String 21: Students

"Is that everyone?" Michi counted on her fingers. "Al, Heather, Acacia, Jaime –" she swirled her head. "Jaime! Where's Jaime?!"

The air laughed from behind Al, Jaime lifted off the Invisibility Cloak. "Got you good!"

"This isn't the time!" Aimi hissed before Michi could. The shock on the DADA professor's face was rivaled only by the shock on Jaime's face. "You idiot! Don't you know why we're all here! Lumpsack's been killed!"

Jaime swallowed. "Damn," he stuttered. He looked to Michi. "Sorry for scaring you."

Michi sighed. "It's fine," Aimi's glare seemed to be punishment enough for the eldest Potter child. He shrunk at it and scooted towards his brother. "Looks like all you kids are here." Michi pointed to Mei, who had be clutching Al and Rose. "Tell everyone what you saw, now."

Mei had to let out shaky, shallow breaths before she could speak. "Al, Aimi, Sarah, Rose, and I decided to visit the Headmistress." Mei said, her voice wasn't as tiny as Michi thought it would be, but it was strong, unrepentant.

Wordlessly, Mei was telling Michi that she'll continue to look for answers.

Michi frowned, but let the child go on: "When we got in the room was dark. Rose and Sarah lit their wands so we could see where the bed was, instead we saw Professor Jones." Michi blinked, Midori had told her that Hestia had be checking up on the Headmistress in intervals. The fact the Deputy Head was there was not strange, but the fact that Hestia hadn't shooed the children out was. "Rose started talking to her, trying to say that we were lost and begging her not to take away points from Ravenclaw." Rose at Mei's side, weeping, seemed to be worried about more than points now. "Professor Jones didn't listen, even though she saw us. Her eyes got really wide and then she ran into the cabinet. I think it might have been a Vanishing Cabinet, like the ones Scorpius told us about." Michi nodded, it sounded about right. "Sarah and Aimi went over to cabinets to check if they were empty, they were. Al tried to wake up the Headmistress but," Mei sniffled. Her eyes leaked. "She wouldn't wake up. I shook her but her body was cold and Rose said that she wasn't breathing."

"That's when Midori found you all," Illya said with easiness. She made Michi's stomach flop. "She confirmed that Lumpsack was dead."

Barring the causal Illya and the smiling Acacia, the fear and pain was readable on each student's face. Heather turned milk-white. She might be worried for her still-out-of-the-know father since Lumpsack's death marked the second of Hogwarts' staff to fall. The Lovegood twins murmured and had a few tears themselves, while the Headmistress had hindered their fights many times they still had respect of the late woman, Even Michi thought on how the woman's strict perfectionism made her laugh and made her admire the woman. It made Michi think that Regina could handle whatever crossed her path.

"What should we do now?" Illya asked.

"Emiya, Ruiz, Hansen, Edgecombe, Longbottom – you all need to watch out for the younger students." Heather seemed stuck in her head, she didn't respond. Acacia nodded, a grin still on her face. Illya groaned, apparently too tired to be bothered. Emily glanced at Mei, prompting a small grin from the ginger. Claudia had the mildest reaction, she rubbed her neck. "Or maybe not, but at the very least everyone should sleep here where it's safe."

"Safe?! Of course it's not safe!" Rose wailed. "If anyone can just come in and kill the Headmistress – how can it be safe for us?!"

"Assuming that someone 'came.'" Emily reasoned, while Michi's mind had gone in that same direction the collective shiver among the younger students is what kept Michi from voice it. "Professor Jones seemed to behave pretty oddly if what the first-year says is true. It wouldn't be the first time in Hogwarts history that a professor snuck in to kill somebody."

"If we're following that logic, why should any professor be trusted?" Illya brandished her wand at Michi. "You could be keeping us safe in here or you could be rounding us up like farm animals for slaughter." The Slytherin smirked. She couldn't believe her own words, Michi realized, Illya was just looking for an excuse.

Emily pointed her wand to Michi too. Lysander had his arm up next, followed by Jaime Potter. The last student to do so was unexpected, but so was Sarah McClair. The second year aimed at her as well and Michi could help but feel nostalgia mixed into the pang of betrayal.

Mei looked at Sarah and then Michi. She felt around her pockets till she grasped the wooden stick, but she never took it out. Michi sighed in relief, Mei still had some faith in her.

"Why are –" Aimi snatched Sarah's wand from her. The blonde gaped. " – you being so damn stupid?!" Aimi continued. "I thought you were the smart one of our group!" Sarah lowered her eyes.

"Michi!" Shirō came in and Illya lowered her wand. "Good, everyone's - Emily? Jaime? Lysander? Have you three been Confounded?! Drop them, all of you!" His steely order was obeyed by the girl and two boys. "Professor Ishigami could've had you three expelled, or worse, and all she's trying to do is keep you safe!"

"It's alright Professor Emiya," Michi said with a smile. His defensiveness seemed to easy the string she felt. "I never raised my arm against them, so it's good if they realized the kind of people they are now." Each one of those who brandished their wand to Michi winced as if slapped. "What did you and Suiguira find?"

"Vanishing Cabinets, concealed all over the school." He ran his hand through red hair. "I'm not even sure we blasted them all, which is why Professor Suiguira and Professor Hagrid are double checking every room and the Forest respectively. We were about to Floo Potter and Tōsaka," Yuki blinked, "but they connected to us first. They said they'd be here in about an hour."

"If that's the fastest they can manage then that's fine." Michi rubbed her head. "I'm going to see Jones's office, maybe we can get some clues from there."

"I'd walk you there," Illya pouted when Shirō spoke. A smile was back on her face when Shirō looked towards the students. "But someone has to stay with these kids. You all need to–"

"No." Michi said, Shirō choked on his words. "We've already issued that order about a thousand times, it clearly has no merit with them." She turned to the wide-eyed Hogwarts students as well. "Anyone who wishes to leave may do so. Anyone who says will be under Professor Emiya's protection."

"A-Are you saying," Al started. "That if we don't stay we won't be protected."

"Exactly," Michi nodded. She had a pang on sympathy for the sweating, shaking boy but she needed to say what should be said. "Or rather, we will defend you if we can but there is no guarantee of safety. If you leave this library you may die," Rose shrieked. "You may lose your free will and your mind," Heather clenched her legs close to her chest. "You may learn things that you never wanted to and they'll haunt you forever," Claudia rubbed her neck harder. "It is your choice however, so if any of these things happen then there will be no one to blame but yourselves."

"That doesn't sound like any choice at all!" Lorcan said. "Obviously we're going to stay where it's safe!"

She smirked at him. "You lot are so young, too young to truly know yourselves – your decision may just surprise you."

Mei stood up. "I'm going to leave." She said. "I want to go to the Deputy Head's office too."

"Mei, I don't know what we'll face out there. Are you sure?"

Mei nodded. "I have to know, I have to find out what we'll face one way or another."

"T-Then," Al tugged the cloak from his brother and clasped on to Mei's hand. "I'm going with Mei. That's what we promised right?"

Mei smiled at Al. "You don't have to though, you're scared."

Rose held on to her cousin. "J-Just b-b-b-because we're s-s-scared," she started, her determined face at odds with her tripping words, "d-doesn't mean we won't help!"

"ACA is gonna kick arse tonight!" Aimi said, tugging at the cloak. "Let's ride out folks!"

The quarter walked out the door. Michi's heart crashed again and again against her rib-cage but she knew she couldn't stop them, not now and not after this whole thing blew over. She only hoped and prayed that they'd be alright if they were together.

"Wait." Sarah caught the edge of the Invisibility Cloak. "We're already missing a piece of the ACA, did you plan on leaving me behind?"

Aimi grinned. "Now there's the Sarah I know and love to annoy!"

Sarah shook her head and followed the first years out.

"No way!" Lysander howled a few minutes after Michi followed the so called 'ACA' out. "I'm not being out-braved by a couple of first-years." Claudia rolled her eyes to her fellow Slytherin's theatrics. "Come on Lorcan, we've got to go find him!"

"But…" Lorcan gave his Head of House a pitiable glance. "We still don't even know if that was him. Can't we just stay here?"

"You can if you want." Shirō said with a smile. Claudia noticed his discomfort during Michi's spiel. His eyes never left the quintet as they walked out. It seemed like he was the kind of person who lives to save people, which was all well and dandy unless dealing with a crop of people that don't want to be saved.

"I can tell Annie that you're a little baby who needs to stay here and hide." Lysander sing-sang. "What's Annie gonna do with an itty-bitty baby? Not make him her boyfriend for sure!" Lorcan glared and got up. Claudia shook her head. Lysander was a Slytherin alright. Once they found the right button to put they could sell sand in the Sahara. The Hufflepuff and his twin left, the former stomping and huffing as he did.

"We have to go to now." Claudia had to strain her ears to hear the voice of the second-year girl. "You said we have to stay with you at all times, right Heather?" That finally snapped the porky girl out of her daydreams. She leapt off the table she sat on. "At least Mei went with more than just one bloke – one bloke who he's always fighting – Lorcan could get hurt."

"Yuki, your mother's gonna kill me if you wander off." The Charms professor said. "Please, just stay here."

Yuki gave him a smile. "There's no way you'd stay in a safe place while someone you liked was in danger if you could help them, right?" The man grimaced. "Like Professor Ishigami said, if anything happens to me it's my own fault. I'll explain everything to my mother when she comes."

"Same for me and my dad." Heather nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, Professor." The girls walked out.

Claudia glanced at Illya and Emily, neither looked compelled to chase after their missing housemate. "You've changed a bit Shirō." The albino noted. The man, her supposed father, glanced at her. "In the past you might've chased after everyone who left, trying to save them all."

"Then I'd be leaving the rest of you behind." He grouted out, he didn't want to say it and the guilt he felt was stitched in his tone.

"It took you so long to grow up." Illya muttered. "You remind me more of him now,"

The Charms Professor gained an odd look on his face: pride and more guilt managed to paint his expression at the same time.

A crash echoing into the quiet library made the guilt overtake the pride.

Claudia again, tried to go back to her book and distract herself. Shirō seemed to want everyone to do the same, teaching them new charms and helping them with homework. Prose and spells did little to stop every clank, crash, and clunk that seemed to come closer, but it kept all who stayed from freaking out.

Jaime Potter, the last person in the world Claudia thought who tug at her shoulder and talk to her, seemed to need a distraction too. "Hey girl," he might have sounded haughty if his heart was in his words, but it wasn't. He sounded like a scared teenage boy. "When you're done with that, can I see it too?"

"Sure, you can see it now." She handed him the book, he nearly tipped over from its weight. "Can't concentrate anyways."

"You either?" Jaime said. "I, I can't stop thinking about Rose and Al, or Aimi." Claudia might've told the third year to scram on any day but today. Round, dark eyes made looked pitifully at her. What about her screamed 'empathetic and kindly guide' anyways? "I kept telling Al there's no way a coward like him would be in Gryffindor, and after that I told him he hexed the Hat. I was so sure something went wrong."

"I think I heard that argument." Claudia remembered the black haired boy covered in breakfast foods.

Jaime nodded. "He's out there and I'm in here. So maybe the Hat did mess up, messed up with me that is."

"If you want to be brave, then just go outside." Another clank was Claudia's exclamation point. Jaime stared at the entrance door. "It's not a problem if you're not brave, that's just who you are."

"It shouldn't be!" Jaime said. "I'm named for my grandfather and my father's godfather. They were amazing! They messed with teachers and Voldemort and whoever they didn't like!"

"That's not what makes someone brave. Any child can throw tantrums and mess with people." Claudia let the words spill accidentally. Maybe she had some 'guide' knack after all. "Bravery is sometimes enduring things, knowing they'll end bad, but not letting the bad things get to you. My friend Lena is a muggle-born in Slytherin, she's the bravest girl I know. She's endured so much here and can still like herself."

Something in Claudia reacted to her own words. Maybe what she admired about her friend is that she still liked herself, after hearing mudblood almost on a daily basis and being likened to the muggles who tried to burn witches. Claudia, on the other hand, loathed herself as soon as she figured out she was a HiME. She hated herself for not seeing what her parents were. She hated herself for a lot of things that she couldn't control or predict.

Claudia never really considered herself brave. For once though, she could give this brave thing a shot.

"Potter, you are his kid right?" Jaime nodded. "Let's go find your family and your girlfriend."

"Aimi's not my girlfriend!"

Claudia rolled her eyes. She didn't name names now did she? "You'll feel better if someone goes with you, right? Let's go then."

Jaime looked at her. "You're a Slytherin, how can I trust you?"

"Trust that I have no reason to attack a prat such as yourself, if only that much."

Jaime stared, he scanned Claudia for a moment, and then shook her hand. "If you back-stab me, Slytherin, then I'll prank you so bad by the time school opens up again even this so-called-friend won't recognize you!"

Claudia might've pointed out that the use of leverage was a very Slytherin-esque ideal, but decided against it. "Fine, after you Lion Cub."

A/N: This was totally meant to be an action-y chapter not an introspection/foreshadow-y chapter. Look for butt-kicking soon.

That being said, I do love that Jaime was actually the hesitant one. For all Al's shuttering and stuttering he really is the first to go out and do what needs to be done. Jaime likes to put on a show.