The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix Part Three

XCVI: Death Eaters

The Irish knew how to celebrate.

Jigs were being danced all over the fields in the wee hours of the morning, the stars shining bright overhead, the fires flickering orange, glowing in their pits all over. Shouts and song, a cacophony of celebration, filled the air. A few fireworks whistled through the sky, banging into sky-wide images of shamrocks and pots of gold with a shower of golden coin-shaped sparks that rained down over the camp, disappearing before they could land. A lot of laughter was going up, echoing off the trees, most of it beer induced.

In other words, it was a right proper ceilidh.

Wally Grant stood outside, drinking a bottle of Irish beer and raising the toast with his mates as they shouted and made giddy of themselves. Wally clapped in tune with them as he stood by and watched them dancing - especially Geri, who was spinning about, her hair flying around her face in a mass of dark curls.

"Wally!" Suddenly he was being jumped upon - it was Dexter and Macy was behind him, her hair twisted into two knots at the top of her head - and Dexter was dancing about him eagerly. "Oi you're far too calm for a man wearing an Irish jersey about now! Why aren't ya dancin'? I saw a bloke not three tents from here, giant shamrock painted on his belly, hooting and hollering, drunk off his gourd. You're the soberest Irish supporter I've encountered tonight!"

"Ah don't be calling me out," Wally laughed as Macy rushed through to where Geri was dancing and grabbing her hands. Geri squealed and the pair of them were hugging wildly. 

"Thrown off by Ollie?"

Wally flinched at the name. "No."

"Except yes, you can't fool me, Wal - I know, I recognize your face. You've been thinkin' on him."

Wally flushed.

"All bars held, he did look really good though, didn't he?"

"I didn't notice."

Dexter laughed, "Fine, be stubborn. Once upon a time I couldn't get you to shut up about how good looking he was."

"Once upon a time I meant something to him but things change, Dex, now he's just somebody I used to know and he's off in his taj mahal, probably celebrating with Aiden Lynch or whoever his latest secret lover is..." Wally rolled his eyes.

"He said he hasn't been mates with Aiden Lynch," Dexter said. "In fact, he made it sound like they barely knew each other."

Wally looked over at Dexter. "So?"

"So all that time you spent jealous and not reaching back out? It was a rumor, I reckon." Dexter took a long sip of his own drink, which looked like it was more along the lines of butterbeer than actual beer. Dexter went on, "You know Aiden Lynch's married?" he paused, then added, "To a woman?"

"So? So am I," Dexter shrugged.

Dexter added, quietly, "Happily."

"Alright, you've got me there."

Dexter laughed.

"But that doesn't mean that --" Dexter started, but he stopped.

Suddenly, a scream had ripped through the night.

Dexter and Wally both looked up, their heads snapping toward the direction of the scream. Both put down their drinks and drew their wands.

Younger wizards around them looked confused, older took on similar stances - a clear divide occurred then - those who had been old enough to be affected by the war and those who had not been. The people who remembered, they were the ones dropping into defensive reaction and those who had not didn't know what to do, or even seem to recognize what the sound was as a ripple of panic swept the field, originating from the far end. More screams followed the first and a surge of energy, a rush of feet, witches and wizards turning and running, scattering, the air filled with cracks and pops, the music dying away.