Disclaimer: I do not own HP, JKR does.
It had been a little less than a month since the day the Daily Prophet had released that article. A few students had questioned others, but they always came up empty. Ginny couldn't really say that she was nervous about those particular students, although by now they had finally stopped going around and demanding answers. But now, it was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year, and Luna was slowly leading them towards the Hog's Head where she stated the meeting was going to take place. That was just the most logical place, supposedly. Not too crowded, and discreet.
When they arrived there, really nobody was there. It was just the bartender, a woman in black lace, and a bunch of goats. The bartender was washing a glass with a rag that had been overused, as it was almost mud brown with dust and dirt. Harry and Ginny grabbed two chairs, before they sat down facing a few tables, not really expecting that many people. The other five sat down at a table, their expressions worried and anxious. Ginny couldn't blame them, her own heart was pounding. Hermione then produced a long parchment, fit with a quill and a bottle of black ink, before she set them out on the table. Other students slowly began to trickle in, starting with Angelina Johnson and the rest of the current Gryffindor Quidditch Team.
Before long, more people started to come in and take seats, and Ginny and Harry promptly stood up, both of them feeling more than just nervous. When almost everybody was there, the door swung open again, to reveal five people that were really unexpected. A girl that looked like Daphne Greengrass, although a little smaller, stepped in, wearing the Ravenclaw uniform, followed by her sister, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini, and Draco Malfoy. The other students didn't even bother to hide their shock; some of their mouths were hanging open, even. Astoria and the four Slytherins sat down at a single table, and then all eyes were on Harry and Ginny.
"Hi," Ginny began, and deciding that she was going to do the opening, she continued, "I guess if you're here, then you already know why we're here; to be taught some proper Defense. Because, I'm not going to beat around the bush, Voldemort is back."
A few kids winced, and others gasped, but Astoria spoke up, "So you two are going to teach us Defense? We know that you two can produce a corporeal Patronus, but can you really teach us what we need to know?"
"Harry fought You-Know-Who three times," countered Padma.
"Look," Harry sighed, and they all went quiet again, "It's not a matter of skill or power when you go against Tom, yes, his real name is Tom Riddle. It all comes down to luck. I was lucky to make it out alive from my first year, the Chamber, and finally the battle from the Triwizard Tournament. Tom has power, skill, and knowledge. You don't understand what it's like to go up against him. One small move could get you all killed, shot with an Imperius or Cruciatus Curse, and that would only be the beginning. He would turn your corpse into an Inferius; I at least want you all to have the chance to hopefully survive this war, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to be able to teach you everything I know."
"So you just had a rush of adrenaline each time you fought him?" Hannah Abbott asked, "That doesn't seem very likely, Harry."
"We didn't have a rush of adrenaline both times we came to meet him," Ginny replied, "The only thing we were looking for was survival. No matter what the Ministry tells you at the moment, Tom is back. He used a memory of himself in a diary and possessed me, I was lucky that Harry actually saved me in time before I died. Cedric's death wasn't an accident," she looked over at Cho, who now had tears down her cheeks, but she was nodding through them, "It was a bloody murder. The Killing Curse was fired at him, contrary to what the MoM tells you in the Daily Prophet. There are a lot of rumors going on about us, but if you even believe just one of them, please leave right now." Since nobody did, she added, "Not everything is worth risking your life, mind you. But going up against somebody as dark as Voldemort is, that's worth the risk. He can't die at the moment, so I wouldn't try to kill him. Just make sure you get out of there, and can fight him off for a second or two before you do. We want to teach you how to survive the fight, because Tom doesn't show mercy on children. He's murdered, raped, and tortured, the same as his followers. This isn't a little game, no, this is war."
"And why should we believe you?" Goldstein asked, although it was more of a debate question.
"Well, we can't really say if you should believe us or not," Harry shrugged, "That's all up to you. We're not here for you to decide what to do; we're here to help you learn Defense, nothing else."
"If it was all luck, then how were you able to reach the portkey in time?" asked a dreamy voice, similar to Luna's, and everybody turned to look at a fourth year who had a heart-shaped face, blue eyes, and chestnut brown hair. She was wearing the Ravenclaw Uniform, "By the way, my name is Diamond Erana. I just transferred from Beauxbatons last week, so I'm relatively new to Hogwarts."
Ginny blinked in surprise, but answered, "Survival was what we were focused on, not trying to get to the portkey. Honestly, we didn't even know if the portkey would go back or not, since they don't always go back to where they originally came from. And it actually didn't, which was surprising. But you know what? It doesn't matter in the end, because that one night we lost one of our friends, and it shouldn't have happened. I don't think any of you noticed that I had disappeared from the stands when Harry and Cedric reached the cup. But it doesn't matter in the end, it just doesn't matter."
Evidently, Diamond took this as a good answer, because she nodded and fell right back into her seat, although Ginny sensed she somehow had a connection to Luna, she didn't ask. "So, where do we sign up?" Daphne asked with her face in an expression of hope and worry combined.
"Right here," Hermione said, grabbing the parchment.
"Well, we have to have a name, don't we?" Katie Bell argued, and then added, "How about the Defense Association, DA for short?"
Everybody in the room nodded as Hermione wrote down the name. If they were connected to anybody, well, that would be bad, just in case Umbridge ever found out.
"Wait, where are we going to meet?" Colin Creevey asked.
"Go to the seventh floor, left corridor, next Saturday at seven," Ginny replied, and they all looked at her strangely, and she added, "You'll see why once you actually get there.
People then began to walk up and sign their names on the piece of parchment, right after the pack signed their names first. Diamond was next after Ron, and then the rest of them signed up and headed out the door, although she stayed behind. Diamond then turned to look at them, and nodded while saying, "Perfect. Now if you will excuse me, I must be on my way. See you later, cousins." And she quickly ran out of the pub.
"Really," Luna shook her head, "They really have to do that? We don't need to be babysat, ya know! But nooooooo, they do it anyways!"
"What?" Ron asked, and she huffed.
"Erana, I knew I knew that name! They just have to recruit her too, out of all things. We should probably send Mary and Padfoot a letter, seeing as this is how it's going to be. Anyways, Diamond's my cousin, threw my Dad's side of the family. She has two younger siblings, and like everyone else in my family, except for me, she's been taught by my grandparents. Damn it!" Luna replied as they went out of Hog's Head, "She just did Apparation, which proves my theory that she was trained."
"So we have a spy?" Hermione said, horrified.
"Yep," George frowned, "Why they want to spy on us, I have no idea why. Besides to train us maybe; but even then it sounds far-fetched. I don't think she meant to come to the Hog's Head, that's just too obvious of a reaction from us since she's trying to remain unsuspicious, unless she really did transfer here."
"She really did transfer here; I know it," Luna harrumphed, "Well, might as well get going. The Quidditch Match is tomorrow, mind you! Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw," she finished with a grin.
Although, Ginny was sure she had heard the bartender say in a low voice, "Just like Lily, just like James." But she couldn't be sure.
XXX
Ginny gripped her broom tightly, hoping that they would win. She was actually playing for the first match, since Alicia Spinnet had been hexed by some of the dark Slytherins, causing her to have to remain in the Hospital Wing for the next day or two. Harry was right next to her, before they walked out into the ring. "And there's the Gryffindor Team!" Luna shouted, "Johnson, McLaggen, Weasley, Weasley, Potter, Bell, and Potter! Spinnet is out of the match due to some unfair cheating by people I shall not name! And here comes out the Ravenclaw team; Davies, Chambers, Bradley, Chang, Lance, Webb, and Jameson! The Captains shake hands, AND THEY'RE OFF!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd loudly as Ginny and the rest of the players kicked off. "Potter gets the Quaffle first; she passes it to Bell, who passes it to Johnson, and it goes back to Potter! Potter shoots, and she scores! 10-0, Gryffindor," More cheers erupted from the Gryffindor side of the stands, and Luna continued on, "Chambers gets the Quaffle, passes it to Bradley who passes it to Davies! Davies misses the rings by a long shot, but Potter catches the Quaffle, and she speeds towards the other side of the field! She passes it to Johnson, who passes it to Bell, and Bell scores; 20-0, Gryffindor!"
The game continued on, and Ginny helped the other Gryffindor Chasers raise Gryffindor's score as much as she could, although the Ravenclaw Quidditch team also got in a few goals, but not nearly as much as the Gryffindor Chasers did. Harry was still on the lookout for the Snitch, which had mysteriously disappeared during the match, although Ginny had spotted it a few times. It was a shame she wasn't the Seeker, though, but Harry was better at chasing after the Snitch then she was.
Katie threw the Quaffle to her, and Ginny sped out after the other side, where the Ravenclaw rings were at. Her expression was full of excitement as she reached the rings, and threw the Quaffle at the left one. The Quaffle flew into the ring, and Luna shouted from the stands, "And Potter successfully throws in the Quaffle, marking the score 220-60 Gryffindor!" The Ravenclaws groaned in protest as the Gryffindors cheered on.
I think I see the Snitch!
Then go after it, you prat!
Harry suddenly dived past her, as did Cho Chang, suddenly caught up in the match. Ginny continued on, again with the Quaffle, before passing it to Angelina who passed it back. She sped forward, and threw the Quaffle once again at the hoops, and she scored. Luna yelled, "And Potter scores again, 230-60 Gryffindor! It looks like the other Potter and Chang are going after the snitch. . . . AND GRYFFINDOR WINS, 380-60!" The Gryffindors screamed like mad as Harry showed them the gold speck in his hand, its wings fluttering as a grin arrived on his face.
Ginny sped towards Harry, before they were right next to each other. They then sped their brooms right back to the ground, and landed, just in time to see a grinning Fred, George, Angelina, and Katie. "We won!" Katie shouted, and Luna suddenly came running out, and hugged George.
Harry just shook his head while the team marched off to get changed back into their school robes and possibly have a celebration after that. Some of the things that the other Gryffindors did were hilarious. "Hey Potters!" shrieked a very familiar voice, "I bet your parents would be happy, Potter, but you wouldn't really know, now would you? Because they're dead," Harry immediately tensed up, since it was a low blow. They didn't turn around, though, as it would only cause Pansy to be influenced even more. "Too bad, Potter. Maybe you just can't answer, because you're too ashamed. Is that it? Are you ashamed that you're mother was a mudblood? Or how about your wife is a blood traitor? Are you ashamed of her?"
"I would bugger off, if I were you, Parkinson," Luna giggled, "Because unlike you, Harry and Ginny have more common sense than all of your cronies and yourself have, combined."
"And why do you care, Lovegood? Are you just standing up for them when they can't even do it?" By then, Harry had stopped, although Ginny held him back.
"No, they very well can do it," Luna replied grimly, "But they have really bad tempers. So I warn you, don't try t get them angry again, unless you want the nargles to come after you. And the fuzzwumps, oh, I forgot to mention the Dabberblimps! So, if ya know what's good for you, you'll leave them alone," by the end, Luna was smirking as Pansy and her cronies looked at Luna with a mixture of fear and anger, before they stalked off.
"Nice," Fred noted, "How the hell can you do that, though?"
"Practice," Luna smiled sweetly, "Lots of practice." Although, she didn't seem to be telling the direct truth; Fred just shrugged.
After changing back into their school robes, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, minus Fred and George, went off to find their friends, while Ron and Hermione ran up to them, grins on both of their faces. "Nice job, guys," Hermione congratulated them, "And are you three planning a party in the Common Room, again?"
"Why, little 'Mione," Fred teased.
"We couldn't have just a few minutes of celebration, now that would be unfair," George grinned.
"Figures," Hermione muttered in reply, before they started walking back up towards the castle.
"Well, its tradition, isn't it?" Luna giggled, "They've always thrown a party for some reason or other."
"No party, guys," Hermione replied, "Save it for when you guys win the Quidditch Cup."
"My, my, very good thinking of you 'Mione," Fred laughed.
"Don't call me 'Mione," she said roughly.
"Why not," Ron asked.
"Because, I would prefer if you call me by my real name. Do I need to further explain it to you?"
Ron looked at her for a moment, before shrugging and they continued to have the conversation about whether they should party or not. Ginny and Harry weren't oblivious to it, although both of them chose to block it out as they walked with their friends towards the Castle. It had been a good match, although it went by rather quickly for Ginny, seeing how she had been actively playing, and the game had been a rush to her senses.
XXX
Diamond looked very closely at the seven of them, her eyes darting at their every movement carefully, as she did not take her eyes off any of them. They were strange, very strange, and not trained at all! The other three she could deal with being untrained, but her cousins, heavens no! It was a shame that her grandparents couldn't do anything, yet, anyways. She had promised them she wouldn't do anything to reveal herself too much, although striking a little fear in them was always a good idea. Fear made a person ask questions, and that was always a good thing. "Spying on them, sis?" Lance asked, and she turned around to look at her brother.
Lance had black hair and blue eyes, the kind of thing that popped up once in a while from Kadrella Gryffindor, Godric's wife. He was her twin, and he was in Ravenclaw, too. It was lucky for them that nobody spotted them that easily, since they were hardly noticeable. Rolling her eyes, Diamond replied, "Lance, don't you dare. You know what Grandmother and Grandfather, or are you not going to follow orders, Mr.-I'm-So-Rebel?"
"Calm down, Dia," Lance rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to mess with the Potters and their friends, or our cousin. Not yet, anyways. We moved here for a reason, no? And oui, I know what they told me. I'm not a blithering idiot, you know. Although you seem to treat me like one, and I'm not that much of a rebel; although, thanks for the comment."
"Unbelievable!" she hissed, swatting him on the arm, "Too bad you aren't going to join the DA. I told you, you should have come."
"Nope," he sighed, suddenly in the tree, leaning against a branch, "I do whatever I wish, Dia. I really don't care 'bout what ya think, because it really doesn't matter, now does it? Admit it; you have no power over me. I could walk right up to Parkinson, kill her or give her a taste of her own medicine, and you couldn't do a thing. Pathetic, really; although you already know that, now don't ya?"
"Lance!" she growled, and he rolled his eyes in a bored expression, "You are so despicable sometimes, you idiotic bastard!"
"Touchy," Lance hissed, "You actually cursed for once. It's an amazing feat, not! Oui, I may be despicable, but you're the one who doesn't know how to play it low and how to stalk people without warning them of your presence. Only I can do that, and you know it. I'm a vital tool, even more so than you, sis."
"You may be vital, but you're still annoying as hell," she sighed, "C'mon, we really need to get going, or at least go to a different position, we'll be spotted too easily."
He seemed to ponder what to do for once, before he turned back to the tree and laughed, "Nah, that wouldn't be too much fun, now would it? I would rather like the battle, thank thee very much. A battle's more interesting anyways. Or at least, more interesting than you," That was when an arrow hit the branch right next to his, but he just rolled his eyes and pulled it out, before flicking it away, "Nice try, Moon, nice try. But, you didn't surprise me in the least, ya know."
"Of course," laughed Moonstone, jumping down from the trees, as did Quinn, "That would be too easy, with your natural echolocation and all. We only meant to startle Diamond, but it looks like we didn't succeed. As for you, Diamond, you did not notice he put up a Wizard-repelling Charm, although it only works on those you do not wish to come into a certain area. I told you to be aware of your surroundings, and you know that you should be."
Diamond nodded, feeling a little guilty for not noticing that, although she was entirely focused on trying to watch the 'pack'. It had been worth the effort to get as much information as she could, although she didn't get to have as much personal time as usual. She didn't mind that, though, because she wasn't used to having it. With Lance here, and Damion, "Hello everybody," the boy in question grinned, appearing out of nowhere.
Damion had pale blonde hair, and the most startling feature, dark red eyes that looked like a dark amber eye color. Diamond huffed and rolled her eyes, and he blew her a raspberry before turning to look at Moonstone and Quinn and he asked earnestly, "Any reports on the Potters, or should I go back to work for looking out for the Slytherins? I'm sorry that Parkinson somehow slipped through my grasp, but she's a tough little devil."
"No, Damion," Quinn shook his head, "No reports on the Potters, yet. I trust that my granddaughter is working hard, or is she just staring at the ground all the time?"
"No sir," she answered truthfully, "They seem to be acting like any normal group of friends would, not really acting like I would've expected them to. No telltale signs, yet, at least. I signed up for their DA meetings, I know Luna recognized me, and she probably told them, as did Mary. But I'll act like everything is normal; Merlin knows that it won't work to have them more suspicious of me than usual. And before you say that it was a dumb idea, let me remind you that we have to resort to desperate measures here; they aren't very good to get stuff out of without revealing yourself."
"The joys of spying on a pack of teenagers," Damion snickered, "They're always so mysterious that you can't even do much."
"Let me remind you that although you already completed your education, that you are only fifteen," Diamond said sourly.
"Okay, enough!" Lance growled, "It's really too boring with you two shouting all the time."
"Says the sylph," Diamond grinned while he growled.
XXX
Ginny knew somebody was watching them; it only hit her earlier that day, when they were walking back from the Quidditch match. Something hadn't been right. Something had been out of place. As if a pair of eyes was on her, and she didn't like the feeling. With the hyperawareness of her animagus form, she knew something wasn't right. Nobody messed with her head like that, nobody. They were stealthy, just like Mary said. Very stealthy, indeed, and she couldn't help but feel slightly nervous.
This hadn't happened for a very long time, not since her second year, but it was a feeling that she hadn't forgotten. It was the feeling as if somebody was judging her every move, or as if she hadn't really done the right thing, even though she knew she had. Who the hell was watching her, and why? She knew that Harry felt it too, although he remained in control and didn't let his mind go reeling at the possibilities or who was keeping tabs on them. He had better control than she did, to say the least.
"Everything's fine, Ginny," he had told her when she had told him what she was thinking, as the sensation had been going on for a whole week.
But it couldn't be fine if this person was dark-aligned. At the very least, it could be very dangerous if they were a Death Eater or that darned snake that Voldemort owned. Another chill ran up her spine; that snake was pure evil, as if it was radiating from it. But it still didn't help to remember the graveyard scene, which both had made the effort to block out of their heads, although they did allow themselves to watch Cedric's death over and over again in their nightmares and that Voldemort had returned. Everything else, though, she didn't dare try to think about, especially not the snake. The snake had looked at them when Harry had made the effort to speak to it, like it thought that they couldn't possibly be saying that with a serious tone and not joking.
Especially now, as they were walking towards the Room of Requirement, came the feeling that was still haunting her. Harry squeezed her hand reassuringly, but it didn't help anything at all. Her vision blurred for a second, but she forced herself to not run. He glanced at her worriedly for a second, but she shook her head. It was just instincts, and although she didn't live off of them like he sometimes did, they told her when something was up. It was just one of those times when she hoped that they were wrong. Because if they weren't and somebody on the Dark side was watching them, well, havoc would then erupt, so she ignored it as best as she could.
Like a flame, it seemed that the watcher was taunting her senses and instincts, and she especially didn't like that part. Nothing could possibly get under her skin like that, not even Parkinson and her cronies. But yet, it somehow did. And her nerves were just about at their wits end, trying to find out who was causing it. Are you sure? Harry asked her skeptically, and she gave a subtle nod; she was sure that somebody was watching them.
I'm sure, Harry.
Sorry I doubted you, then. How come I can't feel anything?
You haven't been feeling anything because when you unleash yours, you really can't control them that well. And you haven't unleashed them lately, now have you?
I guess you have a good point, but that still doesn't explain who would be watching us.
Erana, maybe; she's related to Luna, and Mary warned us about people she knows. Maybe the Lovegoods are watching us, although I severely hope that isn't true, because then we would have one hard time trying to catch her, you know how good at hiding secrets Luna is. Imagine what her family could do.
Harry mentally groaned at the thought of that. Now that you mention that part, it seems more than likely that that happened. Although, Diamond seems to hang out with that one boy a lot, they look like they're related. He could be watching us?
Ginny thought about that for a moment. In truth, she had noticed that Diamond had been walking around with that one boy, and he did look similar to her. Although, you couldn't exactly tell, because his expression was always bored; and although she was a year above them, she saw them bustling through the hallways, always together. Diamond would always seem like she was chatting to him about something, and he would just shrug his shoulders usually, or seemingly give a one worded answer. Although, the boy didn't seem like a good enough answer, because although he seemed powerful and sneaky, he seemed to be too collective and too much of a daredevil to do anything Diamond, however. She seemed like a peculiar girl, a sense of conflict, and although she seemed weak, there was a sense of power; Ginny could pick it up easily.
So you think the girl's doing it.
Well, it seems like the most logical of answers.
Finally reaching the wall where the door to the Room of Requirement would appear, and checking that nobody was in the hallways, Harry let go of her hand and walked in front of the wall three times, thinking about how they needed a place to train and practice. After his third time, the familiar door slowly appeared, and the pack hurriedly ran inside, before Harry requested that only the DA members be allowed to get inside the Room, which with a click, signaled that his request had been granted.
The room was familiar, in the sense that the same red, thick carpet, was still there. As well, as the practice dummies in one corner, the bookshelves in another, while in another corner there was something similar to a meadow. And in the last corner, there were some beanbags and pillows, for practicing Stunning Spells and the like. With another thought from Harry the red carpet then turned into a floor that was green, although it looked like there was grass underneath them.
Thankfully, the feeling was gone, although Ginny still remained aware that the feeling could return any single second, and she definitely did not want that. So, she walked over and settled down onto a beanbag, knowing it would be another couple of minutes before anybody actually started to come in, while George and Luna went outside to look for people, both of them casting the Disillusionment Charm on themselves, before opening the doors and going outside. That, in a way, was one of the useful things about the four of them learning that Charm over the summer, which Sirius and Mary had advised, just in case something happened when they would need it. And that was helpful, in a way.
A/N: I'm so very sorry about the serious lack of updates, but I actually got really sick on our camping trip, and we didn't make it back until Monday. I had to recover for the past couple of days, although I'm still not feeling 100%. And I'm being dragged down to another camping/hiking area by some more family, because they saw 'I desperately need more sun'. So, please forgive me if I don't update for another few days. It happens, although I really wish it didn't.
Review by Darrell-deam: Excellent chapter, I just wish Harry would get over thinking that he was dangerous and get on with his life.
Response: He usually doesn't think like that, as Ginny would personally swat him if he did, so it was just a sort of relapse, in a way. Deep down, he doesn't think that, though, he's just too afraid to admit it. He's been 'trained' to think like that. Harry's a pessimist, while Ginny's an optimist. Thank you for the review!
Review by Lilykees: I beg of you to please, please, let Harry get rid of or at least make it so Harry's bad side is gone or made only to be used to fight evil.
Response: His bad side, I'm guessing you mean his slightly maniac side? Well, he doesn't let it come out often, and as for getting rid of it, its part of his wolf side. He made a mental cage around it, although an animal will always try to escape, and sometimes that dark part of his animal instincts does. As for fighting evil, we'll just have to wait and see. Thanks for the review!
