The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part Two

Freddie Mercury

Screams arose from the audience, people beat their chair backs and stomped their feet and clapped their hands so that the entire room felt and sounded like thunder. The sound was so heavy that the ground seemed to shake and James even was caught up in the moment, shouting alongside Lily and Sirius...

"LYONS........." came a loud voice, "Êtes-vous prêts à écouter du rock?!"

The screaming continued, and the darkness seemed so complete... then there was a drum beat... throbbing... throbbing... and people were shouting... and then keys were playing, and then guitars... and it seemed like each instrument's strain was searching for another, not yet come together, just surging sound and melody that was disjointed yet building... building... building... until something clicked together and the music was suddenly a true song, the notes and chords carrying over the audience...

And then -

The flash of lights - yellow and red and green circles in the sky over the stage. A spotlight, searching - searching - landing on it's quarry... coming up from the back of the stage, figure ducked low and ---

Sirius could barely breathe.

"Buddy you're a boy, make a big noise, playing in the street gonna be a big man someday - you got mud on your face, you big disgrace, kickin' your can all over the place, singin' ---"

Freddie Mercury held the microphone up high, facing the crowd, his arms spread wide, and the entire room screamed the lyrics back.

"We will, we will - ROCK YOU! We will, we will - ROCK YOU!"

Lights flashed bright and there was great streams of smoky fog that rose up in billows around the stage...

There was the familiar ramp of the guitar and Sirius could see Brian and Roger and John and the audience's silhouettes before him as they screamed and raised their arms and the music banged loudly, feeling like it was his very heartbeat, the very blood in his veins.

It was like they were all one person and there was Freddie before them to lead them on their way home. Sirius was dizzy with the incredibleness of it.

"Buddy you're a young man, hard man, shouting in the street, gonna take on the world someday... you got blood on your face, you big disgrace, waving your banner all over the place!"

Sirius could feel every word, every beat of the music, inside of him.

"Everybody!"

And everybody sang, no bars held, no hesitation, no care in the world how on key or off key the people around him were... It was about the moment, about the joy and the fun and the music and Sirius Black was sure that this was where he was meant to be for all the rest of his life.

"Alright!" Freddie yelled, "You wanna rock?! Are you ready to roll?!" Everyone screamed in response. "Okay! Let's do this! HEY! It's a sellout - hey, let me welcome you ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say hello - are you ready for some entertainment? Are you ready for a show? Gonna rock you, gonna roll you, get you dancing in the aisles! Jazz you, razmatazz you... with a little bit of style... Let me entertain you, let me entertain you - tonight..."

It was one song after another - and Sirius swore each was better than the last, and each one became his favorite moment of the night... even as he was caught up and the world around him turned to blurry color and sound, the music notes becoming stars that seemed to burst overhead like fireworks... his senses all run together...

"Sammy was low, just watching the show... over and over again... he knew it was time, he made up his mind, to leave his dead life behind.."

Sirius closed his eyes, listening to the lyrics of one of his favorites, mouthing the lyrics.