stain ☾ remus lupin

THIRTYEIGHT

V I D I
△▽△▽△

Within seconds, all hell had broken lose. As Freya blocked yet another spell, she became dreadfully concerned for whatever was occurring inside the walls of the castle. She found herself hoping that everyone was safe. Including the few people that she somewhat despised. Marlene, Mary, Regulus, Severus, Sybill, the girl that had spilled butterbeer on her at Hogsmeade, the fifth year that always cheated off her papers . . . Everyone.

The Death Eaters' vague, drab outfits made them practically invisible in the dark, and Freya could feel the detriment in their midst. If only they all had individual invisibility cloaks.

Out of the corner of her eye, Freya could see Lily slowly and determinedly backing a masked enemy nearer to the Whomping Willow.

"O-okay, okay, we've got this. I'm going over there with Lily, so Peter — watch Freya. Help her and —"

"I don't need protection, James," the blonde witch asserted with an unimpressed raise of the brow, "I'm perfectly able to fend for myself."

"Well, just as a precaution —"

His words were cut off by Freya speaking in a bold, clear voice, "Stupefy!"

The spell shot at the speed of light, a trail noticeably zigzagging on the harsh black background of the sky. Luckily, the magic was not disarmed and the Death Eater that it had hit slung backwards, as if he was connected to an invisible rope in the performance of a Muggle play. Though his rope must have become unattached, because the man fell with a quick plop to the ground. Unconscious.

Cracked lips replenished as James's tongue slid over them twice with concentration, "Actually, I take my last statement back. Freya, watch Peter. Help him."

He ran faster than she had ever seen him run before. The reason behind his sudden agility was obvious as he moved towards the redhead witch whom he loved. She stood a little ways from the Willow, almost in harm's way herself.

Facing the Darks Arts was nothing like what they taught her in class. In reality, she could hardly function under the bone-chilling, goosebump forming danger that surrounded her. Every single time a spell was cast her way, reflexes somehow kicked in. Maybe it was a miracle. Maybe she was just lucky. Maybe she was more talented with magic than she had previously thought. Either way, Freya did not ponder much over it. Doing so would give her the disadvantage of a distracted mind.

A spell shot across the sky once again and as Lily deflected it in the distance, Freya's eyebrows furrowed. The combination of light from the wands created the illusion of a sunset. The way the trails of smoke puffed in the sky, lightening the dark sheet of night. The magic itself was bright enough to be considered part of the sun. As if the moon was not meant to be there, and as if the sun was only just disappearing for the night.

She glanced at Peter, "You know, this reminds me of a dream I've been having."

"A dream?"

"Yeah, about sunsets. Sybill even mentioned it to me in the hallway. Well, it was more like a nightmare —"

Peter had turned to look at her, and his eyes immediately widened, "Freya! Watch out!"

But it was too late. What happened dismayed them all, and Lily and James halted their battle to look upwards. The Death Eaters had begun to retreat back into the castle, and some even farther away, at the sight of what had struck the girl down.