1962 ── lily evans

TEN

TEN

LENNON TRAINED her eyes to the action. Sirius stood at the front, his deep voice resounding throughout the growing crowd of determined activists. Every sentence made her heart beat faster, thumping against her ribcage as ambition grew inside of her.

"Nuclear weapons do not protect us - they threaten our very existence!"

Lennon remembered some of the spiel from the very first time she'd listened in at a meeting - the older boy had revealed to her previously that much of his speech was bound to stay the same, due to the ever-growing group of people agreeing to assemble for this rally.

"Disaster is staring us right between the eyes, and yet we continue to do nothing about it! What is there to be done?"

A subdued buzz broke out amongst the hordes of people, a buzz that left Lennon feeling dizzy with delight and satisfaction. Her eyes were trained to Sirius' rough, defined features as he stood a few feet away from her, enticed to hear every word of his passionate rant. Lily, who was shivering from the cold night air, leaned over towards the brunette, grinning from ear to ear. Despite her initial complaints about the length of the journey there, even she couldn't hide her enthusiasm for the night ahead.

The throng of protesters, many of them Lennon had never seen before, seemed to have only been encouraged by Sirius' words. The noise from the group had amplified, and voices yelling out in support could be heard from every direction, each spouting opinions on the atrocity of nuclear warfare.

A sudden jolt forward indicated that the pack of protestors were ready to move forward to somewhere more visible to the public eye. Lennon stepped ahead, picking up her pace so as to meet the vast strides Sirius was taking up ahead. She wasted no time in matching his speed, catching up to him and Remus with ease.

The walk was exhilarating for everyone, the risk of danger up ahead pumping adrenaline through the brunette's bloodstream. It was short-lived, however, as they were stopped a mere five minutes into their trek by a line of stern policemen, who were standing in their path. They seemed identical in the dim light provided by the stars that scattered the blanket of onyx above us, drowned head to toe in fitted, black uniforms.

People that stood all around began jeering, screaming about 'banning the bomb'. The mix of perturbation and thrill made Lennon feel sick to her stomach, as if her organs were twisting around each other in knots.

"Sit down! Everybody, sit down!" The policemen's dictatorial voices were muffled by the consistent chanting provided by the army of supporters, making her head spin. 

Lennon knew immediately that their demands were just an attempt at controlling the crowd. Many protestors, including Lennon herself, fell to the ground, perching on the freezing concrete of the road. The chanting did not stop. The policemen seemed helpless for a singular moment, and then, as if working as one well-oiled machine, they burst into action.

Before Lennon could even think about disappearing, the policemen had burst into the crowd in a rush of inky uniforms and bright light. The chanting did not cease, yet it was joined by the screams of people. The sound of shrill shrieks resonated in her mind, and yet she was frozen in her spot even whilst danger was directly in front of her. Banners and signs were being ripped from gentle hands and thrown aside. Bodies were being slung over shoulders and into strong arms, carried away against their will.

Lennon found herself searching desperately for Lily, hoping and praying that she was okay, that she could escape before the police had gotten to her. Scanning the crowd anxiously, she longed to see a flash of ginger hair and wide eyes, yet by the time she had it was almost too late. Behind her, in the distance, Lennon could easily make out the shape of a tall man, accompanied by the small figure of her best friend, vibrant red locks flying out behind her in tidal waves. Her heart snapped in two, and she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move or escape.

Sirius' voice called out clearly for her, the sharp, pleading sounds of "Lennon!" repeating over and over nearby. Soon enough, she could hear two more voices joining in; Remus and Peter. She willed herself to move, to run towards the voices and fail to look back, but she couldn't. Her feet were glued to the spot, and her eyes were stuck on the fleeing figures who were vanishing into the night.

A pair of robust hands grabbed her without warning, plucking her out of the crowd. Her vision blurred as a piercing scream escaped her lips, terrified. She cried out, yet no-one was there to save her from the merciless grip of the authority figure that had so easily lifted her like a rag doll. Despite his barbarous approach, the man flashed her a sad, sympathetic smile as he began to carry the brunette away, the epitome of what seemed to be regret as he lifted her over his shoulder. Regardless of any empathy he had offered, her wails did not die down as she kicked and thrashed in wild attempts to escape his grasp.

Sirius appeared from nowhere, grasping tightly onto Lennon's outstretched hand. Hit with confusion from the tugging sensation, the policeman turned suddenly, yelling wildly at Sirius as he attempted to remove him from Lennon's grip. Lennon sobbed, crying out for Sirius to stay and save her. Sirius eyes watered at the sight of his friend's petrification, tightening his grip on her hand so as to not let her go as the policemen tried to tug them apart.

"For fuck's sake, let her go! Or take me with her! Please!" Sirius begged, voice hoarse from the volume he was forced to use to overpower the crowds.

It was a moment Lennon would live to remember. As she was carried away, Sirius Black walked calmly alongside her, hand still wrapped warmly around her own. As she was forced into the back of a police-van, tumbling into the seat, Sirius Black climbed in beside her, not letting go of her hand once.

It was a night she'd never forget. It was proof Lennonhad found a close friend for life, one who would risk his own freedom to save her from the bitterness of isolation. It was proof Lennon was losing a friend, who had ran away from oncoming danger, leaving her to defend her fate by herself.

It was ironic, really. From the window of a police van, she watched peace signs on broken banners, destroyed and crushed by the stampede of moving people. Destruction and chaos was certain to destroy them; and almost symbolical, the rally had only managed to prove it.