THIS STORY IS BEING EDITED AND IMPROVED.
All right, so this takes place about 10 years or so after the second gen graduated from Hogwarts. This follows the books - obviously- but assumes that almost everything written in the Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness took place (DAYD is an amazing story written by Thanfiction...it is not nessassary to have read it, but it helps).
In my story, Voldemort is gone, but something very bad is happening: the Ministry, led by a man named Jolon Kiernan, are becoming...well, evil. It's like the Death Eaters are ruling again, but not quite a severe, pretty much.
Please give it a chance...i think it is very good, and i have half of it already written, all i need is a review and it's updated :)
Okay, i'll shut up now.
Enjoy!
(By the way, i don't own anything...litterally. But i use a Marauders Map as a blanket!;)
CHAPTER 1
"…We are also adding a place for younger students who are proven to be of magical blood. All children from age 5 and up will be admitted, and we will have specialized classes for them. The dormitories will, of course, be expanded, but the biggest change we are instigating this year is the removal of the sixth and seventh years from the main building of Hogwarts."
There were gasps through the audience at this, and Zowii and I exchanged grim looks.
Jolon Kiernan smiled, his voice ringing through the otherwise silent room. "We feel that they will be able to concentrate more away from the rest of the school, and therefore able to study for their exams and such much easier."
"Excuse me," said a man in the front of the audience, raising his hand, "I just want to make sure I'm clear on this: you're taking the younger kids to brain wash them easier, and taking the older kids away because they're too much of a threat. Right?"
There were several gasps at the boldness of this man, and even more sneers and jeers from people who were what the new administration called "loyal", but the new headmaster of Hogwarts simply smiled.
"Thank you sir, you will be a perfect example of how discipline of children at Hogwarts will now work, and how we take care of those who speak out against the ministry." He smiled widely, and both of us realized what was about to happen. We both reached into the seats in front of us where two children sat with their parents, and clasped our hands over their eyes and ears.
"Jahnette?" the man said silkily, and an older woman with short white-blond hair who stood at his right smiled.
"Crucio," she said, almost sweetly, and the man – who appeared to have expected this – fell to the floor twitching. I gave him credit for not making a sound, and Zowii and I released the two children. Their mother and father, who had been trying to yank our hands off seconds ago, gave us thankful looks.
I knew the man, of course. He was like an uncle to me. His name was Neville Longbottom.
The faces in the audience were a mixture of appalled, terrified, and angry, but on the other side – the pro-ministry side – people had the resigned look of a people watching a person who was very badly behaved receive a punishment. Resigned but pleased. Some looked smug, yet others were downright grinning.
What had the world come too? I thought, shaking my head.
That's for sure. Zowii agreed.
"Of course we wouldn't dream of using that particular spell on the children for anything other than the most severe infractions," said Jahnette Crippin, in a voice that reminded me of the stories I'd heard about Delores Umbridge. From what I'd heard, Jahnette made Delores look like a nurturing mother.
Kiernan clapped his hands together jovially, saying, "Well, I believe that's it! We'll see you all on September first." He gave a menacing wink, and with a loud scrape, half the room fled as fast as they could, all of them going home to talk about this horror behind closed doors, the only place that was even slightly safe now.
I grabbed Zowii's hand, and reached over for Nessie's as well. We left out of the first door we saw, and starting walking.
"We have to do it, Zoe." I said finally. "They were right; it's up to us now. We have to protect the little ones, and ourselves. We have to be ready for this."
My hand tightened on my little sister's as I said this. Nessie had just turned five, and would be going to Hogwarts this year with us. On normal circumstances, I would have been very excited, especially given the anti-homesick potions they were providing this year for the younger ones. I was very close to Nessie – she and Zowii were my best friends. Now that Hogwarts would be like this, however…
Zowii sighed. "I was thinking so too," she lowered her voice as we passed some so-called-loyalists, only speaking aloud for the benefit of Nessie, "Tonight?" she asked.
"Yes. Where do you think we should…?"
"I don't know…" Zowii frowned, pushing a dreadlock out of her eyes. "Diagon Alley?"
"No." all three of us agreed at the same time.
"What about the Burrow?" asked Nessie. Though only five, she was exceedingly smart and also very beautiful. She was as white as could be – though she was outside all the time – and had perfect skin, with rosy cheeks. We made an interesting trio, especially given that Zowii and I can read each others minds, and that we treat Nessie as an equal – which she is, mentally at least.
"No, not the Burrow," I said finally. "We don't want them to get in trouble."
"I know!" cried Zowii as we rounded a corner. Several muggles stared at us suspiciously. "We'll use the attic at the Rusty Hag!" she declared, referring to the wide fourth floor of the inn the Nessie and I's mother owned, where we lived when we weren't at Hogwarts.
I grinned. "Perfect, as always Zoe." I said.
Stepping casually into a deserted alley, we turned in a fast circle and were home in seconds.
The apparition rule was disbanded when the ministry fell (for the second time in less than half a century) as were the underage magic rules. Now they didn't care what you did in front of muggles as long as you "didn't hurt them". As was their front, at least. Honestly, you could pretty much do whatever you wanted, as long as it wasn't nice.
It was much darker in the countryside where the Rusty Hag was located than in the streets of the muggle world. Them and their electricity…
You could see all the stars here. The only lights came from the Hag and the few houses near it. It's beautiful here.
It only took us a few minutes to reach the house, and mom was waiting when we got there; she hadn't been able to go with us to the "orientation" because we had guests.
Seeing the grim looks on our faces, she paled slightly. "Is it that bad?" she asked. We nodded.
"They Cruciated Uncle Neville for asking a question. Right there, in front of everyone."
She put her face in her hands.
"We're calling them." I said. She nodded, expecting this.
"I never thought I'd see a second generation of kids branded for war." She said. "And you're even younger than they were! Goodness, Nessie's just five!" she was on the verge of tears, but we all new that it was better to include the little ones who could and would join. Nessie was a wizard child prodigy; we needed her.
I pulled out the coin that Aunt Hermione had given me, which we had multiplied and given to our friends.
I tapped my wand on it; it glowed slightly, and a message appeared around the edges.
It.s time. Mt at rsty hag now. Atic.
I knew that across the country, twenty fake coins we heating up in pockets.
CRACK
CRACK
"Wow, they're fast." Zowii said, and we raced upstairs.
Kids were appearing every few feet when we got to the attic.
I yanked my wand out of my sleeve, casting several silencing charms all over, then surveying the troops.
About half were in pajamas; Oakleigh was wearing only a towel, shampoo in her hair, her little sister in a dressing gown beside her, and Pyper and Rowen were holding toothbrushes.
"What took you guys so long?" I asked sarcastically, grinning.
"This is war, and you need to be prepared in war." Said Lexi Caldwater, who was only eight. Her sister, Pyper, nodded.
"That's what this means isn't it?" asked Rowen, a large girl with dark brown hair and white-blue eyes. "They've really taken over, and we have to prepare for whatever happens."
They all looked at me. I nodded, not able to believe I was actually doing this.
Several people swayed and were forced to sit. Most had a look of resigned determination and defiance in their eyes, and several looked as though this came as no surprise, but was nevertheless very worrying.
"We need to elect a General, then." StatedZaireSmith, 13. Several people stared at him in confusion. "You know, like a Commander. That's what you do in war."
Etienne, who was our age, nodded in agreement. "We do."
Anuja –Zaire's twin – frowned. "But I thought it was obvious who our leader was," she said.
Sirius (also our age) rolled his eyes. "Of course it is, but we need a formal vote."
I looked at Zowii in confusion, but before I could say anything, Shirley (Sirius's twin sister; their parents thought they were hilarious) called, "All right, who votes for Ruari?" I almost gasped. Surly Shirley (no pun intended) wasn't talking about me? There must be another Ruari I didn't know about…
To my surprise, all hands went up but four. The tiny hands of Nessie, Lexi, Symphanie, and Jentry mixed with the much larger hands of Sirius, Rowen, and Emmett.
The ones who didn't raise their hands surprised me even more than the fact that they wanted me to be the leader.
Sakys Davies, Charitie Weasley, and Alice Antioch, my cousins, and sweet, loyal, Hufflepuff Wyl Wylleeams.
Everyone stared at the four of them; several people – Nessie and Zowii in particular – were flat out glaring.
They all blushed.
"We…we just don't think that a fifteen year old can lead an army," explainedAlice, looking very guilty.
"But you're fifteen too!" cried Shirley.
"Yeah, and we don't think we can do it either," said Charitie, her mocha skin flushed noticeably.
"Are you backing out then?" demanded Rowen furiously.
"Wait a minute, just hold on!" I said, finally regaining my speech. "I'm not going to be the leader!"
"You see?" said Sakys, but Sirius cut him off with a glare.
"I believe that the first sign of a good leader is denying that they are a good leader." Said Luna Autry, a Ravenclaw girl who was going into her forth year.
"Yeah," agreed Zowii, "I mean, Neville and Harry did the same thing."
Damn.
"But-"
"Talk some sense into your friend, Zowii," Sabrina Gille said – or Sabs, as she prefered.
You are a great leader, and you know it.
Well…maybe I'm okay, but that doesn't –
Who called this meeting? Who made top marks in Defense every year? Who could cast a patronus in first year?
But lots of people did that-
But not the first time. C'mon Ruari, you apparated at the age of thirteen to stop me from-
Okay, Zoe, I get it…do you think they really want me too?
Yep. And even the others will come around. Hey, what if I was your second? Then you wouldn't have to make all the decisions by yourself.
I never thought you would be anything else.
I could feel her smile.
Okay, but what do we do about ranks? We have to have ranks…
I'm thinking Commander for you, Lieutenant for me, then Colonel for each house rep, Major for their seconds, and Private for the rest.
We are so stealing Neville's stuff.
I doubt that he'd mind.
I sighed aloud as we both opened our eyes. Zowii gave them a not-so-discreet thumbs up, and all but four cheered.
"All right, all right, you guys!" Zowii finally cried, waving her arms in the air. "First things first: we need to pick a rep from each house, and they will pick their second from their house."
We shared a look, a thought, then I said, "Sirius, will you be the Gryffindor first?"
He grinned, "Well if it's what the people want…"
"Yeah, yeah smartarse," Zowii rolled her eyes, "Your second?"
"Shirley." He stated simply. She grinned at her brother.
Okay, I'll admit: Zowii, Nessie, and I had thought a bit on this beforehand. We wanted to be prepared, just in case.
"Charitie?" I said. Charitie looked up, surprised. "Will you be the first for Ravenclaw?"
"Me? But…I voted against you." She said, sounding slightly ashamed.
"That doesn't matter; you're right for the job." Zowii said.
"Um…I pick Rowen then." She stammered, looking at the floor and not many anyone's eyes.
"Jaimie? For Hufflepuff?" Zowii asked.
Jaimie – an African girl with large eyes who had the top layers of her hair streaked rainbow – grinned sheepishly. "Sure. Um…Wyl." She said. Wyl also looked ashamed at being picked for an administration that didn't get his vote, but he nodded.
"Wait a minute!" cried Nessie indignantly. I had been waiting for this. "You did not give me a position, Ruari!" she said pointedly.
I smiled. "But I did. You little ones who are under ten will be in a separate section of dorms. You'll have to have a representative as well, one for each house." Nessie grinned broadly. "What house do you want to be in, Nessie?" I asked her, already knowing the answer.
"Gryffindor!" she cried.
"Then you'll be the Gryffindor juniors rep," I stated. She practically glowed with pride.
"Jentry, Lexi, what houses do you want to be in?" Zowii asked. Jentry bounced up and down excitedly.
"Hufflepuff!" she cried, and Lexi said, "Ravenclaw of course."
"Then we think you two should be the representatives of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw." Zowii finished. They grinned.
A few of the others looked dubious at our choices. Jentry was nine, Lexi seven, and Nessie was five. None of the contested the decision, though, so I went on.
"We'll need everyone to sign their names," I said, grabbing a piece of parchment and a quill from Zowii. "And…I need a volunteer for a secret keeper."
There was silence at this, thought I knew they had been expecting it. Several hands went up, but I knew only one would work. Terrible as I felt for doing this to such a young child, and knelt down in front of Nessie.
"Nessie, would you be the secret keeper?" her small face was completely serious, though I heard I few gasps behind me.
"Yes." She stated in a strong voice.
I stood up, facing the room and closing my eyes as I worked to remember a memorized spell…
Focusing on the people around me, their families that would resist with us, the teachers who might help us, the places we would practice, I turned in a slow circle, saying "Fidelius Incorporium."
Everything seemed to glow. It was just how Uncle Neville had described it to me.
I focused now on what I had to do this, put this huge secret in a little girl who was only little in the physical form, "Fidelius Sanctus." I murmured.
It glowed brighter.
I drew a cube in the air, the light from the room condensing into it. "Fidelius Impervium." I said, and grabbed the box out of the air.
Letting it sit in my palm, I knelt back down next to Nessie again. I looked into her dark green eyes as she took it.
"Nessie Siobhan Tonks," I said, my voice surprising me with its strength. "Do you swear to become the Secret-Keeper for Dumbledore's Army and all those who are now, ever were, or ever shall be in it? That you will be solely responsible under magical oath for the knowledge of membership, purpose, missions, and all the functions and places of meeting? That you understand the nature of the Fidelius Charm, and hold it to be true and binding upon you for all time, or until it is released by the one who placed it upon you?"
"I do." Came her small voice.
"Fidelius Finite." The box floated out of her hand and turn three times in the air. It sped into her chest, disappearing right above her heart.
Though I was ready for it, it scared the hell out of me as she gasped, her spine arching backwards, her small body stiff as her eyes rolled back in her head and the glow seemed to come from her very skin, pouring out of her eyes and mouth. She floated there for a moment, then the glow faded and she fell into my arms.
She opened her eyes and grinned at me.
"That's was neat!" she said, standing up. "Can I do it again?"
Most of the others were staring at me as if I'd lost my mind. Finally, Sakys said what I had been waiting for, "You see? You all just elected a leader who immediately put magical oath on a five year old."
"Thank you, Sakys." I said calmly. I Turned, facing everyone, "I asked Nessie because she is the last person they would expect us to use. If they find out – or, more probably, when – I doubt that it will even cross their minds that we used the Fidelius charm, as it's so complicated and it's not widely known that Neville used it.
"She is the youngest member, and they are very unlikely to harm her, because she is so young of course, but also because the Secret cannot be reveled by the Secret-Keeper if they are being tortured, as everyone knows. Also, Nessie may be five physically, but she's just as smart as any of us, and just as able to understand. She knows what she's doing, and so do I."
I paused, then asked, "Have I missed anything, Private Davies?"
He flushed bright red.
"All right," I said, turning back to the parchment I still held. I wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY on the top, then signed my name and title, passing it to Zowii.
When everyone had signed, this is what we had:
DUMBLDORE'S ARMY
Ruari Tonks – Commander
Zowii Tuesday – Lieutenant
Agnes (Nessie) Tonks – Admiral, Gryffindor juniors.
Oakleigh Abbott – Private, Gryffindor.
Symphanie Abbott, Private, Gryffindor.
ZaireSmith – Private, Gryffindor.
Anuja Smith – Private, Gryffindor.
Etienne Potter – Private, Gryffindor.
Sirius Black – Colonel, Gryffindor.
Shirley Black – Major, Gryffindor.
Jamaica(Jaimie) Jhonsyon-Whytte – Colonel, Hufflepuff.
Jentry Jhonsyon-Whytte – Admiral, Hufflepuff.
Charlotte (Charleigh)Smythe – Private, Ravenclaw.
Hezekiah (Hez) Weasley – Private, Gryffindor.
Sakys Davies – Private, Gryffindor.
Alice Antioch – Private, Hufflepuff.
Charitie Weasley – Colonel, Ravenclaw.
Rowena(Rowen)Natsumekka – Major, Ravenclaw.
Wyl Wylleeams – Major, Hufflepuff.
Pyper Caldwater – Private, Hufflepuff.
Lexi Caldwater – Ravenclaw, Admiral.
Sabrina (Sabs) Gille – Private, Gryffindor.
Emmett Jordan – Private, Gryffindor.
Finally, all the names were signed. Everyone was now talking amongst themselves, glad to see their friends again.
I searched out the three I needed, and beckoned Lexi, Jentry, and Nessie over to the far corner.
"I'm going to have to ask you three for a big favor," I started, trying to look very serious because I knew that kids loved being asked to do important things. Nessie wasn't fooled on bit, but she played along, and they all nodded gravely.
"I need you three to make sure you don't tell anyone about this, none of your friends, okay?"
"But…then how will we get people?" asked Jentry.
"I'll take care of that, you guys will just need to keep them informed when they come. Also, Lexi, Jentry, don't tell your parents about this. I mean, I know they have an idea of what you and your sisters will be doing, but don't tell them that you're in it or that you're very important officers, okay?" I threw in the last bit of flattery because I knew that they would like it, but it was also true. Everyone in this room was infinitely important.
They beamed happily, and they all promised.
I knew that the Fidelius charm would keep them from telling their parents anyway, but I thought that might be a little hard for the youngest ones…trying to tell their parents but having their tongs roll up in their mouths or such.
I was about to call everyone to order, tell them I was thankful they had all joined, and then get them out so I could start panicking about this properly, but several loud CRACKs from the front lawn stopped all the conversation.
Twenty-three wands appeared, and I motioned for everyone to get down as I crept over to the lone attic window, passing Etienne, Shirley, Luna, all crouched down with their wands ready. Nessie and Zowii were nearest to the window. There were several more cracks, the unquestionable sounds of apparition. It was normal for people to apparate to the Hag, but somehow I didn't think these people were guests.
I carefully lifted my face to the window, peering out into the velvety darkness. There wasn't a sign of movement. I stood there for a moment, I could feel someone out there, and then I realized that the light was on.
There was only a split-second warning; swirls of black coats against black night.
"Get down!" I yelled, pulling Zowii and Nessie with me as I fell flat on the floor.
The window exploded in a burst of purple light, taking park of the wall with it. People downstairs were screaming, the people outside were laughing.
"Get out of here, all of you," I said. "Dissapparate. We don't need them to find out what's going on here."
"We're not leaving." Etienne said firmly. "They already saw us, for one thing, but we need to stick together. There's nothing illegal about defending yourself…yet."
"Yeah," agreed Rowen. "We'll be training for this sort of thing, aren't we? They won't be out to kill, they're just baiting. It's the perfect practice."
"Fine then," I decided. "If you want to stay, then stay. If you don't you'd better go now." There were three more cracks, this time from the attic, and I didn't have to look around to know who had left. Oakleigh and Symphanie's parent worked at the ministry; they could be tortured if their children were seen fighting. The others were Sakys and Alice, and it hurt more than I cared to think about that my two cousins believed in me so little.
Bangs from downstairs. More screams as the guests tried to stop them from entering. I realized now who the people were: Masks, people who supported the ministry and tended to go around terrorizing people who didn't, or just weaker people in general. They always wore white opera masks, taking a leaf from the Death Eaters' books.
"Let's go," I said, jumping up and pulling Nessie and Zowii with me.
With the three of us in the lead, the D.A ran to the attic door, and I threw it open. The pull-down stairs were gone.
More screams. There was no time. I jumped down the ten feet without thinking, and it wasn't too bad. Nessie jumped after me, which really scared me, but she was a strong kid. I heard thuds as the others followed.
We ran down the staircase, finding a very interesting scene at the bottom. No less that three dozen people were there, six men and women – including mum – were holding the spell-proof doors shut as they banged and vibrated from the kicks of the Masks on the other side. Two men and two women were firing spells from the living room and kitchen windows, several more preparing to duel, and a group of scared-looking kids around Jentry's and Nessie's ages were huddled in the corner.
Several of the guests looked very surprised and heartened at the sudden upsurge in numbers, but then they really looked at us, realized we were kids, and looked very depressed at this.
Filled by a sudden urge to prove them wrong, I said, "Zaire, Anuja, Lexi, Jentry – you guys go talk to those kids, make sure they're not hurt, and protect them as best you can." I picked them because I thought it would make the other kids more comfortable. They all responded in 'yes sir's – obviously wanting to impress the adults as well – that made me go a little red, but I pushed it away.
"Emmett?" I called.
"Bomb?" he asked in reply, grinning from the kitchen doorway.
"Bomb." I confirmed. He had inherited his dad's mischief ability, that was certain.
"Two minutes!" he called from the kitchen. Wyl followed him to help.
The front door gave an almighty lurched, and the people guarding it flew back a few spaces. They were tired.
Zowii realized this at the same time as me, and we ran forward, planting our feet firmly and bracing our hands on the doors. Immediately, Rowen Sirius, Sabs, Shirley, and Etienne were behind us.
"Go!" I yelled to the adults, and they all darted to the right. The other four were against us in a second, and we were holding it.
It wasn't easy.
Finally, Wyl and Emmett emerged from the kitchen carrying a muggle toaster.
"EVERYONE TO THE BACK! TWENTY SECONDS!" he yelled, and we pulled back from the door. They immediately opened it, laughing terribly in triumph. Some of the children still in the corner started to cry, but Emmett threw the toaster at their feet, and we all ran as far as we could, jumping at the last second as it blew.
It wasn't a huge bomb, but it was big enough. It hadn't – of course – blew up any of the Masks; they had all ran back out, but were now trickling back in.
The kids were really crying now, all but my soldiers, and I was proud of them.
"So you thought you're little muggle toy could hurt us, did you?" sneered one of the Masks. "Let's see…shall we start with this one, boys?" he was pointing at Nessie. Before I could do anything, she had whipped out her wand, and blue sparks flew out as the Mask was blasted into the wall.
So the battle started.
Jentry, Zaire, Lexi, and Anuja were standing in a semi-circle in front of the kids, holding themselves perfectly – though it was probably because the Masks were reluctant to really jinx them, instead just sending stunning and body-binding curses.
For us older ones – however – and the adults, it was different. Rowen had several cuts on her face, and they were bleeding green. I was almost positive my wrist was broken, and Zowii's ankle definitely was. Her arm was wrapped around my shoulders to keep her off her bad leg, and she hadn't so much as cried out when it happed, though she did respond with a vicious stunning spell.
Nessie was behind us, and though she didn't know any real spells, having just got her wand and not been to Hogwarts yet – but she simply focused on what she wanted to do, and it would happen. All you needed was willpower and determination.
Only Jaimie had been stunned out of us, and Charleigh was unconscious, but about half of the adults lay on the floor.
Then all of the sudden, the men stopped. Several grabbed their unconscious, they turned on their heels, and they were gone.
We all looked around in confusion, still ready for them to appear again, but nothing happened.
"What…?" murmured a woman in her thirties.
"Why did they just leave like that?" asked another adult.
"Do you think they'll come back?" another said.
My mouth fell open. These were supposed to be our role models? Only my mom and two other men looked as concerned as they should, but they were still in shock.
"Alright," I said firmly, setting Zowii down on a couch, "everyone but you two –" I pointed at Zowii and Rowen, whose cuts where getting greener "– split up into groups of four, we have to search the perimeter now."
They did so immediately, Sirius, Etienne, Sabs, and Jentry out one side door, Charitie, Luna, Pyper, and Lexi out the other door, leaving Hez Weasley and Shirley with Nessie and me.
"Can you heal them?" I asked mum. She nodded. "C'mon," I said to Nessie, Hez, and Shirley, and we ran out the front door.
It felt so unspeakably wrong to be doing anything without Zowii, but I pushed that from my mind for now.
"Okay, let's go to the shed first," I said, "I don't really think they'll be here, but better safe than sorry."
Ten minutes later, we had found nothing, and neither had anyone else. The Hag had been repaired, the only real damage having been to the front door, banisters, and a few paintings.
Zowii's leg was perfect, and Rowen's face was back to its normal appearance. Charleigh and Jaimie were both awake.
I did the rounds, making sure everyone was still okay. Far from it – they had huge smiles on their faces, all of them, and I told them without embellishing at all that they had all done amazingly.
After a little while, all the D.A had left except for me, Zowii, and Nessie. All of the parents had taken their children to bed, and now the only people left were us three, my mom, and two old men and a woman.
Just as I saw off the last two – Sirius and Shirley – mum called me into the living room.
Zowii and Nessie were sitting on one couch, facing the five adults. As I walked in, one of the men – who had very short white hair and wore large glasses – stood up.
"Jack Burgandy," he said, offering his hand. I remembered hearing about him before – he was one of the few good people left in the Ministry. "I've heard a great deal about you, Miss Tonks, but it doesn't seem to have done you justice," he grinned at me, and, though I normally would have blushed, the recent skirmish seemed to have brought with it new strength, and I shook his hand firmly.
"Edmund Aarons," said the other man, standing up as well. He had a very large nose, many lines on his face, and his thinning white hair was swept back. I shook his hand as well, and we sat down.
Mum stared at me, Nessie, and Zowii, and I knew she was trying to get us to confess what had happened in the attic. We stared back evenly.
"Well," said the woman, Dorothy Stranlay, clapping her hands together. "I must say that I for one am impressed. When Andie told us her daughters were planning to create a defense group, I had no idea it would be so…advanced, so soon."
I felt a surge of emotion that wasn't mine when Dorothy referred to mum's "daughters." Zowii's face was smooth, but her mind showed what she was really feeling. Her parents didn't really love her; they were not very fun and very distant from their only daughter. I grabbed her hand casually, seeing Nessie shift on her other side to do the same. Though Nessie couldn't read our minds, she was very good with emotions.
"Advanced? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well I would assume that would be obvious, dear," said mum, her dark eyebrows raised, "for one thing, you had around twenty kids listening to you, some of which addressed you as 'sir'. You were about ten times more prepared and calm than us, and you all dueled like adults, even the little ones." I started to say something, but she cut me off, "And you thought of things I never would have, like protecting the children, some of whom were the same age as your fighters, and scanning the area after they left."
"It truly is amazing," agreed Dorothy, "You are a natural leader, Ruari."
I forced my mouth to close, sharing a look with Zowii and Nessie, who both looked as stunned as I was.
But she's right…you are a good leader. Thought Zowii. Nessie nodded, guessing what she said, and I felt my face heat up.
"What we want to know," said Burgandy. The four adults leaned closer to us. "Is what you are planning."
I shared a quick glance with Nessie and Zowii, then we all said in unison: "We can't tell you."
Then Jack and the other man, whom I recognized as another ministry employee, Edmund Aarons, looked shocked, as if we would be excited to simply disclose the information of our secret resistance group to anyone. Dorothy and mum, however, looked disappointed but resigned, though I fully intended to tell the two of them later since Dorothy was like a grandmother to myself and Nessie.
"Why not?" demanded Aarons.
Zowii rolled her eyes, "Because it's a secret of course."
"Now wait a minute, Ed," said Burgandy as the other man turned red and started to say something, "this is their plan, and so far it's working better than anything we've tried. Let them be." The larger man glared at him, then got up and went down the hall.
"Sorry about him," Burgandy said sadly, shaking his head. "He's a bit…well, it was a pleasure to meet the three of you, and thank you." And he went down the hall after the other man.
The five of them watched the man until he was out of sight, then simultaneously me, Zowii, mum, and Dorothy stood up, grabbed the edge of our couches and pulling them until they were less than a foot apart.
We scanned the room and saw no one, but I yanked my wand out of my sleeve. "Muffialto, Protego Circumvenio," I said, just making certain that we wouldn't be heard and that no one could sneak up on us.
"All right," Mum started, eying us. "So what–"
"What was that spell?" asked Dorothy, interrupting mum.
"Muffialto?" I asked, confused.
"No, the other one." She said, "I've never heard Protego used like that before."
"Oh, it's a new one," I answered, "Charms Development just came out with it…it was invented by a man named Terry Boot." She was still looking at me like I had just made up my own spell right in front of her, so I continued. "Instead of the small Protego, which is only a personal shield, or Protego Totalum, which covers and area, or Protego Maxima for an even larger area, it just makes a circle around you…Circumvenio is a Latin word for circle…" Her staring was making me feel really awkward now, and I trailed off.
"I'm sorry," Dorothy said finally, shaking her head, "It's just that a fifteen year old should not be able to do new charms so easily…especially complicated ones like that."
I laughed. "Well that was easy to learn after talking Patronesses." I said before I could stop myself.
Damn it.
She gasped. "You can do that?" she asked, awe in her voice.
I shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah…most of the forth and fifth years can. We learned it from Uncle Harry last year."
"Anyway," Mum cleared her throat, ignoring Dorothy's almost worshipful stare. "I believe we were talking about your secret organization?"
The three of us shared a look, and we knew we would have to let someone know. They were the best choice.
"Right now we have twenty-four, including us," I started. Then I thought for a second, remembering the looks on Sakys and Alice's faces. "Well, maybe only twenty-two. For some reason, most of them voted for me to be the 'leader'," Zowii rolled her eyes as I said this, "and we came up with titles for the various positions."
That's what she said. Thought Zowii, and I laughed out loud. Mum and Dorothy looked at me like I had gone mad.
"And what security do you have?" asked Dorothy, "I mean, what if someone were to tell?"
"They can't," I said, not really wanting to let Dorothy know about another piece of complicated magic I had done. "We…Um…well…I mean…" I sighed realizing it was inevitable, and said, "I used the Fidelius Charm."
Dorothy gasped, and mum looked as if she might collapse.
"Fi-Fidelius Charm?" stammered Dorothy, "But that is so hard to do, where did you learn that? Not to mention picking a Secret Keeper…"
I did not want to answer the Secret Keeper question and let them know that I had used my baby sister, even though I knew I had made the right choice, so I brushed it off. "Uncle Neville did it last time, and he told me how. It wasn't that hard, really." That seemed to increase their awe rather than placate them, and I looked around nervously, noticing the wireless in the corner which was playing the song, 'Open at the Close'.
"Who is your Secret Keeper?" asked mum curiously.
Damn it.
Zowii looked at me. We have to tell them. They'll understand.
I ran my hand through my hair, sighing. We need to teach Nessie Occlumency.
Definitely.
"Well?" Dorothy finally asked.
"Is it Etienne? Jaimie? Shirley?" Mum suggested.
I shook my head, but before I could build up the courage to tell my mum what I had done to her youngest daughter, Nessie said, "I'm the Secret Keeper." Her green eyes were flashing, daring either of them to oppose her, and suddenly she looked simply like a small woman, rather than a five-year-old girl.
"Are you mad, Ruari?" cried Dorothy. "She's barely five years old! How could you do that to a little girl? Why-?" But mum raised her hand to stop her, and Dorothy glared at her instead.
"Andromeda, you cannot possibly be okay with this!"
"Ruari is the Commander of this operation, and I'm sure she had a good reason for picking Nessie, whom I'm sure wholeheartedly accepted." Mum brushed back her long black curls, staring at Dorothy firmly. "But to answer your question, no I'm not 'okay' with this. I hate that my children have to prepare for a possible war, and I hate that this is the second time this has happened, however, Nessie is not as young as her age implies." Mum looked as Nessie now, and it wasn't the look of a parent towards a girl who was barely older than a toddler, it was the look of a proud mother seeing that her youngest daughter was not a baby any longer, but a young girl, able and willing to fight for a good cause.
The song on the wireless changed, and I recognized it immediately. It was "The bravest man I ever knew" by Ministry of Magic.
I have given you a name
one that shows you can always change
No matter the way or mistake you've made.
And sometimes consequences define your life with hardship.
Will goodness will be the banner you raise?
'Cause with his last breath, Severus said take it, take it.
Living in disguise.
A true wizard on the inside.
Not afraid of what he had to do.
He was the bravest man I ever knew.
About ten minutes later, we finally went to bed.
Zowii's parents allowed her to stay with us almost all the time (after the Incident, that is), and our room was on the top floor with the attic, but on the opposite side of the house. After saying goodnight to Nessie and mum and Dorothy, we climbed the ancient spiral staircase that led from the back of the kitchen to the loft.
It happened immediately, like my subconscious had registered what my mind hadn't, and on the third step from the top, when Zowii had already climbed through, my legs suddenly refused to hold me upright and I collapsed.
Ruari? What-
"Ruari?"
"Ruari!"
Zowii's voice seemed to be coming through a tunnel as she pulled me inside. We were almost exactly the same size, so it was a pretty big achievement for her to hoist me straight up.
My head was spinning, and I head myself moan, "Zoe…"
"I know." Came the simple reply. "Here," she handed me a steaming cup. I wondered where she had gotten it.
"What's this?" I asked feebly.
She grinned, "Apple cider…with a hint of Calming Draught."
I didn't need any more persuasion.
After I had finished the drink, things seemed a lot clearer, and it had definitely taken the edge off my panic, though it was still there at the back.
"Zowii…what are we doing?" I pressed my fists in my eyes, trying to make sense of things, and was surprised to find tears there.
I can't do this…
Yes you can.
But look at me! I'm a mess! Leaders shouldn't cry.
She snorted. "That's dumb, and you know it. Of course they should, but it's who they cry around that matters. If one of their people dies, of course they should cry, otherwise everyone will think they don't care." She slid over next to me, putting her arm around my shoulder, "And that's why they have seconds…so they have someone to talk to and cry to about the smaller things." She brushed a kiss across my temple, and I was stuck by how lucky I was to have a friend like her.
"Why do this anyway?" I asked, both myself and her, "We don't even know that there will be a war…why scare everyone?"
"We're doing this because there might be a war," she reminded gently, "They need to know how to defend themselves, and we need to keep everyone's hopes up. It's not to scare them, but to prepare them. And if they haven't just given up at the end of the year, well –" she grinned in a slightly scary way, "Then we get all the numbers we've collected, and start this on our own terms."
The Calming Draught – along with Zowii's words – made me feel a lot better, and I suddenly felt very sleepy.
The last thing I remembered was floating unto something very soft…