Does This Darkness Have a Name?
Does this Darkness have a name?
This credulity,
This hatred?
"Who do these guys think they are?" Seamus complained in the common room the night we had all returned to the prison they now call Hogwarts.
"They know they're Death Eaters, and for now, they run this school." I gritted my teeth, Dean putting a calming hand on my shoulder.
"But we can't keep quiet for much longer, Neville." Pavarti urged painfully, comforting the young first year that had been brutally punished for no reason, just for fun.
"Then we'll start the D.A. up again." All eyes went to the redheaded girl in the corner.
"That's dangerous and reckless though." Lavender disagreed.
"Yeah, and if we thought Umbridge was bad, these guys are bound to be worse." Nigel said.
"But it's all we've got." Ginny said, and sat down next to the girl who threw her arms around her, Ginny murmured some soothing words of comfort and turned to her friend and asked her to get something from her trunk upstairs. Her friend came down with a fresh, unopened box of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans.
Did it steal into our lives,
Or did we seek it out and embrace it?
The times in the Great Hall were not times of fun anymore, and they didn't seem as though they'd get any better. The numbers of students were decreasing fast; muggle-born students we're taken away, some not even let in the castle. The D.A. got as many as they could to safety before the Carrows or anyone else could get to them.
Neville peered over at Draco Malfoy who was sitting superior to everyone else at the Slytherin table. Neville's temper rose as he remembered how last year, he was bragging to the other slimy gits about how he knew the Dark Lord and was a personal favorite.
"He's not worth it, Neville." Ginny sensed what was going on inside Neville's head.
It surprised how well Ginny was taking this year so far. She was usually very calm or didn't speak at all. Neville just assumed it was how she dealt with things…
What happened to us?
"Ginny!" Dean, Neville and Seamus helped Ginny climb numbly through the portrait hole.
"What happened?" Pavarti quickly got a cold wet washcloth and pressed it against her head when they laid her down.
"She mouthed off to the Carrows." Seamus said as Neville knelt beside her.
"Ginny?" Neville asked softly and her eyelids fluttered open. "Hey, Fire." He smiled. "You were a little reckless back there."
"Yeah, I guess I was." Neville examined her body for anything serious.
"What did they do to you?"
"Cruciatus Curse and a few others." She laughed humorously. "They were going to kill me, but they got strict orders from the big guy that 'The redheaded girl lives. She could be a vital piece.'" Ginny smiled, "I know what it means for me Neville."
"You have to vanish." Neville nodded, "If not, they'll use you against him, and he'll do anything for you."
Ginny nodded and her wrist twisted and a fatal scream erupted into the common room coming from the mouth of Ginny.
"Ginny!" Neville shook her, but she continued her fit, and Neville felt helpless to do anything to help her, so he just hugged her as she screamed. "It's going to be alright, Gin, it'll be alright…" He rocked her when the creaming stopped and she sobbed.
Pavarti looked at her wrist to check what was wrong and started bawling as well, Dean scooping her up.
Neville looked at her wrist when she fell asleep in her arms.
Written as a scar were the words:
You're no better than a mud-blood, slut
Ginny just continued to cry that night, soaking his shirt.
Before she drifted to sleep, Ginny thought to herself, "I hope you're alright, I'm doing this for you."
That we now send our children into the world,
Like we send young mean to war
"I hope you're ready for them to die, Remus, because that's what will happen!" Ginny yelled at her former teacher with rage. "They'll die out there! Anyone that young isn't ready!"
"We don't have another option!" Remus replied to his three young officers. "They are our best shot. Any adult wizard is trying to save their family in any way possible."
"We can't send anyone too young out there, they will surely die." Neville said more calmly than Ginny had, making Remus listen more.
"Then we'll make an age limit." Remus wiped his eyes tiredly, "Any student 3rd year and under leaves before the battle starts. Everyone above stays at will."
Ginny nodded, sensing the stress in Remus. She walked over and hugged him. "It'll be alright, Remus. We'll get through this."
Remus smiled down at her. "You remind me so much of an old friend…"
Hoping for their safe return,
But knowing some will be lost along the way
"Help!" Colin carried someone in, this voice breaking. "Neville, Ginny!" he was crying now, "Please help!"
The whole D.A. ran across the Room of Requirement to the body Colin was carrying.
"Move, now!" Ginny pushed past everyone to see a very limp frame of Nigel in Colin's arms, covered in a dark red liquid Ginny refused to believe was blood.
Tears spewing in her eyes, she knelt beside him and grabbed his hand. "Hey, buddy." She smiled.
"Hey yourself." He laughed. Even in certain death, Nigel would find a way to lighten the mood. Ginny had watched this boy grow up like a little brother. From a nervous 2nd year, to this confident 5th year. It shouldn't end like this for him.
"Just wait until later-" Ginny said stupidly, knowing it was useless.
"Ginny, don't be stupid. There isn't going to be a later for me." Nigel smiled weakly. "This is it for me."
Ginny nodded and kissed his hand like his sister she had come to be. "I'll miss you, little brother."
Nigel nodded in agreement, "I'll miss you too, sis…"
And there, before her eyes, see seen her first death, and it hit her hard.
When did we lose our way?
"This is becoming more and more difficult each day, you guys!" Lavender complained.
"I know, but we have to stand ground for Harry-" Neville said, but Dean was fast to interrupt.
"Harry's gone, probably dead along with Ron and Hermione." Dean spat. "The cowards-"
"Call them anything but that, Dean." Ginny's voice was laced with venom as she chewed Dean out. "They are many things, but cowards are not one of them, and you damn well know it." The D.A. had gone silent. "And even if the 3 of them were gone, why would stop fighting? We aren't just fighting for Harry or the 3 of them or even us, we're fighting for everyone. For the memory people who have died through this war before us, and the people that will be born after us, our children if you will." Ginny's expression was emotionless, for this might have been something she's wanted to say for months, "This is bigger than that. This is our freedom."
Consumed by the shadows,
Swallowed whole by the darkness
"Fred!" Percy shook this body endlessly, causing Fred Weasley to be rather confused. "No, no, no!"
"Percy!" Fred screamed beside his broken brother at the top of his lungs for the 4th time. "I'm right here!" he turned to Hermione, "Hey! Bookworm!" He snapped his fingers in her face, but she didn't even notice. She too, was crying endlessly like a baby.
Fred decided he;d find out why no one was listening to him if he found out what was bothering them, so he stood in front of Percy and looked down and his breathe got clogged in his wind pipe.
No one was even listening because, he Fred Weasley, was dead. His very last laugh still etched on his forever young face…
"George…" Fred looked up at his twin, and for the first time, he was heartbroken. If spirits could cry, Fred was doing that, but he swore that his soul was doing more than just that.
He swore his soul was dying…
Does this darkness have a name?
Is it your name?