Potter

Chapter 77

"Someone grab him!" The voice didn't come from Pansy Parkinson- No, at this point she would surely be with the Death Eaters themselves. Instead, it was a sixth year with a face I wasn't familiar with and fear in her eyes.

That fear grew as people rose- Most of the Gryffindor table first, wands drawn. I wasn't sure how surprised I was when Blaise and Theo stood with me. Following us was the Hufflepuff table, and the Ravenclaws right after. The Slytherins murmured uneasily, and the girl slowly slid back down to her seat, cheeks as red as the Gryffindor banner. McGongall appeared entirely unamused by the incident.

"The evacuation will commence shortly- All of Slytherin house, if you please, and all underage students." She said, lips thin when there was an angry rising from most sixth, fifth and fourth years. She continued on. "Those of you who are of age are welcome to stay if you wish."

"Hell yeah we do." Dean muttered under his breath, and my lips pulled up in amusement. There was a slight commotion as the younger students began to be filed out, Slytherins going with them. Blaise and Theo had fallen silent as they watched them go, their eyes dark. I could see Luna's hand gently pressing into Theo's as he sighed, turning his head away as the last of the evacuated students disappeared from sight.

"Those of you who have elected to stay will be divided up into groups and assigned to a location by Kingsley." She said, then stepped down from the steps an and approached the Gryffindor table, eyes scanning it till they found us. "Potter, Longbottom! Grab some others and follow me." McGonagall's request took me by surprise, but I didn't hesitate to rise, Neville rising with me. He had grabbed Seamus, and in turn I looked to the two boys by me. They were already standing, wands drawn.

"We're by your side, Potter." Blaise promised, and I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Perfect- Come on, then." I encouraged with a nod, and together the five of us followed McGonagall out the doors, the sound of Kingsley and Remus organizing everyone fading in the distance. A small group followed with us soon after, more adults than students. But McGonagall didn't pay any mind to them. Instead, she spoke only to Neville and I.

"Take your group to the bridge." She said. "I'm sure there will be Death Eaters coming from all directions, and if we can block even one way, the better it is."

"The bridge- What are you suggesting we do?" Neville asked, eyebrows high. McGonagall's lips slanted.

"Blow it up."

"Like- Up? You're really giving us permission to blow it up? Boom?" Neville said, nearly running into McGonagall when she stopped abruptly on the steps of the Hogwarts entry way. I grabbed him by the elbow, helping him halt.

"What part of blow it up is confusing you? Blow it up! BOOM!" McGonagall said, making both Neville and I jump. I grinned a little amusedly though at how high Blaise's eyebrows had risen.

"Alright. And how do you advise we do that?" He asked, coming to stand on McGonagall's other side. McGonagall, if she was surprised to see a Slytherin at her side, didn't show it. She merely pursed her lips.

"I'm sure you can figure something out- Perhaps confer with Finnegan. If I do recall, he has a certain proclivity for pyrotechnics."

"I can bring it down." Seamus said confidently, and McGonagall nodded.

"That's the spirit- Now go on. I don't know about you, but I have a castle to defend." She said, gathering her robe skirts in one hand before continuing on her way, leaving the five of us standing there for only a moment before we were running, our jog down the halls brisk. It was hard to navigate- Students and others had started moving, crowding the place. But I kept my eyes on the back of Neville's head, following him to the other end of the castle.