Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared, shattering the warmth of the joyful gathering.
"Holy cow, are you a jinx? They're actually here!" Alan knew something was wrong the moment the high-pitched wail filled the room.
The adults reacted with practiced speed, clearly having prepared for this exact scenario. Wands were drawn in a blur of motion. James took charge immediately. "Stick to the plan! Lily, Alice, Augusta—get to the basement and stay on guard. Protect the children. The rest of us will head outside to intercept them. Frank, get word to Dumbledore and the Aurors."
James had barely finished speaking when a heavy boom echoed from the front of the house. The exterior defensive wards had been triggered, signaling that the Death Eaters had launched their opening assault on the cottage.
Frank Longbottom brandished his wand, and a silvery-white ferret burst from the tip. He whispered a few urgent words to the creature, which chattered once before darting through the solid wall and vanishing into the night.
Is that a Patronus? Can they really be used for messaging? Even in the heat of the moment, Alan's academic curiosity flickered.
The men moved as one, rushing through the door and into the garden. Through the frost-covered windows, Alan could see the night sky lighting up with the chaotic flashes of red, yellow, and green spells.
Lily moved quickly, handing Harry to Alan. "Follow me. Now."
Alan knew better than to argue. He held the boy securely and followed Lily as she led the group into the basement. They entered a room that looked like a standard storage cellar, packed with shelves of household supplies and old trunks. Lily stepped toward a seemingly ordinary brick wall and tapped a specific sequence with her wand. Alan felt a pulse of heavy, dense magic ripple outward from the point of contact, spreading across the stones.
"This is a fortified safe room," Lily explained, her voice remarkably steady. "Once the secondary wards are active, it's nearly impossible to breach from the outside. Reinforcements should be here soon, so try to stay calm."
Alan shifted Harry's weight, feeling a small measure of relief. Augusta, who was holding a quiet Neville, remained remarkably composed. She looked at Alan and said, "Don't worry, lad. We've been waiting for them. This time, we'll make sure these cowards regret coming here."
So they truly were prepared. Alan had been bracing for a desperate last stand, but seeing Lily's methodical preparation, he realized the Order hadn't been caught off guard. He let out a long, slow breath.
They waited in the silence of the cellar, though the muffled sounds of the battle above still reached them: the sharp cracks of Apparition, the boom of exploding charms, and the sizzle of colliding magic.
"I'd love to see the looks on their faces when they realize they've walked into a trap," Augusta said with a dry chuckle. The fact that she was still joking indicated just how much faith she had in their defenses.
But then, the atmosphere shifted. A distinct rustling sound came from the corridor just outside the basement door. The women tensed, their wands raised. They exchanged nervous glances. Had the battle upstairs ended so quickly? Were their defenders still standing?
The answer came in the form of a violent tremor. A series of powerful spells slammed into the door, sending ripples of blue light across the reinforced wood. The protective magic was under direct attack.
"What's happening? Did James and Frank fail to hold them?" Alice Longbottom asked, her voice tight with anxiety. "Where are the reinforcements? Has Voldemort come himself?"
Augusta remained a pillar of strength. Holding Neville with one arm and her wand with the other, she said firmly, "Stay focused, Alice. We don't know the situation outside, and speculation won't help us. We must not panic."
A shadow of gravity crossed Lily's face, but she nodded. "I don't know how they broke through the upper wards, but we have to rely on ourselves now. Stay calm. We wait for them to blink, then we strike back."
Alan nodded, but his eyes were fixed on the door, which was beginning to groan under the onslaught. He didn't know how long the safe room would hold. He began flicking his wand, levitating heavy trunks and crates to form a barricade. "We need cover. If the door goes, we don't want to be standing in the open. We fire from behind the line."
The women saw the logic and immediately used their own magic to help pile the furniture. In moments, they had constructed a waist-high, semi-circular barrier facing the entrance.
Alan took command of the room's layout. "Lily, your defensive charms are the most stable—you take point on protection. Alice, Augusta, you two focus on offensive spells. I'll provide cover fire and disrupt their movements."
The others agreed without hesitation. Even though Alan was the youngest, his calm, tactical instructions provided the anchor they needed. They took their positions: Lily and Alice in the center, while Alan and Augusta stood further back on the flanks, holding the children.
"They're concentrating their fire on a single point," Alan observed, watching the magical fractures on the door. "When the door blows, I'm going to use the debris to block their line of sight. That's your window. Hit them hard and fast. Don't give them a second to breathe."
The three women nodded. The jagged gaps in the defensive magic were growing wider. Finally, with a thunderous blast, the door was torn from its hinges and went flying violently into the room.