Hi everyone!
Long time, no post. It's good to be back. If you saw my note on the In the Name of Being Honest storyboard, you'll know that I've been fighting a massive writer's block with this story. I don't want to put out material I'm not proud of, so I haven't published. But…I was able to write this chapter and I'm hoping to get back into the swing of it!
I also have a new story that I'm in the process of writing. It's going to be so fun, so look out for that one in the next couple weeks!
As always, read, review, and enjoy!
"We've had three people leave the DA just this week," Neville said through gritted teeth, slamming his hand on the table they sat at. Lavender jumped slightly, surprised to see Neville speaking with such exasperation.
Coming back from Easter break was something of a shock. Michael Corner, who had been tortured by the Carrows for attempting to set a student free, resigned from any duties. He was followed by both Hannah Abbott and Maisy Reynolds within days of each other.
"We just…" Hannah had started, sighing quietly as she looked at Neville with pleading eyes. "Luna was kidnapped off the train. Michael was tortured. Ginny isn't even coming back!"
It was all true, even with Ginny. She had somehow gotten a message out to Neville over the break that she wasn't coming back to Hogwarts. It was discovered by the death eaters that Ron was, in fact, accompanying Harry in the mission he was on. She was going into hiding and would no longer be in contact. They hadn't heard anything since then.
"People are scared, Neville," Lavender said in a soothing tone, gripping his arm tightly as the bell signaling the start of classes rang out, "not everyone can be as brave as you." She stood from her seat at the table, swinging her bag over her shoulder. Neville looked only slightly mollified as he followed suit.
"But this IS life and death," Neville went on as they exited the library and climbed the stairs to attend the first Dark Arts class of the week. "I got a note from my gran. She's going into hiding. The death eaters tried to kidnap her to keep us quiet. Well, it's not going to work! We're the next generation! We're the ones that REALLY have to live with-"
"Neville," Lavender cut across him with a laugh as they entered the corridor, where a line of students had already gathered outside of the classroom, "I KNOW what you're trying to say. I'm just trying to explain why other people might not want to be a part of it!"
He went quiet for a moment as they approached Parvati and Seamus, mulling it over. "You aren't going to leave, are you?" he finally muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lavender to hear him.
"Never," she said with another squeeze of his arm, "I have a feeling that my dad would disown me if tried to get out of it, anyways." He sent her a questioning look that she quickly shook off, mouthing the word 'later' as the door swung open, cracking hard against the stone wall behind it.
"In," Amycus snapped as the students began to troop over the threshold. Everyone seemed glum, excluding Crabbe and Goyle, who were gleeful with anticipation. Lavender took a seat at the back of the classroom, sharing a desk with Parvati as usual. She silently wondered if there was anything else the Carrows could really teach them, as they seemed to have gone over the same content for the past few months.
"As I'm sure most of ya are aware," he began, walking up and down the aisles with a penetrating gaze etched on his pudgy face, "there has been a sighting of Undesirable Number One."
The classroom broke out in whispers. Lavender's eyebrows shot high onto her forehead. She had the distinct feeling that You-Know-Who would be none too happy to hear that his minions were giving away information pertaining to the escape of Harry Potter.
"SILENCE!" he bellowed and the class stopped their murmurs immediately. He paused for another moment, stopping just behind Neville, who didn't turn around. "New orders have come directly from the Dark Lord pertaining to these…events." Lavender watched as he groped under his robes, clutching his wand. Parvati and Lavender did the same, Neville's back was still to Professor Carrow. "Students who deliberately go against the Dark Lord. This rebellion of Dumbledore's Army, so to say." Lavender saw the tops of Neville's ears begin to turn red.
Ernie MacMillan, who was seated in front of Lavender, shifted in his seat. She saw that he also had his wand out, clutching it tightly in his fist underneath the desk.
"The Dark Lord is willing to spill magical blood if it…trims the dead limbs off the tree." He pulled his wand from the innards of his robes, pointing it at the back of Neville's head.
"Expelliarmus!" Lavender cried out, hopping out of her seat as she sent the spell directly at the professor. In his shock, he jumped out of the way and Lavender's spell wedged itself into the desk next to Neville, sending shards of wood sailing across the room. "Neville! Run!"
"Stupefy!" Ernie yelled out as Amycus attempted to shoot a trip jinx at Neville, who had grabbed his bag and was trying to scramble from the classroom, but he stepped on a wooden shard and howled with pain- the splinter had gone straight through the sole of his shoe.
"Crucio!" a low voice from the front of the classroom growled and the red jet of light coming from Crabbe missed Parvati by inches.
"Tarantallegra!" Parvati shouted back, nailing Crabbe in the chest. His legs danced erratically as he continued to try and shoot off the cruciatus curse. The jets of light went in all directions, barely missing students as they flopped out of the seats and hit the stone floor.
"Ebublio!" Hannah Abbott called out as she pointed her wand at Crabbe from her perch on the floor. A giant bubble encased him, forcing him to stop attempting the curse, as it would only bounce off the inside of the bubble and hit him.
Draco Malfoy had gathered his own book bag and was finagling his way through the mess of flying jinxes, shards of wood, and bodies on the floor toward the classroom door. Neville gripped the back of his robes as he lurched forward, his foot bleeding profusely from the underside of his shoe.
"ENOUGH!" Amycus yelled out as he pointed his wand at Lavender. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Lavender ducked out of the way just in time. The curse embedded itself in the stone wall, showering the students closest with dust. Screams pierced the air following the professors use of the killing curse, making the scene even more chaotic. Lavender's heart beat frantically against her chest.
Students panicked, standing from their position on the floor, and ran toward the door, their heads covered with their book bag. Neville, who was limping heavily from the shard in his foot, picked up the pace as the swarm of students began to crowd him.
"Expelli- Parvati! Head him off!" Lavender shouted as Amycus began pushing through the students to get to Neville, his wand raised over their heads. Parvati impressively hopped over the desk, landing cat-like on her feet. Sticking out her right leg, she tripped Amycus, who flew forward and pitched into a desk, crumpling to the floor unmoving.
"Let's get out of here," Lavender hissed, pulling her bag off the floor and grabbing Parvati's upper arm, yanking her toward the door. "I can't imagine he's going to be too happy when he wakes up."
The two rush out of the room, following the bloody footprint that Neville trailed down the hallway. Cleaning it up along the way so the death eaters didn't have anything to follow, they stopped short of the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor.
Lavender placed a hand on the cold stone of the wall, closing her eyes and willing the door to appear. Nothing happened. She sighed in frustration as Parvati looked on with wide eyes.
"Do you think he's in there?" she asked, gesturing toward the door as she tightly clutched the strap of her bag.
Lavender shrugged a shoulder, taking a step back as she surveyed the wall once more. "I don't know." She sighed. "But his footprints stop here. Either he's in there or…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence she had started.