The square in front of King's Court was a flurry of activity by the time Remus Lupin arrived. Several outdoor luncheon tables were flipped right over, their chairs spilled backwards and tipped to the side. One table's cloth was on fire, smoking with dark black plumes that coiled into the sky. A large sweets cart was overturned and a man knelt behind it - a muggle, Remus reckoned, by the look on the poor man's face. All around the square were pairs of battling witches and wizards, fighting at close range.

Just looking at the battle, Remus was triggered into remembering the fight at Fallengunder and his heart wrenched, making him back up into the alley quickly until his back hit the stone wall of the King's Court. He closed his eyes, his palms pressed to the wall, feeling the cool earthy feeling of the rocks that made up the outside of the building, his heart racing. Remus was suddenly extremely aware of every part of himself, every gawky, gangly limb, and the fact that his feet were only covered by the wool socks he'd tugged on when he'd been getting ready for nothing more than an evening snuggling with Sirius on the couch and talking about his day at Uni.

Uni seemed a lifetime ago, rather than just hours.

Suddenly a jet of bright white sparks ricocheted off the far wall, crossing so close to brushing the end of his nose that he felt the heat coming from them. He ducked to the side as part of the stone wall he'd been seeking refuge against crumbled down and a large rock banged to the ground with a heavy, ominous thump. He covered his head as he squatted there in the dark, hugging his knees to his chest as he listened to the shouts and whistling as spells flew from wand tips with blistering speed.

Bakewell seemed like the sort of place that ought to be peaceful and quaint, not like the sort of place that would find itself the center of a great wizarding battle, yet that was precisely what had happened. He shivered as once again the realization that nothing was sacred, no place was safe from the reaches of the evil of Voldemort's attacks. The fact that Bakewell was such a quaint little village had probably been precisely what had drawn the Dark Lord to it. The muggles there were unprepared, and they had no way to fight back.

"Oh dearest Cousin, we meet again!" Sirius's voice suddenly cut clear and loud through the din and Remus looked up, panic in his eyes as he stared toward the opening of the alleyway to the square. "It's always a -- blast -- playing with you." He cackled and Remus heard a shriek of disapproval that was all too familiar.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

Why in bloody hell did Sirius always, always have to fight Bellatrix? The ruddy woman who had done in his mum. Remus did not want her to be the one who would do in his husband, too.

Remus suddenly found himself from beneath the brokenness that had filled him up with the memory of the fight at Fallengunder. He leaped up, fist balled about his wand handle, and charged forward into the square, only just barely managing to dodge a shot of red light that jetted out from Sirius's wand.

"Moony!" Sirius cried out in surprise, "Finally you've come! The Death Eaters shan't know what's hit them now that you ---"

Sirius had been struck by a jet of purple sparks and he froze mid-sentence and fell to his knees, staring blankly at the ground before him, where a puddle reflected his face back to him. Bellatrix cackled and raised her wand above her head in a motion quite reminiscent of a scorpion about to attack. Remus's eyes were wide with shock and he felt frozen to his spot.

The only thing Remus could do was jump in front of it. Before Bellatrix could even begin speaking the word of the spell, Remus made the move.

"Cruicio!" Bellatrix shrieked.

He leaped forward, sliding between Sirius and the spell only just in time and he fell to the ground, quaking in pain and horror, staring up at Bellatrix Lestrange's deliriously horrible face as she laughed and her wicked eyes fixed directly into his. Her grin was the only thing he could see as his heart felt as though it would stop from the searing pain that tore through every limb, burning every nerve...

"Alright that's enough!" Lily said as she shot a stinging spell directly to Bellatrix Lestrange's wrist, making her drop her wand to the ground. Remus and Sirius both fell limp to the ground and Lily carefully stepped around them as Bellatrix scrambled for her wand and began frantically slashing it through the air, spell after spell, and Lily blocked each one, deflecting the sparks into the ground, where they cracked cobbled stones and hissed as they hit puddles and rivulets in the grouting between the stones. 

"I've got your back Evans!" James cried, sending a spell at Rudolphus, who was trying at sneaking up from behind, his own stunner ricocheting back and nearly hitting him in the head, but he ducked just in time and cursed. "C'mon, gimme your best shot, Lestrange," James jeered and Rudolphus raised his wand as James hissed a quick anaticula at him and turned to help Sirius and Remus.

Sirius looked dazed, his eyes sort of unfocused and confused, and Remus was shakily pushing himself up to his feet, his eyes red and jittery. James grabbed onto Sirius's arm and tugged him up as a swarm of ducks came from Rudolphus. "Mate... are you alright?" James asked as he steadied Sirius against his shoulders. 

"Prongsy?" Sirius asked, looking at James as though he'd only just spotted him. "My Moony's here - did you know?"

"I'm right here," Remus echoed, but his voice shook.

James nodded at Sirius, "Yeah I know he's here, Pads." He looked at Bellatrix and Lily, still fighting violently, spells being shot every which way as Bellatrix sent a full barrage of curses and hexes at Lily, who blocked and blocked again, the onslaught too fast to fight back in any full force.  "Alright Evans?" James called.

"I'm holding her," Lily replied, "Get Sirius."

James looked to Remus, "Can you walk, Moony?"

Remus nodded weakly.

James hurried to carry Sirius toward the pub door, and Remus followed, limping on his bad knee, which was incensed to pain by the lingering effects of the cruciatus. Feathers were flying about, swirling on the ground as spells sprayed about. There were loads of others paired off in battles throughout the square, and James had to pull Sirius down several times to duck a spell that came at them. Remus was nearly struck by a stunner that came from the direction of Gideon Prewett and one of the masked Death Eaters that were fighting over the knocked over tables. The three boys reached the pub and James muttered a spell to allow them inside the protected room, and quickly deposited Sirius in a chair as he whirled about to reseal the door.

The difference from the square to the pub was so complete that James was disoriented for a moment as cheerful singing reached his ears and laughter of the muggle men and women, cheers going up in a corner, glasses raised high. Sirius leaned against one of the bar stools, his eyes still unfocused, swaying dangerously. James helped move Sirius and Remus to an empty booth. "Stay here, you'll be safe. Take care of Sirius. I'll come get you when it's time for us to get out of here."

Remus nodded. "Be careful, alright?"

"I will," James nodded, and he turned and ran back out of the King's Court into the square, re-setting the protective charm and then moving quickly to assist Lily. Rudolphus's ducks had warn off by then, and Lily was stuck in the middle of both of the Lestranges, who were shooting spells so quickly that she looked to be playing a funny version of Muggle jumping rope, trying desperately to block everything, but having to resort to simply dodging most of what was sent her way. James heart jumped into his throat as she very nearly missed ducking below a spell that burst from Bellatrix's wand as Rudolphus shot one that she jumped over at the same time.

"James!" she shrieked, seeing him.

"I'm coming Evans!" James leaped forward into the fray with her, his back pressing into hers as he cast a shield charm with a twist of his wrist, which enveloped them, bouncing the Lestranges's spells back at them.

In the momentary calm caused by the ringing of the protective barrier James had cast, Lily turned to look at him, "It's an ambush!" she said urgently, "It's - I think this was their plan."

"I've that same feeling," James answered. "It was definitely a trap."

Lily nodded.

And then the spell was wearing thin, battered by the spells striking it, breaking down its integrity. "Bloody hell," James said, and he quickly reinstated the protective barrier and pulled Lily toward the tables outside the pub, where Gideon was floundering against his own death eater. "Gideon!" James called, and he shot his protective charm to envelope Gideon as well, just as the Death Eater he was facing shot a spell that Gideon would've missed blocking. The smokey black spell shot back and struck the Death Eater in his shoulder, and there was a sick smell of burned flesh as the smoke cleared and the Death Eater's shoulder appeared half blasted off. 

"Thanks Potter," Gideon called, panting to catch his breath. James nodded and looked 'round the square.

"There, over there," Lily said, pointing. "The man with the little cart!"

Fenrir Greyback had descended upon the flipped over cart, standing atop the broken wood frame of it, hulking over the man, who hid behind the cart, a terrified look upon his face. James leaped away, cutting through the fights in the square, his focus fixed on Greyback, running as quickly as he could while still dodging the spells that swarmed the air.

Lily watched, a horrified expression on her face, as James ran toward the cart, his eyes fixed with determination on Greyback's form. Greyback turned toward James - his wolf instincts having sensed James's approach - and he laughed, waved his wand, and sent James to the ground as though he'd been shoved with a brutal force to his chest. Lily started across the square, her focus only on James and the fact that he needed her help.

Winded, James hit the stones and slid, scraping the skin from his elbows and a sharp pain went up through his shoulders and chest as he landed. "Ughnph," he groaned. 

Greyback chuckled and turned back to the man behind the cart. "Looks like I'll get two helpings tonight," he said, and he jumped down from the cart, bending over the man, who let out a plea and a scream and --

James landed on Greyback's back. James's wand had fallen from his hand and rolled away when he fell, but there wasn't time to retrieve it - so here he was, on the back of the most vile werewolf that ever lived, unarmed, and without a plan. "Get off of him!" he growled into Greyback's ear, his fist pulling on Greyback's hair, trying at yanking him back from his intentions of biting into the flesh of the peddler.

"Accio wand!" Lily cried and James's wand flew into her hand. She ran to the cart, throwing James wand to him.

James caught it as Greyback lunged again at the man. "STUPEFY!" he shouted, his wand all but pressed to the side of Greyback's head.

Greyback fell limp, dropping to the stones of the square heavily, James upon his back, landing over the lap of the muggle man who stared up at them with horror in his eyes. James scrambled to get up as Greyback lay there like a rotten lump. The man was bleeding, a large chunk of flesh missing from his forearm, blood pouring over his shirt and his eyes filled with fear. 

"Oh," Lily's voice was somber as she came 'round the cart and saw the man's arm. 

James said, "Cast a shield charm, Evans, so we're safe here?" He shoved his wand into his leather holster and hurried to unbutton his shirt, tearing it from his torso and bending to wrap it carefully around the peddler's arm. The white was instantly stained red, crimson spreading over through the fabric like a flower blooming.

The man looked up at James, his eyes filled with fear.