Hopefully starting to get back onto a regular updating schedule!
Thank you so much for your patience. It really helps to know that you are all so supportive through my crazy updating!
Anyways, here is chapter 7! I hope you loooove it!
As always: Read, review and enjoy!
"Are you kidding me?" Padma hissed as I peeked around a corner on the seventh floor. The hall was clear, sans a few paintings that I know would just love to snitch on us at the first sign of the Carrows walking through. "Did you really have to drag me to this?"
I rolled my eyes at my best friend as we slunk around the corner, making sure to duck and cover whenever we encountered a rather touchy portrait. She wasn't very happy that I pulled her from the safe surroundings of her common room and half-carried her through the halls. Actually, she was probably more so upset that I was forcing her to come to an illegal meeting aimed at getting rid of the Carrows. Or something like that.
"We would be so dead if we got caught," she groaned as we tucked behind a suit of armor for a moment as one of the paintings began to shift in its sleep. "And I do mean that literally. Amycus or Alecto would probably murder us on the spot."
"Shhh," I chuckled out quietly as I peeked at the portrait. The inhabitant, a nasty old man with a rather impressive moustache, had fallen back into a deep slumber. His chest rose and fell with the snores that emitted from his lips. "We aren't going to get caught if you don't make any noise. Look, there's the door."
A small, wooden door had appeared in the wall where Michael Corner and Ernie Macmillian had just trotted in front of. They glanced around the corridor for a moment before pulling on the large, metal knob and disappeared into the room.
"Quick! Before it goes away!" I yelped louder than I should have as I leapt out from behind the suit of armor and caught the door just as it started to disintegrate back into the wall. I gestured impatiently toward Padma, who eyed the old man nervously before slinking out from the alcove.
"I've decided how I'm going to die," she sighed as she walked past me. I held the door wide open for her to enter, making sure to shut it securely behind me as a precaution. "It's going to be in the Daily Prophet. 'Padma Patil dies at best friend's hand. Natalie Garcia forced Patil, only 17 at time of death, to attend an illegal meeting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy'."
"Actually," a voice behind us piped up. We spun around, hands over our chests out of fright as we caught the sight of Luna Lovegood shutting the wooden door as she came into the room. "The Daily Prophet really isn't very reliable." She dug in her bag for a moment before pulling out a rolled-up magazine. "The Quibbler, on the other hand, is. That's who you would want to report your death to."
I snorted, amused. "The Quibbler?" I had picked up The Quibbler and read it once back in the fifth year when they printed an interview of Harry Potter in it. And I really only read it because Umbridge forbade us from doing so. "That magazine is ridiculous."
Luna, who either hadn't heard what I said about her father's magazine or chose to ignore it, unrolled it and flashed the cover toward us. A large, smiling photograph of Harry Potter was plastered on the front. Bold, black letters that read 'Are We Unforgivable for Not Reading Unforgivable Number One's Story? Full interview inside' sat just to the right of the picture. I gaped at it for a moment, unsure of what was sitting in front of me.
"Is that for real?" Padma finally asked as she snatched the issue from Luna's hands. She skimmed through it quickly, trying to find the page that the story began on. Once it was located, she was immediately immersed.
"Daddy just printed it yesterday," she beamed as she took the publication back from Padma. Padma made a noise of contempt as it left her hands. "Granted, it's the same interview from a few years back, but we still think it's going to be effective all the same. It's funny…you would think people would be more interested in the gnome infestation." She smiled widely again before stuffing magazine back into her book bag and prancing away toward the other end of the room.
"That can't be real," I said to my best friend as we slowly made our way toward the gathered group near the fireplace. "The death eaters would be all over that."
Padma was saved from a response as Neville broke away from the group and climbed onto a small platform-like box that appeared in front of the fireplace. The room quieted immediately, except Seamus Finnigan who said, "-swore she saw a banshee the other day!" quite loudly before his neighbor elbowed him hard in the ribs before gesturing toward Neville.
"Thanks Michael," Neville started as he lifted his head to face the crowd. It seemed his previous determined demeanor fell a bit at the sight of the large mass of students in front of him. He gulped loudly before continuing. "I just…uh…I just wanted to th-thank everyone for coming. It-It really means a lot that you're here to t-take a stand in this war." He cleared his throat, sounding much surer of himself as he began to speak again. "If we are going to have a fighting chance at this, we need to stick together-"
"Here, here!" someone near the front cheered. There was scattered clapping accompanied by a few whoops of agreement.
Neville became visibly shy once again at the sudden outbreak of noise. "I-I think it's best for us if w-we partner up and start at the m-most important. Dueling. M-Maybe we can pick s-someone we don't r-really know that well?"
There was an awkward silence around the room as everyone stared at each other. As much as we all wanted to have a part in abolishing this war, making new friends in the process wasn't exactly on the top of the priority list. Neville's face fell as the seconds wore on without people moving.
"Well," Seamus Finnigan said as he clapped his hands loudly. "I call the only Slytherin in the room. Garcia? You're with me."
The rest of the room broke out in laughter as he made his way over to me. Seamus's bravery in picking a new partner must have set off a chain reaction, as students began pairing up with students from other houses. Handshakes and introductions rang around the room for a few moments as everyone got acquainted.
"Seamus Finnigan. Irish. Gryffindor." Seamus bowed humorously low as he said it. I laughed aloud as I replied with a rather shaky curtsey. "Natalie Garcia. Spanish. Slytherin."
"Now, everyone." Neville climbed onto his platform once again. He looked notably happier since the partnering went the way he planned. "We're going to start with some simple jinxes and charms. Nothing illegal or harmful." He lifted his wand as if to demonstrate, but quickly decided against it. I thought it was wise of him. He may have taken on the hopeful mentality of Harry Potter, but that didn't mean his wand work had gotten any better.
"Ready, partner?" Seamus grinned as he turned to face me. I grinned back at him quickly. It was nice to have something to distract myself from the breaking off of Draco Malfoy. Padma said I needed to put my priorities in line anyways.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" I retorted. Dueling wasn't exactly my cup of tea, as I quickly found out from the battle back in June. Duck and cover was more so around my realm of expertise.
I was pretty knowledgeable at the art of excuse-making; therefore I never had to participate when Padma dragged me to the dueling club back in the second year or when Professor Moody put the Imperius curse on us in the fourth year. Or anything between that point to now for that matter. I never understood why we couldn't just sit around and paint or eat pizza. Seriously, no girl wants to run around a classroom dodging blows from a crazed he-wizard with bad aim.
"I'll mop up the floor with you!" I heard Padma shout from across the room. She had paired with Michael Corner, who she was notoriously competitive with in the first place. If either of them saw the other ahead of them on the stairs, they'd have to rush down the stairs in front of whatever party had the advantage, causing said party to rush ahead as well, at which point a time-warped marathon ensued. And Merlin forbid they pass each other on the way into the Great Hall. It happened just last week.
Steak and Kidney Pie everywhere.
I glanced over the small expanse of space between Seamus and me. He had somehow just set the edge of his jacket on fire and was vigorously waving his wand to try and put it out. Okay, so maybe I wasn't in any IMMEDIATE danger of being dismembered or otherwise.
"Partners, ready!" Neville shouted over the commotion. I pondered his statement for a moment as Seamus finally put out the fire on his sleeve, much to the help of Ginny Weasley who blasted him with a jet of water. It probably wasn't too safe to just set a group of untrained wizards to duel each other, but what did I know.
"So…are you going to attack me?" Seamus said as he set himself into the standard dueling position. He looked a little uncomfortable as jinxes and charms shot off around us. Laughter peeled through the room as Ernie Macmillian was hit with a jinx that made him dance the ballet.
"No, it's only polite that I let you go first. Little old me is having a hard time dredging up any form of enthusiasm for this." He looked a little uncomfortable as he raised his wand, so I spread my arms. "I won't tell anyone you couldn't beat a girl."
His look of discomfort turned into an immediate smirk. The look on his face reminded me painfully of Draco whenever I said something challenging. A glaring stab of irritation flooded me as I shook the thought of him from my head. It had been a month since our falling out. A month of upset stares and longing looks.
I was supposed to be forgetting about him. I was forgetting about him. Oh who was I kidding? It would take me awhile to forget about him.
"Expelli-"
"Protego!" I shot back, creating the defensive barrier that automatically deflected Seamus's spell. He looked put off for a moment, but hitched the grin back onto his face.
"Alright, playing hard to get I see." He lifted his wand once again and twisted his wrist forcefully toward me.
Oh for the love of- "Are you joking with meeeiiiiiiahhhhhh!" I threw myself to the floor just in time to stop Seamus's homemade fireball from connecting with my face. I groped at the back of my head, groaning when I felt the tip of my ponytail singeing. "What in the name of all that is unholy was THAT?" I picked myself up from the ground, ignoring the laughing students around me as they pointed at my disheveled appearance.
"Maybe we shouldn't have started with dueling right away," Ginny said slowly as the spotlight on me grew. She sent a meaningful look over to Neville, who turned bright red and turned away.
"Sorry 'bout that," Seamus said as he waltzed over to me, grabbed my forearm, and jerked me up off the floor. "Those things just happen around me. Don't really know why."
"You don't say," I said dryly, brushing the dust off the front of my shirt. An idea hit me, effectively cutting off my cleaning up motions. "Wait…you have an odd attraction to fire and explosions."
Seamus cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I'd like to say it has an odd attraction to me. But, okay. What are you thinking?"
A smirk grew on my face, mimicking the one he was currently wearing. "I'm thinking we use my witty one-liners and your talent for harvesting fire and combine them. In a Slytherin-Gryffindor-we're-going-to-work-together-toward-the-greater-good-of-the-school sort of way, of course."
Seamus nodded excitedly, rubbing his hands together. "Alright, what's the plan?"
"Why is it always me?" Padma groaned the next night as we snuck through the empty corridors. The sharp, November breeze wafted in through the glass-less windows, creating drafts that seemed to chill us to the core. "Why can't I have a normal best friend with a normal mind that has a normal thought process?"
"And what fun would that be?" I teased Padma, sticking my tongue out at her jokingly. She looked as if she wanted nothing better than to grab a hold of it and pull it straight from my mouth.
"Coast is clear." Seamus sprinted in a crouched position across the courtyard to our left, making sure to hide under the protection of a large statue. Just in case the Carrows were prowling the halls that night. He swung his book bag off his shoulder, taking care to place it gently on the stone ground.
"It's now or never," I grinned at Padma as I followed suit after Seamus. I ducked under the large gargoyle's wing as Seamus began to unpack the bag. Long, cylinder tubes came out of the bag, one after the other. I grew antsy as Seamus slowly pulled each one out, being careful to not jostle them together.
I felt a short gust of wind on my back as Padma knelt down beside me, looking utterly bemused at the prospect of our plan.
"Are we sure this is going to work?" she hissed as Seamus and I started setting the tubes upright by staking them into the hard ground between each stone. "I mean, are we really sure this is going to be at all effective? I don't think-"
Seamus cut her off quickly by throwing a hand over her mouth. She appeared surprised for a moment before the steady sound of footsteps reached her ears. She gaped at me, gesturing angrily in a silent way that I was sure would have been incredibly colorful could she have talked. The Irish boy peered around the statue before visibly relaxing.
"It's just Malfoy." He stuck another tube forcefully into the ground. "You're a Slytherin! You go distract him!"
My eyes widened as he leaned toward me. "No, no, no!" I whispered harshly, but it was too late. He pushed me over, causing me to be knocked off balance. I tumbled out from behind the confines of the statue. Draco whipped around quickly, drawing his wand out of his robes as he did so.
A puzzled expression crossed his face as he slowly lowered the wand. "Natalie? What are you doing out here?"
I stood up, ignoring the stabbing feeling to gesture quite rudely to the two people behind the statue, and brushed myself off. "Oh, nothing. Just…don't those trees just look great at this time of year?"
Draco's puzzled expression fell and was quickly replaced by a suspicious one. "What are you doing out here, Garcia?" I felt a nudge in my calf and peeked back in time to see Padma's foot slipping back behind the stone gargoyle.
"Nothing!" I said more vehemently than I meant to. "Nothing at all. I'm just-"
I was saved by a high pitched whistle noise that emitted right behind me. I was close enough to hear the shriek of shock that Padma let out, but in Draco's surprise of the bright white light that lit up the sky, he must have missed it.
I spun around as I heard a faint 'whoops.' The blackened sky was bright with the fireworks Seamus had provided us. The words AMYCUS CARROW LOOKS LIKE A DINNER ROLL were unmistakable against the cloudy backdrop of the night.
Mafloy closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I recognized it as the calming mechanism he had started using when something really made him mad. I also realized it was the mechanism he used mostly around me.
"Please. For the love of Merlin. Do not tell me you're a part of that."
I snorted in a rather convincing fashion if I do say so myself. "Me? Be a part of that? You have to be-"
His murderous glare would have cut me off, but he was beaten to it by an angry roar that emanated throughout the courtyard. Heavy footsteps headed in our direction, slapping against the stone as if an elephant were stampeding toward us.
"Now you've done it." Draco clenched his teeth as he grabbed my upper arm. "And I suggest all culprits make a run for it now," he tacked on a little louder than necessary. He must have known I didn't work alone.
Seamus and Padma shot out from behind the gargoyle, sprinting past us and into an empty corridor that branched off the courtyard. Seamus was whooping quite gleefully, laughing as he galloped away from the scene. Padma was trying her best to quiet him down as she ran behind him, glancing over her shoulder as she went.
Draco followed their path for a few steps before turning down a completely separate corridor. He quickly threw open a small, wooden door and unceremoniously dumped me inside. I tripped over a stick-like object before landing hard on what seemed to be an overturned bucket.
"Hey-" I started to say, but his glare kept me from saying anything else. We stayed quiet for a moment as the heavy footsteps came nearer. I could only imagine what the owner would say if they threw open the wooden door and saw me perched on a bucket with Draco standing beside me. I hoped for a second they would find us.
The footsteps dawdled near the door. My heart began to race, sweat began to work its way into the palm of my hand. Draco kept his ear pressed firmly to the door, only relaxing when the footsteps slowly began to fade.
When the footsteps were no longer in earshot, he slid onto the floor, sighing deeply as he did so.
"What the hell is the matter with you, Garcia? Amycus Carrow?"
I grinned widely, though he wasn't able to see it in the dark closet. "I thought it had a nice ring to it. Don't you? It was certainly the truth."
I could almost hear the sneering comments that were running through his head at that moment. "After all I've done for you and this is how you repay-"
"How I repay you?" I scoffed. "Is that what you were going to say? I certainly hope not considering I haven't spoken to you in a month!"
An awkward silence fell between us. I began to fiddle with the hem of my jacket. Long strings were beginning to hang off the edge, making it a perfect way to pass the time.
"What we have…" Draco began softly. I perked up immediately, curious as to what he had to say. "What we have, I need it to stay sane. It's the only constant thing in my life."
Whatever I thought he was going to say, it certainly wasn't that. I was completely thrown by the statement and by the tone of it. He sounded almost…sad.
"You mean the fighting, the insulting, the homework destroying? You repeatedly saving me from the Carrows?" I replied. "Because that isn't any sane relationship I've ever been in. Friend or otherwise."
I heard Draco exhale sharply. "The fights are what keep me going." He leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. It was a simple touch, but one that sent a chill up my body nonetheless. I felt my defenses break down- the defenses that had taken me a month to build up.
Exhilarated by what he said aside, I still couldn't help but feel betrayed by my own body. It was embarrassing what a big effect he had on me was. I don't know how long we stayed in that position- me squatting on an overturned bucket, him sitting on the floor with his hand on my knee.
All I know is that we stayed that way, completely silent, until the sun came up in the morning.
