So as you can see, I have another Hogwarts AU. I was so overwhelmed and touched by the responses I got for the first one, so I decided I'd try another. This one was inspired by jenkisworld on Tumblr, who suggested I write one during the Death Eater invasion at the end of Half-Blood Prince. I kinda went overboard a bit and made it much longer and more intense than I was planning. Hehe.

Also, I realized I made a boo-boo. When I wrote the first AU, I said Belle and Rumple were seventh years. In my head it took place during Half-Blood Prince. I said Snape was the Potions Master… He wasn't in HBP. Soo, I've decided this is a separate story. If I continue with this universe, many of these stories will be separate from each other (unless specified) so I can have more freedom with the timeline. Everyone got it? Good. I hope I haven't rambled too much.

Summary: As Death Eaters swarm the castle while Dumbledore and Harry are away, Belle must summon her courage to face them. However, they're not the only thing she has to face. Something's up with her friend and secret crush Rumple, and she's determined to find out what.

Something was wrong.

Belle French sat in the Ravenclaw common room, waiting. For what exactly, she didn't know. She just had this nagging feeling that something awful was going to happen. Something that would ruin everything.

It was a scary thought, and possibly very wrong, she knew. Still, she just couldn't shake it. She had already tried going to bed, but no amount of tossing and turning helped her cause. She must have fluffed her pillow dozens of times. Nothing worked, so she was back downstairs, a book in her lap, though she wasn't reading.

If Belle had to guess as to where her paranoia came from, she would probably say her best friend, Rumple Gold. He had been acting weird he past few weeks. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages, and Belle sometimes caught him in dark corners talking with some questionable Slytherins.

Belle wasn't stupid. She heard the rumors that circled around him. So many students thought he was a Death Eater, or was at least planning to be one. His father, coward that he was, abandoned He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in the first Wizarding War, and by extension is own family. He paid the price only a few weeks later, but that did nothing to stop Rumple from resenting his father. Since then he seemed obsessed with eliminating his father's image that followed him everywhere. Because of that, people just assumed that meant appeasing the Dark Lord.

Belle didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. Rumple was not what everyone thought he was. She always defended him in front of her friends, and in return lost some credibility in her House. People thought she was crazy.

Still, despite her fervent insistence that he was a good person, Belle couldn't deny that lately he had been acting the complete opposite. It made her scared. Bad things always seemed to happen at the end of the school year, which was fast approaching.

In Belle's eyes, it was like an invisible line had been drawn. It had been present all year, but it was even more prominent now. It was basically Gryffindors versus Slytherins, specifically Harry Potter and co. against Draco Malfoy. Her friends had all taken Harry's side, obviously, and she had as well. However, she refused to suspect that her best friend was involved with someone like Malfoy.

Her friends said she was blinded by her desire to see the good in people. She knew that if she was being blinded by something, it wasn't that.

It was love.

Yes, she had finally admitted it to herself. She was in love with Rumple. She couldn't deny it. There was just something about him that made her believe he was good. She trusted him and cared for him in a way she suspected no one had ever cared for him.

He didn't feel the same way. She knew it. And she accepted it. She could live with her feelings so long as she could at least see him and spend time with him.

And yet, times were changing. Things were unpredictable. For all she knew, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named could attack Hogwarts at any second.

Belle was so caught up in her thoughts she almost didn't hear the patter of footsteps on the stairs. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a figure stepped into the common room.

"Who's there?" she called, using her best Prefect voice. The figure stopped.

"Belle?"

"Luna?" Belle stood up and met the blonde girl in the middle of the room. "What are you doing up?"

"Harry thinks something is going to happen tonight. He's left the castle with Dumbledore and needs people to make sure everything is alright."

It was times like these when Belle appreciated Luna's inability to see the danger in telling people certain things. Her stomach twisted painfully. So she wasn't alone in thinking something was going to happen, and Harry was better at these things than she was.

"That's very helpful of you, Luna, but I don't think it's safe for you to wander the castle if something is about to happen."

"It's for the DA," Luna revealed. Belle straightened. Last year Harry and his friends formed Dumbledore's Army, an underground dueling club. Belle had been a part of it, and it had been one of the best things she had ever done. She missed the meetings dearly, and was quite desperate to get back into it.

"Alright," she said finally. "But I'm coming with you."


Apparently Harry was so convinced bad things were about to hit Hogwarts that he assigned people tasks. Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley were guarding the Room of Requirement. Hermione Granger took Luna to hang outside Snape's office. That left Belle with Mary Margaret Blanchard, David Nolan, and Ruby Lucas to make sure no extra students were out of bed. Mary Margaret and David were Prefects like Belle, so they wouldn't get in trouble if they were caught. They were just doing their job. Ruby would have to come up with an excuse.

"This is insane," Ruby whispered. "Is Dumbledore really not here?"

"Yep," David answered. "He took Harry for some secret mission."

"Is anyone else freaked out about that?" Mary Margaret asked, peering into a shadowy alcove. "I mean, what if Dumbledore was the only thing keeping Hogwarts protected?"

"What, you don't trust the other professors?" David countered.

"Of course I do, but... He's Dumbledore."

"Yeah, I know. The only one You-Know-Who fears." David shook his head. "We don't even know if something is gonna happen. Harry could just be overreacting."

"I don't know..." Belle hedged. Her friends stared at her.

"Do you know something, Belle?" asked Ruby.

"No. Not for sure, at least. I just have this feeling... It feels like danger."

The three other teens looked disturbed. Suddenly the corridors seemed far more menacing.

"Have you talked to Gold lately?" ventured David as they turned a corner. Belle resisted the urge to roll her eyes and steeled herself for the oncoming argument.

"Just yesterday, in fact."

"And he did he say anything?"

"Why would he?" Belle shot back, exasperated. "Even if he was involved in something - which he's not - he wouldn't tell me. He's very secretive."

"You know who else has been secretive lately?" Ruby asked hotly. "Draco Malfoy. And we all know what he's like."

Before Belle could say something in response, a loud crash sounded from overhead. The four of them skidded to a stop, exchanged looks, and sprinted back in the direction they came. They reached the stairway leading to the Astronomy Tower a few moments later, and were absolutely floored by what they saw.

A fight had broken out. A battle, to be exact. And it wasn't between Gryffindors and Slytherins. No, this was Hogwarts versus Death Eaters.

"How did they get in?" gasped Belle, whipping her wand out. The others followed suit.

"No idea," David shouted while deflecting a spell. "But that doesn't really matter now, does it?"

Belle was quickly pulled into a fierce duel with a masked Death Eater. She praised her past self for having the sense to join DA last year. Otherwise she would probably be dead by now.

Spell after spell after spell... Belle was becoming very tired. Her opponent didn't look like he was. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. Her wand arm was aching from the constant waving, and she was running out of spells that would actually succeed in defeating him.

The Death Eater blasted her backwards. Belle slammed against the stone wall, letting out a cry of pain. Stars danced before her eyes. The Death Eater approached, ready to finish her off. Belle pushed herself up feebly, determined to look her murderer in the eye. He raised his wand and...

...Was thrown into the air.

Bells blinked. The Death Eater was now lying crumpled on the ground. Looking back and forth, Belle tried to find her savior. To the left was the battle. Her friends, along with members of the Order of the Phoenix, we're firing off spells with amazing efficiency, considering their ages. No one was looking her way. To the right, she glimpsed the corner of a black cloak darting away.

Scrambling to her feet, she stumbled after the cloak. She was still very disoriented from her fall, but she needed to reach this person.

She had just reached the end of the corridor when she was yanked behind a nearby tapestry. She began to scream, but found her mouth covered by a hand.

"Stop it," a familiar voice hissed. "You'll lead them straight to us."

Belle stopped struggling and slowly turned around as the person released their grip. Standing before her, looking a little worse for wear, was Rumple.

"Oh my gosh, Rumple!" Belle threw her arms around his thin body and held tight. Rumple hesitantly squeezed back.

"I was so worried about you..." she murmured. Rumple stepped back.

"What were you thinking?! Taking on a Death Eater like that?"

"I was thinking that Death Eaters were attacking our school and someone needed to stop them!" cried Belle.

"It was being handled," Rumple spat. Bells gaped at him.

"Handled? Handled? Did you see what was going on? That is not handled!"

"You should've have been there! You could have been killed! You were about to be killed!"

Now it was Belle's turn to step back. The fury in Rumple's eyes was frightening. He looked very tense. Belle felt her own anger begin to seep through.

"It's absolutely NONE of your business what I do! I can fight if I want to. You don't decide my fate. Only I do." Rumple looked startled by her mini-outburst. Belle took a shaky breath.

"Why do you care what I do anyway?"

Rumple's eyes shifted and dropped to the floor. Belle cocked her head, waiting for his answer.

"I don't think Ravenclaw would appreciate losing their Prefect," he tried. "Plus, Flitwick would be beside himself if his favorite student died."

"You're lying." Rumple swallowed.

"I..." He took a deep breath. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

Belle eyed him closely. He finally raised his eyes to meet hers, waiting to see how she would respond.

"Were you... Were you worried about me?"

"Of course I was," he confessed. "I was worried sick about you. I had a feeling you would be up there with the rest of Potter's crowd, so I went there myself to make sure you were alright. I needed to see you with my own eyes."

"That's why you were up there?" asked Belle anxiously. Rumple's eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes... Why?"

Belle bit her lip and focused on her crossed arms. Rumple stiffened before her.

"You thought I was behind the Death Eater's entry into the castle, didn't you?"

"No!" said Belle immediately. Rumple's eyes widened at how fast she said it.

"You did." He let out a derisive snort. "Of course. Your friends think I'm evil, why wouldn't you?"

"Rumple, stop," she pleaded. "You know I don't think that. But you've been acting so odd lately. I've been worried!"

Rumple's eyes softened. "You were worried about me?"

"Of course!" She sent him a concerned look. "What's going on with you?"

Rumple looked like he very much wanted to tell her the truth. He fiddled with his wand and glanced at the tapestry. Nearby, the battle was still raging on. In fact, it almost sounded like it was getting closer.

"Rumple..." she whispered, "Let me in."

He let out a resigned sigh. "The Vanishing Cabinet." She blinked in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

"The Vanishing Cabinet," he repeated. "In the Room of Requirement."

"Yes?" He gulped.

"That's how they got in."

Belle's eyes narrowed.

"How do you know that?"

"You have to believe me, Belle. I didn't do it. I didn't have any part in this. At least, not directly..."

Shouts were heard outside the tapestry. Something had happened. There were booms and cries and pounding footsteps. Belle desperately wanted to see what was going on, but she wasn't done here.

"Explain," she said shortly.

"The Malfoy boy," Rumple started, launching into his story. "He did it. Voldemort tasked him with a mission. I didn't know what until a few days ago. He was trying to figure out how to get people into the castle in secret. He was constantly taking up space in the common room, muttering to himself. It was getting on everyone's nerves.

"One night it was down to the two of us in the room. Me and him. He was exhausted and past caring who he talked to. He asked me how one would smuggle people inside, and I off-handedly mentioned the Cabinet."

"You gave him the idea," said Belle, moaning a little.

"I didn't mean to," whispered Rumple. "You know I want nothing to do with Voldemort and his people." Rumple never shied away from saying the name. He was one of the few people who didn't.

"Everyone else seems to think differently." Rumple's face twisted with pain. He reached forward and clasped her hand in his.

"You must know that I would never. Once I realized what I had done, I regretted it. I wished I could take it back." He squeezed her hand tightly. "Please believe me."

"Why do you care if I believe you or not?" Belle asked him this mainly to buy herself some time to organize her thoughts. Unfortunately, his answer didn't allow for that.

"Because I care about you too much to have you think badly of me. The old me might not care about what I did, but I want to be better for you. I'm trying so hard."

Belle gaped at him. The way he was talking... No, that wasn't it. It couldn't be it.

The footsteps were coming towards them now. Belle shrunk further into the passageway. Rumple craned his neck to see out through the tiny crack. He paled visibly when he saw who was coming.

"What's wrong?" whispered Belle.

"They're coming. The Death Eaters." He turned his head towards her a little. "Malfoy expects me to go with him, you know."

"What?" she hissed. She looked horrified.

"I helped him," he answered sardonically. "I'm an asset."

"You can't go." She clung to his hand, refusing to let go.

"I don't want to."

"Then don't."

"They'll come after me."

"I'll protect you. We all will."

He snorted. "They won't want to help me."

"They will if you show them you can be trusted."

He faced her fully now. The Death Eaters were thundering past, shouting and cheering. Belle felt sick just wondering why they were so happy. She dragged Rumple farther down the passage, right to the very end. It was much quieter here.

"Please, Rumple, let us help you."

He gazed at her in wonder. "You trust me?"

"Of course," she said hurriedly, wanting to get back to her friends. She needed to ensure Rumple's place in their ranks before the Death Eaters found them.

"Why?" he pressed.

"Because I know the boy I love wouldn't do this."

Rumple froze. Belle did too.

"The boy you... What?" Rumple was dumbfounded. Belle was suddenly very aware of his hand entwined with hers.

"Love," she said softly, knowing she couldn't take it back.

"You can't mean that."

"I do."

Cautiously, Belle lifted her hand to his face and caressed his cheek. Rumple stayed still for a moment before leaning into her touch.

"I... I..." For once in his life, Rumple was speechless.

"You don't have to. I understand if you don't feel the same way. But I just can't lose you. Please stay."

Rumple whimpered and dropped his forehead to hers. He placed his free hand on Belle's waist.

"I do. And I will."

Belle let out a sigh of immense relief and collapsed against his chest. Rumple held her close, breathing her in. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

The castle was silent now. Whatever had happened was over, and now all that was left was to pick up the pieces. Belle was terrified of what lay ahead, but she knew she could take it. With Rumple by her side, she could take anything.

If you enjoyed this and want more, let me know! I'd love to hear from you =)