The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

Lucy Minchum

Maryrose plunged her hand into the green powder and stepped into the hearth, tossing the powder at her feet. "Hogwarts - Dumbledore's Office!" she declared as clearly as she could. Green flames rose up around her ankles - but she didn't go anywhere. She looked at James helplessly. "Dumbledore's office!" she tried again. But nothing.

"Bloody hell," James said.

Suddenly there was a very loud, very violent shout upstairs and an explosive sound and Lucy flinched against him, starting to cry.

"I think they know she's gone," James's voice was weary. "We haven't got much time. Quick. Try - try bloody anywhere." He shoved the powder at Maryrose again. "Quickly!"

Maryrose's hands shook as she took another handful of powder and upstairs there were more explosions. The Dark Lord was in a real temper, they could hear the roaring of his voice, hear the sizzling of his powers and the explosions - oh the explosions! James imagined feathers from that down comforter flying through the room and he shuddered and turned to Maryrose. "Hurry."

She tossed the powder to her feet again. "Leaky Cauldron!" she tried, still nothing. Tears filled her eyes, "The Ministry for Magic! The Hogs Head Inn! Please!" She begged the mantel, tossing more and more floo powder so that the green flames wouldn't subside, "Anywhere! Anywhere at all!" But she stayed exactly where she was, in the hearth in the library of Walburga Black.

"It's no use," James decided, "We gotta make a break for that front door."

Maryrose nodded, and they ran for the door of the library, but before they could reach it, there were thundering footsteps on the stairs and James froze and he turned around, looking for someplace to hide there in the library. "Quick, those drapes!" They hurried for the drapes, ducking behind the thick green velvet and pulling them around themselves. James drew his wand and aimed it at Lucy over his shoulder - still crying, "I'm sorry, but -- Silencio!"

Maryrose looked over at him from her curtain and he looked over at her and he drew a deep breath and she wrapped her hand around the medallion that Regulus had put about her neck and rubbed the gold between her fingers nervously, thinking of him and trying to draw up the bravery that she needed. "I'm scared," she whispered the confession to James.

"Me, too," James whispered back.

Maryrose had tears pouring over her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," James whispered. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this."

"I'm sorry, too," Maryrose said quietly. She stared at him with wide, wet eyes. "But if I had to be in it with anybody, James, I'm glad it's you. You're the bravest person I know."

"I'm not," he shook his head.

"You are. You're incredibly brave. You didn't even hesitate to do this, you just knew a little girl was in trouble and you came. It's the very description of bravery."

James felt his throat rise up in a thick lump and he said, "That's the description of idiocy, too."

Maryrose whispered thickly, "You're not an idiot."

"I am," he answered.

She shook her head, "I don't think you are, I think you're amazing. I love you." She stopped. Her face flushed bright red and she closed her eyes, shuddering. She hadn't meant to say it. Her hair drained its colour in her own surprise and she pulled her curtain shut around herself, her face hot with embarrassment.

"Oi. Maryrose," James hissed. "Maryrose, it's okay - I --" but before James could say whatever it was he'd been about to say, the sound of the library door knob stopped him and he, too, pulled the curtain tight about himself and he pressed as hard as he could against the window - the cold of it burning his skin and he could feel Lucy still crying against his shoulder, the hot tears melting through his oxford. The door squealed opened and hurried footsteps came in - two sets. He closed his eyes and held his breath.

"She was here," said a low voice - Rudolphus Lestrange, James recognized it from long ago. "Tried to use the floo network. Look at that."

"I had that disconnected after the incident last year," Walburga said imperially. "Didn't want that happening again! Especially now with the Fidelus Charm expanded so much." Her voice trembled. If had expanded, after all, because her husband was dead.

Rudolphus looked around the room, and he drew his wand and started bending to peer beneath the desk, opened a trunk that was pushed against the wall. He tore the cushion from a plush chair and threw it across the room and James heard it hit the wall and skid... right toward the drapes and Rudolphus Lestrange let out a low throaty laugh and started across the room. "Come out, come out, ickle one," he hissed, "I ain't goin'ter hurt'cha..."

James held his wand in his fist and he allowed himself to slowly take in a long breath, preparing to shout a spell, preparing to leap out from behind the curtain and make his bid for the door, to fight to get them through... He inched his curtain open slightly and looked over at Maryrose's, wanting to synchronize the motion, but when she peered back - he found himself looking into the face of Lucy Minchum. He blinked in surprise.

What're you doing? he mouthed at her.

She held a finger up to her mouth telling him to shush. She stared at her in shock and disbelief. Maryrose mouthed the words stay still, and before he could stop her, she whipped her curtain back, shoved something into his chest pocket, and ran forward.

James had to actually restrain himself from going after her, every muscle in his body fought with him. The only thing that kept him from doing it was the weight of Lucy Minchum clinging about his neck.

She shouted as a cry went up from Rudolphus, "Got'cha!" he barked and he heard the Death Eater scoop Maryrose-Lucy up from the carpet, "You bleedin' little blighter. Dark Lord's lookin' fer you!"

James could hear them going to the door, and he panicked. What was Maryrose's plan? Then he remembered she'd shoved something in his pocket and he reached for it, hoping that it would answer what her plan was - perhaps it was a note - and he dug into the pocket and what he drew out took his breath away.

It was Regulus's medallion.