The disco lights that had been flashing with the music suddenly stopped, the great hall falling into pure pitch darkness— the music cutting out. Even the stars in the skies had stopped shining, mummbles of shock and fear washing over the crowd.
Aveline was one of the first to take out her wand, lighting it at the tip, and many people followed. Remus had snaked a hand around her waist, and she was standing next to the tall boy who showed no intentions of letting her go.
"Apologies!" Lily called from where she was now standing up on a chair. "Something is just wrong with the sound system.
But something else was wrong, Aveline noticed. For the back table where most of the Proffesor's had been sitting was empty. Mcgonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick— none of them in sight.
People began to chat and laugh again, but Aveline couldn't shake the fact something was wrong.
"I think we should get out of—" Aveline began to say to her friends, but that's when the doors exploded open and the whole room fell dead silence, and ice cold chill running through the whole place.
For standing dressed in all black robes billowing around their ankles, were a dozen strange looking witches and wizards with silver masks covering their faces. They were standing in two perfectly straight lines as they marched their way into the hall.
That wasn't the most terrifying part though.
The most terrifying part was that floating above them were a dozen unconcious young muggle born students.
They were chanting something odd, though Aveline could barely hear from all the screaming that was now taking pace. The crows surging forward as everyone was trying to make it towards the door.
If Remus hasn't been holding her tighly she wouldn't be pulled away by the stream of people.
"Are those..." James trailed off, looking in horror.
"Death eaters," Aveline's answered in a low tone.
James had never seen them in person before, neither had Remus nor Peter. Aveline and Sirius though, they shared a dark look.
Knowing their brothers were most likely under those silver masks.
All hell had broken loose, as the death eaters began to set little fires to the white table clothes that were spread around the circular tables around the room. The muggleborns still floating above their heads.
It was like an unspoken agreement between the five marauders, and at once they lunged forward, wands drawn. Though they weren't running for the door like most people, they were running straight for the death eaters, spells already being thrown by their wands.
Aveline had never been in an actual wizarding duel before, but she imagined it was a lot like this.
Throwing spells, ducking when you didn't have time to throw up a protection charm. Spells were bouncing off every surface, and the two groups were throwing around magic like crazy.
Somewhere along the way Lily Evans, Marlene Mckinnon, Alice Fortesque and Frank Longbottom had joined them, well most of the other students fled.
Aveline was tossing spell after spell, not even bothering to speak or give them enough time to protect themselves.
She was angry, and when Aveline Rosier was angry she went for blood.
They sort of split up, one person taking on one death eaters spread across the room in a haze of fighting. From the corner of her eye she could see James punching someone in the face, though she wasn't paying much attention.
She was focused in two ass holes currently walking towards her, tossing spells at at the same time.
"Two against one seems fair huh?" she hissed at them, well casually deflecting on of their spells. "It'll be all that much more embarrassing when I kick your ass."
Aveline Rosier was like a snake as she snapped and moved her body tossing spells. She was quick, much quicker then the two of them combined using both her wand and her free hand to defend herself.
Blood was streaming down the ones arm from where she cut him open, and the sight only made her more determined.
It was then that a third death eater lunged at her from behind, tackling her to the ground as they had already lost their wand in a battle. The death eater had his arms around her, trying to pin her to the ground.
He managed to get a few hits in, punching her in the eye and the lip— making blood pour into her mouth.
"So were keeping true to the theme and doing this muggle style?" she asked the death eater, before round house kicking him in the face.
A loud shot went off in the air, and all eyes stopped to look at Albus Dumbledore standing angrily in the doorway.
It was only his mere presence that had the death eaters running like horrified little babies, disappearing somehow through a hole carved in the back of the room.
The muggle born kids dropped to the floor, most of them gaining consciousness as they rubbed there heads with a confused expression.
The lights flickered back on, and in came the string of worried teachers. The room was a mess, chairs and tables broken everywhere, the decorations tossed aside.
Aveline rose to her feet, the blood dripping down her face. She looked around to make sure her friends were okay, and they certainly were— though many bruised and bloody.
She rushed over to the nearest muggleborn girl she saw, a first year hufflepuff who was hugging her knees to her chest trembling. At once Aveline felt her heart burst open so wide as she dropped to her knees next to the girl.
"It's alright, your safe now, I promise," aveline whispered to the girl.
Dumbledore just studied them all for a moment carefully, taking in the ten of them who actually stayed to fight.
He took on his wand, flicking it, and at once every single muggle born student was put on a sort of magical stretcher that was being guided out of the room. No doubt headed to the hospital wing.
"Horace if you could inform the minister there's been an attack in the school," Dumbledore told Slughorn, his voice calm yet authoritative.
The man nodded his head, rushing off immediately.
"Minvera if you could please escort the students back to their common rooms."
"Certainly they should go the hospital wing first!" Mcgonagall interrupted.
Dumbledore merely shook his head, his eyes falling onto Aveline in particular. The girl had risen to her feet and was standing next to remus, squeezing his hand as if it was her life line.
"Poppy will be much too busy, none of them are severely hurt," Dumbledore answered.
Mcgonagall bowed her head, but nonetheless went about beckoning then all over. She looked absolutely horrified, as she spotted the bruises and blood on her students.
Aveline followed the rest of group, still holding Remus's hand in hers. She felt an arm drape over them both, turning her head slightly to see James who looked just about as shaken up as she felt. Sirius joined next, wrapping an arm around Aveline as they walked.
Peter walked behind them, a very distant look of horror on his face. Unable to get the images of the silver faces out of his mind.
Mcgonagall didn't say anything as she watched Aveline climb into the Gryffindor common room, merely bidding them all goodnight and telling them to clean themselves up.
It was an unspoken thing, the whole group of them— Marlene, Alice, Lily, all of them— ended up in the marauders dorm room. Sitting around the room bundled up in various blankets all completely shocked.
It was weird, in some sick and twisted way that fight had bonded them all. In the sort of way where it felt too lonely for everyone to return to their respective dorms.
Aveline was probably the best at healing spells, so over the course of an hour or so she managed to heal everyone up the best she could. Her dress had been abandoned for one of Remus's large knitted sweaters and a pair of Lily's pajamas shorts her hair tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head.
She was currently working on the scrape Peter had on his cheek, the boy looking off in the distance in such pure horror she couldn't even talk to him if she tried.
"I can't believe they were here," James was the first to break the silence.
He was standing up, pacing back and fourth as he always did when he was stressed, running hand after hand through his hair.
Lily let out a shaky breath from where she was bundled up on Remus's bed.
"I'm so sorry you guys. I shouldn't have planned that stupid dance, this all my fault," Lily sobbed in a rushed tone.
"Lily," James said calmly, stepping infront of the girl and bending down so he could look her in the eye. "Don't you ever apologize for trying to do something good in this world. It's not your fault such horrible people exist."
"They've entered our home now," Lily whispered in a shaky breath.
It was Sirius turn to pipe in, the boy letting out a loud snort. He had his flask back in his hands, and was swinging against the bed post without a care in the world.
"Your a fool if you think they haven't been with us the whole time Evans," Sirius slurred, and instantly Remus reached out and snatched the flask away from him
"Sirius," James warned, giving his friend a stern look. He didn't need him upsetting Lily more.
"What Sirius is trying to say," Aveline said gently, patting Peter on the cheek to let him know she was done healing him. "Is that those death eaters tonight weren't just random people, they were students."
There was a collective gasp from most of the people around the room, except any of the marauders. They had known for a long time that the dark mark had entered there walls.
Aveline walked over to the desk chair by James's bed, sitting in it now that everyone was healed.
"What? No way Dumbledore would let death eaters rub around the school!" Marlene exclaimed, and her friends nodded in agreement.
"It's a bit more complicated then that Marlene," Aveline stated. "would you rather have them on the streets killing muggles or in a school were theres hope they might find the right way?"
There was silence after she said this, the only sound Sirius trying to rummage through his drawers to find something else to drink. Sometimes, Aveline really worried about the boy. He was unable to cope with even the smallest of emotions.
She watched James walk over and whisper something in his ear, wrapping an arm around him and forcing him to set down next to him on the bed. Sirius seemed anxious though, his knees jitering and he bit his lip.
She locked eyes with him, and he seemed to be telling her all she needed to know with a single glance. He was worried about the exact same thing she was. That their brothers were apart of this, and tomorrow they'd face it head on. For they'd either be bloody and bruised or absent, and either option was only telling that they were guilty.
Stressing slightly she ran her hands over her thighs.
Remus tapped her on the shoulder lightly, as the other fell onto a conversation she wasn't listening too.
"You have blood on your face," he said plainly.
Aveline blushed in embarrassment, completely forgetting about her own injuries as she was trying to heal everyone else's.
Remus laughed softly at her reaction, reaching out and grabbing her hand in his.
"Come," was all he said, pulling her out the room.
No one even noticed them slip out, which Remus was grateful for. For if they saw him leading Aveline to the bathroom it would've look a lot more suggestive then he intended it to be.
He shut the door behind them softly, opening a drawer and pulling out a cloth.
"Here," he said, running it under the water before bringing it to her split lip.
He was so gentle, his eyebrows pushed together as he tried to clean the wound.
"I'm shit at wizard healing so you get the muggle way," he told her, and she felt herself smile.
Truthfully she found it adorable how he thought she couldn't heal herself. If she wanted too, one hand wave in the mirror and her face would be healed.
Though she had to say, she was enjoying the concentrated look on his face a little too much to stop him. Especially as his one hand was wrapped around her neck to get her head to hold still, her head titled up, looking up at him.
"Do you think they'll catch them?" Remus asked, putting the cloth back under the tap.
She liked being around Remus where she didn't have to beat around the bush about what she thought. No matter how harsh it was, Remus always wanted the truth from her and he could easily catch when she was bullshitting.
"Not tonight, no way," she answered. She knew a bit more about this type of thing then him.
He nodded. "What do you think they were trying to do?"
"They weren't there to kill anyone if that's what you were wondering. The spell they had those muggle borns in was a mind trance, it simply just made them feel like they were sleeping. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, the altum somnum charm, that's why they are nothing more then confused when they woke up," she told him. Remus sometimes was taken away by how brilliant she was. "All they wanted to do was show off tonight. It could've beena test of sorts to see if some new recruits would follow through with it.
But honestly? I'd bet my left kidney all they were really trying to was make us scared. That even in hogwarts— the safest place on earth—stuff like that can happen."
Remus hummed thoughtfully, his eyes in deep thought as continue to dab away the blood that was on her neck.
"I'll tell you this much," she continued, her tone a little darker, "by tomorrow will certainly know which of our Slytherin best friends are actually death eaters."
"How?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They either won't show up, or they will show up and they'll look like shit. Purebloods don't learn basic healing spells, they think it's beneath them."
Remus snickered at this, rightfully so. Those idiots deserved every bit of hate they would soon be kidding, as the whole school was most certainly about to find out about who they truly were.
"There, all cleaned up," Remus declared, pulling his hand away.
She watched him so carefully, taking in the way he stared with a strange expression as he rinsed the blood of the cloth. His head hanging low as if he was scared to lift it.
A tremble, ever so light in his hands, that she almost would've missed if she hadn't been so in tuned with everything Remus Lupin.
Without saying anything she reached out and grabbed both of his hands, pulling him for a tight hug. At first he seemed hesitant, then wrapped his arms around her like he usually did, setting his chin atop her head.