Sirius
“What’s he doing?” Sirius’ cry came out shrill and anguished, causing a Death Eater to turn in confusion.
Sirius hit him with stupefy and sent him flailing across the room.
The Death Eater crashed against the broken banister, and Remus ducked and swore. The children trailed behind him, each wearing identical looks of wonderment and fear.
“You just told me he was thrown up a flight of stairs!” James yelled, blasting Bellatrix with another jet of green light. “He can’t apparate!”
Sirius dove to the side so he and James were fighting back to back. “I’m not leaving you!”
“Help me make a path for them and go!” James shouted.
“No! I’m not leaving!”
“Help me take out the back wall!”
“James, I can’t. Your mum—”
James pointed his wand towards the kitchen, and the entire back wall of his childhood home exploded. There was a pause of momentary confusion, until Emmeline stunned a Death Eater and kicked him out of the wreckage and into the night.
James turned back around, face set, but Sirius felt hot tears in his eyes.
It was gone. The door he’d walked through as a fifteen year old without a family. The kitchen where Monty had taught the Marauders how to make a proper breakfast. The hallway where Effie had held him and wiped his eyes with her sleeves.
“Sirius!” Lily screamed, and Sirius followed her pointed finger.
Missy had broken away from the group, standing in the center of the room as debris flew around her. Her mouth was open in horror, and she screamed, “Mum!”
“Go!” James shoved Sirius. “Keep them safe!”
Sirius pushed past James and raced towards Missy, grabbing her hand as soon as he was close enough.
She yelled in surprise and tried to break away, but he pulled her through the wreckage of the kitchen and into the blackness.
“Don’t look behind you, Missy! Keep running!” he yelled.
Behind them, the house creaked and groaned, and beams fell from the second floor onto the dark lawn.
They reached Remus on the far side of the lawn, out of breath and heaving.
Sirius quickly grabbed Harry from Remus. “Don’t let go!” he shouted, praying the children would listen.
And they were gone.
The world swirled around them, and Sirius’ felt someone’s small hand start to slip from his own. He held on as tightly as he could.
Th swirling began to slow, like reality was being poured back into the night. The far off outline of the Shrieking Shack came into view, and the nine of them fell to the ground as one.
“I’m sorry, it was the first place I thought of,” Sirius gasped, helping Missy and Percy up. “We just need to make it inside the Hogwarts grounds.”
“This is fine,” Remus wheezed. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the grass.
Sirius lifted Ron out of Remus’ arms, staring at the dark blood by their feet. His heart was pounding in his ears and he was so full of fear and adrenaline that he thought he was dying.
But he knew the children must be even more frightened.
Pull yourself together. For them.
Sirius pointed to one of the pine trees lining Hagrid’s hut. “Whoever makes it to the tree first wins! Go!”
The four oldest children took off, but Sirius, Remus, and the three babies straggled behind.
Through the dark, Sirius saw Missy reach the tree first, slapping the bark with her hand. “I won!”
“You’re slow, you’re slow!” Fred and George chanted as Sirius and Remus crossed onto the Hogwarts grounds.
Beside Sirius, Remus fell to the ground. Neville crawled from his grasp and pulled happily on the grass.
“Look at the stars!” Sirius exclaimed, and the children all looked up. “They’re bright tonight, aren’t they?”
“Whoa! They are!” George said, eyes on the sky.
Sirius set Harry and Ron next to Neville and pulled Remus into a sitting position. “It’s okay, Moony.”
Remus’ head fell on Sirius’ shoulder and his chest heaved. “I thought I lost them,” he moaned.
“Everyone’s okay,” Sirius whispered, his fingers tangling in Remus’ hair. “We’re safe.”
Remus’ grip tightened on Sirius’ waist, and he winced.
Remus pulled away, eyes full of concern. “You’re hurt.”
“You’re worse. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me. What happened?”
Sirius slowly untangled himself from Remus and lifted his shirt. An angry scrape ran from his chest to his stomach, and dark magic pulsed beneath the surface.
“Sirius…” Remus breathed, touching it gently with his finger.
Sirius clenched his eyes shut.
“Padfoot!” Fred called. “Do you see that star? The brightest one?”
“I see it,” Sirius said, eyes still closed.
Percy’s excited voice filled the empty grounds. “Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many. Look at the stars!”
“Yes,” Remus said shakily, tearing his shirt off over his head and pressing it desperately against Sirius’ stomach. “Look at the stars.”