, warbled gently, and when she approached, he allowed her to scratch under his chin. His plumage was as bright and vivid as ever, a stunning bird, and she wasn't one for pets.
"Oh there you are, Miss McKinnon," someone said from behind her, shelving an armful of books with a calm expression. He waved his wand, and the remainder of the books rose from his arms and settled one by one in the empty spots they belonged in. He gestured to one of the squashy looking armchairs in front of his desk, and she sat, perturbed and still distinctly uncomfortable.
"Good afternoon, professor," Marlene said, pulling the now crumpled letter out of her robes' pocket.
"Ah yes," Dumbledore said, sitting at last. He opened a small silver box and rummaged about before popping something in his mouth. "But before we discuss perhaps more serious matters, sweets. Would you fancy a lemon sherbet?"
"Oh, uh, no thank you," Marlene said, confused, thinking that this was hardly time for sweets. "I wasn't sure what you wanted to discuss, but I thought it had something to do with the letter from my da,"
"Yes, I believe so," Dumbledore confirmed, arching his fingertips. "What are your thoughts in regards to its contents?"
"I—I don't know, professor,"
"Well, perhaps we can conclude something together," Dumbledore said. "I understand that you recently celebrated your seventeenth birthday,"
"Yes, September 14th,"
"Which makes you of age," Dumbledore said. "By right of law, you are free to make the decisions of future independently of parental consent. Do you understand what I am implying?"
"Professor?"
"I can't help but suppose, and correct me if my assumptions are incorrect, but a father might have concerns about his daughter attending school at a time such as this," Dumbledore said. "And, perhaps, thoughts regarding subject matter or unwelcome social interactions,"
"I'm not following, professor,"
"With these assumptions in mind, I daresay the letter from your father is asking you to reconsider your time at Hogwarts in regards to blood purity," Dumbledore said gently.
"Oh," Marlene said, her heart thumping. "So even though he says—,"
"It is of no legal standing," Dumbledore said, and Marlene nodded, a small smile creeping onto her lips.
"He's my da," Marlene said. "I love him, I do. But it's irrational, I told him, I told him. If Hogwarts isn't safe, then nowhere else is either, let alone Edinburgh. It's on the other side of the earth."
"I quite agree," Dumbledore said, standing. Marlene tucked the letter into her robes, and after waving farewell to Dumbledore made her way back to Gryffindor tower.
...
The rest of the day passed quietly, and without incident, students went to classes and then to dinner, where Marlene had convinced Lily to remain in bed, telling her she'd bring up a plate in the hopes that the unwelcome gossip would pass her by.
At the end of dinner, Sirius took off on his own, intending to go on a walk to clear his head. He took several floors in silence, mulling over the thoughts of the day. Who the hell did Cauterwal think he was, anyway? He hadn't even been dating Evans for a year; he had no reason to act the way he did. There was many a creative way to get back at him, Sirius thought with a smile, one of which quite fitting to the circumstances and reasonably easy to execute.
Just as he took a step onto the seventh floor, he heard shouting from around the corner. He pulled the map out of his robes' pocket and looked to see who it was, not surprised to see the names of those he thought to be that pompous Ravenclaw third year and his mates, most likely.
He tucked the map back away before turning the corner, slowing his steps to catch as much of the conversation as he could.
"No, I swear it!" a boy shouted, his highly embellished robin's egg blue robes swishing about his person. He looked agitated, so Sirius took advantage of his height, putting his hand on the kids head to turn him around. "Hey! Who do you think you are?"
"Sirius Black," he said, putting the kid back on his feet. "And very interested in what you just said.
"I swear, I know what I heard," the kid said, waving his hands in agitation. Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look indifferent. "There's a monster at Hogwarts!"
"Is there now?" Sirius said, gratified by how nervous he was making him.
the kid huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I heard something in the Shrieking Shack! I've been researching werewolves, and what I heard matched the exact pitch—,"
"Are you high?"
"Am I what?"
"High," Sirius said, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it with his wand. "I was thinking of a way for your story to be true, and this is the only conclusion I've arrived at. Intoxicated, under the influence,"
"I am not! Nothing of the sort!" he exclaimed, stamping his foot. "I know what I heard. I'm on my way to tell Dumbledore right now!"
"Well now," Sirius said, sidestepping to block Lockhart's path. "I am sorry to hear that,"
"Step out of the way!" Lockhart said, lifting his chin. "I'll have you know that Professor Dumbledore and I are on first name terms! He'll believe anything I tell him,"
'Anything, you say?" Sirius drawled. "Anything at all?"
"Of course!"
"Well," he said, taking a step forward. "If you knew Dumbledore as well as you say you do, what's the password for his office?"
"Well," Lockhart said, stumbling over his words. "He did tell me, but it's been some time since then. He usually walks me up,"
Sirius gestured towards the stone gargoyle and smirked. "Off you go then, don't let me distract you from your very important message,"
"I don't plan to!"
Sirius stood where he was, the map tucked in the deep pockets of his robe. He knew Dumbledore was still in McGonagall's office, but he had only arrived back at the castle this morning after a whole week away. Hell, even Sirius didn't know the password to Dumbledore's office, James and Lily did, as did Lupin, but Sirius had never had the need to go in there alone, unsummoned. And neither, he guessed, had Lockhart.
"Sherbert lemon!" Lockhart said, and Sirius lifted an eyebrow in a carefully practiced show of nonchalance. The gargoyle remained still, and if Sirius wasn't mistaken, it developed a bit of a crease between his eyebrows.
"Uh, not that then," Lockhart said, rolling up his sleeves. "Last time it was a type of sweet. Raspberry drop!"
Again, nothing. Lockhart looked a bit red in the face but gave any number of sweets as a password to the gargoyle, who in anticipation of the eighth attempt, rolled his eyes and said several choice rude words, before turning his back on the pair completely.
"So much for being a personal favourite,"
Lockhart huffed and turned around, walking quickly but with a great deal of dignity down the hall and out of sight.
...
"You'll not believe what I heard this afternoon," Sirius said later that night, breaking off a piece of pumpkin pasty and popping it in his mouth. "In the gargoyle corridor outside Dumbledore's office,"
"You've gotta stop sneaking up on couples, Pads," Lupin said, tousling Sirius' hair. "Bit creepy, that."
"It's not funny, Moons," Sirius said, his pulse jumping in fear. "This Ravenclaw third year thinks he heard something out of the Shrieking Shack. He thinks there's a werewolf at Hogwarts."
The jovial mood dropped all at once, and a chilling sense of dread settled over them.
"Does he know?"
"Did he see me?" Lupin said, his eyes wide and afraid. "See us?"
"I don't know," Sirius said, his gaze intense. "I don't know; it surprised me, we haven't had anything as close as this since Snape,"
"And we all remember how well that went," Peter said, "What'd you say, Pads?"
"I told him off, said some pointed words towards his mates. He was on his way to tell Dumbledore,"
"He just got back," James said, leaning against Peter's knees. "Marlene saw him just this afternoon."
"Do you think he still suspects?" Remus asked, his voice shaky. Sirius pulled his friend in tight and held him as he shook in fear.
"Course not," Sirius said, "I gave him—,"
A loud knock sounded at the door, and the Marauders looked at each other in confusion. James untangled himself and opened the door, surprised beyond belief to see Lily standing there in her dressing gown.
"Lily?"
"Mary's in pain," she said, and the others rose quickly. "Marlene went to get the Matron, but she's hysterical. Remus, what do you use?"
"What?" Sirius asked.
"At the full moon?" she pleaded, stepping into their dorm. "What do you use? She's incomprehensible."
"Uh, I have some things," Lupin said, rusting about in his trunk. Sirius pulled a package out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Lupin, who tossed the lot along with a small bag of medicine into a cloth bag.
"Here," he said, shaking. "Start in small doses; it's potent stuff."
"Thank you," Lily exclaimed, and left as soon as she came.
Once James closed the door, a look of dim shock on his face, the Marauders looked at one another in terror.
"Since when does Evans know?"