scars || sirius black

7 - the Astrals reign forever

The sound of the clock sticking midnight echoed around the castle. Emmy locked eyes with Marlene and nodded her head sharply.

With that she sprinted from underneath the Slytherin table to the headmaster's podium and ducked down onto the floor. From her precarious position she could see Alice, Mary, Lily and Dory crawling underneath the long tables as they cast the charms on the benches.

She pointed her wand at the giant eagle and with a deep breath murmured, "Cano 'Come and get your love.'"

She stifled a laugh at the thought of what would happen at breakfast the next morning. It was going to be legendary.

With two fingers she signalled their exit. The girls ran one at a time down the hall to hide on the staircases.

Emmy was the last to leave. Assured that the rest of them hadn't been caught she jogged swiftly down the length of the room, skin prickling with adrenaline.

With one last look behind her as she turned the corner, she thudded heavily into Marlene's back. The others were standing stock-still, breaths baited.

And then Emmy saw what they were looking at.

The Marauders were stood frozen, mouths agape, on the flagstones outside the Great Hall.

"No way," breathed Sirius, a smile dancing across his face.

"Padfoot? Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" said James, fumbling to whack Sirius' shoulder.

"Well, if you think you're seeing the six Astrals on their way back from rigging a prank in the Great Hall, I think you might just be right," said Remus trying to hide his smirk.

"You can't tell anyone," Lily blurted out.

"Oh come on, Evans. We both know the only way you can stop me-" said James, now openly grinning.

"I'm not going on a date with you."

"Well I guess we'll just have to let Minnie know who to charge for the removal of the lovely etchings above the front doors."

Alice and Marlene bristled next to me. Mary looked as if she was trying to hide behind Dorcas. But Lily... oh, Lily looked as if she'd had an idea.

"Potter, how on earth are you going to get us into trouble without admitting you were out after curfew too? Oh and we might just, I don't know... let it slip who the famed Marauders really are?"

A coy smirk crept onto her lips and Emmy marvelled at the way she had him wrapped around her little finger. Lily could be just as sly as the rest of them when she wanted to be.

"You do realise we could just say we were in the common room?" said Peter. They looked at him in surprise, apparently even he could play smart when his secrets were about to be exposed.

"What, all four of you? At the exact time that we got back?" quipped Alice.

Suddenly, the sound of scurrying made them whip around. Mrs Norris, Filch's scraggly little cat, was watching them with her beady eyes. And then promptly scarpered down the corridor.

A mutual understanding was come to in milliseconds and both Marauders and Astrals split off in separate directions so at least some could evade capture. In the confusion, Emmy found herself running down the first corridor with Sirius.

As they sprinted, moonlight shone through the narrow windows casting their faces in an odd ethereal glow. Catching sight of Sirius's handsome worried face, Emmy started to laugh.

"What?" he said as he breathed in and out heavily.

And then she started cackling. He looked different, in the light of the witching hour.