SABAISM | H. POTTER

THREE. | CHAOS

"What the fuck," Sirius hissed, his eyes widening in disbelief as he spotted Gemini curled up comfortably on Harry Potter's chest, her mahogany curls cascading like a waterfall over his pajama top. "I told her to sleep with Draco if she had a nightmare, and yet here she is—"

"Now is really not the time for this, love," Remus groaned, his voice thick with sleep, though the shared concern in his amber eyes betrayed that he was as equally troubled by the scene before him.

"Gem!" Sirius barked, snapping back to the moment at hand as he shook his daughter with urgency. "Get up, come on!"

In an instant, the Lupin-Black shot upright, her wand drawn and aimed at her parents, eyes fierce and alert, glinting like polished steel. "What the actual hell?" Sirius squeaked, his heart racing as he instinctively jumped behind Remus. "I'm never waking up this little menace again!"

"I tried to tell you," Draco grumbled from the bottom bunk, where he was hastily tugging on his shoes, his expression a mix of annoyance and lingering drowsiness. The chaotic energy in the room crackled as Sirius's frustration collided with the urgency of their situation, the weight of impending trouble pressing down on them all like a heavy shroud.

"Why am I being woken from my beauty sleep?" Gemini snapped, her mercury eyes narrowing. The air thickened with tension as mother and daughter's matching tempers came to a head. "How about you worry about the fact that you're in bed with a boy! A bloody Potter at that. James is orchestrating this from beyond the grave, I swear." Sirius lamented, tugging his wand out of his tousled hair in exasperation.

"Oh, it's just Harry," Gemini grumbled, waving them off dismissively before flopping back down onto the now very awake boy of said discussion. "Just Harry," the Boy-Who-Lived murmured discontentedly under his breath, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"This is not why we woke you all up," Remus snapped, pulling a worn sweater over his head with urgency. "Get up, now. It's urgent. There's no time to explain, no time to change. Come with us, at once." The gravity of his words hung in the air, a stark reminder that the world outside their sanctuary was fraught with danger.

Dimly, the teens could sense that something was amiss. The once cheerful sounds of the campsite had shifted into an unsettling silence, the joyful singing that had filled the air abruptly cut off. An eerie stillness settled over the surroundings, replaced by the piercing echoes of terrified screams that sliced through the night like a knife.

Gemini sprang off the bunk with a burst of energy, her heart racing as she hurriedly tugged on her scuffed combat boots, the worn leather creaking softly in the stillness of the tent. Harry, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep, trailed closely behind her, his eyes wide with a mix of confusion and determination as he grabbed at his strewn jacket. They dashed outside, Draco leading the way, while their parents hurried after them, the urgency of the moment propelling them forward.

As they emerged into the cool night air, they found the Weasley clan already gathered, their arms crossed and expressions a blend of concern and apprehension. The sight of their friends, a familiar comfort amidst the chaos, only heightened the tension in the air.

"Oh, but they listen to you," Sirius grumbled under his breath, his frustration evident as he shot a sideways glance at Remus.

"My love," Remus hissed, his voice low but firm, "now is not the time for this, and you know it. Focus on what's at hand." His amber eyes bore into Sirius's, a silent reminder of the gravity of their situation. "Listen and mind, and you'll get a reward later," he added, a hint of playful promise breaking through the tension; knowing how to negotiate with a Black.

Sirius smirked in anticipation, before the weight of responsibility settled heavily on his shoulders as he turned his attention back to the Weasleys they approached. The night was thick with anticipation, and the stakes had never felt higher.