This was written for the After Midnight Challenge

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did I wouldn't be here, I'd be making millions for what I write

Rated: K+


Her heart beat quickly against her ribs, thumping so loudly she was amazed that no one heard. She tiptoed as quickly as she dared, hoping with all her heart that she wouldn't get caught.

She reached the dungeon classrooms, and, glancing around, quickly grabbed the paint and wrote Dumbledore's Army Reunited on the wall. She took a step back to take in her work, the slightly messy handwriting from the rush and the shakiness of her hand.

After a second, she moved on down the corridor and pulled out the paint again, accidentally splashing a little on the floor. All through the school, the D.A. were working, praying not to get caught, hoping that they would last the night without torture - unfortunately, though, they weren't always that lucky.

Reaching the entrance to the Slytherin common room - her last destination for the night - she pulled out the paint once more and heard the ominous sound of footsteps behind her.

Her voice caught in her throat; terror pulsed through her veins as she quickly ducked into the shadows behind a suit of armour.

Praying she had imagined the sound or even that it was just another D.A. member coming to check on her, she hoped that if someone was there, and they weren't on her side, then they wouldn't find her.

The face of Alecto Carrow swam into view, and her worst fears were confirmed as she sunk even deeper into the shadows, hoping, hiding, praying with all her might that Carrow would just go away, that she wouldn't see her.

She shut her eyes tight, and in a fraction of a second she remembered walking these very halls so many times before, finding a secluded spot in the Astronomy Tower with Anthony, back when her biggest fear was Mrs. Norris lurking around a corner - but Anthony's a Muggle-born, in hiding now, maybe dead, and Mrs. Norris is the least of her worries.

The beam of light from Alecto Carrow's wand flashed past her, missing her face by inches, and Alecto Carrow turned around and left, after giving a scowl to the freshly painted words, and muttering about catching those filthy blood-traitors.

She let out a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding, picked up the paint bucket, and crept silently up to the Ravenclaw common room. On the way she met McGonagall, who turned away upon seeing her, a silent agreement not to tell the Carrows who she'd seen.

Feeling a wave of gratitude towards her Transfiguration professor, she crawled into the common room and up into bed, resigned to a few hours of blissful sleep before hearing about how Muggles are worse than the scum wiped off shoes.

One more night done safely, one more night of resistance, one more night of fighting.

But how many more would there need to be?


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