Their Seventh Year

I’m at work and guess how early I had to come in?  7!! !  I have sooooo much to finish today before I go out of town.  With these kind of hours you’d think I was important.

That was by way of mentioning I’m going out of town.  I didn’t plan to leave you in a bad place, just happened that way.  I’m going to , where I will spend an obscene amount of money on over-priced clothing. 

I’m so glad you all agree Sirius is saving himself for me….we wouldn’t want any unpleasantness. 

Chapter 35- Attack

James was sitting behind Lily in Charms, but not close to actually talk to her without anyone else hearing, so, since he had already mastered freezing charms, he settled on passing her notes.

Dear Miss Evans,

If I may be so forward as to ask, are you free tomorrow night?

Sincerely,

James Potter

-

Dear Mr. Potter,

My social schedule is very full, as always, but I might be able to move some things around. What did you have in mind?

Sincerely,

Lily Evans

-

Dear Miss Evans,

I’m glad you asked. With this lovely weather we’ve been having, what could be nicer than a trip to the lovely and scenic village of Hogsmeade

Sincerely,

James Evans

-

James, tomorrow isn’t a Hogsmeade day.

-

I know. (You can’t see me right now, but I am looking charming and mischievous!)

Lily chuckled a bit at that, and was about to write back that Hogwarts head boy was surely not suggesting sneaking out of school (not that she wouldn’t go, she was just making him squirm) when Professor McGonagall stepped into the charms classroom. While it was odd for her to come into a class, the sight of her white face made Lily freeze with the quill in her hand.

“All students will go to the Great Hall immediately.” Her voice was tense and tight. For a moment after this surprising announcement nobody moved, and then a murmur broke out among the students, until she repeated “Immediately.”

Chairs scraping, books and notes being shoved back into bags, all around was the murmur of “what’s going on?” and “are they canceling class?”

The Great Hall was already full of students, standing in tight groups whispering, or sitting at the house tables looking around apprehensively.

“The Head Boy and Girl are in charge. Miss Evans, Mr. Potter, no one is to leave this room.” And the huge doors swung shut. James stared after her with a look of outrage.

“They’re not even going to tell us what’s going on? Well, we’ll see about that.” He opened his bag, and Lily could see the silvery shine of the invisibility cloak.

“James, everyone will see!” She hissed. She wanted to know what was going on as well, but there was no way to explain James suddenly disappearing into thin air.

“I’ll be right back.”

He slipped out the doors, and finding the hallway empty, pulled the invisibility cloak over himself just in time, as voices approached.

“Just make sure none of the students leave Hagrid.” McGonagall’s voice was saying, as the huge groundskeeper positioned himself in front of the doors. James followed McGonagall as quietly as he could until he heard the babble of voices, and he paused just around the corner from where the teachers were gathered. Sirius had encountered Dumbledore once in the halls while under the cloak, and been scared out of his wits when Dumbledore had told him to get back to bed. If the Headmaster could see through the cloak, James didn’t want to chance it. He could hear them well enough from where he was.

“…simultaneous attacks on Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.” Dumbledore was saying, and James felt his blood run cold. “And not before they put anti-apparition wards around Hogsmeade, the Aurors can’t get there. We’ll have to go.”

“Albus we can’t leave the school. They could attack here!”

“They won’t.” James had always heard people say that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard alive, but to him the Headmaster had always seemed kind and a little eccentric. In that moment, he felt a power radiate from Dumbledore that frightened him. “Minerva, they will not set foot on Hogwarts grounds while I am alive.”

“We’ve always had a close relationship with the people of Hogsmeade, they’re only shopkeepers and families, we can’t leave them to an attack.” Said Flitwick’s squeaking voice.

Sensing they were about to move, James sprinted back to the Great Hall, and with a quick glance at Hagrid, pulled open the door. Hagrid glanced at it, and then shrugged and pushed it closed again just as James slipped inside. Since nobody was looking James hurried over to where Remus and Sirius were standing casually, and pulled the cloak off while they were blocking him from view.

gave a little yelp, followed by “well that explains a great deal” and he realized belatedly that she hadn’t known about the cloak. Not that it really mattered, they were all looking at him expectantly.

“An attack, on Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. The Aurors can’t get there. Anti-apparition wards. Teachers are all going…” he gasped, still out of breath. He looked around at all of them. “We have to help.”

“We can’t-“ Peter began.

“Wormtail, there are, what, fifteen teachers? Against who knows how many Death Eaters? Do you really think most of the people in Hogsmeade can defend themselves? Can you really see Madam Puddifoot fighting off a Death Eater? There isn’t anyone else! If they take Hogsmeade, where are they coming next?”

Remus and Sirius were nodding along with this.

“James-“ Lily began, and he turned and faced her, cutting her off.

“Lily, this is the way it is going to be. Not just today, but always. I need to know you can accept that.”

She knew he wasn’t just asking this once, but asking a bigger question about their relationship and their future. She might not like it, but she was going to have to accept that this was not the last time James was going to be recklessly riding into battle. It was a part of who he was, one that he couldn’t, and wouldn’t change, and he had to know that she could accept that about him. She decided just then that she could.

“I’m going with you.”

He started to shake his head, but she gave him an impatient look and snapped “James we can discuss sexism in emergencies later, okay?”

“We’re coming as well.” Said a voice behind him, and he turned and found Gideon Prewett and Nicole Murray, along with a few other Ravenclaws and Thomas Williams, a Hufflepuff Seventh Year who had been prefect when Remus had.

“I don’t want everyone getting in trouble-“ James began.

“This is our school too Potter.” Gideon cut him off.

He gave a short nod. “Good man Prewett. No one below Seventh Year then.” And receiving mutinous looks from a few fifth and sixth years, he added. “Someone has to stay here and protect the kids. O’Connor! Steadman!” The two Gryffindor prefects snapped to attention. “You and the other prefects are in charge. Now we just have to figure out how to get out of here, Hagrid is just outside the door.”

“I’ve got that covered.” Sirius announced, turning to the Ravenclaw girl. “Nic, give us a good, loud, girly scream.”

She gave him an odd look, but then shrugged and screamed loud enough that they all covered their ears. A moment later the door was thrown open by a startled Hagrid “What’s wrong?”

“Nicole thought she saw a…a…lethifold!” Sirius cried, with the proper amount of alarm, obviously just coming up with the first dangerous thing that came to mind. “Over there!” He pointed to the other end of the hall. This had the effect of making several other girls in the hall scream and drew even more attention from them as Hagrid hurried over to investigate and they all slipped out the door.

“You know lethifolds are only found in tropical climates?” Nicole remarked as they hurried through the halls.

“No, but apparently neither does Hagrid. You want to stay and discuss it with him?” Retorted Sirius. “How are we getting to Hogsmeade?”

“There’s a floo to the Three Broomsticks in McGonagall’s office.”

The Three Broomsticks was already full of people who didn’t know where else to go, being one of the more well-known and defensible places in the village. Madam Rosmerta didn’t see them immediately, she was pressing a towel against a man whose head was bleeding rather badly. James quickly took in the room, most of the people there were injured, or too young or old to fight. He stared for a moment at a group of children, none of them older than six or seven, huddled together, before Sirius gave him a firm shake. They could hear screams coming from outside.

“Let’s go.”

“All right, we should split up, but at least stay in groups, always make sure someone has your back, no one is fighting alone. Someone should stay here and protect this place. Not only is it mostly injured people and kids, but it’s the only floo to Hogwarts.”

“I will, Nicole and Ian and Louis can stay with me.” Said Gideon, who seemed to be de facto leader of the Ravenclaws.

Immediately outside of the Three Broomsticks it was eerily silent, but a strange green light fell over them, and looking up, they saw the Dark Mark hovering over three of the buildings across the street. Lily started toward them, but he stopped her. “There’s nothing we can do for them, let’s try to find people who are still alive.”

At the end of the street, James threw out an arm to stop everyone. Four Death Eaters, laughing, were gathered around several people, a family, screaming and writhing on the ground. He indicated for Remus and Sirius to go around to the other side of the building. The Death Eaters might have the advantage of experience, but they had strength in numbers and surprise.

He gave a nod to the others, and they all left the shelter of the building.

“Stupefy!”

Three of the Death Eaters were down, but one of them spun around and cried “Impedimenta!” Sirius almost caught it, but dodged, knocking into Remus, while Lily got off the next curse.

“Conjunctivitus!”

The Death Eater howled and clutched at his eyes, and Lily stunned him almost lazily. They ran over to the people lying in the street, still alive and staggering to their feet.

“What are…are you from Hogwarts?” A man asked.

James shrugged. “Can you walk?”

The man nodded.

“Go to…the Three Broomsticks I guess.”

He watched them go for a moment and then looked around at the Death Eaters collapsed on the ground.

“What do we do about them?”

“Kill them.” Muttered Sirius, before Remus shot him a look.

“Tie them up?”

They did, and took their wands for good measure.

A flurry of shouts and sounds of action from further up the street drew their attention. Wands still ready, they hurried up the street until they came into a sort of cul-de-sac of shops. It was familiar territory, there was the tea shop and the store where they bought quills, the glass in the window was shattered, but in the eerie green-tinted darkness it looked strange and foreign. Here they stopped, because the sounds that had drawn them had stopped and everything was silent and still.

It was Remus who sensed movement first.

“GET DOWN!”

“AVADA KEDAVRA!”

James would have been hit had someone not fallen on top of him and knocked him down, he was transfixed by what he saw.

Figured had emerged from the shadows, far too many of them. They were all masked, but one was not. Lord Voldemort.

The blazing red eyes bored into him even as he struggled to his feet.

“Expelliarmus!”

That was Lily, panicking, and he couldn’t believe she would try something so stupid. The Dark Lord obviously was not prepared for her to do something so stupid either, because his wand went spinning away. He laughed.

“You should remember little girl, magic is not all about a wand.”

He raised his hand, and she was thrown backward by an invisible force. She fell to the ground several feet away, unmoving.

“I had thought I would meet Dumbledore, but this is amusing.” The Dark Lord hissed. “You should not have left Hogwarts.”

“Now you tell us.” Muttered Sirius.

“Shut up.” Hissed the Death Eater nearest to him.

Sirius turned with a slightly surprised look and added pleasantly “Ah, Bellatrix, hello.”

“Crucio!”

“Protego!”

James was too late with the shield curse, her cruciatus curse hit Sirius and he screamed, falling to his knees.

“Enough Bella.” The Dark Lord spoke and her wand fell back to her side. James reached and pulled Sirius to his feet, he wavered for a moment, and then muttered “I’m okay.”

“Don’t do anything.” He whispered to all of them. They were surrounded, they were outnumbered, and James was out of ideas. His mind was racing. He had gotten them into this, they were all going to die, Lily was so terrifyingly still.

“And enough from you, James Potter.”

The Dark Lord raised his wand, he didn’t even have time to wonder how he’d gotten it back, and suddenly James was thrown to the side several feet. For a moment he thought it was the same curse that had hit Lily, but he landed softly, unharmed. He looked up and his heart gave a great leap. Dumbledore! He looked perfectly calm, James could not think of any time he had not looked perfectly calm, but the aura of power about him was unmistakable.

“You should not have come here Tom. Do you think an attack on an innocent village, a wizarding village, will bring you support? I’ve taken down your wards, the Aurors will be here soon.”

“The people have Hogsmeade have learned not to defy me.”

He aimed a killing curse at Dumbledore, James closed his eyes against the harsh green light, but Dumbledore flicked it aside as if it were nothing.

The Death Eaters had fallen back, waiting for some kind of instruction, and James saw an opportunity. He clutched his own wand, and whipped it around the Death Eaters nearest him. “Stupefy!”

There was a satisfying thud as two of them hit the ground. Bellatrix pointed her wand and at him, but Sirius pointed his wand at the shattered glass on the ground in front of the Quill shop, “Wingardum Leviosa!” and it flew at her, with an agonizing screech, she clutched at her face, dropping her wand.

Muttering a spell James didn’t even know, Voldemort sent a huge jet of flame at Dumbledore, who merely threw back some sort of icy force that extinguished it. Voldemort disappeared, and because he had given no order to the Death Eaters, James looked around wildly, to see where he might re-appear. Suddenly, Flora screamed and pointed.

He had reappeared behind Dumbledore, next to where Lily was lying. Instead of pointing his wand at Dumbledore, it was pointed at Lily.

“The girl is not dead yet. You say you do not fear death for yourself Dumbledore. Do you think she does?”

James started forward, only to have Remus and Sirius at once grab him. He tried to push them off, but they held tight. “It’s Dumbledore James, he’ll never let him!” Remus said in his ear.

Before either of them acted, the sound of shouts coming up the street, and the official sounds of a siren. The Aurors and the Ministry had arrived.

There was a moment during which nobody moved, and then Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters who were still conscious disapparated. Dumbledore turned to them, quietly taking in their disheveled, torn, and dirty appearance.

“It’s time to go back to Hogwarts.”