After Midnight

Chapter 1: 18:12

2017

The game was afoot as summer slowly rolled into the thoughts and hearts of all the students who were at Hogwarts. Warm weather meant more time was spent outside and less of their attention was focused on the exams that were slowly approaching most of them. Coursework was abandoned early in the afternoon, soaking in what sunlight they could before it got too dark out or before the rounds of Prefects came through to usher all the students off to their respective houses. Today was no different as students scattered themselves in clusters of friend groups along the lawns and the shore of the great lake. From where he stood at the top of the summit (alright, perhaps it was just a small hill, have some imagination people!), James Potter (the second, he might add) could see the targets down at the lakeside. A smirk slid across his features as he spun on his heel to face the motley crew he had managed to gather.

"Right then, lads," He began, hands settled imperiously on his hips as he paced in front of them. "I've seen our quarry down by the lake. If anyone has any doubts or second thoughts, now is the time to speak them." There was a graveness to his voice that seemed strange in the context of the situation. Twelve was far too young to sound 'grave', but James had always taken these little 'missions' with a seriousness his parents wished he'd show in classes. But James always seemed to have his head wrapped around other things and being in school had never been at the top of his list. This, of course, didn't mean he was dumb. James was smart, he just didn't know how to apply himself. Still, he was young enough where it didn't matter quite yet and he was happy to content himself with other things for the time being.

"Do you reckon they'll be mad at us?" Edmund Longbottom was the worrier of the group, always trying to find the spot where they could all happily coexist without conflict. He was decent to have, James thought, though he mostly dragged him along because his father had told James he had to at least try being friends. After all, being timid wasn't a sign of a complete lack of courage, right? James had his doubts though that the old family friend would be any use to him.

"Course they'll be mad!" Liam Finnigan rolled his eyes, shooting James a quick smirk, "I mean, where's the fun if there isn't a bit of danger, yeah?" This was one of the many reasons that James likes Ian, sending a familiar grin back to his best mate, resisting the urge to high-five the kid. He had the same sense of adventure, the same sense of humour, and thought the antics they wound up getting themselves involved with to be completely and utterly amusing. "We'll be golden and it's not like they're going to do much. I mean," Liam paused, frowning, "they're just a bunch of girls."

"Yeah, well, if you think that, you've never met my little sister," Albus was the final pick and another one James wished he could have left behind. He stood at the edge, his Slytherin uniform standing out against the gold and crimson of Gryffindor that surrounded him. "Whatever, let's just get on with it then, yeah?" James rolled his eyes. Al was always a bit of a downer or at least he had been at the start of term. He'd been afraid of being sorted into Slytherin, which is exactly where he'd been placed and James had found it hard to take the mick out of him when Al was that down about something. But now he'd been spending time with that Malfoy boy and James couldn't help but feel irritated about that. Well, it was another story for another time.

"Right then, let's get to it!" James cried out, eager as he took the head of the pack.

To anyone who was watching from the outside, they would have seen a small group of boys, all of them slinking down towards the lake and the pack of girls James had pointed out. It wasn't long before they all reached into their pockets and, with a battle cry that would make any warrior proud, they attacked. Frog spawn, it seemed, was not a favourite for the girls as they shrieked, leaping from their spots by the lake, hurrying to brush it out of their hair and robes. One girl even managed to fall in. It wasn't until they were out of frog spawn that the boys took off, laughing and high-fiving one another. From the lakeside, the girls glowered and glared, shouting back their insults to those who had just accosted them.

"Bloody boys," Rose Weasley shouted loud enough for her cousins to hear her. "We'll get you back for this!" A blond girl held the frizzy haired redhead back from chasing and, from a spot safely on the hill, James sneered down at them. The blond only glared back and stuck her tongue out at him, seeming to forget any sort of propriety that she may have had moments ago. Liam, with hands pressed against his knees and panting for air, saw the look and laughed.

"Be careful, mate, I heard Eliza Nott already knows how to hex real accurately."

"What, that little thing?" James rolled his eyes, "Please, Nott doesn't scare me one bit. She'll have a hard time trying to get me back anyways." Of course, he'd be eating his words only a few days later, choking on his goblet, managing to spew out little frog spawn onto his kippers and bacon. From the Ravenclaw table, Nott shot him a taunting smirk.

"Hope you're enjoying your breakfast, Frog," She called and laughed haughtily. His cousin, Rose, was giggling at her side and, putting their heads together, seemed to forget about the second year, too amused with their prank to see the scathing look.

"Next time," Liam muttered, giving James' plate a sick look.

"Yeah," James grumbled as he shoved his ruined food away from him, "next time we'll be better and make it harder for them to hit us back." It seemed, in that moment, a miniature war had sprung up and James knew he wasn't going to take any prisoners.

And, while he wasn't about to walk over to the girl, he knew Nott wasn't going to either.

2030; 18:23

The coast wasn't particularly warm once the sun had begun to set. Grateful for the warming charm he'd put on his coat pockets, James frowned out at the sea. It seemed the edge of a vast abyss, he thought, the light from the sun reflected in reds and pinks along the famed white cliffs. A suitable colour, he thought morbidly as he crouched down amongst the tall grass along the edge. Tonight had been planned for months now and for the longest time he had barely dared hope they'd make it this far. But here they were and one glance at his wristwatch told him their time was slowly ticking along. They had only a matter of hours to get everything sorted and part of him had to wonder if there was enough time.

"Worrying's not going to do you any good, mate," Liam crouched next to James, his eyes looking at the man next to him rather than out at the sea.

"Who said I was worrying?" James grumbled, though it didn't take much to guess that he was worried. "It's nothing; I'm just going over everything in my head again." His fingers ran along the grass, shivering as a particularly chilly rush of air hit him from the sea. "I don't want to lose anyone."

"We'll get them out," Liam reassured James, clapping him on the shoulder, "and you've got a crack team taking it on." Another pause as Liam added, cautiously, "Have you heard anything from her?"

"I'm not bloody worried about her," James all but spat out, shooting Liam a glare. "Besides, not that I'm fucking worried, but she's not supposed to send word until later anyways." He shifted, uncomfortable for a moment in time, his mind flashing to the woman who, despite all of his protests, was occupying his every thought. He couldn't have that, not here and not now when there were far more important things, far bigger things for his mind to focus in on. "Has Lily sent word yet?"

"Not yet. Last I heard she and Meg had reached London and were settling in to wait for the right time." Good, at least he had that to work with. "I'm sure she'll let you know if anything's gone wrong. But, knowing Lily, she knows how to take care of herself without our help." Liam cracked a grin, laughing, "Remember when she hexed the Ravenclaw Captain for cheating during a match? I wouldn't ever want to get on her bad side."

James laughed. He trusted his little sister to take care of herself. She and Meg Thomas wouldn't have much trouble, if any, in their part. It was just a matter of not being seen and getting the former Minister out safely. "How's Rosie holding up down there?" For the first time since he came up to the hill, James shot a glance back down to their make-shift camp where so many of them had already gathered. So many of them, willing to possibly give their lives, if only for the chance to escape all of this madness, to squeak past the veil that had fallen over their island and have a chance at seeing another day to fight.

"Worrying, as usual," Liam rolled his eyes, "She didn't sleep a wink last night," There was a hint of worry in his tone as he sighed, running a hand through short, sandy colored hair. "We all know they work, it's just a matter of double and triple checking to make sure none of them, I dunno, explode or anything when you grab onto them. She's smart, my Rosie, but even she can't work this complex magic without it having a little wear and tear on her."

"Yeah, I know," James sighed, shaking his head, "but she's the best for this. She's smarter than the two of us combined." He shot Liam a little smile. "Don't worry so much about her. She'll be fine, she just needs to see the portekys work without anything going awry."

"Yeah."

The men sat there, quiet, taking in the stillness around them. It wouldn't be quiet for long, that much they both knew. James reached down to the ground, fingers clamping around a rock. Despite the fact he knew exactly how it would end, he threw it, watching as the stone flew through the air and, rather than landing in the ocean below, bounced off against an invisible shield. Dark magic, powerful magic, something they hadn't seen before. It suffocated them, closing in around the island, leaving it completely cut off from the rest of the world. Tonight, James hoped, they would find a way to break through, even if it was only for a few minutes. That was all the time they needed.

"James!" His thoughts interrupted, the man stood, turning to see a dark figure racing up the hill to him. It wasn't hard for a brother to recognize kin as Al finally came to a stop, panting, breathless, and frantic. "James, Mona's sent word. They've found us!"

Cold fear clamped down on James' heart as he took in a sharp breath. "And Mona…?" He asked, almost afraid to hear whatever answer Al had to give. They both knew what happened when Yaxley found traitors amongst his people. They both knew Mona Spinks had died for this cause. He glanced from Al to Liam, swallowing hard. "Right lads," He muttered, running a hand over his face, "It looks like we've got to be ready."

Out at sea, James could see the sun fading as night settled in around them. Stars were starting to peek out and lights from the city of Dover could be seen in the distance. War was coming and they seemed to have little time to prepare for it. With shaking hands, James turned back down the camp. "We've got to be ready." He didn't know how he'd do it, or how they could manage having anyone come down upon them here, but James knew his duty.

Be safe, please be safe. Her face flashed in front of his eyes but, with a quiet sigh, James blinked her away from his thoughts as the men hiked back down to the camp as quickly as they could manage in the growing dark, becoming shadows against the land as they slipped into the dark.