‘Thought you were one of them.’ There seemed to be a lot of that going around. Not only had Lily mistaken the quidditch player for a snatcher, but she’d done the same for a number of other students she’d stumbled upon while trying to find safe passage back to the castle. It was easier with just one or two people. There was less of a chance to get separated and it was far easier to stay out of sight. A small group of third years who could barely contain themselves thanks to the fear was nearly impossible to keep from being seen. And therein lied the problem.
“No. I have–” Lily began only to be cut off by the sound of a trash bin tipping over. It startled her until she realized it was the same bin she’d told the children to hide behind while she found a better place for them to lie low. Before she could so much as attempt to tell James what was truly going on however, the boy was jumping into action. His robes flitted around and she found herself shielded behind him as his wand arm raised. The action caused panic to spread through her. These children were her responsibility and she certainly wasn’t about to let James Potter accidentally hex the lot of them.
In a flurry of motion, the redhead darted under James’ arm and placed herself in between his wand and the small group of children. Her eyes blazed with a fierceness she only seemed to muster in situations like this and she reached out to lower his wand for him. “Merlin’s bollocks, Potter! They’re just third years and they’re already terrified enough. Save your heroics for the snatchers, yeah?” A small huff left her and she shook her head at him, visibly annoyed. She knew he meant well, that he anticipated a fight and just wanted to make sure she was safe, but she hardly needed him to protect her – something she had every intention of proving.
“I need you to be brave, all right?” Her voice took on a much softer tone as she turned back to the frightened third years. “You lot just startled him. Don’t worry. We’re both going to help you all get back to the castle. In twenty minutes, you’ll be safe and cozy by the fire. Promise.” At her words, she offered them a bright smile that she hoped was more convincing than she felt it was. She still hadn’t the slightest how they were going to get past the snatchers guarding the path back to the school, but at least with the pair of them, they’d be able to fight off more.
“Any brilliant ideas, Potter?” the prefect whispered low enough that the others couldn’t make out her words. “Because as of right now, our options are stay put and hope the Ministry gets off their arses or head straight into a bloody ambush.”
she’s a step ahead, instantly drawing distance between him and the group of children who appear to be just as startled by him as he is them.
under normal circumstances, he would’ve thrown an impish grin her way with nothing short of is that an acknowledgment of my hero status and perhaps with a side of are you volunteering yourself as the heroine of my story ( in which part of him would blame this on remus for the superhero comics that have gradually occupied half of the shelf in his room ). yet normality is nowhere to be found in the chaos that ensues, audible from where they’re standing, cries and screams of fear and pain a ringing reminder that hammers reality into his consciousness. except it's never really been his own safety that he prioritises.
“better to be safe than sorry, evans, the last thing i want happening is someone here getting hurt.” he shifts his gaze then, settling on the children gathered next to them and huddled together for support of sorts. there’s assertion grounding his voice –– one that somehow softens when she turns to the children, tone gentle with reassurance yet it reaches him as uncertainty.
his mind is driven onto a straight course with a sole purpose: get everyone back to the castle, safe and alive. “no,” her lowered voice prompts him to press his into a hushed tone, “we can’t afford the risk if snatchers reach us before the ministry does.” the snatchers would’ve taken over every possible path connecting hogsmeade and the castle — mains and sides alike. to take those ways right then would be herding sheep right into a lion’s den, waiting and ruthless. they can’t.
he falls silent, brows furrowed in concentration before his memory presents him with a plausible alternative. “there’s one… quite the walk but nobody should know of it.” a path of familiarity, one that has guaranteed the success of his rendezvous with sirius outside of the castle on one too many occasions, meant to keep them out of sight for obvious reasons. “but i’ll say it’s a higher chance than waiting out here or running straight into ambushes.”
a brief look over the third years, shaken and disoriented, hogwarts is evidently the only shelter they can seek safety from. he reaches for the boy nearest to him, a light ruffle of the hair as though in comfort and consolation before he raises his gaze to meet hers with a clear intended message: we have to hurry, before the wrong crowd starts wandering down this alley.
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