Lily Evans and the Marauder's Secrets

Severus

"We need to move fast," I say as my group takes to the streets. Distantly, we can hear muffled bangs and shouts; James's group must have already reached the town center. Even though that's the plan, my stomach tightens nauseatingly. Please let him be safe... "Let's start on one of the side streets so we can test how the patronuses work without drawing too much attention."

We run for the exit over by Stitches and Draughts. I keep an eye peeled for any signs of Death Eaters, but the streets remain deserted.

"Oh, wow...." I say once the edge of town comes into view.

The blue mist is back, but instead of a thin line clinging to the ground, it's thickened and grown into a wide wall that extends all the way across the path, stretching and arcing overhead until it disappears from sight, blending seamlessly into the clear sky.

"It's like a giant bubble," Alice says. "Do you think if we break it in one spot, it'll crack the whole thing?"

"Only one way to find out," I answer. I draw my wand. "Expecto Patronum."

For the second time this afternoon, my patronus leaps from my wand tip, but unlike in The Hog's Head, as soon as she's out, she knows what to do. She bounds at the misty wall.

"Come on, come on," I murmur.

When she collides, she bursts into a million shimmering particles of light.

"No!" I shout. This was it, this was the whole plan, the only hope, and it's not going to work.

But Emmeline moves forward, her eyes intent. "Again," she says. "But together."

So together we raise our wands. "Expecto Patronum!"

When our patronuses shatter against the wall, I see it this time. For a second, where they collide, the barrier flickers, the blue mist giving way. "Oh!" I cry.

And now the rest of our group is drawing out their wands, casting patronuses, the air full of light, each slamming silently against the barrier until...

"There!" Alice shouts. She points. A hole the size of her jack rabbit patronus, the last one cast at the wall, has been burned into the barrier.

"Yes!" I shout.

But even as we watch, the barrier fights to reclaim the breach, growing back over the hole with wispy tentacles.

"We need to keep attacking," I say. "And we need to split up. If we all stay here, we'll never have time to open up the other entrances."

We pair off, with Em and Alice staying at this entrance. Asa Sharp and Elvie Bell head off to the main entrance in the direction of Hogwarts, Griffin Reyes and Percy Proudfoot to Hogsmeade Station, and Remus and I will take care of the secret passageways. "Shoot off as many patronuses at it as you can," I instruct. "We want the holes as big as possible. And as soon as you can, see if you can get messages out to the school. Once you've got a breach that stays, move on to another section of the wall. I want to take this whole thing down if we can. I suspect no one will be able to apparate directly into Hogsmeade while any piece of this is up."

Everyone nods, then we split.

"Start at Honeydukes passage?" I ask Remus, but he shakes his head.

"The most useful one would be behind Three Broomsticks. The wall in the back alley opens up. The staff know about that one, so as soon as we can get that one clear, that will be the best way for them to come. So long as we can get a message out."

"If we get that one clear," I say, "it might be best to send a runner."

He looks at me sharply.

"You're the fastest," I say.