A/N: Nothing important to say really. Review!
"Remind me again why you're here?" Neville questions looking up from the basket of food I had brought him. I scoff rolling my eyes, he could be a bit more grateful after all the trouble I had went to. Okay, he had insisted that he had a means of getting food but I didn't believe him. I still think he was just trying to sound tough. Either way I had snuck down to the kitchens and then made my way through the castle with my precious cargo, he could at least thank me.
"Well, I was bored for one," I admit. I had been pretty bored, after the excitement of lunch where both Carrow's had marched over to the Gryffindor table demanding someone tell them where Neville was the day had been pretty dull for once. With that done with I was left to skip off to find my favorite refugee. "Malfoy was following me around though, I need to get out of reach for awhile, I swear if I'm not careful he's going to turn up in my dorm" I complain after a few moments of silence.
"Why is Malfoy following you?" Neville frowns, I look away guiltily realizing that I may have forgotten to mention that err.. problem I was having.
"Lizzie, Why is Malfoy following you?" he questions again making me blush. I turn back towards him and grin only to be met with a stern look that made my face drop almost instantly.
"He may, now before you get all worried just remember that it's just may." I prepare him, my arms fluttering around as I hold them up in front of me like I was getting ready to do some complicated demonstration. "He may have a theory that I'm, well...me."
"WHAT?" he shrieked, making me jump. I place a hand on his shoulder as his head flops down to his chest and he lets out a low moan, "Lizzie!"
God these people worried to much, the way they talk it's like they've been keeping me alive all these years or something. Let me tell you, I don't need anyone to babysit me! Then again when you think about it the only reason I was here was probably because I was more or less being babysat. I really don't see how me returning to Hogwarts disguised as Victoria has really done anything significant other then make Malfoy paranoid and give me longer to cause trouble at school. And depression, I swear I was becoming more depressed and lonely each day, also with anxiety. When you really think about it this was just bad for my heath and mental state.
"Oh come on Nev," I tease.
"How your brother took care of you for seventeen years I will never know" Neville sighs rubbing his face. I shrug not bothering to correct him when it dawned on me that I hadn't told him the good news I had gotten.
"Luna's safe, so is Dean. According to Malfoy there was a little tussle at his place over Easter. They all got away though, they're fine."
Neville groans again glaring down at me from his seat on the couch, "What?" I question, "I'm telling you now aren't I?"
"You're so..."
"Beautiful?" I quip cheekily.
"Frustrating" he concludes with a nod of his head, "Yes, frustrating. I forgot how much so until now."
"Well that's not a nice thing to say" I sniff slightly offended. After all we had been through this year he defines me as frustrating? What an awful thing to say, I like to think that I had grown as a person.
"What I meant to say was, I'm glad things are getting back to normal with you. You don't seem as stressed as usual."
"You still didn't have to call me frustrating, you don't hear me calling you forgetful."
Neville blinks, once, twice, "I am forgetful."
I frown, "Well maybe I don't like to embrace my faults."
"It's not a fault Lizzie, it's a part of who you are. Remember the girl who plopped down next to me during dinner and informed me we were going on a date?"
"Vaguely"
"Do you know anyone else who could get away with that? You catch people off guard, make them think when they don't want to. It rubs people the wrong way but it's who you are. I didn't say we all loved you less for it. We all love you because you're you. Because you have the ability to frustrate the hell out of us but we know you only mean well."
"Awh you love me Neville?"
His face falls, "That's all you took out of that? The whole speech, just that."
"What can I say, I'm frustrating" I remind him, laughing as he rolls his eyes bumping his shoulder against mine with a small smile.
"Yeah, I know".
I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had sat in the library and not had Draco Malfoy watching me, I guess there was a first for everything though and I was going to embrace the silence.
"Listen, I only can guess where he went but it's only a matter of time before they come after me." a male voice whispers loudly making my eyebrows raise into my hairline. That sounded an awful lot like Seamus.
"You don't know what will happen if you leave though, things could get worse!"
"Or better, they don't pay you any attention Lavender, only when we're around you."
Yup, definitely Seamus. Had I been smart I probably would just pretend I didn't hear them talking and slip out unnoticed. I wasn't smart sometimes those and my inner Gryffindor roared in defensed of my former housemates. Grabbing my map I activate it and leave my table, my books and parchments still littering the surface.
"You guys really need to talk a bit more quietly" I suggest passing the shelf of books that had been separating our group of tables. Both look up startled with wide eyes as I approach, Seamus being the first one out of his trance frowns. It wasn't very effective though because he had a black eye and a gash on his lip.
"Snape" he hisses making me roll my eyes. He was a short little Irish dude, he was hardly intimidating. I'd seen him blow up more things then Neville in Potions.
"Honestly don't be so dramatic, Seamus. Hostility will get you no where in life you twat." I scold seeing his shocked expression, Lavender however looked quite smug and looked between the two of us before giving a frustrated sigh.
"Really? You still think it's not her?" she questions hitting the back of his head. Choosing to ignore them I slap the map down and point at the dot in the Room of Requirement.
"Neville," I say simply watching their eyes grow. "I'd slip away after dinner, then at least they think people are disappearing during the night and not hiding in the castle." I suggest, sure it was kind of pointless since I heard the security around the school and beyond was very high now as they were all on alert for my brother. There was even a curfew in place down in Hogsmeade, people who broke it met a nasty punishment.
"How?" Seamus asks confusion across his face, I shake my head and flip the parchment over finding the library and point to a group of three dots where Elizabeth Potter was clearly labeled.
Ignoring his shocked expression and Lavenders increasingly smug one I grab the map and make my way back over to my table without another word. I knew that would give them enough to trust me. Stupid Seamus. Making my way back over to my table I sit back down arranging the papers around me setting them up so I could be working.
Sometimes I really resented the fact I was here doing school work, I hardly think that me passing Charms with flying colors would really help this war at all. If they wanted a scholar on their side they should have disguised Hermione and set her loose in the restricted section. Sure I was every bit as smart as Hermione, she absorbed things like a sponge though and I only kept the practical things in my head. I couldn't tell you the theory behind a spell or who invented it, or draw out the proper wand movements I just...did. Magic had always come easy to me, I don't know if it was my Mums genes or Dads since they were both supposedly brilliant, but I still couldn't help but wonder what exactly my job was suppose to be. Return to Hogwarts, I had done that and other then some graffiti and revealing my secret, and almost blowing my cover multiple times I hadn't really done much.
What would they say about me when this was all over supposing we won? Boy-Who-Lived defeats the Dark Lord after a year of trying challenges. Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger awarded for their bravery in assisting Harry Potter in the Dark Lords defeat. Elizabeth Potter hides at Hogwarts. Somehow that was not exactly how I wanted to be remembered. I felt like a coward, like I was just hiding. With a sigh I spread my map out in front of me watching as people moved about the castle. The Carrow's were in Snape's office and Malfoy in the dungeon.
If I wasn't doing anything important why was I here at all?
It was a few days later that I received a note at breakfast. I had been surprised of course since I hadn't really gotten any mail this year but when the eagle like owl swooped down in front of me I felt my tempter flare.
What did he want now.
I stare at the parchment in my hand frozen in place after reading the tiny note that had been inked into the top corner. Naughty little Ravenclaw, plotting with Gryffindor's in the library.
I growl, Malfoy. That's all the parchment said, and it wasn't until I saw my own hand writing dating the parchment that I realized it was my own. Here I had been thinking that he had stopped following me to the library, no, of course not he had just learned how to do it without being noticed. Groaning I shove it into my bag and bite into my toast moodily seeing Lisa cast me a worried look. There was no way I could really explain that one was there? Pushing away my anger I stare down at my plate until I feel a presence behind me.
"Where are Mr Corner and Mr Goldstein?" the rough voice of Severus demands. I feel my head snap up as I look down the table seeing their missing presence. That was odd, Anthony had been at dinner last night, hadn't he? I also swore that I had just seen Michael in the common room before I went to bed. "I don't know sir," Lisa admits, in her defense I thought she looked rather convincing but I knew Severus was still watching her with narrowed eyes.
"Miss Snape, care to shed any light on the matter?"
Hiding a smile I shrug, "No sir, I'm not allowed in the boys dormitory, how should I know where they are, they could still be in bed."
I hear a grunt as he leaves and continues over to the Hufflepuff table where there was also a few missing students. I hold back another groan, what did Seamus do? Take every seventh year with him? Ever since he had disappeared the day before yesterday old members of Dumbledores Army had been popping off to the Room of Requirement left and right. It was mind boggling how sneaky they had managed to be but we, the ones who were left, were the ones who got to deal with the Carrows temper tantrums as they questioned us each class about where our house-mates had disappeared off to.
To their credit it was kind of difficult to understand since they thought they were somehow managing to sneak out of the castle after-all, I don't think they understood that their most hated students were all seven floors up laughing at them. Either way I had a feeling it would be in my best interest to make my way up there tonight even if it was just to scold them for being so reckless. So many students disappearing over a few days was highly suspicious even I knew they were smarter then that but I guess I couldn't blame them for not wanting to leave their friends behind.
"Hey, Victoria?" Lisa ask suddenly, frowning, "Have you seen Terry anywhere?" I look down the table to where the dark haired boy had previously been sitting. I should have known he was up to something he looked suspiciously shifty earlier. Swearing under my breath I turn back to the blonde and shrug, "No idea".
Merlin these people were about as subtle as I was.