"Do you think they saw us?" Mary breathed, looking over and then under James' arm through the crack in the door.
There were footsteps from behind the door and muffled conversation. Mary noticed a large bronze key in the keyhole and promptly locked it.
"I don't think so," Lily said from somewhere behind her.
"The Room is soundproof, so long as we don't leave, we should be safe," Lupin said, watching with a half-smile as Peter exhaled dramatically and slid down the door with a sigh.
"The door seals itself," Sirius explained from beside Lily. "It's like a catalogue, infinite iterations of the same room are stacked on top of the other so that we can hide in here. And even if they did get in, they wouldn't be able to get in here unless they asked for the same thing that we did—,"
"Which in and of itself is nearly impossible," James finished, running a hand through his hair in relief. "We should be fine until we figure out what to do,"
"Do you think Amelia's in here?" Lupin asked James, who shrugged.
"There's no way to know if we don't check," James said, raising his wand. "I asked the room to show me where she was, hopefully, it did its job,"
Lily raised her wand, as did Marlene and Mary, and together they took several brave steps into the endless darkness.
"Up you get, Wormtail," Sirius said, pulling his friend up by the arm. Even from where Mary was standing some distance ahead, she could hear him grumbling as Peter dusted off his trousers.
"It's black as hades in here," Marlene complained, the tip of her wand giving off a feeble sort of light. The darkness was so complete room that even with wand-light, it was impossible to see more than ahead foot in the dark. There was a chance, Marlene thought somewhat desperately, that even if they each walked the perimeter of the room, they still might not find her.
"Ouch!" Alice exclaimed, and a tremendous clatter of falling objects filled the silence like a gunshot. "Something bit me!"
Something small skittered past their feet into the darkness behind. Marlene screamed as it ducked between her feet. From behind them, there was the sound of a spell, and the skittering drew to silence.
"Are you okay?" said James. "I Stunned it... this, whatever it is,"
Marlene drew deep gasping breaths, and Mary rubbed her back in sympathy.
"I hate things like that," Marlene said with conviction, still shaking slightly.
"Bound to be more," Sirius said blandly, walking up beside the trio. "Weird, this place is. Never the same twice."
Peter had found some of his courage but was still as pale as Marlene clutching Lupin's jumper sleeve. James kicked the skittering thing aside, and continued walking, his wand light somewhat brighter than the rest. Quietly, almost as if it was natural, he took Lily's hand in his own and from the glow of their wands, Mary could see a look of fierce determination on her friend's face that she had never seen before.
Sirius, finally free of Wormtail, flicked his wand and watched as a burst of bright light burst from the tip and hovered high above them, illuminating the room in thin, white light, and they stood around for a moment, blinking.
It was sparse, this space they found, here and there cabinets and wardrobes full of broken wands, quills, and other less desirable things spilled open. Tall windows covered with thick drapes lined one wall, but in the back corner, dimly lit, a single chair was occupied.
"Could it be?" Mary whispered, her heart racing. Amelia was her friend, her dorm mate, the one with straight-faced sarcasm and a firm belief in justice. Amelia, her friend who was missing. She could be there, right there, and nobody cared? Wasn't anyone going to rescue her?
"Best be careful," Lupin said, stirring Mary from her rapid thoughts. He and the others were walking somewhat quicker, but not with a gait that could be described as hurried. Didn't they care at all? She was in danger, and she was right there. This is what they had been waiting for, why didn't anyone run to her?
Mary took several quick steps and then broke into a run, not caring if anyone was following, not listening to James' shouted warnings, because all she could think was Amelia, Amelia, Amelia.
She ran as far as she could, focusing on the here and now, one foot in front of the other, arms pumping by her sides. She could hear the cries of her friends behind her, the thick steps of their running, but didn't stop. Couldn't stop, not for them, not for anything or anybody but Amelia, the friend who could be there, right there in front of them. Was she hurt? In trouble? How had sensible and careful Amelia Bones find herself here?
But all the while, dimly in her mind, and then forefront, she could feel her arms seize and her legs cramp, the familiar ache running down her spine like a knife. Her ankle seized, and she fell to one knee, and then collapsed like a rag-doll, thick hiccoughing sobs deep in her throat. Sirius, James, and Marlene ran past her, and when great running steps slowed behind her and offered rest, Mary sank into Alice's arms with tears in her eyes.
Even from twenty feet away, Mary could see through thick tears that the others had reached the chair. It was turned towards the wall, and its occupant was slumped forward, thick ropes binding their shoulders and ankles. James held his arm out behind him and walked forward alone. He held his wand held out in front of him with a firm expression on his face. Lily moved to follow him but stopped after a step or two, her wand held aloft.
"Good God," Lily whispered, standing close to Sirius as James inched closer, walking side by side. "Moony?"
"Here," Remus said, taking hold of Lily's other hand as if to steady himself. "Turned to help Mary, but Alice has her,"
Their eyes turned towards James and Sirius, who had finally approached the chair. Remus, almost as if in a trance, nodded at Peter, and the pair crept towards James and Sirius. It looked as if James had moved to untie them, but Sirius shook his head, casting what she guessed to be the Enneverate charm, as they sat up and gasped. James pulled off a blindfold and tossed it to the floor in disgust. His eyes roamed over their figure, and his face turned to a broad smile in recognition.
"it's her! It's Amelia!" James said exuberantly, untying her at once, and holding out his arms as she collapsed into them.
Lily moved to rush at her friend, but Sirius stopped her, his eyes following Lupin's into a shadowy corner. "Mars, watch over them," Sirius said quietly, eyes not leaving Remus' back. "Don't let them follow,"
"I won't," Marlene said, tightening her grip on Lily's hand.
"Amelia, what happened?" She could hear James whispering, his wand hovering over her form. "Stay still, no, don't worry, you've done nothing wrong. Don't move, stay where you are, we'll get you out of here. Can you stand up?"
From twenty feet away, she could see Amelia shake her head with a grimace. "Can I pick you up? Would that be okay?"
Amelia must've nodded into his shoulder, because the next thing she knew, James was walking towards Marlene and Lily, a lolling Amelia in his arms.
Amelia's hair was plastered across her forehead, and puddles had formed beneath her chair as if she had been caught in the rain. A large knot was swelling above her left ear, and blood darkened her blonde hair. She was disorientated, confused, and had no answers to their queries as to what had happened or how she ended up there.
"We need to get her out of here," James whispered. "But I don't think either of you would be able to lift her alone, and there's a lump on her head that someone should look at."
Lily ran a hand through Amelia's short hair, and Amelia stirred in James' arms. "You're safe, we've got you. Stay still, okay? We're going to get you out of here,"
"—Mary?" she whispered after a moment, her eyes unfocused.
Mary stirred in Alice's arms, her own body weak. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry,"
"What for, darling?"
"Tried to...to..."
James adjusted Amelia in his arms, letting her head loll against his shoulder. He hadn't noticed or perhaps didn't look, as Lupin and Sirius crept back into the corner behind Amelia's chair with their wands outstretched. Or maybe he did, Mary thought, as he made pointed eye contact with her, leading the way as the seven of them walked slowly back towards the door.
"James," Lily breathed, and James came to an abrupt stop. "The corner, Pads and Moony, I can't see them,"
He didn't turn, but he stopped and listened intently before speaking. "Mars," he said quietly, the light casting long shadows over his usually cheerful face. He wasn't smiling now; she had never seen him look so determined. "You're the best at hexes, follow them, haul them back with you if you have to. You too, Pete. Watch over them. I'm not leaving this room with even one of us still in it. Mary put your arms around Lily and Alice and follow me; we need to find McGonagall,"
Lily pulled the map out of her dressing gown pocket and searched for a moment before confirming that the Aurors and Mr. Crouch had abandoned the seventh floor. She pulled Mary's arm further over her shoulder, and the three of them walked in an odd three-legged race as they hobbled their way to the door.
A shouted hex sounded from behind them, and James broke into a run, Amelia's head bobbing against his shoulder. Lily took more of Mary's weight on her shoulder and gripped tightly to her arm as they began to run. Each step she took felt more strenuous than the last, but they reached the doorway with not an ounce of strength to spare. Mary waved her wand, and the door creaked open, and James ushered them through the door, his face damp with sweat.
He lowered Amelia to the floor, resting her head on Mary's lap before turning back towards the open doorway.
"I need to help them," he said to Lily, and she nodded tightly.
"I'll come with you,"
James pursed his lips and drew his wand, looking down at Mary, Alice, and Amelia, the latter asleep on Alice's shoulder. "Will you be okay?"
"Give me your Invisibility Cloak, throw it over us, and we can wait until you come back," Alice said in a whisper, running a hand up and down Mary's spine almost subconsciously. "Don't worry, go!"
She waited in anticipation as James tossed a silvery cloak over the three of them, and pulled in her knees as it settled. James looked down in satisfaction before turning back towards the Room of Requirement.
Lily took hold of James' hand, and together they ran through the open doorway.
...
Mary wasn't sure what to make of the yelling from inside the room, nor was she confident that if something were to come hurtling through the doorway, she would be able to stop it. Her legs were cramping painfully, and her back had seized from a combination of the excess movement she had done in the past few hours and from the cold floor she found herself on. Lily had left them with James' map, and she found herself compulsively checking it for movement. It was nearing on two in the morning, most of the castle's occupants were fast asleep, with a few exceptions. McGonagall was pacing her study, as was Flitwick, who had joined her not long after. That Crouch man and a handful of people (undoubtedly Aurors) were patrolling the fifth floor. Dumbledore was still notably absent, and Alice kept the flap of the Headmaster's office turned towards her as if she could summon him back. Amelia was asleep, and while not an expert, she was familiar with a handful of healing charms and had pieced her friend back together again as best as she could under the circumstances. Now that the door had shut behind Lily and James, the castle had fallen silent. She had no way of knowing if her friends were safe or if they needed help, and if they did, they would be largely incapable of providing it. Mary caught Alice's eye and held it for some time, both very aware and uncomfortable with the situation they found themselves in.
Fifteen minutes passed in silence, then the half-hour. Moonlight slipped through the bars of the windows opposite and shone brightly on the flagstones. Mary knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were invisible but felt exposed and vulnerable with the moonlight in her eyes. Mary and Alice had a brief but fierce conversation about leaving and returning to the Gryffindor Common Room. Neither were confident that they could sustain a hover charm under the circumstances (Alice's hands had yet to stop shaking) to reach Gryffindor tower, much less the Hospital Wing.
"We can't stay here forever. We need to get help, and seeing as you can't walk," Alice said under her breath, her eyes straying towards the blank wall she knew her friends to be behind. "I'll take the map and find McGonagall, she'll be able to help us."
"And send us to detention until Christmas," Mary said exasperatedly. "It's after midnight! We're supposed to be in bed! I promised her I would be!"
"Amelia needs help; you need help. Frankly speaking, all of us should spend some time in the Hospital Wing. But the others aren't back yet, and we can't wait under this cloak forever, so I'm going for help, and I need you to watch over Amelia while I'm gone."
Mary sighed, her eyes straying to the corridor she knew led to Ravenclaw dormitories, where she Tony was sleeping, alive and well. He would want to help; she was sure of that. But she had no way of telling him, Ravenclaw tower was too far away to be a reasonable request.
"I will," Mary said firmly, folding up the map and handing it to Alice. "Be safe."
"You too,"
The last that Mary saw of Alice was the light from her wand tip turning down the corridor.
...
The trip down to McGonagall's office was a quick one. The map was ingenious, showing secret passageways to both shorten the distance and provide necessary cover should someone be in the corridors. Marlene had told her of the increased Prefect patrols, and twice Alice ducked behind a tapestry or into a hidden staircase as Aurors in long black cloaks walked past. She rolled her wand about in her hand, quietly running a list of hexes and curses through her mind as if to reassure herself. But the castle was quiet, eerily so. The portraits were mostly asleep, or disgruntled and watchful as she passed them by. Her steps echoed in the empty halls. It was late, she thought, looking down at her watch, and only getting later. They were lucky that McGonagall was still awake, did she know that they were out of bed? How in Merlin's name was she going to explain this without getting herself or her friends in trouble?
Alice turned the corner out of another hidden staircase and found herself halfway down the Transfiguration corridor, and after carefully checking the map for unwelcome company, ran to McGonagall's classroom door. The room was vacant, the desks and benches spooky in the moonlight. She ran down the divide between desks and knocked three times on her office door. There was a moment of muted conversation before Professor Flitwick opened the door. Surprise and concern flooded his expression, and he turned back to face McGonagall. In seven years she had been at Hogwarts, she had never before seen an expression like the one she saw now. McGonagall's lips were so thin they seemed to disappear, and her face was white and peaked. Several long rolls of parchment were open on her desk.
"Miss Winters, what—,"
"They found her, professor," Alice gasped, holding the doorknob tightly for loss of breath. "Amelia, they found her. She's hurt, I need your help to get her and Mary to the Hospital Wing,"
Flitwick once again turned to meet McGonagall's eye, but McGonagall had already moved, winding the tie of her tartan dressing gown firmly around herself in her haste to get out the door.
...
By the time they returned to the seventh floor, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, James, Marlene, and Lily had popped out of the Room of Requirement and had huddled about Mary and Amelia. They must've done so recently because if she wasn't mistaken, she noticed James hastily tuck a silvery cloak into his dressing gown pocket.
"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall exclaimed, a hand on her heart. "Miss McKinnon! Ex-explain yourselves!"
"Well, professor—,"
"It's hard to explain, Amelia—,"
"We found her, professor," Sirius said, interrupting both James and Marlene's attempts at explanation.
"Mr. Black, what in Merlin's name—,"
"Remus was on rounds, as instructed by James and Lily, and noticed a struggle on the seventh floor. When he came to investigate, a cloaked intruder had fired a jinx at Amelia, and she collapsed. When tending to her, the intruder escaped."
"Do you have any identification for this intruder?"
"None," Sirius said, looking puzzled. "He was cloaked, the spell was nonverbal. His wand hand was ungloved, and his skin was puckered and angry like an improperly healing curse mark. He looked, well they, I couldn't get close enough to tell, but they looked like an Auror—or a Death Eater."
Mary didn't know what it was they had faced in the Room of Requirement to rescue Amelia. Was it a single figure or two? She couldn't place a face, they remained cloaked, and she was so focused on saving her friend she couldn't be sure of their stature or voice.
Moreover, why was Black covering for them? There would be no chance of escaping detention no matter the tale he spun. And were they not all aware that it had been Tony who had seen Amelia's attack? Sirius, in particular, who insisted on this venture in the first place?
"Then why are the rest of you here then?" McGonagall said as Flitwick rushed to Mary and Amelia's sides with his wand at the ready. "To my knowledge, only three of you have any reason to be out of bed!"
"Minerva," Flitwick said, waving his wand about Amelia's form, carefully examining the lump on her forehead. "A condemnation will have to wait. Miss Bones has been hit with a powerful Stunning spell and requires the Hospital Wing."
"Yes, of course," McGonagall said, still looking distinctly ruffled. "A search will be conducted immediately," she said, casting a Levitation charm on Amelia and another on Mary, who rose as if supported by a cloud. "Back to bed, the lot of you. Mr. Potter and Miss Evans, you will follow me."
James and Sirius exchanged a flurry of words under their breaths before Sirius joined the others back towards Gryffindor tower, looking back towards Mary and Amelia with a strange expression on his face. Almost one of bitterness, of frustration. But at what? Hadn't he, with James and the others, rescued Amelia in the first place?
"I'll send ahead for Poppy," Flitwick squeaked, waving his wand in the same way James before a single ethereal figure took off ahead of the group. "If you'll follow me, speed is of the essence."
The trip down to the Hospital Wing was a familiar one for Mary, but her anxiety for Amelia grew with each passing moment. Even a powerful Stunning charm wouldn't have lasted this long. Whoever cast it knew what they were doing, perhaps not meaning Amelia to bear the attack, but whoever encountered them first. Or was she targeted? The war had been blooming on the horizon for years had seemed real for the first time. Amelia was a Pureblood, but her best friends were almost exclusively half-blood or less, and a blood traitor was nearly as bad as Muggleborn so far as the Death Eaters were concerned.
Had Death Eaters snuck into the castle while Dumbledore was away? And if they had, were they still here?
"Professor," Mary said quietly, her spine contracting painfully as she rotated to face McGonagall. "Death Eaters, they couldn't be—,"
"No," McGonagall responded, moving quickly down yet another staircase. "But there are strangers in Hogwarts tonight, Aurors and otherwise. Once you and Miss Bones are settled with the Matron, the teachers and the Aurors will conduct a thorough search of the castle and its inhabitants."
James had a hard expression on his face, and when she looked closely, he had cuts on his jaw and arms, which were bleeding freely. Lily was missing a shoe, and her lip was bruised and split. Whatever it was they had met in the Room of Requirement had put up a fight.
James and Lily reached the bottom of the marble staircase first, holding open the door or the Hospital Wing for the others to enter. McGonagall lowered Amelia and then Mary onto separate beds, and turned as the Matron entered the room in a dressing gown, a harried expression on her face.
"Whatever happened to her, Minerva?" she asked, waving her wand over Amelia's sleeping form. "Was she cursed?"
"I think so," Lily interrupted, looking past Mary's bed to meet the Matron's eye. "It was a non-verbal hex or curse. I'm not sure. She has yet to remain consciousness; we found her ten minutes ago."
"Do we know what has become of her attacker?"
McGonagall shook her head. "None, Poppy. I will lead the investigation myself now that they are in your charge."
McGonagall turned to face Lily and James, who ceased speaking at once. "You are to return to bed, it is late, and we will require your help when the morning comes."
"We can help, professor," Lily urged.
"No," McGonagall said, and James ran a hand over his face in frustration. "You are underaged, both of you, and under-qualified. Head Boy and Girl or not, this is a matter for the teachers. Return to your dormitories, or I will have you escorted."
Lily sighed, and McGonagall and Flitwick left without another word.
...
"What are we going to do?" James asked after the Matron had left the room. "Amelia's attacker is still out there, we fought him off, and we're sent to bed? This is bullshit!"
Alice turned about and sat with a huff on the edge of Amelia's bed, her eyes red and bothered.
"Moreover, why did Sirius lie?" Mary said quietly, tucked up in the sheets. "He had no reason to, and now the story is more convoluted than ever."
"The Room is a secret," James said. "It's Unplottable, the only part of Hogwarts we couldn't put on the map. I reckon he was doing his best to save our necks,"
"Be that as it may," Alice said. "We need to come up with a plan,"
"The teachers are patrolling for them, but we trapped him in the Room, and with any luck, he'll stay there," Lily said. "Crafty bastard,"
"But I don't think he was openly malicious," James continued, "it didn't seem that way to me at least. He seemed as afraid of Amelia as he did of us. He fought like a demon, six to one, and only just managed to Stun him,"
"There's nothing you or any of us can do now," Mary said. "Amelia is safe, and Madame Pomfrey will be back any moment. Go to bed, we'll make a plan in the morning,"
Lily sighed and leaned down to kiss Amelia's forehead and then gripped Mary's hand tightly. "We'll be back first thing, all right? Try and get some sleep, we need all of us to be strong for Amelia,"
"Get off, the lot of you," Mary said with a tight smile. "I'll see you in a few hours."
...
James, Alice, and Lily took several shortcuts through the castle towards their respective dormitories, wands held aloft. Alice had handed back the Map, and James checked it frequently for surprises on the seventh floor before waving goodbye to her on the way to their dormitory.
Lily said the password and then held the door as they both tumbled into their Common Room.
James stifled a yawn, and when his eyes opened, his eyes were confused to see sleeping bags and spare mattresses containing three very disgruntled and tired looking Marauders, the low light casting spooky shadows over their faces. Marlene was there as well; her bed pulled closer to Lupin's than the others.
Sirius sat up with a stretch overhead, his grey silk pyjamas clashing horribly with the sheets James' mother had bought in a pair two years ago. The enchanted snitches and quaffles zoomed about the fabric as they always had. But despite Sirius' show of exhaustion, his eyes were wide and alert, more so than that of the others.
"So you're back then," Lupin said, moving to his cardigan pocket for his glasses. "About time,"
"We were worried for you," Peter said from his pillow, his eyes heavy with sleep. "When you didn't—when you didn't come back,"
"And what are you lot doing here then?" Lily asked hands on her hips.
"Sleeping," Marlene said. "Until you two woke us up."
"It's our dormitory!" James said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've got your own,"
"It's rubbish without you, mate," Remus said with a smile, happily be-specked. "Don't know how to sleep without you up all hours of the night,"
"So, it was our unanimous decision that until that asshole is caught—,"
"Which hopefully won't be before we let him out," Marlene said under her breath, and Sirius smiled.
"That your dormitory becomes our home base."
"Precisely."
James let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding and tried to catch Lily's eye and failed; her focus once again on their friends and not him. He felt about his chest for the pieces of his heart that shattered and broke the longer her eyes settled on those not his own.