It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Thirty-Five

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." - Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

     The sun was peaking over the quidditch pitch when it ended. The sun was a sign of a new day, a new start. But, on this day, it meant tragedy. The fight was over; the dark magic was gone, but all it did was leave everyone behind to deal with the destruction of it all. 

     The castle did not look like Hogwarts anymore. There were chunks of stone missing and doors ripped from their hinges. Streaks of red ran along the stone where some fights were more brutal than others. The worst of all were the people. Along the grounds of the school, throughout the corridors and classrooms, bodies dotted the floor– those who had not survived the night. With the rising sun, those that had fallen were bathed in the light of a new day that they would never see.

      Sirius was on the fifth floor when it stopped. And, Merlin, was he thankful that it stopped. As they disappeared, his body sagged in exhaustion against the wall, the wand he had stolen hanging limply in his hand. He welcomed the sunlight that came streaming in through the windows. It was much harder for darkness to hide in the light. 

      As he became sure that none of the death eaters would be returning, he made his way down the halls as quickly as his sore body would allow him. He hadn't seen any of his friends in hours, and the worst of his thoughts were eating away at his brain. 

     The fear prickled like cold along the back of his neck every time he passed a body. He would see red hair splayed out on the floor, and his stomach would drop, afraid that it was Lily; or a glint of sunlight off of a pair of glasses would blind him for a moment, and the worst feeling of dread would gnaw at his bones with the thought of James on the floor. The absolute most terrifying of all was any time he saw curly, blonde hair on the ground, but he refused to think about losing Marlene. 

      "Padfoot!" 

      Sirius whipped around at the sound of his name to see Remus and Peter running down the hallway. His insides sagged with relief. The group of three collided into a group hug, gripping at each others clothings, needing the physical, solid proof that they were all alive. They all looked beaten to hell and like they could sleep for a week, but they were here. 

      "Charlie?" Remus demanded, looking at Sirius with pleading brown eyes. 

      "I was with at her at one point," Sirius shook his head. "But, we got split up. Marlene?" 

       Remus shook his head. "I haven't seen her since we all got separated at the beginning." Sirius' stomach lurched. 

      "Pete said he was with James and Lily for awhile but got separated," Remus breathed. 

      Peter had yet to say anything, eyes sparkling with the trauma that had chased him throughout the night. 

      "Well," Sirius breathed, his stomach tying itself further into knots. "We gotta find them. They're in here somewhere." 

     Remus and Peter nodded, and all of the boys started forward. They feared the worst, but the not knowing was much more unbearable. Your mind can come up with much more gruesome scenarios than any type of reality. 

     They frantically looked along the hallways, praying they wouldn't find any of their friends on the floor. Anytime someone passed them, they asked in desperation if they had seen any of their friends. 

      "Sirius! Remus! Peter!" 

      They all turned, but Sirius would know that voice anywhere. A streak of curly, blonde hair collided with the boy. Sirius felt tears prick his eyes in utter relief that he could now clarify that Marlene was alive and safe.