"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." - Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
The sun was peaking over the quidditch pitch when it ended. The sun was a sign of a new day, a new start. But, on this day, it meant tragedy. The fight was over; the dark magic was gone, but all it did was leave everyone behind to deal with the destruction of it all.
The castle did not look like Hogwarts anymore. There were chunks of stone missing and doors ripped from their hinges. Streaks of red ran along the stone where some fights were more brutal than others. The worst of all were the people. Along the grounds of the school, throughout the corridors and classrooms, bodies dotted the floor– those who had not survived the night. With the rising sun, those that had fallen were bathed in the light of a new day that they would never see.
Sirius was on the fifth floor when it stopped. And, Merlin, was he thankful that it stopped. As they disappeared, his body sagged in exhaustion against the wall, the wand he had stolen hanging limply in his hand. He welcomed the sunlight that came streaming in through the windows. It was much harder for darkness to hide in the light.
As he became sure that none of the death eaters would be returning, he made his way down the halls as quickly as his sore body would allow him. He hadn't seen any of his friends in hours, and the worst of his thoughts were eating away at his brain.
The fear prickled like cold along the back of his neck every time he passed a body. He would see red hair splayed out on the floor, and his stomach would drop, afraid that it was Lily; or a glint of sunlight off of a pair of glasses would blind him for a moment, and the worst feeling of dread would gnaw at his bones with the thought of James on the floor. The absolute most terrifying of all was any time he saw curly, blonde hair on the ground, but he refused to think about losing Marlene.
"Padfoot!"
Sirius whipped around at the sound of his name to see Remus and Peter running down the hallway. His insides sagged with relief. The group of three collided into a group hug, gripping at each others clothings, needing the physical, solid proof that they were all alive. They all looked beaten to hell and like they could sleep for a week, but they were here.
"Charlie?" Remus demanded, looking at Sirius with pleading brown eyes.
"I was with at her at one point," Sirius shook his head. "But, we got split up. Marlene?"
Remus shook his head. "I haven't seen her since we all got separated at the beginning." Sirius' stomach lurched.
"Pete said he was with James and Lily for awhile but got separated," Remus breathed.
Peter had yet to say anything, eyes sparkling with the trauma that had chased him throughout the night.
"Well," Sirius breathed, his stomach tying itself further into knots. "We gotta find them. They're in here somewhere."
Remus and Peter nodded, and all of the boys started forward. They feared the worst, but the not knowing was much more unbearable. Your mind can come up with much more gruesome scenarios than any type of reality.
They frantically looked along the hallways, praying they wouldn't find any of their friends on the floor. Anytime someone passed them, they asked in desperation if they had seen any of their friends.
"Sirius! Remus! Peter!"
They all turned, but Sirius would know that voice anywhere. A streak of curly, blonde hair collided with the boy. Sirius felt tears prick his eyes in utter relief that he could now clarify that Marlene was alive and safe.
She hugged him tightly, as she had not seen him in hours. "I love you," she whispered and did her best to keep her voice from breaking. She breathed in the comforting scent of her boyfriend.
He pressed his lips to her hair. "I love you too." Sirius said a silent thank you to any possible god or force that might be out there and happened to be listening.
He reluctantly let her go so she could get her hands on Remus and Peter, gripping them tightly. Remus returned her hug, and when he pulled away, she saw the tears in his eyes. He didn't have to say anything for her to know the question that was burning in his lungs.
She shook her head. "I was with Charlie earlier when she was with James and Lily," she breathed. "But, I haven't seen her in hours. Some stones collapsed and separated us. She was kicking ass though, Remus."
Remus nodded unable to make his vocal cords work. Marlene kept her thoughts to herself; Remus didn't need to know that she had shouted herself hoarse, trying in vain to get her three friends to answer her. She had only been met with silence. He didn't need to know that; none of them needed to know that. Not yet. Marlene refused to let go of the hope she had inside of her that three of her best friends were still alive and well.
They continued on looking for the last three members of their group. Sirius gripped Marlene's hand tightly and had no intention of letting it go anytime soon.
Each of them stayed silent as they explored Hogwarts. Nobody wanted to voice allowed their scared thoughts. Remus was nearly coming out of his shoes as he bounced along in his anxiety.
They rounded a corner and quite literally ran into James. "Prongs!"
There was a giant group hug as everyone tugged at the other saying their thank you's to no one in particular that they had now confirmed that five of the seven were safe.
"James!"
"Marlene!"
The two collided thanking Merlin for their reunion. Neither of them had wanted to think the worst, but it was hard not too.
"Lily?" He demanded. "Charlie?"
Marlene shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "I thought you were with them."
"I was," he sighed, frustrated. "But, we got separated."
"Seems to be the story of the day," Peter sighed.
James and Remus locked eyes, both looking terrified. Neither of them said anything to the other because they were not going to entertain the thought that something had happened to either of them.
Sirius watched them stare at each other in fear. "Come on, guys," he said, doing his best to reassure them. "It's Lily and Charlie. You think anyone could get passed those two, let alone as as a tag team? There's probably some death eaters with some serious fucking damage right about now."
James and Remus nodded wordlessly; Marlene swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.
The group headed on in their quest. It was hard to remain hopeful when they passed so many people–dead and alive–and there was no sign of Lily or Charlie. James reminded himself that it was a big castle; it would be nearly impossible to stumble upon them by accident, especially if they were also looking for them.
They finally arrived in the great hall. It was full of people in various stages of wellness, and it seemed that they had started moving bodies into the corner, covering them respectfully with sheets. Professor McGonagall was tending to students by handing out warm cups of tea, while Professor Slughorn handed out potions and bandages. Professor Dumbledore bustled around and even with his long white beard and wrinkled face, he looked young and determined.
Marlene searched the faces frantically and did her best not to think about the bodies under the sheets, refusing to even look in that direction; James gritted his teeth staring at the reunited couples and friends; Remus felt like vomiting.
Professor McGonagall made her way over to the group seeing the desperation in their eyes. "Sit," she said in a sad voice. "Drink some tea. Rest."
"Have you seen Charlie or Lily?" Remus demanded, voice breaking.
Minerva shook her head. "But," she said, her voice thick. "Sometimes, no news is good news."
James nodded wordless, a lump present in his throat as he professor walked away.
"Maybe," Peter suggested. "We need to stay in one place. They're probably looking for us too."
Everyone nodded hesitantly and took a seat. Remus' knee bounced crazily, and James clicked his teeth with an anxiety ridden rhythm. Marlene leaned against Sirius, tears pricking her eyes at the thought of her friends injured, or worse, somewhere in the castle. All five of them stared unwavering at the door, waiting, praying for the two girls to come through the entrance.
Finally, it became too much for Remus, and he hopped to his feet and began to pace, unable to sit still. James wasn't surprised at all as this was how Remus typically reacted to stress. The raven headed boy found it more comforting to watch his friend form a rut in the stone floor than watch the door. Eventually, they all watched Remus. It was more soothing to watch some form of movement than just glaring at a door frame, pleading for your two friends to walk through.
Of course, after they removed their eyes from the door is when Lily and Charlie decided to walk through. Lily's arm was slung over Charlie's shoulder, as she couldn't quite put all of her weight on her left ankle. Charlie's eyes looked far away, and she had dried blood caking her bottom lip.
Remus was the first to see them, when he turned on his heal to continue his line of pacing. He was pretty sure his heart was about to leap right through his chest. He darted towards the girls, his long legs getting him there in a couple of strides. His body sagged as he wrapped both of them in his vast embrace.
James was right behind him and quite literally ripped the redhead from his friend's arms. Remus tucked Charlie into his arms, breathing out a sigh of relief, pressing his lips to her hair. She gripped his shirt tightly in her fists, and she wasn't surprised to feel tears of relief flood her eyes.
Lily let out a soft cry as James hugged her tightly. The raven headed boy breathed a shaky sigh of relief, relishing in the way she felt tucked into his grip. He gripped her face and demanded to know if she was okay.
She sniffed. "Yeah," she whispered.
"Let go," Marlene demanded, yanking both girls into a group hug. The three girls stood there holding onto each other, enable to form coherent thoughts or words; Lily and Charlie broke into sobs because they had feared the worst when the stones collapsed.
Sirius and Peter hugged each of them next before their boyfriends claimed them again. Remus decided he needed to be touching her for the rest of the day to calm his nerves.
He brushed Charlie's hair from her face. "Are you okay?"
He watched her face fall. "Jake's dead," she whispered. "I watched it happened."
Remus clenched his jaw. "Oh god, Charlie. I'm so sorry."
"I have to tell Rubertta."
Remus nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. He had no words of comfort to offer her, and he hated it.
Dumbledore walked passed. "You lot alright?"
They all nodded silently. The man smiled sadly knowing that they were not alright, not even a little bit.
"Madam Pomfrey is getting some potion ready," he said softly. "It'll put you into a dreamless sleep for several hours. She's setting up a room separate from the infirmary for everyone to just sleep. I recommend you each go take some. Escape, for a little while at least. I doubt this was any of your's last fight."
He walked away, leaving them alone again. "That's not a bad idea," Lily said, being the first to speak. "Everyone looks exhausted"
Sirius nodded.
They quietly made their way from the great hall, making their way sluggishly towards the infirmary; James was practically carrying Lily. The adrenaline had left their system now that they were all reunited. Their muscles felt sore, their heads pounded, and it suddenly became very hard to keep their eyelids open.
"Charlie!"
Charlotte Riggs lifted her tired eyes to see her small cousin sprinting towards her. Instead of feeling relieved, she felt dread. Charlie bent over to take Rubertta into her embrace.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" Rubertta exclaimed, hugging her cousin tightly. "Is your lip okay?"
Charlie swallowed thickly. "Yeah, it's fine."
"Have you seen my brother?"
Charlie's body became incased in ice. She gritted her teeth before taking her cousin's hand, leading her away from her friends. She didn't need an audience. "Let's walk over here."
Charlie's friends stayed where they were, watching the two retreating backs of the Addington cousins. "Please, tell me Jake is okay," Lily breathed.
Sirius swallowed harshly and shut his eyes to the world. "He died. I was with Charlie when it happened. She witnessed it."
Lily shut her eyes firmly but still, tears made their way down her cheeks.
The six watched as Charlie squatted down to be closer to Rubertta's height. She was far enough away that her words didn't quite reach their ears. But, they knew when she had told Rubertta that her brother was dead because an excruciating wail left her small lungs, and it made the six of them want to cover their ears.
Remus took a step forward but stopped himself, knowing there was nothing he could do.
Charlie tried to make a grab for Rubertta's wrists. "No!" She screamed, pulling away. "No!" She escaped from Charlie's grip and ran the opposite direction.
The brunette stayed in her squatting position for a moment, contemplating if she should chase after her. It was too much for her; she stood and turned to her friends and just stared at them. Each of them felt their hearts break a little bit at the look on her face. She looked tired and broken and sad.
They all stood there, waiting for her to make the first move, waiting to see what she needed from them. She stumbled towards them slowly and practically fell into Remus' arms. He whispered his apologies against her ear.
He kept his arms securely around her as they finished their walk to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey greeted them sadly as they arrived and escorted them to an adjoining room. There were thick, squashy looking sleeping bags decorating the floor. Some people appeared to have already taken the potion and were slumbering peacefully in their cocoons. Others looked as if they needed a moment to have a good grievance and cry before they could allow themselves to fall into unconsciousness.
She led them to a corner of the room with assorted sleeping bags and placing a tray of seven mugs of steaming, purple potion on the ground in the midst of it all. She left them alone and went to guide more students in.
It didn't look as if they were being too strict about students sleeping in the same sleeping bag. Lily guessed they weren't going to tell a bunch of traumatized teenagers to leave space between them. Nobody needed to be alone right now.
Peter was the first to crawl into a sleeping bag, eyes shining with his night from hell. He was so ready to go to sleep, to escape it all. Marlene was next, and Sirius followed her. Each of them gulped down their potion and promptly fell asleep. James and Lily followed suit; James carefully tucked Lily against his chest before he chugged his own potion.
Remus looked to Charlie. "Ready to go to sleep?"
"What difference does it make?" She asked hollowly. "When I wake up, Jake will still be gone."
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Yeah," he agreed. "But, your body needs rest, Charlie. Just let yourself forget for a little while."
She nodded, crawling into a sleeping bag. He propped himself up against the wall, pulling her across her lap, cradling her against his chest. She downed the potion in one drink, and he watched her eyelids flutter.
"Hey, Remus," Charlie whispered thickly, opening her eyelids against the weight of sleep.
He pushed the hair from her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Please, call me your girlfriend."
She stopped fighting sleep after that, giving in to the heaviness of her eyelids; his face being the last thing she saw before blackness overtook everything.
His heart swelled, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Okay," he whispered even though he knew she was already deep into her dreamless sleep by now.
Remus waited a moment to take his potion. He looked at each of his friends. Peter was passed out on his stomach, drool already pooling on his pillow; his hand was outstretched, holding onto Sirius' shirt with a white-knuckled fist. Sirius was holding Marlene tightly, his face more peaceful than Remus had seen him in years. Marlene was snug against Sirius, her face tucked into the crook of her neck. James' mouth was slightly agape, making him look like a little boy again. Lily was curled into a ball, tucked against James, red hair splayed over the pillow like fire.
Lastly, Remus looked down at Charlie, tucked against him. Her face was smooth and calm and peaceful. The constant pucker between her eyebrows gone; the worry lines on her forehead smoothed out. She looked like a Charlie he had known long ago, before the darkness had robbed her of her innocence. It broke something inside of him thinking about how life was just never kind enough to Charlotte Riggs.
He downed his potion, knowing he too would be asleep soon. His eyelids grew very heavy, as he looked down at Charlie. He let his eyes drift over each of his friends once more– fight his heavy blinks– afraid they might disappear into smoke right before him. He got one last look at his sleeping girlfriend before he gave into the darkness.
All was well in their dreamless sleep.