Here we are; the seventh installment. It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologize for the long, long, long, long wait, readers. Hopefully, it was worth it; I feel pretty good about this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Harry Potter. I do not own any movie/book/TV series quotations, along with anything else recognizable.
Part 7, Act I: Sinkin' Soon
"DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY, STILL RECRUITING."
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Elena Petrova turned over in her bed, sighing with pleasure as her bare skin rubbed against the soft sheets beneath her and the warm quilt covering her back. She scooted closer to the patch of warmth to her right and snuggled close. Arms circled around her, fingers caressing the small of her back and Elena smiled into her lover's shoulder.
"Morning beautiful," A low voice whispered into her ear and Elena shivered.
"Good morning, Stefan," Elena said and tilted her head up for a kiss. Her boyfriend complied, and Elena reveled in the softness of Stefan's lips and the heat generated at the touch.
"Rise and shine, young lovers!" Damon's voice crowed from the doorway. Elena squealed and dived under the blankets.
"Damon!" Stefan's eyes widened, pulling the blankets high over Elena.
"Oh, calm down," Damon rolled his eyes and the wand in his right hand as he stood leaning on the door hinge, "If I see something I haven't before, I'll throw a dollar at it."
Elena clapped her hands to her mouth to keep from giggling. Stefan glared.
Damon held up his hands in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, I'm leaving. Just wanted to stop by and tell you I was going to work and not to do anything I wouldn't do."
"Damon," Stefan repeated.
"It's a short list," Damon added on, blinking innocently, and Stefan picked up his pillow and threw it at Damon's face. The older wizard just laughed and shut the door, letting the pillow hit and fall harmlessly to the floor.
"That was mortifying," Stefan said as the flush slowly left his face.
Elena resurfaced and laughingly said, "Damon's crazy."
"No kidding," Stefan muttered.
"So, do you want to get up or . . ." Elena trailed off and looked at Stefan through her eyelashes.
Stefan's green eyes pierced her big brown ones as he leant in for another kiss.
Damon was laughing quietly to himself as he Appparated to bathrooms where Ministry employees were made to 'flush themselves in.' He got into line, which was unfortunately behind a big oaf of a man, Albert Runcorn. The wizard was a nasty piece of work and favored by Dolores Umbridge. He had a large frame with short dark hair and pale complexion, with a twisted sneer to his lips that never seemed to leave.
Runcorn went into the stall and Damon heard the sound of flushing, and a moment later the stall door opened again for him. Wrinkling his nose, Damon stepped into the toilet, frowning at his soggy boots.
"Whoever thought this was a good idea deserves to be given straight to You-Know-Who," Damon snarled aloud, ignoring the hisses and gasps in the lines and stalls next to his. "Here goes." He flushed himself down and the nasty sensation of being squeezed through a tight space engulfed him. Damon's insides felt like mush when he stepped out through the fireplace at the Ministry seconds later and he rung out his clothes.
Damon walked through the large entryway and saw the numerous posters stamped on the wall about Undesirable No. 1: Harry Potter. "That's new," Damon muttered, eyebrows rising.
In the Atrium, Damon saw a sight that made him want to go back to bed, which Stefan and Elena had no doubtlessly done. The new 'Minister' Pius Thicknesse was standing in between Runcorn and Umbridge, and was giving some sort of speech. Umbridge seemed to be adding something.
"-and you have nothing to be afraid of if you have nothing to hide." The woman who was encompassed in pink robes smiled a little too brightly.
Damon walked quickly to his office and found Alaric standing at his desk.
"Damon, things aren't looking good," Alaric said as quietly as he could into Damon's ear. "Umbridge is giving every Ministry employee an inspection. She's getting rid of all the muggleborns."
Not particularly surprised, Damon told him, "Well, she can't get rid of me. Though I might want to leave all by myself soon."
"Damon, this is serious," Alaric hissed, "She's got a vendetta against you, and you know it. Umbridge is going to use every trick in the book to get you."
"Well, I'll just have to leave first, won't I?" Damon smirked. "Besides, you're half-blood too, so you won't be sacked."
Alaric sighed with irritation and shook his head, "Just watch your back, alright? Don't go out of your way to taunt her like you usually do. She could try to send you to Azkaban, and then where would your brother be? Probably next."
Damon frowned. He hated that Alaric knew him so well sometimes. "Yeah, yeah. I'll stay out of her way unless it's needed for Order assignments, happy?"
'Rick nodded with resignation and headed to his own desk next to Damon's and sat down heavily.
Elena liked staying with the Salvatore's, even though Damon was an outright flirt 99.9% of the time. He and Stefan bickered playfully whenever in the same room, and Elena found herself getting used to the normality. She'd not heard from her parents or siblings since they'd tried to get her home before her birthday. After she'd turned seventeen and wrote a letter to tell them all to leave off, she'd not been contacted since.
Elena felt a pang in her heart though, every once in a while. She missed Katherine and Jeremy both; how could she not? She'd grown up with them – Katherine taught her some of her very first wand tricks and told her all about boys. Jeremy was her little brother; hers to protect and watch out for. Wonderful job there, Elena thought to herself sourly.
She missed her parents; wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Petrova - her father, who had read to her at night when she was a small child, and her mother who had worried incessantly over her three children.
Elena sighed as she pulled her clothes on and walked into the kitchen of their apartment. Stefan stood in front of the stove cooking eggs and bacon, by the smell of it.
"You know, it's not smart to cook on the open stove without a shirt on," Elena said. She could see Stefan's strange curse scar in the shape of a rose on his shoulder. He wore shorts that only fell to cover his knees; giving Elena a full view of the backs of Stefan's recently scarred calves.
"Yeah," Stefan agreed absently. Elena slipped into a chair and watched Stefan cook, content. Her owl, a small, reddish brown female called Sif, tapped on the window above the kitchen sink.
"Could you let her in?" Elena asked and Stefan moved over and pushed the window open for the little bird to fly through. Tied to her legs were two letters with the Hogwarts' seal stamped on them. "Our school letters arrived," Elena pointed out and untied the envelopes from Sif's foot as she held it out for Elena to take. Stefan turned off the oven and brought a couple plates for the two of them over and sat next to Elena. She handed Stefan his letter, which he opened – it was the usual thing, despite the fact that Professor Dumbledore was dead, Snape was Headmaster, and there were two other Death Eaters teaching.
"Would you like to go to Diagon Alley this morning?" Elena suggested, "Get it over and done with and hope that none of family's there?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Stefan said, "I'd send Damon a Patronus telling him where we're going or Floo him, but he's gone all paranoid since the end of the school year."
"With good reason," Elena pointed out, "Everything's being monitored." The two lovers ate their breakfast in the onset of silence and when finished they quickly cleared their plates in the sink and got dressed and went through the Floo into Diagon Alley.
"Do you need to go to Gringott's?" Stefan turned and looked at Elena. The witch shook her head and laced her fingers through Stefan's.
"No," Elena said, blinking her big doe eyes up at him, "I have everything I need." Both of the teens had their warm wooden wands in their pockets and within easy reach. They walked into Flourish and Blotts first and Stefan pulled out his slightly creased Hogwart's letter and his eyebrows furrowed.
"What is it?" Elena asked quietly.
"Nothing I hadn't expected or Damon hadn't anticipated," Stefan said grimly and showed Elena the list of books they would need for their Seventh Year. Elena scowled as she went down the list.
"Those are all Dark," Elena said, unsurprised but angry nonetheless.
"Come on," Stefan murmured into Elena's hair and led her around the store and together, they picked out the necessary books. Once the two young wizards had paid for their school things, they walked quickly through the mostly deserted road that ran through Diagon Alley.
Stefan's eyes flashed towards the Weasley twins' joke shop, windows darkened with no lights.
"The oldest Weasley's getting married today, isn't he?" Stefan asked idly.
"Uh huh," Elena nodded, "Bill, I think it is. He's marrying the French girl that participated with Harry in Fourth Year for the Triwizard Tournament."
"Fleur Delacour," Stefan nodded.
Stefan and Elena clasped hands and Disapparated.
September 1st
"Be careful," Damon commanded as his icy eyes flashed. Stefan and Elena stood close to each other on the platform with their trunks at their feet. Loki batted at Elena's owl, Sif, and the little bird hooted indignantly.
Stefan squeezed Elena's manicured hand in his and he nodded firmly at his brother. "Of course."
"Good man," Damon clapped Stefan's shoulder and kissed Elena's cheek. "Don't worry if I don't answer some of your letters," He continued, "I might be on business," which was code for Order of the Phoenix Stuff.
Stefan nodded again along with Elena; Damon Disapparated with a sharp crack, which drew the attention of a few other various witches and wizards in the admittedly small crowds that year. First Years' eyes were big with more fear than usual; many Second Years looked to have been pulled from Hogwarts; and the rest of the students had a wary air about them as their fingers stiffly tightened around the handles of their wands and eyes were narrowed with suspicion.
"Let's get on the train," Elena said quietly, stooping to pick up her trunk as she nudged Stefan with an elbow. Her boyfriend obliged and together they climbed onto the Hogwarts Express to go to their last school year.
The normal compartments were gone; in their places were simple tables with four chairs gathered around them. Students still sat in with their year mates, and the Houses were easily distinguished among them.
The Hufflepuffs were sitting with their friends, packed together and firm. If they were afraid of the year ahead of them, it did not show in their stiff backs or clear expressions; the Ravenclaws as usual had their books and papers about, studying already for their school year, but they held a more frantic pace this year and their eyes were wary and jaded; the Gryffindors were all about a stiff upper lip, refusing to let anyone see any fear in them.
Most of the Slytherins were at ease, some smirking slyly with unveiled pleasure; finally their Head of House was Headmaster. But there were a few who were distanced from those and they appeared to be ostracized from the main group.
"Stefan. Elena," A quiet and firm voice called the couple over to Neville's table on the train. The boy was tall and strong this year and Stefan sensed an unflappable air about his friend that was new. Trevor the Toad was sitting still for once, seemingly gazing out at the other students imperiously. Lexi's missing presence at his side was painfully noticeable.
"Hey," Stefan greeted warmly and he Neville embraced for a moment before sitting down.
"You guys know Ginny," Neville said lowly, "And Luna."
Stefan and Elena saw the other two girls; Ginny sitting proud and firm, her mouth set firmly and her ginger hair flyaway with the cooling charms set upon the train for being late summer. It dawned on Stefan that Ginny had been going out with Harry for most of the last year, but if she was upset about his disappearance, she didn't let on. Luna wore a dazed smile as per usual, but the hand that clutched her copy of the Quibbler was shaking fractionally
"Hi," Elena greeted them quietly.
Ginny nodded stiffly and Luna gave them a whimsical smile.
"Hello," Luna said vacantly, "How was your summer?"
Stefan and Elena exchanged glances and they each flushed. "Good," Stefan answered, clearing his throat.
"It was clearly more than good, but you're also very embarrassed to talk about what you did in company," Luna observed sagely, "That's alright."
The first leg of the train ride wasn't as bad as it could have been, and Stefan, Elena and Neville carefully said nothing about their missing friend, Lexi. Bonnie appeared to be gone as well, and half way through the ride Stefan spotted Caroline sitting stiffly next to their fellow year mate, Tyler Lockwood.
Stefan narrowed his eyes; his friend looked very uncomfortable in the seat next to the Slytherin she'd have killed for just the previous year. Something dark purple was just visible over the top of the girl's turtle neck.
"Is it just me, or is Caroline looking . . . wilted?" Elena whispered into Stefan's ear quietly, her breath tickling his neck.
"It's not just you," Stefan confirmed, licking his lips, "I wonder what's going on."
"We'll have to catch a minute alone with her –" Elena didn't get to finish because the train suddenly shuddered to a stop. Students panicked and sprinted to the windows, but the only one who looked in their little group was Ginny, who calmly stood and peered out the sidecar.
"Definitely not at Hogwarts," Ginny said as the door to their section of the train burst open. Around them, children shrieked and started to cry as what was clearly a Death Eater stalked in through the train's aisles. His black cloak swirled around his ankles and he hadn't even bothered with the popular skull mask. The Death Eater's face was pulled down into a ferocious scowl as he grey eyes danced around the train section, searching for what were most likely Harry and his two best friends.
Neville stood boldly and Stefan couldn't help the stab of fear that pierced his heart for his best friend. "He's not here, losers," Neville said neither menacingly or loud, but clearly and firm.
The Death Eater gave Neville a once over before letting his eyes sweep the train once more. Then he left as quickly as he'd come, though the students were jumpy and scared for the rest of the ride to their previously safe school.
"I have a horrible feeling about this year," Stefan felt compelled to state the obvious and Elena stood closer to him as they stepped off the train and walked towards one of the carriages. Neville was on Stefan's right, Ginny on Neville's, and Luna seemed to flutter around, never content in a single place for longer than a few seconds.
They got onto a carriage together and Stefan found himself looking for their other friends; Caroline was still stuck to Tyler's side, who was with Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy as per usual. Bonnie was nowhere to be seen at first glance, but then Stefan spotted her with a Sixth Year Ravenclaw, Luka something. He was half-blood, and appeared to be very close to their nearly psychic friend.
"You think she'll be okay?" Elena asked worriedly.
"Probably," Stefan said, but he wouldn't be satisfied until Bonnie told them she was safe in the other wizard's company; one couldn't be too careful anymore.
The entire student body was required to file quickly and silently into the Great Hall, in what nearly seemed to be marching in tandem. The four student tables were the same as they always were, but it seemed like the faculty table stood even higher this year, distancing the students from their professors. The grand podium with the magical phoenix stationed on front was missing, making the room feel even more cavernous and echoing and the shadows long and frightening.
The Great Hall's ceiling reflected the students' somber mood; dark with flashing lightening and rumbling with rolling thunder. Elena's hand found Stefan's and squeezed as they followed Neville over to the Gryffindor table and procured themselves some seats. Luna bid them a farewell and disappeared over to the Ravenclaws; leaving Ginny to sit on Neville's other side that was usually reserved for Lexi.
Everyone else found their seats quiet as mice as Snape rose up to where Dumbledore stood only last year, his black robes swirling around him like wings of a looming, forbidding bat.
"Batman," Stefan muttered to himself darkly, "How the mighty have fallen." Elena gave him a quizzical look, but one of the muggleborn students a year below them shot Stefan a small smirk in appreciation.
"If you are all finished . . . nattering on to each other," Snape's acidic voice drawled from the front room. All eyes snapped up to Snape's sallow face as he drawled out the beginning of the year speech without first sorting the new children.
"The Dark Arts professor this year will be Amycus Carrow," Snape waved a hand to a man in dark ropes with a vicious smirk sitting to the left of where McGonagall was sitting, "The Muggle Studies' professor is his sister, Alecto. Both of these courses . . . are mandatory." Alecto, in equally dark robes sat on Amycus' other side. They resembled each other, Stefan thought, far more than he and Damon did to one another. Both siblings are hair blacker that pitch and severe faces; their cheek bones were angular and their noses were straight. They could have been attractive, except for their black eyes and the unnerving air that surrounded them.
Everyone was relieved when Snape finished his speech and stepped down for McGonagall to bring forth Sorting Hat. Stefan and Elena held hands under the table as the Sorting progressed; the Ravenclaws got eight students in all; Hufflepuffs ten; Gryffindors seven; and Slytherin twelve. When McGonagall put the Sorting Hat up along with its stool, she stiffly made her way back to her seat between Amycus and what would be Snape once he sat down.
The new Headmaster reclaimed his spot at the head of the Great Hall. He didn't need to command silence; the students fell quiet the moment the wizard stood.
"I want to make it perfectly clear that absolutely . . . no . . . misbehavior will be tolerated this school . . . year," Snape drawled, his lip curling up into a sneer, "Am I clear?"
You could hear a pin drop in the Great Hall for all the students responded.
"I said," Snape said with narrowing eyes, "'Am . . . I . . . clear?'"
"Yes," Several students called out.
"'Yes, Sir,'" Snape snapped.
"Yes, Sir," The students corrected themselves as a crack of lightening streaked across the sky. The Great Hall ceiling appeared to be mirroring the general air in its walls, as it reflected the frightened and tension filled air about the students and a few of the professors.
"Good," Snape drawled, "If you are not . . . there will be . . . severe . . . consequences."
The food appeared on the tables then, and after a few hesitant seconds, everyone dived in, eating with a startling vigor. Stefan kept one eye on the professors' table, watching the Carrows interact with their faculty members. No one liked them and even Snape, it appeared, barely seemed to tolerate the Death Eaters' presence.
Elena and Stefan exchanged glances, but said nothing as they finished eating. The year's Prefects led the First Years up to their dorms, and silently unanimous, Neville, Stefan and Elena agreed they'd wait until the next day to try and meet up to discuss their action plan for the school year. Elena disappeared up to the Seventh Year Gryffindor girls' dorms with Lavender Brown, and Neville and Stefan quickly trooped up the boys' dorm steps.
Inside, Dean Thomas was gone, leaving only Seamus, Neville and Stefan as the only Gryffindor Seventh Year boys' left in the entire school. Seamus inclined his head to them, which the two best friends returned curtly.
"How was your summer, Seamus?" Neville inquired quietly as they all tried to ignore the empty beds and unpack their belongings.
The Irish boy shrugged, his face pulled into a tight frown. "Not great, I'll you. Me mum almost didn't let me come back. Not that anyone could blame her." His Irish brogue was rough as he spoke to them. "Some of the family tried to Portkey in from Ireland, but they couldn't get through 'cause of the new Minister for Magic."
"I'm sorry," Stefan offered quietly, "I know that family's really important right now."
Seamus nodded, but waved them off. "I think I'm going to go on to bed, mates." He crawled into his bunk and his curtains twitched closed, thankfully without any smoke this time. (In their Sixth Year, he'd attempted something much the same, only to have his curtains catch fire and the boys had to evacuate their dorm, to the giggling girls' hilarity.)
Morning came soon enough and Neville and Stefan went down their steps to find a somber Common Room and Elena. Stefan paused and marveled at the beauty that was his girlfriend; her smile lit up the room, her flushed cheeks were bright pink, and her eyes and smile were bright.
Neville caught him looking and gave him a small grin, but it wasn't forced like Stefan might have thought. Neville may have missed Lexi, but he wasn't about to let his own feelings cloud his mind about his friends present. Stefan clapped a hand on his back and they walked over to Elena and they stepped through the portrait hole, heading towards the Great Hall.
"Well, well, well, isn't it the new Golden Trio. Where's your little Mudblood friend, Alexandra, was it?" Stefan's nostrils flared as he looked at Theodore Nott, a Slytherin Seventh Year. Throughout their years in Hogwarts together, Nott had always been weedy and stringy; he was a tall youth with short dark hair that stuck up about his head, reminiscent of Harry's, really. He was pale, not as much so as Draco Malfoy, but he wasn't what one would call bronze. His angular face was most likely considered attractive by the females of his house and his dark eyes were leering with menace as they traveled over the small group of friends.
The boy would usually keep to himself, being sharp and clever and a deft hand at Potions. His father was a Death Eater though, and as Stefan's intelligent green eyes darted to the small patch of exposed skin on Nott's wrist, saw the start of the familiar inky black Death Eater tattoo. Nott's eyes shot to his wrist and then back to Stefan's face and he grinned a little.
"Does that scare you, Salvatore? It shouldn't; I heard that your brother was on his way to getting one of his own," Nott drawled, lip curling to show his pearly white teeth in a savage smile.
Elena's hand gripped Stefan's tightly.
"Doesn't scare me," Stefan said quietly, "It makes me sick though, to see another person succumb to Voldemort's cowardly ways."
"And don't insult Damon," Elena hissed, "He would never join Voldemort."
Nott arched one eyebrow imperiously, "What? Like your family would never? I heard about your desertion of your family – everyone did. It's been the biggest scandal since Sirius Black was disowned." He leant in close and whispered in her face so that only Elena could hear him, "There's also been talk that you've been shacking up with the Salvatore brothers. Tell me – which one is the better shag? Or do you all three get together-"
The sound of Elena's palm slapping off of Theodore Nott's left cheek echoed in the cavernous hallway. He reeled back, touching his cheek with his fingers, probing the bright red area with shock. The rest of his face started to flush with anger and the trio of Gryffindors quickly ran off, shooting wary looks behind them, but Nott did nothing but stand there.
Stefan didn't like the look on the Pureblood's face.
They made it the Great Hall where they quickly sat down and retrieved their updated schedules. Tightly, Stefan said, "That was stupid, Elena. Did you see him? He's going to get you back for that somehow."
"I really don't care," Elena said angrily as she attacked her toast with a butter knife.
"What did he say to you?" Neville asked warily.
"Nothing," Elena growled.
"He obviously said something," Stefan said shortly.
Elena slammed down her knife and turned to face Stefan fiercely. The noise made the spattering of senseless conversations halt for a moment that soon resumed at all but the Gryffindor table. "He insinuated that I was sleeping with you and Damon," Elena said quietly and her usually kind eyes flashed with indignation at the memory.
The glasses at their table started to tremble and the other Gryffindors turned back to look at them, surprise on their faces; accidental magic was practically unheard of once a witch or wizard started Hogwarts. Stefan's eyes shuddered in anger and he stood, swinging his legs over the table. Neville's hand shot out though, freezing the other boy and he squeezed Stefan's forearm almost painfully.
"Let go of me," Stefan said forcefully, "Neville, let go of my arm."
"No," Neville said evenly, "Listen, mate; you'd never forgive me if I let you go right now. Look at the Professors; they're all watching, waiting for you, any of us, to slip up."
Even as Neville was speaking, Stefan could tell that he was right; the looks were varied from worried (McGonagall) to downright gleeful at an opportunity to discipline their first student (the Carrow's). Stefan stiffly sat back down and looked furiously at the wood on the table, Neville's strong hand still on his arm.
"Alright, then?" Neville asked quietly.
"No, but I'm not going to fly off the handle," Stefan muttered, "Promise."
Neville let go and everything in the Hall resumed stutteringly until they were dismissed for their first class. They walked to DADA together, which they unfortunately had with the Slytherins.
"Why is it that we have classes with our rivals? Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs get on fine, sure, but Hufflepuffs get on with everyone. Stick them with the Slytherins." It was spiteful, but Elena was sore from her encounter with Nott that morning.
Neville was quick to disabuse any thoughts about that, though. "Hufflepuffs may turn the other cheek, Elena, but they don't let people walk over them; I'm not sure that they would get on with them as well as you think."
"Well, then perhaps the Ravenclaws would like to be with the Slytherins, then," Elena muttered.
"I'd like to see Bonnie hex Malfoy," Stefan grinned and the a little air of levity was reintroduced to the small group of friends at the thought. Bonnie was a fantastic witch, one of the best in their group of friends, really, and she was quick with defensive spells and divination magic.
They arrived at the class and Elena, who usually sat with Lexi, went to sit with Ginny that day instead, hopefully to get to know the only Weasley left in Hogwarts a little better. Neville and Stefan scooted into the row just behind the girls and watched as the rest of their House and the Slytherins filed in in the aptly dark classroom.
Amycus Carrow, the brother of the Death Eater duo, swept into the classroom, but it must be known that it was nowhere near as impressive as Snape's notorious entrances. He was pale and his eyes were a slightly mad looking black while his hair matched and his angular face was almost sharp because of his pointed cheek bones. He looked down his nose at them at another poor imitation of Snape and curled his lip.
"This is the Dark Arts and you'll have it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning with me. You'll address me as Professor Carrow or Sir. Do I make myself clear, children?" His eyes swept the classroom as the Gryffindors listlessly nodded and most of the Slytherins enthusiastically replied with the affirmative. Tracey Davis was noticeably one of the ones that were less than keen on the whole.
"Today, class, it has come to my attention that there's been bullying in the halls. Theo Nott," Carrow inclined his head towards the wild haired student, who nodded with a clearly affected frown, "was unfairly assaulted in the hallway by Elena Petrova. Petrova – come to the front."
A sick feeling a dread pooled into Stefan's stomach that he saw mirrored on Elena's horrified face. The unfairness of the situation weighed on Stefan's heart as Elena pushed back her fear and strode to the front of the classroom with an indifferent look in her eyes.
"Now, now, Miss Petrova," Carrow's smile was oily, "Tell me; did you and did you not smack Mister Nott across the face in the hallway this morning?" Stefan stiffened and Neville put a restraining hand on his leg.
"Yes, but-" Elena started.
"So you admit to assaulting a fellow student?" Carrow latched on.
"Yes, but you don't understand-"
"But you still did it, Miss Petrova, and unprovoked to boot," Carrow bared his teeth in a mockery of a smile.
Elena's nostrils flared, "No," She said stiffly, "I was not unprovoked."
"Well, what did Mister Nott do to you? I don't see any marks."
Elena crossed her arms across her chest and said firmly, "He said something about me that was a nasty, horrible rumor."
"Well? Let's hear it, Miss Petrova."
"He insinuated that I was sleeping with both of the Salvatore brothers. At the same time."
Whistles and hoots of the Slytherins' side of the classroom almost drowned out the sound of righteous hisses of indignation of Elena's fellow Gryffindors. Stefan's grip on his quill was so hard that it snapped in half.
Carrow's face was all bared teeth, "I'm not hearing the lie, Miss Petrova."
Stefan stood abruptly, fuming.
"Do you have something to say, Mister Salvatore?" Carrow asked with narrowed eyes.
Neville and Elena shot half pleading looks at Stefan to let it go, but Stefan stood, shaking with silent anger.
"Well? If not, sit yourself down," Carrow said and Stefan slowly returned to his seat. "Now that that's out in the open, it's time to doll out punishments." Carrow turned to Elena sharply and said in a low voice that carried across the classroom, "Bullying of other students will not be tolerated and you're going to be first example to be made of, Miss Petrova."
He went to his desk and handed Elena a familiar looking quill – a blood quill. Apparently, Elena recognized it as well.
"You're going to write lines."
"I'm not using that," Elena said firmly.
"You are unless you want to practice your Cruciatus Curse on a fellow student. Your boyfriend, maybe?" He smiled.
Shaken, Elena took the quill.
"Now, return to your seat and write, I will not be a bully. Keep writing until the class has been dismissed."
As soon as Dark Arts was over, Stefan and Neville rushed to Elena's side and they walked with her out of the classroom, dodging the other students. Doubtless, word of the goings-on would spread like wildfire on a patch of dry grass and the entire school would know by lunch.
Elena's hand was bleeding profusely, but the witch refused to cry which Stefan admired, but hoped that she wasn't just bottling up her emotions. Her wrist was cradled in to her chest, and Stefan had a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders.
"I'm going to cover for you in Transfiguration so Professor McGonagall won't worry," Neville said quietly and quickly and Stefan nodded curtly.
"Thanks."
"Not a problem, mate," Neville grinned grimly, "You're my best friend."
They split ways and the couple headed towards the Room of Requirement, which they entered swiftly. There was everything they needed at a basin that had formed on one wall and Stefan and Elena hurried over to it.
Stefan's own hand itched just looking at Elena's I will not be a bully and thought of his own - I must not commit violence and winced.
"I'm fine," Elena murmured to Stefan, seemingly reading her mind, "Really. It's takes a little more than a blood quill to shake me up."
"What he said in there about you," Stefan muttered, "Forget it, okay?"
"He's just picking on me because I left my family," Elena said quietly, "It's been in the Prophet that I've been disowned all summer; of course all of the Death Eaters are going to be extra harsh. They hate bloodtraitors almost as much as they hate muggle-borns."
"It's not right," Stefan almost snapped as he cleaned Elena's wound, "They shouldn't say those things about you."
"They shouldn't be killing muggle-borns either," Elena said dryly as Stefan wrapped a bandage around her hand. They sighed together and Stefan's eyes wandered the room.
"Should we get the basilisk fang before or after we get the diadem?" He asked quietly.
"The diadem can talk to you; who knows what else it can do," Elena warned, "And it's going to be indefinitely more difficult to get to the Chamber of Secrets unnoticed than it will be to get in here again to find the diadem."
"Fang first it is then," Stefan murmured and he and Elena clasped hands, walking out of the Room of Requirement swiftly. The bell rang, indicating lunch, and so the couple detoured down to the Great Hall.
When they stepped through the doors, Stefan saw students shoot them glances that ranged from disgust to pity and heard the furious whispering that followed them to their seats. Fellow Gryffindors were defending their honor, but the snakes were just slyly smirking in their pit.
Neville found them a moment later and gave them a tight grin. "Talk's started already."
Elena snorted. "It started seconds after it happened, Neville. It'll pass; I'm sure something even more scandalous will happen in the next class."
"Even more scandalous that a Salvatore and Petrova threesome?" Neville asked grimly and Stefan choked. Neville nodded, "That's the story going around, along with Elena cheating on you with Damon, and you cheating on Elena with Katherine."
Elena and Stefan gaped, horrified at Neville.
"You're serious?" Stefan asked, eyes wide.
"Deadly," Neville nodded, "Theodore Nott has been fanning the flames all morning; it's disgusting."
Bonnie detoured over to the Gryffindor table with her Ravenclaw friend half a step behind her. "Elena," She greeted warmly, "I'm sorry about all these rumors right on top of your family drama. How are you holding up?"
The Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw chattered for a moment before Bonnie and Luka quickly went to their table. Stefan looked up and saw why; Snape was practically floating to the front of the Great Hall. The students were hushed immediately.
"It has come to my attention . . . that some students have not been sitting with their own Houses at lunch . . . such acts are . . . forbidden," He drawled and Stefan wished that the man would trip in his overly large cloak. "Is that perfectly . . . clear?"
The students nodded and murmured in tandem, "Yes Sir."
Snape swept back to Professors' table and Stefan noticed McGonagall's face scrunched up in distaste. Once the students were dismissed, everyone scurried back to their Common Rooms.
Stefan, Elena, Neville and Ginny gathered around the fire silently fuming.
"This isn't going to stand," Stefan muttered.
"What? Not sitting with your Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff buddies at lunch?" Ginny drawled, her tone indicating her annoyance, but her eyes glinted.
"No," Stefan snapped, "The unfairness of this situation. It's the first day of classes and they've already used the blood quill on Elena; he had to either do that or use the Cruciatus Curse on one of us during class."
"They humiliated me and Stefan," Elena said loudly, turning heads in their direction, "And it won't stop there. What if next time there isn't a choice and they make some poor student actually perform the Torture Curse on another student? Where does it end?"
"What do you propose we do?" Seamus called from across the room. He walked over to their group and looked at them with narrowed eyes, "What can we do? It's obvious that we're on short leashes this year. Anyone can see it."
"I think which should start up Dumbledore's Army again," Neville replied quietly and there was sudden silence that announced the rest of the House was listening.
"Say again?" Seamus demanded.
"He's right," Stefan said, backing up his friend, "We all still have those coins, right? I can re-charm them; I know the spell Hermione used to do it in Fifth Year. We can meet up in the Room again and practice Defense."
You could have heard a pen drop in the Common Room.
Then it burst into a sea of noise.
"Quiet," Ginny hollered, "Or else you'll attract Snape's attention and we're all dead!" The Gryffindors were immediately silenced. "Thanks," Ginny grinned and turned to the leading trio, "Continue, please."
"Thanks Ginny," Neville smiled.
"Not a problem, Captain Longbottom," Ginny smirked, making Neville blush.
"I can re-charm the coins," Stefan repeated, "and-"
"Wait," Elena said swiftly, putting a hand on Stefan's mouth. She stood, "If we're doing this, we're signing something right now that says no one can talk about this. We'll not be betrayed again."
There were quiet mutterings until Lavender Brown asked, "What if we don't want to join?"
"You'll still sign so you can't tattle," Ginny snapped, "You don't have to participate, but already too much has been said to let anyone out of this Common Room tonight. This is war, ladies and gents; no chances can be taken."
There were no more complaints, and together, Neville, Stefan, Elena, and Ginny wrote up a piece of paper and charmed it quietly.
"Ready," Elena announced and set the paper onto a table, "Everyone needs to sign, even if you don't wait to rejoin the DA." Elena signed first, followed by their little group of friends. Seamus came up next, followed by a Patil twin and then the rest of the remaining Seventh Year girls. Slowly the rest of the Gryffindors trickled up and signed the parchment.
Night was encroaching on them, and the First through Third Years (who were definitely not going to be in the DA, if Stefan had any say about it) went up to bed, leaving the older ones in the Common Room.
"Now," Elena announced, "Let's discuss what we're going to do and how we're going to recruit from the other Houses."
Once again, I apologiz for the severe lateness. I'l try and get the next chapter out much, much sooner. Review, please?