Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Crossover ❯ Amanda Hooch ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 10

Amanda Hooch had always considered herself to be a calm and collected person. Yes, she liked pranks and jokes, but she had always been able to keep an underlying cool that usually got her out of tight situations.

This was, thus, the reason why the sudden panic that seized her came as a complete shock to her. An unwelcomed one.

She could see Severus peek out the window, and the foul cursing that issued forth told her that her fears were indeed truth: the Deatheaters were attacking the Hogwarts Express.

She closed her eyes and gathered her scattered wits and her courage and moved to join the man at the door.

-"What do we do?"

He sent her an unreadable look.

-"If they are attacking this close to Hogwarts, it means they will come down on us hard. We won't be able to save all the children."

-"The seventh years should be able, and willing, to help. The sixth years, too."

He considered that.

-"Lets try to get as many of the children as we can into the last compartments and-"

Screams came from the front of the train.

-"The barriers around the front compartment are gone. Listen to me, Amanda. Get everyone you can find into the last compartments. Set the seventh years in charge and come back. I'll try to stop them here, and to help whomever is still alive at the front. Now, go."

She went.

The door opened silently and they both made their way into the corridor; she turned right, he turned left.

Everything around her was darkness, as she crept towards the next compartment. The fact that she had to do so while avoiding being seen through the windows didn't help her nerves. The no-light policy included wasn't helpful either. And lets not talk about the fact that she kept ramming into every single object that was in her way.

She finally reached the door next to hers and gently eased it open… and promptly ducked to avoid being hit by a curse.

-"Jesus! Children, it's me!!"

Hushed voices could be heard, and at last George Weasley appeared from within the shadows.

-"My apologies, Ma'am."

Amanda's eyebrows hit the roof. A Weasley twin being polite? For a second he began to fear he had flipped, until she took a real good look at his expression. A time for the books: a Weasley twin actually behaving like the young man he was supposed to be.

Fred seemed to materialize beside his brother. Following in his heels appeared Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Lee, and two kids that looked like first years.

OK, so she had managed to get most of the seventh year Gryffindors in the first try(-"More like eight years."-muttered a little voice in the back of her head). Now all she had to do was get them moving.

-"I'm going to need your help. The barriers around the first car are gone. We need to get everyone to the rear of the train and reinforce the defenses. All of you seventh years will be in charge. Now, lets go."

They all hesitated for a second, until Lee moved towards the door. The others followed, grim-faced, while Angelina grabbed the first years by the hand.

-"Any idea where the other seventh years might be?"

-The Slytherins should be close by, they were pestering us earlier."

Alicia scowled as she mentioned that last, obviously not happy.

-"Lets go."

They all went into the corridor, crouching low so as not to be seen. The next compartment held several (younger) Hufflepuffs. They were frightened, but obedient and immediately joined their little exodus. The eldest Slytherins and Ravenclaws were found a few compartments away, along with several younger children from different houses.

The seventh year Hufflepuffs and several first years had been in the first compartments. There hadn't been screams for a little while.

Her group had already reached the middle of the train and, thus, grown considerably. Even if they were all moving as quietly as they could, the soft sounds of so many people in movement would sooner or later be noticed.

-"Pst, Angelina!"

The dark skinned girl turned towards her.

-"We'll never finish this way. I want you and every other seventh year to take positions every few steps, all the way to the back. I'll stay here, sending you groups of children."

The girl nodded, released the first years she had been guiding, and went in search of her yearmates.

Half a minute later, and the first groups were already on the move. She sent them as close as she dared, and the proceeded to send whomever she could find in the compartments.

Just as she began congratulating herself, the screaming began. Her mind immediately knew what had happened, and her heart seemed to freeze in her chest.

The barriers at the rear of the train had just been breached.