Kara wasn't a very brave person. This was something she knew and probably the reason she was not in Gryffindor. Anything that went against the rules, even if it was the slightest bit, she wasn't in favour of. Now, with Umbridge at Hogwarts and a new educational decree being posted to the notice board every few days, Kara was even less inclined to bend rules, let alone break them.
So, naturally, she let herself be dragged along to (very illegal) DA meetings in the Room of Requirement. She blamed Winn, really. As a Gryffindor, Winn saw it as his duty to help other students (Kara) learn to defend themselves from the Dark Arts. She had to admit, the meetings were fun and actually educational, unlike Umbridge's lessons, but it just didn't sit well with her that they were doing something illegal, especially since she heard from the Gryffindors (mainly Fred and George, but also Lee Jordan) that her 'detention' is actually torture in disguise. And she's seen Lee's hand after one of Umbridge's detentions – it did not look good.
In short, Kara still had her doubts about the DA meetings and was currently arguing about it with Winn in the Great Hall during breakfast.
"Winn, what if Umbridge catches us? We'll be expelled and I don't want to be expelled in my sixth year," Kara whined quietly.
Winn sighed, having had this argument many times before. "Kara, she's not going to expel us. The worst she can do is give us detention and even that will heal eventually. You know this is essential stuff to learn if there's going to be a war like Harry says." He looked around shiftily, wary of eavesdroppers. "Besides, she's never going to catch us. Hermione's method is far too smart and she would never let that list fall into the wrong hands."
"I know," Kara insisted. "And I trust Hermione but I still don't like it."
"It's fun, isn't it?" Winn said. "I saw you enjoying yourself last week. You were definitely getting somewhere on that Patronus, I saw it!"
"What's fun?" a voice behind them asked quietly. Kara turned around so fast she was surprised her neck didn't crack. It was Lena Luthor, sixth year Slytherin and longtime crush of Kara's. Not that Lena knew this tidbit of information, but Winn did and Kara hoped he would keep his mouth shut.
As it turned out, Winn wasn't the one who ran his mouth and went and told a Slytherin about the DA. That, unfortunately, was all Kara. She had no self-control around Lena and it was rapidly becoming a problem. "So, it's like a secret organization that teaches people Defense against the Dark Arts?" Lena whispered, a look of excitement on her face. Winn had his hand clamped over Kara's mouth but he was unable to stop her nodding.
"Merlin, Kara. You just told a Slytherin about the DA," Winn hissed.
"Oh, don't worry," Lena said. "I'm not like the other Slytherins." Winn threw her a nasty look and Lena pointed at the empty space beneath the Slytherin crest on her robes. "Do you see an Inquisitorial Squad badge? Yeah, me neither. I'm not going to rat you out. I just want see what one of these meetings is like. Can I come?"
Winn sighed deeply, a lingering trace of doubt and suspicion in his eyes. He removed his hand from Kara's mouth slowly. "Before Kara takes you anywhere, you're going to have to sign a confidentiality agreement."
"Sure," Lena agreed easily, pulling out a fancy black quill. When neither Winn nor Kara moved, Kara still immobilized by Lena's easy agreement (and also by seeing her striking eyes so up-close), Lena sighed. "Listen, I swear I'm not going to rat you out. Umbridge isn't teaching us anything. I want to learn defensive spells and actually be able to use them if necessary. I might be a Slytherin, but I'm nothing like Malfoy or even my brother. Kara, you trust me, right?"
Kara, baffled at being put on the spot like that, had no choice but to nod. Winn rolled his eyes but neither girl noticed. He pulled a scroll of parchment and his own quill from his bag and started drafting up the agreement.
"So, I don't really see you around a lot outside of class," Lena said to Kara, completely ignoring the scratching of Winn's quill. "Do you just mainly stay in the Hufflepuff common room or do you play Quidditch?"
"I'm just a spectator," Kara replied, still in a daze. "I'm not much for sports." And then, when she realizes that Lena is the Beater for the Slytherin team, she hastily added "But I like watching the game. Especially when Slytherin plays."
"Why Slytherin?" Lena asked, a teasing tone to her voice. "Thought you were a Hufflepuff. Or were you just a Slytherin in disguise all this time?"
"I meant Hufflepuff," Kara stuttered, but Lena's face said she wasn't buying it, a smile lifting up the corners of her mouth and the corners of her eyes crinkling.
The next meeting, Kara brought Lena along, Winn's confidentiality agreement signed and protected by several spells and Kara handed it to Hermione as soon as they came in. Hermione had Lena sign the official DA members list before the meeting started. She didn't look amused, but she wasn't mad either and Kara knew, unfortunately, what Hermione looked like when she was mad.
"Okay so today, we're going to practice our Patronus again," Harry said when everyone had arrived and it was finally quiet. Most people looked excited but Kara saw in her peripheral vision that Lena wasn't one of them. Kara wondered if she had happy memories, happy enough to conjure a Patronus. As far as she'd heard, the Luthor household wasn't a very nice one. Shaking off those frankly depressing thoughts, she found herself a spot in the room to focus on her memories and she closed her eyes in concentration.
For some silly reason, the only memory that came to mind was Lena smiling at her. Not just at anyone, but at her, at Kara. It felt so magical and happy and just right that she said "Expecto Patronum!" and when she opened her eyes, a small dolphin was sprouting from the tip of her wand and then came out completely.
"Well done, Kara!" Harry called as he watched her dolphin swim around the room. "Very good!"
Winn, judging by his face, knew what her happy memory had been and rolled his eyes fondly.
Lena seemed to be struggling with her Patronus. Some whisps of white came out, but nothing of solid form and shape. "Keep it up, Lena, you're doing well," Harry said encouragingly. "Not at all bad for your first meeting!"
"Why is she even here?" Zacharias Smith said, a disapproving tone to his voice. "I bet the Slytherins sent her to spy on us so she knows who's taking part in the DA."
"Yeah, Kara, what were you thinking, bringing her here?" The room had fallen silent and everyone was looking at Kara and Lena, some faces judgmental, others anxious, probably to see if this was going to escalate.
"She wanted to join us to learn to defend herself, just like everyone here," Kara said. "I trust her."
Most people look astonished at Kara's show of trust in a Slytherin, but Lena herself mostly looks touched and a bit disbelieving.
"And, if you're all still worried," Hermione added, "she signed the list like the rest of us." It was mostly this argument, more than Kara's words, that convinced the members of the DA to let Lena join.
Later, when Kara and Lena were in Hogsmeade (on a not-date), Lena confessed that it did bother her that none of the DA members trusted her because she was a Slytherin. "I mean, everyone pretends they're fine with me being there but no one really likes it, I can tell."
"If it's any consolation, I like having you there," Kara offered. "You're a good partner to practice with and I like practicing with you. You're getting better every week!"
"Thanks," Lena said, giving Kara one of her rare big smiles. In fact, now that Kara thought about it, those exact smiles mostly seemed to be reserved for her. Huh. "I still can't get the hang of that Patronus though. I keep thinking of happy memories but I guess they're not strong enough."
"What memories were you thinking of?" Kara asked, then hastily adding "If you don't mind me asking."
"Just happy things," Lena said. "My first time riding a broomstick, my first time meeting the Luthors… I even thought of the only memory I have of my birth mother but I guess they're not powerful enough."
Kara had to agree – they might be good but by far not strong enough. "Maybe we should make some happy memories," she suggested, taking a gulp of her Butterbeer when Lena's eyes focused on hers.
"What do you suggest?" Lena said, almost whispering and Kara noticed they had both leaned in at some point, in an almost uncomfortable position over the table.
"Maybe something like this," Kara whispered, surprising both of them when she closed the final distance between them and kissed Lena. To her even bigger surprise, Lena kissed her right back like she'd been waiting for this moment forever. Actually, Kara thought, maybe she had been waiting for this moment forever. It was her last coherent thought before all else flew out the window with the feeling of Lena's lips on hers.
From that moment on, they were hardly ever separate. Winn thought it was equally hilarious and annoying, but the cherry on top came with Educational Decree Number Thirty-One, which stated that boys and girls were not permitted to be within eight inches of each other. As Umbridge had not included same sex relationships, Lena ignored the decree and often surprised Kara by kissing her in the hallways.
One memorable time, it happened to be Umbridge passing them as Lena pressed Kara into the wall of the castle and kissed her senseless.
A shriek was heard and with a bang, they flew apart.
"Hello professor," Lena said calmly. "Lovely day, isn't it?"
"Ms Luthor, I take it you have remembered Educational Decree Number Thirty-One?" Umbridge said triumphantly.
"Indeed I have, professor," Lena replied, straightening out her robes and reciting: "Boys and girls are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other."
"Very good," Umbridge said, and her pale eyes glanced down at Lena's house crest for just a second. Kara knew she was considering awarding Lena points for reciting the decree down to the last word. "So, Ms Luthor, as you know, you and Ms Danvers are not allowed to be kissing in my castle."
"Well, professor, as you might've noticed, the decree clearly states this is the case for boys and girls. Kara and I are both girls so the decree can therefore not be applied to us." Kara pressed her lips together in an attempt to suppress her smile. It wouldn't do them any favours right now.
Umbridge was slowly turning as pink as her godawful cardigan. "Ten points from Slytherin, Ms Luthor. And another ten from Hufflepuff. I will see you tonight in my office for detention, Ms Luthor." And she marched off.
Two hours later, another decree appeared on the notice board. Educational Decree Number Thirty-Six: Students are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other.
(At the next meeting, Lena was able to produce a Patronus – it was a fox.)