Mischievous-A Marauders Fanfic

20-The Time Is Soon

When Sephy arrived down in the library, everyone was at action stations already, planning.

"We know they'll be coming in this weekend sometime" Sirius was saying.

"Imagine" Halley corrected him, as she read through the article Dumbledore had given her once more. "The nest was ransacked this week. And they'll want to make sure that their in-school comrades have time to get organised. So it will be tonight or tomorrow."

"She's right" Peter chipped in.

Sephy flashed James the envelope as she came to the table, and drummed her fingers nervously.

"So, if we rotate watches on the Owlery?" Remus suggested, looking out of the window. "In Animagus form?"

"What about the Lethifold?" Halley pointed out flatly.

"We'll be OK" Sephy told her. "I think you scared him off."

Halley smiled dryly at her.

"What happens if we see them?" Samantha asked. "We've no way of alerting the rest of us."

"Keep watch in pairs, then" Remus decided aloud. "And then when they come, send for the rest of us."

"Through the night?" James queried.

"If we have to" Remus replied. "We'll camp out at the end of the covered bridge. We'll have to be under the Cloak, though."

"That's a bit cramped" Sephy complained. "I'd rather not be cramped up with any of this lot."

"Nahhh..." James smirked. "You'd rather be with..."

Sephy leapt on him before he could finish that sentence, and pummelled him to the floor.

"Oi!" James laughed, picking Sephy up and depositing her on a table. "I was just saying! No need to try and kill me."

Sephy glared at him, and flounced off in a sulk. Remus rolled his eyes at then both and turned back to the rest of the group.

"James, go get your cloak. Sammie and I will take some revision and go take first watch."

He looked directly at Samantha as he spoke, and the girl's insides did a flip-flop. She sensed that this was going to be a continuation of the last proper conversation they'd had, up in the boys' dorm.

"Sirius and I will come take over just before tea" Halley offered. "Someone bring us something."

"I will" Peter offered. Halley smiled at him.

As the group disbanded, James running up to the common room for his cloak, Samantha and Remus walking down to the Owlery, and Peter, Sirius and Halley taking some revision work and the newspaper to a quieter corner of the library to do some revision, Sephy sat an aisle away and sulked. She didn't like being ignored.

As Sephy reasoned with herself and jumped off the desk, going to do some revision with Sirius, Peter and Halley, she heard running feet enter the library. A second later, she bumped into Nash, who looked like he had been running.

"Sorry, Sephy" he apologized, looking to take her by the shoulders but changing his mind halfway and shoving his hands in his back pockets instead. "I was in Hogsmeade. I just heard-they made us all come back. A Lethifold, Sephy. It's crazy. Are you alright? And the boy who got attacked as well, obviously..."

He trailed off, looking so strongly at her again. Somehow Sephy found some sort of inner strength herself.

"I didn't go near it" she admitted, leaning against the bookshelf next to her. "Halley did. She got her Patronus out and rescued that Hufflepuff boy. Sammie and I just shot sparks at it. Told it to clear off..." She smiled loosely, trying to shake off the nerves.