LOVE + WAR
cxl || merlin's beautiful balls
"Who's grand idea was it to get Sirius a flying motorbike?" Maria asks, folding her arms as she and the other three marauders watch Sirius posing on his new motorcycle. It's a light blue colour with a side car and the three boys had enchanted it to literally fly.
Regulus and Lily are at Godric's Hollow with Nova and Harry, insisting that Maria and her brother spend some time together since they've barely been able to do anything as brother and sister in months. James had told her that they needed to meet Remus and Peter to give Sirius a surprise gift. When she'd found out what it was, she knew that Sirius would be overjoyed with it, however she was unsure as to how this evening would play out.
"This is bloody brilliant." Sirius exclaims, revving the engine and making Maria grimace. "We've got to test it out! Come on."
"Padfoot, there's no way us four grown men and Maria are fitting on that bike." Remus says, folding his arms and Maria steps back.
"I'll just stay here." Maria says and James looks at her incredulously. "Not a fan of flying. . .anything really."
"Don't be daft, come on." Sirius rolls his eyes. "You and Prongs sit behind me, Moony get in the side car and Wormtail. . .sit on Moony's lap?"
"Why do I have to sit on his lap?" Peter complains before shaking his head. "I'll just transform into Wormtail, then I can easily fit on."
"Perfect! Good thinking Pete." Sirius grins as Peter transforms into his animagus form and Remus lifts him up onto his shoulder. "Right, hold tight boys and Prongsette."
"Oh, please Merlin." Maria presses her forehead against the back of Sirius' leather jacket as the motorcycle begins to speed down the road. "Oh my god!"
Sirius hollers loudly as they take off from the ground, grins on the boys faces as they soar through the air. James whistles and makes loud howling sound as the wind ruffles their hair.
Maria smiles, not removing her forehead from Sirius' back yet she feels better just hearing her friends' joyous shouts and laughter. It reminds her of when they were at Hogwarts, when they'd all go to the Potter Manor during summer and do stupid things that seemed so exciting to a bunch of teenage wizards.
Maria carefully removed her head from Sirius' back and smiles slightly, looking at the muggle city beneath them as they soar through the orange sky. Her arms tighten around his waist and James hollers ecstatically, holding his arms above his head.
"Oh shit." Jams stammers when the motorcycle jolts and he quickly grabs onto Maria again, to not go flying off the back, making her laugh. "Padfoot! Let's drive with the muggles!"
"Oh Jesus." Remus mutters as Sirius agrees, sending them towards the ground and they land on a wide road between two fields.
"Why are they going so bloody slow?" Sirius says incredulously, revving the engine and overtaking the muggles that beep their horns at him as James does a rude gesture as they pass, moving his hand back and forth and holding it in a circle.
"Sirius, there's something called a speed limit." Remus calls over the rippling wind in their ears as Sirius speeds down the country road, towards the city.
"Might as well put a limit on fun!" Sirius calls over the wind as they drive carelessly when suddenly a loud blaring sound makes the Potter siblings look behind them, seeing blue flashing lights.
"Uh, Remus." Maria says hesitantly. "That wouldn't happen to be—"
"The muggle police? Yes. That's exactly who it is." Remus says bluntly and Sirius laughs, speeding up as the car gains on them. "Sirius! Stop the bike, bloody hell!"
"Oh fuck." Sirius screeches to a halt when another police car blocks their road and two police man exit the cars and walk towards them
"Evening, officers." Remus says politely from where he's hunched in the side car. "Um. . .my friend they're foreign. . .don't understand speed limits. You know, where they're from everyone drives around like it's a free for all." Remus says quietly and the officer doesn't seem to be buying it. "Tell them how you crashed you car James." Remus prompts, giving the confused trio a look.
"What?"
Remus blinks, thinking fast and turning back to the officer, "terrible memory loss. Barely remembers the whole accident, poor thing." He says quietly as though trying to conceal what he's saying from James.
"Can you four step off the bike, please?" The shorter officer asks them and Sirius looks at him in disbelief but Remus grabs Sirius and yanks him off the bike, the Potters following suit as the officers mooch around the side car.
"Oh god! Oh—Merlin's beautiful balls!" Sirius exclaims with a gasp, grabbing onto Remus and Maria. "We're missing Pete!"
"What?" Maria asks incredulously.
"Must've fell off when this dickhead was speeding." James slaps Sirius upside the head and the shaggy haired man hits him back childishly. "I can't believe you Padfoot! You wait until—"
"Excuse me?" The police man gains the quartet's attention again.
"What?" Sirius says exaggeratedly, clearing stressing about their lost friend who is in his rat form somewhere, hopefully having the common sense to change back and apparate home.
"Sirius, you can't talk like that to a man of the law." James says incredulously and Sirius scoffs.
"I am a man of the law, dickhead." Sirius counters, although the muggle police look at the pair strangely because they obviously aren't familiar with aurors or any law enforcement in the magical world. "I'm bloody older than you. Stop bossing me about like I'm some ruddy kid—"
"Stop acting like a ruddy kid then." James retorts and Remus looks at the officers apologetically whilst Maria just sighs loudly.
"Can we see a license please?" The officer speaks loudly before Sirius can retaliate making Maria's eyes widen as Sirius stares at the man in disbelief.
"I'm sorry?"
"Can we see a license please?" He repeats and Sirius looks to Remus who groans slightly.
"Don't tell me you've left your wallet at home, Sirius." Remus shakes his head in feigned exasperation, looking at the police officer's with a what can you do look. Remus looks at the trio, nodding his head discreetly at the bike, urging them to follow his plan. "He's always bloody leaving it at—"
Remus quickly hops into the side car whilst Maria hastily follows, squashing in with her legs across his as James and Sirius practically leap into the bike and Sirius takes off. They can hear the officers shouting but they turn silent when Sirius takes them up into the air again, Maria screaming in surprise and tightening her arms around her werewolf friend's shoulders.
"Bye officers!" James calls behind him, almost falling off the bike once again a sun gripping his best friend tightly.
The officers had shared a confused look before shrugging.
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"Ria, she was fine." Regulus chuckles, watching as Maria huge Nova close to her chest in relief as she enters their cottage home and sees their baby lay in her basket. "Even got along with Harry without screaming Godric's Hollow to the ground."
"God, Reg, it was chaos." Maria shakes her head, cradling Nova's head with her hand as she sits down beside Regulus on the sofa, slouching tiredly. "Thought it was a good idea to get all five of us on your brother's new bike. Pete was in his ray form and fell off, we were chased by muggle police and finally found Pete at a bus stop, for some reason."
"Sounds. . .fun?" Regulus says unsurely and Maria smiles at him. "Lily and I went on a walk with Harry and Nova, got some coffee, talked all about you."
"Me? I'm flattered." Maria grins at him, pressing a chaste kiss to Nova's head as the baby stirs in her slumber.
"Yeah, just talking about how annoying it is when you steal the duvet at night and all of that." Regulus snickers when she gasps softly and hits him gently on the thigh with her free hand that's not carefully flat against Nova's back, keeping her lay comfortably on her mother's chest. "And—"
A sudden surge of light appears in the centre of the living room making Maria sit up quickly, tightening her grip on Nova as Regulus places his hand on her right thigh as he sits further forwards. They see that it's just a patronus making them slightly more relieved.
"All available members go to headquarters immediately." Dumbledore's voice echoes around the living room before the light is snuffed out, taking a few candles with it making Maria look to Regulus fearfully.
"I'll go." Regulus says quickly, Maria standing and shaking her head. "I'm going, you stay here with Nova, okay? Ria. Okay?"
"Okay." Maria nods, putting Nova first and pulling him into a firm kiss before he grabs his jacket and rushes out of the door, past the protective enchantments and apparating away. "I love you." Maria whispers once he's gone, shutting the door right and walking back through the house stressfully.
Nova stirs and begins to cry softly, as though sensing that her father is no longer in the house and stretching her arms around as though searching for his embrace.
"It's okay, honey." Maria says breathily, shushing her softly and bouncing her gently in her arms to try and calm her. "He'll be back soon."
"What's going on?" Regulus asks quickly when he sees Mary also walking up the drive of the Potter Manor. Some of the lights on the downstairs floor are on meaning that people are already inside.
"Fucked if I know." Mary breathes and Regulus snickers slightly at her attire. She's wearing some pink pyjama pants with a large grey hoodie and some converse shoved hastily on her feet. "Something to say about my extremely stylish outfit?"
"No, no. It's great." Regulus smiles sarcastically making her roll her brown eyes as they burst through the double doors and see Sirius, Lily, James, Remus, Peter, Frank, Marlene and Dorcas already there. "Hey, what's going on? Where's Alice?"
"She's with Harry and Neville." Lily explains, pulling Regulus into a tight hug. "Maria with Nova?"
"Yeah, yeah, they're both fine." Regulus says as he hugs his brother tight. It's always stressful getting an urgent message from the Order, because it could mean that any one or more of them have been attacked and potentially killed, or about to be.
Stanley and Alyssa also burst through the doors a few moments later, having joined the Order a few months prior. Regulus sighs in relief, hurrying over and wrapping his arms around either of their shoulders tightly and they hug him back with the same relief.
"We left Dylan with Lyss' Mum and Dad." Stanley explains, patting Regulus' back and wrapping an arm around Alyssa's shoulders. "Where the bloody hell is Dumbledore, then?"
"Dunno." Sirius shrugs his shoulders, wandering into the dining room and seeing it empty. "Not here yet."
"He sent the fucking patronus." Remus groans, raking his hands through his thick, mousy hair.
"Potter? Black?" Minerva McGonagall's voice says as she sees Sirius and James who are stood nearest to the door. "Is everyone alright?"
"Tired." Mary holds up her hand as she speaks and Marlene snickers softly, leaning against Dorcas' shoulder.
Minerva looks at all the students she taught only three years ago, feeling her heart break for them. Nobody this young should ever have to endure such hardship, especially not the responsibility of saving lives in a war between powerful dark wizards and everyone else. She thinks that it is absurd, yet they're the only people actually fighting the fight. They're doing it for everyone else, stepping up when other's don't have to courage to do so. That she finds admirable.
Despite all their trauma and suffering and grief, the young adults push and push through every day with determination on their faces. They battle to see another day, they fight for peace and for equality between blood. But at the end of the day, they're still only twenty years old. Twenty years is too short a time for someone to live, in twenty years they can't experience the rest of what life has to offer. They need to know what it's like to be a wizard in the real world that isn't filled with such hatred and violence.
"Goodness—oh, where's Potter?" Minerva asks in worry, looking at Regulus where Maria usually clutched his hand, seeing that she isn't with him.
"She's fine, Professor, she's with Nova." Regulus explains and Minerva nods, placing a hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Do you know where Dumbledore is?"
"I'm afraid I have as much information as you all." Minerva explains when the fireplace suddenly roars green flames and Albus Dumbledore steps out of the brick fireplace and into the living room. "Albus, what is the meaning of this?"
"Good evening." Dumbledore says in his usual calm tone. "As you probably aren't aware, Hogsmead Village was attacked by death eaters only. . .twelve minutes and seventeen seconds ago." He informs them making them all share looks of concern. "I need you all there, I'm afraid there is a disturbing message somewhere in this attack. I was hoping that Miss Potter would be here?"
"She's not." Regulus says quickly, frowning slightly before they all disapparate from the manor.
The air is thick with smoke and cried from villagers can be heard throughout the destruction. Regulus coughs slightly as he approaches a burning building, quickly putting out the flames and the smoke clouds his vision.
The group split into pairs, investigating the scene and Mary tugs on Regulus' sleeve, pointing to where a man lies on the ground with blood across his shirt.
Regulus quickly calls for Lily who gasps and rushes to the man, grabbing her small bag and reaching her whole arm inside, grabbing a dittany to fix the man up.
"Regulus." James calls and Regukys and Mary both rush to where the others are stood before a brick wall.
There's blood sneered across the light coloured bricks and two people are dead and pinned to the wall by swords that Regulus recognises from the walls of Malfoy Manor. The dark mark is visible within the angry clouds above them and and Regulus' lips part, seeing the words sneered in the blood.
YOU SHOULD'VE ACCEPTED OUR OFFER
"Who's that for?" Peter asks Regulus who sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. "Is that for you?"
"No." Regulus mutters, glancing from the wall to his friends. "It's for Maria."
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hey my loves!
thank you so much for 1.6M reads!
i published a carl grimes fic a few weeks
ago for anyone here with my taste 😁
love you all millions!!!
—grace xxx