Put Your Curse In Reverse [Part 2]

Chapter 9 - Prejudice

"Do you remember who can produce a corporeal Patronus and who can't? Out of my students?" he asked her. He'd spoken at length to her about his students' progress. Every night before bed he bragged about who had mastered it, who had made progress, and who'd actually had the confidence to try the spell for the first time. He could only hope she'd been listening as intently as he felt she had been. After a confused moment of hesitation, Ginny nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. Why?"

He dropped his hand from her arm. "Grab as many as you can. I'll grab as many as I can remember, too. Meet me back outside the Great Hall doors."

"What?! Harry, McGonagall and Hermione specifically said the children aren't to—"

"We don't have another choice!" Harry yelled. It'd been louder than he intended. The groups of students around them fell silent. Harry saw James making his way towards them from the corner of his eye; his heart lurched, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and refocus his thoughts. "They're overtaking us. I need you to trust me and have my back no matter what Hermione or McGonagall say. My students—they're good. They're capable. Many of them can do this, they can help. Just a few more able-bodied wizards and witches and we can chase them far enough to give us time before the next Aurors arrive."

James reached them. Harry turned to him immediately.

"James, get all your Sevens members who can produce Patronuses."

"Did Nora—"

"No. She and Ben are still out there. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But I need you—no, James, listen, don't do that, don't shut down," Harry reached forward and grabbed James's shoulders. He gently shook him, because James was on brink of panic, his face paler than Harry had ever seen and his eyes wide with horror. "You have to help now or more people are going to die. Do you understand me?"

He'd known all along that his eldest child was strong, but watching him in that moment, as he slowly straightened his posture, rubbed the tears from his eyes, and grasped his wand, Harry felt another wave of pride and affection.

"Get your members who can do a Patronus. Meet Mum and me at the doors."

Harry took off in a sprint around the Great Hall, his eyes scanning for any student who'd even once produced a Patronus. His daughter matched his stride. Harry's heart sank.

"No," he told her, before she could even ask.

"Yes!" she countered hotly. "I can do a brilliant Patronus! I'm extremely powerful!"

"You're thirteen!"

"Who cares?! I'm helping! You can't stop me! You'll be too busy to keep an eye on me—I'll just sneak out anyway!"

He stopped walking abruptly. Lily crashed into his back. Harry turned around, reached down, and grasped her arms. He met her brown eyes seriously. As much as he wanted to yell at her, to make her sit guarded in the Great Hall until it was safe...he knew he couldn't. You have to breathe with them. She would only rebel harder if he tried to keep her in here. She'd end up putting herself at more risk. So Harry went against everything his brain and heart was telling him—and nodded.

"But Lily, you must stay behind me at all times. At all times! Understand?"

She nodded immediately. "Yes! Yes! Thank you, Dad! Thanks!"

As if he'd given her an amazing gift instead of permission to put her life at risk. Harry spared her a brief look of incredulous disbelief and then continued on, grabbing hands and tapping shoulders, until he'd amassed a group of ten students who could produce decent Patronuses. The only students missing were Albus and Scorpius, but Harry purposefully avoided them. Albus was still too weak and Draco would surely lose his mind if Scorpius joined.