I own nothing! and alas, I never will.
"What are we going to do with them?"
Padma looks up at her sister, who asked the question. "I'm not sure, 'Vati. Question them, at least."
Parvati stares into the fire, a troubled look on her face. "But, they're not going to be hurt, are they?"
Her sister gives her a curious glance. "I doubt it. I don't think anyone here is one to harm without being provoked."
Parvati nods. It seems reasonable enough, coming from her sister.
They are joined by Ginny, Neville, and Luna, all taking seats around the fire as well. They shift for a moment, making themselves comfortable on the ground, before joining in on the conversation.
"I hope someone hurts Malfoy at least, the stupid prat," says Ginny, tossing a log into the fire. It isn't necessary, the fire is a magical creation that won't stop burning until someone magically puts it out, but it does make the fire a little higher, and she likes watching as the wood smolders, slowly becoming smaller and smaller. "And maybe Goyle, too."
"I wonder what they were doing, following us. You said they wanted to show themselves, didn't you, Gin?" Neville asks, glancing at the redhead.
"At least one of them did, one of the girls. She said it was what they planned to do."
"Which girl?" Parvati speaks up, her voice inquiring.
Ginny shrugs. "I couldn't see who it was. It wasn't Pansy, I can tell you that. I would recognize her annoying voice anywhere. It had to be one of the other two."
Parvati doesn't say anything. She knows which girl it was.
Neville repeats his statement. "I wonder why they were following us."
No one has an answer for him. They stare silently into the fire, thinking about what could lead seven Slytherins to follow them across the country.
"Maybe they were working on You-Know-Who's orders?" suggests Neville.
Padma shakes her head. "If they were working for him, why would they plan to show themselves to us?"
Ginny guesses, "To attack us, or get us to attack them?" Which we did, she adds silently to herself.
"They don't seem…bad," Parvati interjects, wiping some dust off her pants.
Ginny looks at her incredulously. "Bad? Of course they're bad! It's Slytherins we're talking about here! And not just any Slytherins, but Malfoy and Parkinson, the worst of them all! And Nott's dad is a Death Eater."
"I know, I know, but when I went in there, they didn't seem like they were the same as they used to be. They didn't insult me or say anything sarcastic. They just gave me their names."
Ginny makes a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh. "That's because they are our captives. We have the upper hand, and their fates depend on our kindness."
Parvati looks away, back into the fire. "They could have insulted me if they had wanted. I'm not important, I don't affect their fate."
"Of course you're important." Hermione appears, Ron just behind her. She sits down next to Parvati and reaches for her hand, squeezing it in that comforting way that Hermione does so often. It doesn't make Parvati feel any better. "Everyone here is important."
Parvati shrugs her shoulders, tilting her head to the side. "I just mean that I don't think they want to do anything mean or bad to us. One of them asked my name."
The others look at her as if she has gone mad. How could asking for her name have any significance in a war?
Her face burns from their stares but she doesn't add anymore. She doesn't want to explain how she felt when the girl asked for her name. She doesn't think they would understand. She doesn't even really understand herself how that one question could make her think that the Slytherins had changed. It shouldn't mean anything.
But the girl had sounded so desperate to get Parvati's attention, something a person working under You-Know-Who would never do. She had almost been pleading with Parvati, and none of the others said anything about it.
Maybe instead of making her stronger the war has made her softer, more compassionate, to the point that she was defending known enemies. She isn't sure which idea she likes.
Her hand is being squeezed again and she looks up to see Hermione staring at her. And this time Parvati is comforted because she can see in Hermione's eyes that Hermione understands what she means.
"I'm not sure I care much why they were following us. Malfoy was a Death Eater, his parents were Death Eaters; I say that we put an end to anything he may be doing before he gets a chance to give us up." Zacharias Smith flips his wand back and forth between his fingers. He and several others have joined the group around the fire.
A sudden burst of anger surges through Parvati. She jumps up, wrenching her hand out of Hermione's grasp, and turns on Zacharias.
"We can't just kill them because of what they have done in the past! They could have changed!"
Zacharias stumbles backward, startled by her outburst. "They would do the same if it were the other way around, Parvati."
"But we're not them! We are the good side-the Light! We're supposed to do what's right, not what we would think they would do if the tables were turned!"
"Parvati, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
But she has turned on the whole group now, directing her words toward all of them, because she knows most of them agree with Zacharias. "Have you all forgotten why we are here? We're here to stop You-Know-Who. We're here to protect Harry. We're here because we are against him and everything that he stands for, which includes killing those who don't agree with him, or who have gone against him, for fun. And now you want to do the same." She takes a deep, shaky breath. "Has the war changed you so much that you want to be like him?"
She stares at them, tears in her eyes, as they absorb her words. They stare back, eyes widened in surprise. Parvati wasn't known for heartfelt speeches, or any speech remotely serious, and she had just scolded the entire group.
"She's right." Everyone turns to look at Harry, standing behind them. He walks through the crowd as it separates for him. "Last year, none of you would have thought about killing Malfoy. Now, I bet every single one of you wants to." He stops in front of Parvati and looks her directly in the eye. "We can't become what we are fighting against."
There is a murmur in the crowd, an agreement amongst people who have just become ashamed of themselves. They disappear almost one by one, each returning back to their own fires and tents. Padma waits close by for her sister, still locked in a stare with Harry.
"Please," Parvati whispers, loud enough for Harry to hear but Hermione and Ron strain to listen. "Please don't do anything to them until you've listened to their story. Please keep an open mind and don't judge them by their past." It's important that he does what she asks. She needs to know that he, their leader, can resist becoming like their enemy.
He is still staring, his green eyes piercing her dark brown ones. She won't look away until he has agreed.
"I promise," he says, not in a whisper but in a voice loud enough to be heard by her sister, who looks up.
Parvati smiles and in her happiness she throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He doesn't know what to do at first, he hasn't been hugged by anyone other than Hermione and the Weasleys. He pats her on the back in what he hopes is a comforting way, and she releases him, running off to join her sister.
On the ground below him, Hermione beams at him, tears in her eyes. She is proud of what she saw on both ends-Parvati, a soldier, not being so damaged by the war that she lost all her empathy, and Harry, promising that he would listen with an open mind to a person he had hated most of his life.
The reason for Hermione's smile is not lost on Ron, who is smiling as well if not as broad. He takes a bite out of the sandwich in his hand and gets to his feet, clapping Harry on the shoulder before heading back to the tent.
He thinks maybe he will make another sandwich.