DAYS OF THE MARAUDERS [eng]

Chapter 12. Survive at any cost

A new song started, and instead of fog, clouds of thick black smoke poured onto the stage. Everyone applauded.

James automatically raised his arms and clapped several times, watching as the smoke did not dissipate, but flowed like smog, enveloping the stage.

Something was wrong.

'Prongs!'

James turned around, and at the same moment, the stage spewed fire into the sky again, causing the audience to roar with joy. For a moment, the light ripped Padfoot's face out of the night. It was distorted with fear.

James quickly looked around and saw figures in black cloaks and masks in the raging crowd.

They stood there, staring at the stage, motionless except for the glint of their eyes in the slits of their masks.

His heart dropped.

'Fuck...'

'We have to leave!' Sirius jumped to his feet and grabbed the edges of the carpet.

There was an explosion of guitars, and Myron's hoarse voice thundered in his chest, mixing with his panicked heartbeat.

Sirius finally tore up the carpet and cans, bottles and bags of chips fell into the crowd.

Lily felt someone squeeze her arm just above the elbow.

'What is it?'

'Lily, get in the car, quick!'

'What?' she said, confused.

'I said, get in the car now!'

He had never spoken to her like that before. In another situation, she would have been happy to put the captain of the school team in his place, but now there was something in his voice that made her obey immediately.

It was... fear.

Fear in his voice and that strange not-pottery look in his eyes.

Lily had never thought that James Potter could be afraid of anything.

She jumped into the car and felt someone catch her in the dark. Then that someone caught Alice in the same way, and then, cursing and knocking things over, he made his way to the driver's seat where Gideon Prewett was already sitting. Lily recognized his red hair as the night lit up with fire again.

'What's going on?' Alice asked nervously.

'What the hell is going on?' Dorcas was indignant, jumping into the cabin herself and hissing as she hit the corner of the table.

'Get off my leg, Meadows!' it was Marlene. She was the last to enter the cabin, closing the hatch behind her.

'Are you sure it'll fly?' Sirius' hasty voice rang out in the darkness.

'I don't understand what's going on!' Alice screamed, 'Sirius!'

'I don't know, Molly's husband constructed this thing, he said he was going to fly! Do you trust him?' Gideon hurriedly fastened his seatbelt.

'Yeah, the fuck I do. Start!' The door slid open and Sirius jumped out.

It was too much.

'Sirius, what's wrong?' Lily shouted, running after him.

REMUS LUPIN

'...and there they could hide and wait out whatever is coming.'

They hurried through the crowd. At first, it didn't seem that big to Remus, he thought they could cross it easily, but now it seemed as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist, and there were only dancing screamers in ridiculous costumes.