The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

Definitely a Trap

The square in front of King's Court was a flurry of activity by the time Remus Lupin arrived. Several outdoor luncheon tables were flipped right over, their chairs spilled backwards and tipped to the side. One table's cloth was on fire, smoking with dark black plumes that coiled into the sky. A large sweets cart was overturned and a man knelt behind it - a muggle, Remus reckoned, by the look on the poor man's face. All around the square were pairs of battling witches and wizards, fighting at close range.

Just looking at the battle, Remus was triggered into remembering the fight at Fallengunder and his heart wrenched, making him back up into the alley quickly until his back hit the stone wall of the King's Court. He closed his eyes, his palms pressed to the wall, feeling the cool earthy feeling of the rocks that made up the outside of the building, his heart racing. Remus was suddenly extremely aware of every part of himself, every gawky, gangly limb, and the fact that his feet were only covered by the wool socks he'd tugged on when he'd been getting ready for nothing more than an evening snuggling with Sirius on the couch and talking about his day at Uni.

Uni seemed a lifetime ago, rather than just hours.

Suddenly a jet of bright white sparks ricocheted off the far wall, crossing so close to brushing the end of his nose that he felt the heat coming from them. He ducked to the side as part of the stone wall he'd been seeking refuge against crumbled down and a large rock banged to the ground with a heavy, ominous thump. He covered his head as he squatted there in the dark, hugging his knees to his chest as he listened to the shouts and whistling as spells flew from wand tips with blistering speed.

Bakewell seemed like the sort of place that ought to be peaceful and quaint, not like the sort of place that would find itself the center of a great wizarding battle, yet that was precisely what had happened. He shivered as once again the realization that nothing was sacred, no place was safe from the reaches of the evil of Voldemort's attacks. The fact that Bakewell was such a quaint little village had probably been precisely what had drawn the Dark Lord to it. The muggles there were unprepared, and they had no way to fight back.

"Oh dearest Cousin, we meet again!" Sirius's voice suddenly cut clear and loud through the din and Remus looked up, panic in his eyes as he stared toward the opening of the alleyway to the square. "It's always a -- blast -- playing with you." He cackled and Remus heard a shriek of disapproval that was all too familiar.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

Why in bloody hell did Sirius always, always have to fight Bellatrix? The ruddy woman who had done in his mum. Remus did not want her to be the one who would do in his husband, too.

Remus suddenly found himself from beneath the brokenness that had filled him up with the memory of the fight at Fallengunder. He leaped up, fist balled about his wand handle, and charged forward into the square, only just barely managing to dodge a shot of red light that jetted out from Sirius's wand.

"Moony!" Sirius cried out in surprise, "Finally you've come! The Death Eaters shan't know what's hit them now that you ---"

Sirius had been struck by a jet of purple sparks and he froze mid-sentence and fell to his knees, staring blankly at the ground before him, where a puddle reflected his face back to him. Bellatrix cackled and raised her wand above her head in a motion quite reminiscent of a scorpion about to attack. Remus's eyes were wide with shock and he felt frozen to his spot.

The only thing Remus could do was jump in front of it. Before Bellatrix could even begin speaking the word of the spell, Remus made the move.

"Cruicio!" Bellatrix shrieked.

He leaped forward, sliding between Sirius and the spell only just in time and he fell to the ground, quaking in pain and horror, staring up at Bellatrix Lestrange's deliriously horrible face as she laughed and her wicked eyes fixed directly into his. Her grin was the only thing he could see as his heart felt as though it would stop from the searing pain that tore through every limb, burning every nerve...

"Alright that's enough!" Lily said as she shot a stinging spell directly to Bellatrix Lestrange's wrist, making her drop her wand to the ground. Remus and Sirius both fell limp to the ground and Lily carefully stepped around them as Bellatrix scrambled for her wand and began frantically slashing it through the air, spell after spell, and Lily blocked each one, deflecting the sparks into the ground, where they cracked cobbled stones and hissed as they hit puddles and rivulets in the grouting between the stones.