"Bella!" a whispered voice hissed. Someone prodded her back and breathed her name again. It had been two days since the end of their exams, and Isabella had enjoyed her time free of revision and homework, with only the occasional Transfiguration lesson to teach, by playing Quidditch and sleeping late. Now someone was shaking her awake.
"Wha' is it?" she moaned, rolling on to her back. Something warm, almost hot, was pressed into her hand. Isabella rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand and she sat up.
"Luna?" she asked, softly, seeing the silhouette of the girl. "What time is it?"
"Eleven o'clock," the other girl whispered back. "Look! Lumnos!" The tip of Luna's wand lit, illuminating her pale face. She was fully dressed and looked wide awake. When her friend gestured to the object in Isabella's hand, the Italian lifted it up and examined it. It was a fat, golden Galleon. But on the side, where the serial numbers should have been, was the phrase, "Patrol Corridors. 06/07/96."
"Hang on, this is a DA coin," Isabella said. "What's going on?"
"Harry and Dumbledore have gone on some sort of mission," Luna briefed her quickly. "But Harry thinks Death Eaters might try and get into the school tonight."
"Aren't the Aurors patrolling?" Isabella asked.
"Yes, but Harry thinks they need all the help they can get." Isabella rolled her eyes and threw off her blanket.
"Well, if Harry thinks so," she said, picking up a pair of jeans. She could not help but think of the last catastrophic adventure she had been subjected to because "Harry thought something was up". Something had been up, a trap designed by Voldemort that led Harry and his friends straight into the Death Eater's arms. Isabella had almost died. Or she had died. She never did get that straight.
"You're coming?" Luna asked, hovering slightly.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" she replied, tying her hair out of her face and snatching up her wand.
"Great!" the other girl whispered, delighted. "But... oh dear..."
"What now?" Isabella asked already feeling her way towards the door, hesitant of lighting her wand and waking up Morgan and Alex.
"Harry left his Felix Felicis, that's Liquid Luck, you know, but there was only enough for each of us, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and I to have one drop and... there isn't anymore."
Isabella paused, halfway out of the door. "Well, I was going to get myself into the mess without any anyway, so it's no loss," she shrugged. "Come on, where do we go?"
They met up with the Gryffindors outside the dark, empty library. Ron was examining some parchment while Hermione held her wand high in the air to cast light over all of them. They all looked down the dark corridor when they heard the sound of footsteps
"Who's there?" Ron said, nervously fumbling with his wand and pointing it into the dark.
"'Who's there?'," Isabella repeated scathingly (she really hated being woken up). "Really threatening, Ronald. If I was a Death Eater I'd be trembling in my shoes." The Gryffindors' faces filled with relief as she and Luna stepped into the light.
"So what's up? Luna only had time to give me the bare minimum," Isabella asked.
"Well, Harry seems to have gotten it in his head that Malfoy is a Death Eater," Ginny began.
"Malfoy? But he's our age!" Isabella protested. Hermione made a shushing movement.
"We know, but Harry thinks he's got proof that Malfoy is assigned to let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts," she said, glancing nervously over her shoulder.
"Okay. That actually makes sense," Isabella nodded slowly. "And the parchment?"
"A map of the school," Ron explained. "It shows everyone, everywhere. Except the Room of Requirement." Isabella glanced at the paper. A few dots labeled with names like "Nymphadora Tonks", "Remus John Lupin", "William Arthur Weasley", and "Minerva McGonagall" were moving up and down various corridors. A mass of dots and names, too close together to read clearly, were gathered outside the room marked "Library".
"Fine, magical map, villainous plot," Isabella said. "Now, what roles are we playing?"
"I reckon Hermione and I keep on eye on the Room of Requirement, since that's the most likely break-in point," Ron said. "Ginny and Neville can made sure no one comes through the Entrance Hall. You two can keep an eye on Snape's office."
"Reasons this plan is stupid number one: if Malfoy and an entire troop of Death Eaters pour out of the Room of Requirement, how are just you and Hermione going to hold them off? Reason number two: no way the Death Eaters are going to waltz in through the front doors," she said critically. "Here's what we're going to do. Ginny, Neville, and Ron are going to take the Room of Requirement. That way if the Death Eaters come, two can duel while the other gets help. Hermione can watch Snape on her own, right?" Hermione nodded. "Right, that leaves Luna and I free to watch one of those secret passages. One-eyed witch?" Luna shrugged. "Everyone good?"
They all nodded. Ron took the enchanted map and disappeared with Ginny and Neville, heading up towards the seventh floor. Hermione, looking fairly nervous, tip-toed down to the dungeons by herself. Isabella grabbed Luna's hand and led her down to the third floor where the statue of the wizened witch was located.
"I've never known this was a secret passageway before," Luna said quietly, putting her ear to the hump of the witch and listening.
"You need to get out of Ravenclaw Tower more often," Isabella said, slapping her cheeks lightly in an attempt to wake up.
About an hour passed with nothing out of the ordinary. The chill night air woke Isabella up a little more and she got a little jumpy. Occasionally distant footsteps whispered by, but no sound of an uproar.
"I think Harry might have been wrong," Luna whispered at last. "Nothing seems to be-"
There was a bang overhead. Isabella and Luna whipped their wands up and looked at the ceiling.
"That sounded like the seventh floor!" Isabella whispered. "Come on!" She pelted down the hallway and raced up the staircase, Luna close behind. Following the sound of shouting, Isabella led Luna up four flights of stairs, keeping her wand at the ready.
"Someone's coming!" Luna hissed. Isabella dove behind a coat of armor and watched the person rush past. Halfway down the stairway, the newcomer looked over his shoulder and Isabella recognized one of the Death Eaters from the fight at the Department of Mysteries.
"Stupefy!" she and Luna yelled together. The Death Eater went rigid as the twin jets of red light hit him, then he toppled down the stairs.
"We're getting close!" Isabella said, rushing out from behind the armor and taking the remaining stairs two at a time.
People filled the dimly light corridor. Jets of light and spells were traded between them. Ron, Ginny, and Neville were here already, along with several members of the Order of the Phoenix who were dueling with the Death Eaters. As Isabella watched, one of the Death Eaters broke away and ran up the stairs of the Astronomy Tower. Neville, who was dueling Malfoy just in front of the stairs, was hit and thrown to the floor.
"Neville!" Isabella screamed. Several people glanced over at her. One of the Death Eaters shot a curse at Luna, but Isabella cast a Shield Charm around her friend.
Luna pointed her wand at the Death Eater who had attacked her and shouted, "Impedimenta!" The man was thrown off his feet with a roar of pain. Isabella ducked behind the fighting couples and made her way to Neville. Crouching beside him, she lifted his head.
"Neville! Are you okay?" she said, shaking him. Luna had disappeared, hopefully joining the fight.
"Bella?" Neville asked shakily.
"Thank God!" Isabella said, relieved.
"Go 'way. You fight," Neville said, waving her off. She stood, just in time, for a lumpy female Death Eater was bearing down upon her and Neville.
"Crucio!" the woman shouted. Isabella leapt aside, then realized she had left Neville unprotected.
"Expelliarmus!" Isabella shouted, stepping in front of Neville. The spell was deflected and ricocheted off one of the paintings.
"Avada-"
"Avis opugno!" Isabella shouted. Tiny birds popped into existence and shot at the woman like little feathery darts. She squealed with pain at the birds began to tear at her face with beak and claw. The Death Eater retreated, leaving Isabella a full view of the battle.
There was a big, blonde Death Eater shooting curses randomly. He shot one at the ceiling and Isabella barely had time to throw her arms over her head as half the ceiling came tumbling down on top of her. Coughing from the dust, Isabella tried to prepare herself in case one of her enemies took notice of her momentary weakness.
"Crucio!" She had not been able to ready herself. Still blinded by the dust, Isabella screamed and fell to the ground, writhing. Suddenly the pain stopped and there was a loud bang. Someone had engaged her tormentor in a duel, leaving her free.
Panting, Isabella pulled herself upright using the wall for support. A tall man with matted gray hair and whiskers wearing robes too small for him drew her attention. He did not seem to have a wand, but attacked with his long yellowish fingernails and pointed teeth. The stranger attacked a young man with red hair, who was already battling another Death Eater. Isabella felt her stomach clench as she thought of Fred and George.
"No..." she chocked, seeing one of the twins, she couldn't tell which from the back, go down under the stranger with a strangled scream. "No!" And without thinking she dropped her wand and fell to all fours.