ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ʀᴀɪɴꜱ ☾ ʀᴇᴍᴜꜱ ʟᴜᴘɪɴ

The Devil Cuts Loose

Being an Animagus was truly thrilling, and suddenly life leading up to the next full moon was met with a chaotic mix of preparation and excitement. After classes, they'd sneak away to practice their transformations, hiding behind the tall trees near the lake or within the decrepit walls of the Shrieking Shack. Then every other night they would sit around the hearth in the boy's dormitories or tucked at the back of the kitchens and whisper plans.

One particular evening, as they sat upon their usual spots — scheming excitedly — Sirius looked up from his place on the floor, grinning. "You know, this full moon, I reckon we should leave the shack — go into the forest or maybe even down by the lake?"

James, sitting beside him, nodded eagerly. "You've got a point, we could run all over the grounds and no one would have a clue."

"Can you imagine the look on Snivellus' face if he found out?" Sirius scoffed, "that would show him to stay away from us — 'specially after what happened with Mary."

Immediately the mood darkened, Jo shut the book she was skimming, chucking it from her lap. A few weeks ago — when the Marauders had returned from one of their experimental adventures along the treeline in the forest — they found the common room empty, all par from Lily who was holding Mary close to her. The girl was weeping into her chest, a gnash leading from her ear to her jaw, bleeding on the red carpets.

Jo had rushed over to them, she could sense it, Dark Magic. It came from her wound like wisps of smoke, steaming, she reassured Mary — who was insistent on not going to Madam Pomfrey — and did her best to heal the wound. After a while, Mary managed to tell them all what happened, how Bruce Mulciber had cornered her in the Transfiguration courtyard.

He hit her with a curse, it made her go all dizzy, suddenly the world seemed to be downed in bright crimson. Mulciber unbuttoned her shirt, crushing her throat with his hands, he called her slurs — foul wizarding words that Mary didn't truly understand. Then... she couldn't tell them the rest, too choked up to even get another word out, but they all knew how it ended.

She begged them all not to tell anyone, even Francesca, who would only feel guilty for not staying with her to study that evening. But Jo and Sirius were already on their way out of the common room, ready to kill Mulciber — end up in Azkaban for all they cared — as long as he'd never go near another person like that again. Lily and Remus were the ones who managed to stop them, James still comforting Mary with Peter sitting silently beside them.

They reminded them to think of Mary, what she wants — sure it was awful, inhumane — but they shouldn't forget that it wasn't them who were hurt, it's up to Mary. Despite their arguments, Jo and Sirius begrudgingly stayed, ready to support Mary no matter what.

That night, Jo pulled Lily aside — leaving it to the boys to watch over Mary. "Lil, look, I'm not going to get into this with you again... I know he's different with you but—" She said, weary of being too loud, Jo knew that the boys wouldn't be as understanding.

"Sev, right?" Lily sighed, running a shaky hand through her tangled hair. "I've told him I don't like his friends, that he needs to stop his obsession with the dark arts... but—" she gritted her teeth, tears threatening to spill. "I don't know anymore, he's been my closest friend since we were children, Jo I don't know what to do. I promise he's not like Mulciber, he'd never do something so foul."

Jo sighed, her hands reaching out to intertwine with Lily's — if it were up to her, Snape would be just as guilty for not stopping Mulciber — but she knew her friend was right, that this wasn't a simple situation, it was complicated, dangerous and all she could do was support those around her in what they believed was right.