The Marauders: Year One | #Wattys2016

The Bell Towers

The Bell Towers

Whispers filled the Great Hall. The rumor was that the news had come from somebody in the Slytherin house with a personal connection. Nervous glances kept being shot in the direction of the Gryffindor table, who seemed to be the only ones that had not yet heard.

Lily looked at Remus. "Why do they keep looking at us?"

Remus shook his head, "Dunno," he answered.

Tears were falling at the Hufflepuff table, Ravenclaw seemed intent to lean their heads together and talk about whatever it was going on, while Slytherin was acting just the same as always - with the aside of Narcissa Black, whose stern face seemed worried and Severus, who stared at the empty tabletop, carefully not making eye contact with Lily.

The Ilvermorny students were absent.

Once all of the Hogwarts students had come into the Great Hall - James kept looking up and down the Gryffindor table, hoping that the sinking feeling in his gut was wrong and Derek would show up some place, summoned by McGonagall for this announcement, whatever it was - Dumbledore stood up and walked to the podium at the front of the room and raised his hands for silence. It fell nearly immediately. Several places at the staff table behind him were empty, including Hagrid's, Professor Blythe's, and Professor McGonagall's... but Kettleburn sat in his spot, looking at Dumbledore with just as much curiosity as the Ravenclaws were.

"Well if Kettleburn's alright, then who --?" Sirius asked quietly, stopping mid-sentence as Dumbledore cleared his throat to speak.

Dumbledore looked around the room. "It is with a heavy heart that I must stand here before you for the second time in one term and announce the death of a student of Hogwarts," he said heavily.

Lily's eyes widened as she looked around at the others and the only one who seemed to have also understood so quickly was James, who was shaking his head in denial.

"It is with an even heavier heart that I must report that it is yet another death in the same family." Dumbledore's eyes cast downward at the podium and he clutched the sides of it, the stress of his body clear in the way he held so tightly to the wood. He drew a deep breath, and looked about the room, making eye contact with several of the students. "Derek Bell was murdered last night by one of Lord Voldemort's followers, while fighting on behalf of the Resistance against the Dark Lord."

"NO!" Frank Longbottom yelled, the panic in his voice embodying the horror that ran through the entire of Gryffindor house. Lily - and most of the other girls at the table - began to cry. James closed his eyes and Sirius looked 'round between Peter and Remus, unsure how to react, but the stoic, shocked expressions on their faces told him that they didn't know, either.

Dumbledore paused, looking down and Sirius could've sworn he saw a tear fall from the headmaster's eye. He allowed the house tables to have their reactions - though none other than Gryffindor seemed to be truly shocked. The rumors had spread far and fast enough through them that only the Gryffindors had remained in the dark entirely.

When Dumbledore continued talking, he spoke about Derek's bravery, about the battle on the field and the love that had been shared between Derek and Professor Blythe, who would be leaving the school. He spoke of Bilius Weasley and how bravely he had faced the Dark Lord's followers as well, and the abhorration that was the war. "Many of you do not realize just how terrible Lord Voldemort's agenda is," Dumbledore said, "Or how many lives he is willing to take to gain power. It does not matter to him if you are pureblood or muggleborn, the Dark Lord is a danger to you."