Professor McGonagall gently closed the door to the small tower, the Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance now safely tucked into an inner pocket of her robes. She and Snape walked silently down the corridor back to the Headmaster's office, the castle's stone walls casting long shadows in the twilight.
"We can't expect the Death Eaters to make mistakes; we need to act quickly—" Snape's words were abruptly cut short by a flash of silver light piercing through a window at the end of the corridor. He quickly looked up, wand already in hand, only to see a silver cheetah sprinting towards them.
"Alastor's Patronus," Professor McGonagall whispered, her brow furrowed. The elegant, shimmering cheetah gracefully landed before them. The Patronus opened its mouth wide, and Alastor Moody's hoarse, gravelly, and urgent voice boomed through the corridor: "Scottish Highlands, Glencoe Valley! Death Eaters attacking! Dumbledore needs to send immediate support! We can't hold out much longer!"
"What?" Professor McGonagall gasped, her face instantly paling. She instinctively glanced towards the Headmaster's office, where the real, weakened Dumbledore lay.
"I'm sorry, Alastor," Professor McGonagall turned to the Patronus, her voice trembling. "You'll have to find a way yourself. Albus is unconscious—" She didn't finish the sentence.
The Patronus was silent for a second, its silver light flickering slightly, and a hint of human-like gravity flickered in its magically formed eyes. "I'll do my best," it replied succinctly, then turned and sped away, leaving only a few silver motes gently drifting down.
Professor McGonagall turned to Snape, her fingers tightly gripping her wand. "We need to be faster," she said urgently, with an unprecedented sense of pressing need in her voice. "I'll move Albus to the ship's cabin immediately afterward."
Snape nodded, then parted ways with Professor McGonagall and found Pandora and Lily, who were organizing potion ingredients in the Room of Requirement.
"Hogwarts might be taken over by Death Eaters very soon," Snape said, with a helpless grimace, getting straight to the point. "We're planning to organize the Muggle-born students to evacuate Hogwarts."
"What happened? Why only Muggle-born students?" Pandora straightened up, asking, "Isn't Hogwarts the safest place?"
"Are you serious, Severus?" Lily also looked at him gravely. "Professor Dumbledore—"
"That's Professor McGonagall disguised as him," Snape interrupted Lily, seeing expressions of disbelief appear on both girls' faces. "No time to explain. We need to do this as quickly as possible."
Lily took a deep breath and nodded. "What do you need us to do?"
"Find all the Muggle-born students," Snape said. "Tell them there's a special travel plan for them from the school, and it might depart at any time, so they should pack their bags. Don't reveal too much, to avoid causing panic."
"Is it just the two of us doing this, or?" Pandora asked, already starting to gather the scattered potion ingredients.
"Hmm," Snape thought for a moment and then said, "You should tell Barty and Abbott too; they're better at this sort of thing." At this moment, he chose to trust young Barty, as he had personally witnessed the changes in him over the past days. There was no reason not to trust him anymore.
"Myrtle," he then looked up at the ghost hanging from the chandelier, "don't stay here these next few days. Come with me."
"Alright," Myrtle floated down from the chandelier lightly, saying cheerfully, "Are we moving again?"
---
### Preparations for Departure
Over the next few dozen hours, the professors raced against time to complete the final repairs on the Founders' Ship, while most students remained oblivious, continuing with their daily lessons.
Professor Slughorn was sweating profusely, adjusting the potion laboratory inside the ship's cabin. Professor Sprout directed house-elves to carefully carry various potted plants, like Mandrakes, onto the ship. Professor Flitwick stood on scaffolding at the stern of the ship, his wand tracing intricate patterns in the air, continuing to repair complex protective runes. His small face was etched with concentration, occasionally pausing to wipe sweat from his forehead. "Reinforce it one more layer! We must ensure it's absolutely foolproof!"
Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, shuttled between the campus and the dock, maintaining the illusion of a healthy Dumbledore while coordinating all the preparation work. Dark shadows had appeared under her eyes, but her back remained perfectly straight.
On the morning of the third day, as the first rays of sunlight just touched the spires of Hogwarts, Hagrid's huge figure stumbled into the Great Hall. Frost still clung to his beard, and his rough coat was torn in several places.
"Professors!" he panted, rushing towards the staff table, his voice so loud that the entire Hall fell silent. "There are some strangers outside the school! I fought one of them!"
The Great Hall instantly grew quiet, all student eyes fixed on "Professor Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore" solemnly rose, his blue eyes calmly sweeping across all the House tables.
"Everyone, continue with your meal," Professor McGonagall said gently in Dumbledore's voice, though Snape could already hear the tension in it. "Horace, please keep an eye on the students here."
"Come with me, Rubeus," she walked quickly towards Hagrid, while also giving Snape a meaningful glance.
Snape immediately understood, subtly signaling for his friends to follow him.
Once out of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall reverted to her original stern tone: "Details, tell me."
Hagrid was startled by her voice but had no time to ponder, quickly gesturing with his large hands: "I saw three Death Eaters, wearing masks, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. One of them spotted me, and we had a skirmish—with fists, not wands."
Noticing Snape and the others arriving, Hagrid stopped speaking.
"Just say it," "Dumbledore" commanded Hagrid upon seeing them, his tone already showing a touch of McGonagall's impatience.
"Alright," Hagrid lowered his voice. "At least six Death Eaters are lurking at the edge of the Forbidden Forest; they seem to be probing for something. I drove one away, but the others... they seem to be waiting for some command."
"And, they mentioned—Professor Dumbledore," he looked uneasily at "Dumbledore" himself. "They said something like, 'Tell that old man to come out quickly, or we're coming in!'"
Snape and Professor McGonagall exchanged a wary glance; both realized the gravity of the situation.
"They're suspicious," Snape murmured.
"Severus," Professor McGonagall decided instantly, "gather all the Muggle-born students immediately." She looked at young Barty and the others. "You go help him. Hagrid, come with me, we need to raise the defenses."
---
### The Evacuation Begins
Upon receiving the orders, Snape and his friends quickly returned to the Great Hall and relayed the instructions to several other Muggle-born senior students. The news spread like wildfire among the specific group, while other students watched their abruptly departing classmates in confusion.
Hogwarts descended into a noisy emergency evacuation. Muggle-born students were found one by one, led with bewilderment to the hidden dock beneath the castle.
"Special trip? Now?" Ed Smith asked, puzzled. "We still have Charms class."
"Professor Dumbledore has approved it," Pandora reassured him, her light hair disheveled from the haste. "It's a surprise activity; just come with me."
They ran through every corner of the castle: dormitories, the library, bathrooms, greenhouses, even the Astronomy Tower. Even Myrtle was helping, her translucent body drifting through walls, calling out to the unsuspecting students.
Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall and other teachers activated Hogwarts' ancient protective magic. A translucent golden shield slowly rose, enveloping the entire castle and grounds. This action seemed to confirm the Death Eaters' suspicions—if Dumbledore were unharmed, Hogwarts would never adopt such a defensive stance.
Flashes of various spells began to appear at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, as the Death Eaters continuously tested the shield's strength.
"The more they do this," young Barty ran up to Snape and whispered, "the more certain they'll be that something has happened to Professor Dumbledore."
"As long as it buys us some time," Snape nodded gravely.
---
### All Aboard
By the time fifty-three Muggle-born students were finally gathered at the secret dock, it was already midday. The Founders' Ship lay quietly on the dark blue water. Professor Flitwick, Hagrid (holding Fang's leash), and Filch (cradling Mrs. Norris) were at the ship's edge, directing students to board in an orderly fashion.
At this point, the Death Eaters' attacks grew more brazen. Students trembled uneasily as they boarded, amidst the sounds of spells echoing in the distance.
"Everyone's here," Snape said to Professor McGonagall, who had just arrived. His eyes swept over the crowd: Pandora, Lily, Abbott, young Barty, and Eileen—all familiar faces were there. Eileen nodded slightly at him, then hurried with the arriving Professor Sprout to the ship's greenhouse, taking over subsequent tasks.
Professor McGonagall had by now reverted to her original appearance. She took the list from Snape's hand, frowned, and said, "No, there's still one." With that, she turned and hurried away.
That's not right, Snape thought, everyone should be here. Who could have been missed?
However, some people didn't necessarily need to leave with them. "This is bound to be a difficult journey," he said softly to his friends. "For those of you who aren't Muggle-born, this isn't mandatory."
Before he could finish, Pandora stepped forward and gave him a look. "Don't be silly, Severus, you talk as if you're Muggle-born yourself." Snape gently clasped her hand, feeling the warmth of her fingertips.
"What are you up to, trying to abandon me?" Abbott clapped him on the shoulder. "I haven't even had the chance to hang you upside down yet."
"Anytime," he said.
"Why are you looking at me?" Young Barty stared at him in confusion. "If what you say is true, and Death Eaters will seize power, doesn't that mean we'll be wanted by the Ministry of Magic?" A brilliant smile curled on his lips. "Imagine how thrilled my dear father would be if I became a wanted criminal by the Ministry."
---
### Unexpected Passengers
Despite the critical situation, Snape couldn't help but let a small smile touch his lips: How is it that young Barty is still heading down his "original path"? Looking at the familiar faces before him, he nodded.
Not long after, Professor McGonagall returned. However, the four people following her made Snape freeze for a moment: James, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
"They're not Muggle-born, are they, Professor?" he said, blocking the boarding ramp. His friends stood beside him.
"Peter is Muggle-born," Professor McGonagall said wearily. "Let him go, Severus."
Snape looked at Wormtail in disbelief. Although Pettigrew's surname didn't suggest pure-blood status, he had always assumed this timid boy was at least a half-blood. After all, in the original timeline, he even became a Death Eater.
"I don't trust him," Snape said coldly, not moving. "Even if he's Muggle-born, I don't want him on this ship."
A deafening explosion echoed from a distance, the protective shield rippling as it was struck by a blinding green light. Time was running out.
"We can't leave him at Hogwarts, Severus," Professor McGonagall looked at Snape sternly. "Why don't you trust him?"
Snape was momentarily speechless; he couldn't very well use future events to convince Professor McGonagall. He stared at Wormtail, who was hiding fearfully behind Sirius, craning his neck and peeking out, his small eyes darting around. Another loud thud of a spell hitting the shield reminded him that this was no time for an argument.
Snape stepped aside, calmly telling Wormtail, "I'll be watching you, Wormtail. You'd best not do anything untoward."
"I won't, I swear!" Peter cringed, nodding frantically, and scrambled onto the ship.
But Sirius and the others followed him, preparing to board.
"Wait," Snape again held out a hand to stop them. "The three of you aren't Muggle-born, are you?"
"We're staying with our friend," Sirius stopped James, telling Snape, "Just like your friends. No matter our blood status."
"Friends, are they?" Snape said softly, stepping away from the boarding ramp. "Sirius, I hope you don't make another mistake this time." Sirius gave him a strange look, then boarded the deck with his friends.
---
### Into the Unknown
After everyone had boarded, Professor Sprout emerged from the greenhouse and quickly disembarked. Professor Flitwick activated the ancient magic, and the Founders' Ship slowly pulled away from the dock, Professor Sprout waving tirelessly from the shore.
The ship emerged from the ivy's concealment and appeared on the Black Lake. The Death Eaters ceased their attack, silently watching it.
The large ship let out a long, mournful sound. The surface of the water in the center of the Black Lake suddenly became turbulent, churning with huge splashes, waves crashing against the damp shore—and then, right in the center of the lake, a massive whirlpool appeared, as if a gigantic stopper had suddenly been pulled from the lakebed.
Amidst the Death Eaters' cries of alarm, the Founders' Ship plunged down, vanishing beneath the surging Black Lake. The waves closed behind the ship, and Snape stood on the deck, looking through the magical shield as the place he had lived for seven years disappeared into the churning waters.
His friends quietly stood by his side. All of them gazed silently in the same direction. Merpeople swam around them, singing ancient farewell songs.
"Hogwarts has never been this castle," Professor McGonagall repeated loudly, but this time, it sounded more like she was trying to convince those around her.
"We will definitely return," Snape said to Professor McGonagall, gazing into the deepening darkness.
The ship carried them, sailing into unknown waters.
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