Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to JKR. Enjoy!
I woke up to an empty dormitory. Nothing out of the usual. Lately, Noel had been sleeping in Gryffindor Tower with Lee, as they seemed to have resumed their…whatever you wanted to call it, and Grace was in and out depending on whether or not she was seeing anyone at the moment.
Ever since Noel had snapped at me over her meeting with Sprout and Umbridge, things had been off between us. Or rather, things had been off with her. The next morning at breakfast, she acted as though nothing ever happened, but she'd remained glued to Lee's side the entire day, allowing us no time to talk. And that's pretty much how it had stayed for the past few days. I was sad, but I had more important things to worry about at the moment. The twins were planning on leaving in two weeks.
Every moment with George felt absolutely imperative, and though I knew we would only be apart for 6 weeks, I couldn't imagine going a day without him. Hogwarts was no longer home, thanks to our esteemed new Headmaster. Every day was Hell, what with her Inquisitorial Squad tossing everyone in detention, first and seventh years alike, and the house points for Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor were now drained completely. The students walked around silently. Everyone was afraid to be overheard and reprimanded, lest they find themselves nursing their wounded left hand later that evening. No one talked anymore, no one joked, or even laughed. Fred and George had been doing their part, and that was what made it tolerable to be here. But without them, Hogwarts was looking more and more like Azkaban every minute.
I sighed and readied myself for the day. Rather than doing homework, Lee, Noel, the twins and I were planning on spending the day celebrating and preparing for their grand escape. My fingers flew automatically to the dove charm, but the smooth ridges of the little, silver trinket were offering me little comfort these days. As I dressed, I donned my yellow Hufflepuff scarf. One of Umbridge's latest decrees had stated that, even on days when classes weren't in session, everyone must be wearing their house colors, an order that struck me eerily similar to that of Nazi Germany during the second World War.
The twins were waiting for me outside the portrait hole, a new addition to our daily schedule. Neither of them said it, but they were nervous for me or Noel to walk around alone. It seemed the Slytherins were lurking around every corner, ready to bite, and I didn't have to say a word to George for him to know my nerves were completely frazzled.
"Good morning my beloved girlfriend!" George swooped down to peck my cheek.
"Good morning my beloved girlmate!" Fred followed suit, planting a kiss on my other cheek. George punched him in the arm.
With a roll of my eyes, I happily tucked myself into George's side. "Let's hurry, I'm absolutely famished." My stomach growled on cue.
"You heard the woman," Fred began.
"Let's hurry!" George finished, and with that, each grabbed one of my arms and started propelling me forward in a mad fashion, their lanky arms and legs pulling ahead as my short, stocky self dragged behind.
"You three!"
The twins stopped abruptly, and I lurched forward. If they weren't holding onto me, I would have landed face first on the floor.
We turned to see Gemma and her lapdog, Adrian Pucey. Like I said, waiting around every corner.
"There's no running in the corridors," sneered Pucey, stalking towards us. "And you two aren't wearing your house colors. Though the red hair and tattered, secondhand clothing clearly reek of blood traitor, I'm afraid it technically doesn't follow school code. I think two detentions a piece ought to suffice."
The back of my left hand tingled. I'd managed to avoid another detention this entire year, stopping at nothing to refuse the evil toad Umbridge access. Part of me feared my father getting a letter – but then I remembered I'd never have to see him again, and stared Pucey down defiantly.
"Do what you want here, Pucey," I hissed. "In the real world, you won't matter."
His dark eyes gleamed, and Gemma surreptitiously shook her head at me. "That's what you think, eh, little halfbreed?"
Fred stepped forward. "That's enough. You've given us your punishments, let us on our way."
My heart skipped a beat as Pucey's gaze landed on me, lingering just a moment too long. His stare put ice in my veins.
He showed no signs of moving, but Gemma placed her hand on his shoulder. "Leave them be. I saw an empty broom closet down there anyway."
Smirking, he fingered his wand. "Beware, Muggle-lovers…your time is coming."
And with that, he stowed his wand, turned on his heel, and sauntered down the corridor. Gemma opened her mouth as if to say something, thought better of it, and followed. Even after they were long out of sight, I stood there, frozen.
Your time is coming? Did that mean what I thought it meant? My stomach clenched violently as I remembered the sinister serpent winding its way up Montague's left arm.
"Love, they're gone now. Come on, let's get to breakfast, you're starving," George coaxed.
"Lost my appetite," I muttered, but allowed them to lead me anyway. My hands were shaking, so he reached out and grabbed them. They steadied. I sent him a grateful look, and saw Fred on his other side, eyeing every single person that walked by.
The Great Hall, usually roaring with activity and energy, was subdued. Conversations were minimal, demeanors were downcast. I sat across from Lee and Noel, who were already halfway through their eggs and toast. Neither were speaking.
George readied my tea for me, and with a pang, I realized this was something I would miss the most when he was gone. Refusing to think about that, I instead focused on the way Pucey looked at me. It wasn't threatening. It was his words that got to me the most. The way he eyed me was almost like…interest. That thought didn't make me feel any better.
"Post's here," Lee spoke through a mouthful of food. Noel rolled her eyes, but I watched eagerly, as I always did now in the mornings, waiting for the several papers I subscribed to.
Sure enough, the large, jet black owl with the beady, brown eyes landed smoothly in front of me. His beak held three scrolls. The Daily Prophet, and two Muggle newspapers. I liked to compare them, to see what Fudge's minions were leaving out on a daily basis. Almost everything, with the exception of the Azkaban breakout.
"What garbage is there today?" Noel asked, one perfectly plucked brow raised.
I shrugged. "The usual. Interview with Fudge, how confident he is that his aurors will return everyone to the dementors. Yeah bloody right."
George scoffed. "Return them to the dementors…my dad says the dementors have gone rogue too! That's what allowed them all to escape."
"Stupid, sodding arsehole," Fred muttered darkly, and we all nodded our heads in subdued agreement.
I hated him, I hated her, I hated them for lying to us. It wasn't protecting us; it was putting us further in harm's way. I opened the first Muggle newspaper, and the headline blared, FIFTH MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE. A small shop on the outskirts of London had been ransacked and vandalized, the owner vanished into seemingly thin air. My heart sunk, and my face must have showed it, because Noel reached over and snatched the paper from me.
"Don't look at it now, okay? Just don't."
It was an effort of kindness by her, but I felt too hollow to care. "They're not just killing muggles anymore. They're taking them, probably torturing them."
I shoved my cup of tea into the middle of the table, its contents splashing across a tin of biscuits.
"Hey," George said softly. I didn't look at him. "Come on, love." He placed his hand beneath my chin to turn my head, forcing me to meet his eye. Tenderly, he put his fingertips on either cheek, drawing me close, and rested his forehead against mine. "We'll all be out of here, soon, together. And we will fight them. Together. We've got Dumbledore on our side, and what have they got?"
"A bunch of cowards," I mumbled, and George smiled and planted a kiss atop my browline.
"That's right, love."
I felt better, but only slightly. You could only joke the situation away for so long.
With a half-grin, I untangled myself and instead turned my focus toward Umbridge. She'd been watching a group of third years who speed-walked their way out of the Great Hall, but it was as though she sensed my gaze. She stared at me, blinked, and I just caught the flash of a self-satisfied simper before George nudged me out of my seat.
"Hey, I've got something in my dormitory I want to show you. Want to head up there?"
"Yeah, I bet you've got something to show her all right," Ron spoke up from several seats away. He had a stupid smirk on his face and Seamus snickered into his biscuits.
Hermione gave him a disgusted look. "Honestly Ronald, I keep waiting for you to grow up."
"Don't hold your breath for that Hermione, or you'll croak." Ginny sighed and shook her head at her brother in disdain.
"Oi!" Ron looked affronted, but he'd completely earned every bit of attention he was getting. As much as I loved the rest of George's siblings, Ron and I were still very far off from becoming friends. I knew he was harmless, but he was too rude and immature to get along with.
Ignoring him, I handed my muggle newspapers to Hermione, and she handed me hers. This had become a daily tradition of ours, as we were some of the only ones that seemed to care what happened outside the castle walls.
George leaned down next to his little brother and clapped a hand onto his shoulder so harshly that Ron dropped his knife and fork, which he'd been using to shovel obscene amounts of ketchup-splattered eggs into his mouth. "Say another word about my relationship with Prudence, and I'll show Mum those magazines you have hiding under your mattress."
Ron's face went as red as his hair as Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and about half off the Gryffindor table 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at him. Lee and Fred flung bits of jam covered toast at him, forcing Noel to duck out of the way.
"Everyone cut it out or else Umbridge will be down here doling out detentions!" I hissed. "George can we please go now?"
Straightening up and giving Ron one last threating pat, the two of us quickly retreated, and George tucked me under his arm as we began our seven floor ascent to the Gryffindor common room. Both of us kept our wands out, and made sure to peer around every corner. If we used a secret passage or shortcut, George insisted on going first, and it wasn't until we were safely inside the lion's den that I allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.
Umbridge's reign over the castle had my anxiety constantly on the fringe, and had Noel panicking the other day that I was on the fast-track to grey hair and wrinkles. We entered the (thankfully) empty dormitory and I settled onto George's bed as he dug around in his trunk, tossing bits of scribbled on parchment, broken quills, and dirty socks about in his search.
"Aha! Got you, you little bugger!" he exclaimed triumphantly, and leapt onto the bed beside me. I steadied myself and gave him a dirty look which quickly turned into one of curiosity.
"George…what is this?" I fingered the faded, leather-bound book, and looked to him for an explanation. This was one of the rare times that the mischievous twinkle in his eye was nowhere to be found.
Gently, he flipped it open, revealing an old, black and white photograph of two identical looking boys, flashing wide smiles for the camera. "This was going to be my Christmas present to you, only I didn't have the time to go looking for it what with my father's attack and all. But I told my mum all about you, and she managed to track this down in our attic (no small feat considering we have a cranky old ghoul up there). This belonged to my uncles, Fabian and Gideon, her brothers."
George's uncles? My mum's best friends…
My heart pounded as I flipped to the next page. There were the twins, posing in front of the Whomping Willow and ducking as one of the branches came flying down at them…and then, my mother stepped into the frame, pulling them by their ears. My lips split into a smile and I watched the movements over and over, sliding my fingertips over the glossy page.
"There's more, too," George said softly, pointing to the next page. There were the twins playing quidditch, waving from their brooms, the twins, my mother, and another woman sitting in the Gryffindor common room, in the very same spot I often sat…
"Oh, George," I whispered. There was my mother, ice skating on the Black Lake. She was wearing her hair in the familiar looking bun that she had taught me how to do in one of her rare lucid moments, and a bright purple scarf that I recognized from the photographs in my father's study. "She's beautiful."
I watched, rapt with attention as she glided around, and as she passed the point where the camera was, she laughed and stuck out her tongue teasingly. A similar photograph at the bottom of the page showed her spinning faster than a top, that purple scarf flying out behind her like a cape. I had only ever gotten to see my mother ice skating once, and it was my most cherished memory.
Tears filled my eyes and I flung my arms around him. "Thank you so much. I can't even tell you how much this means…I have so few pictures of her, and they're all muggle, so it's like she's frozen in time but this, this brings her to life! Oh George this is the best gift I've ever gotten!"
He chuckled into my neck at my gushing and smoothed back my hair. "You're welcome, love. I remembered my mum showing Fred and I this photo album once when we were young and I knew we still had it somewhere. After I saw that picture of your mum in your dormitory, I couldn't help but feel like I had seen her somewhere before, and when it clicked, I knew I had to give this to you."
Teary-eyed and slightly snotty, I eagerly returned to the album, flipping the page. "Oh, look! Is that…?"
"Yeah, Amelia Bones, Susan's aunt," George said. "They've got the same nose." Amelia was wearing a prefect badge and scolding a cowering Fabian (or was it Gideon?) but it was clear that it was all for the sake of the camera because the two burst out laughing a moment later.
There was a photo of just my mother and Amelia, one of just my mother and Gideon – who George correctly identified by the scar on his jaw – one of Amelia, Fabian, and Gideon, and then a large shot of the four of them together outside Hagrid's hut. The groundskeeper was in the background, tending to some unknown creature in a box, and the twins were feeding it something as my mother and Amelia looked on warily.
"That is precisely mine and Noel's reaction to your antics," I said wryly, and George laughed.
"My mum always said that Fred and I were exactly like her brothers, except that the two of us were even bigger troublemakers. She said if her mother was alive to see us, she would've been terrified – she could barely keep a handle on my uncles back in the day."
I snorted. "Fred and George Weasley, terrifying the elderly since 1979."
We sat there side by side for a few more minutes, leafing through the pages, when I got an idea. "Hey, what do you say we put those magical galleons Hermione made to good use?"
The twinkle returned to his eye. "What exactly are you scheming up, my little prefect?"
Twenty minutes later, half the DA was settled in front of the roaring fire of the Gryffindor common room. Lee and Harry were perched outside the portrait hole letting in duos and trios that slowly trickled in. First came the Patil sisters, then the Ravenclaws, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, and Anthony Goldstein appeared with a jumbo box of Bertie Botts' beans. Luna ambled in with Neville, Ginny, and two sets of Exploding Snap, and lastly, a large group of fifth year Hufflepuffs, including my inspiration behind the get-together, Susan. After seeing photos of her aunt and my mother together, I got incredibly nostalgic, while also feeling righteous over Umbridge's tyranny.
And so, Fred and George had snuck down to the kitchens and brought up a case of butterbeer and several platters worth of food which could have gotten them expelled on the spot if they'd been caught, and Angelina had even rescheduled today's quidditch practice so she, Katie, and Alicia could attend. Notably absent were Cho Chang and Zacharias Smith, who'd rightly known not show their faces. Marietta had been forced to return her galleon with that horrible pimple-jinx across her cheeks, much to the twins' delight.
"Look Susan, it's your auntie!" Hannah Abbott exclaimed, and Justin Finch-Fletchly leaned in.
"Hey, she's got your nose!" he pointed out, and Ernie Macmillan whacked him across the back of the head. "Oi, what's that for?"
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Justin, don't you know you're not supposed to talk about a girl's nose?"
He looked puzzled. "Erm, I do now?"
Harry grinned at Ron. "Maybe you could take lessons from them."
Ron crossed his arms and sunk further down into his seat as Lee and Ginny ruffled his hair. I looked around happily. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were paging through the album, hooting and hollering at the old-fashioned uniforms and wild hairdos, Luna and I were passing out drinks and stuffing ourselves with pumpkin pasties, Alicia, Fred, and George were playing a game of catch with a beat-up quaffle, and Colin Creevey was running around snapping pictures of everyone.
"Prudence!" Susan waved me over. "I just wanted to thank you for showing this to me."
I blushed. "It's George you should be thanking, he's the one who sent back home for it."
George handed Alicia the quaffle and tossed an arm around me. "Yes but you're the one who had the brilliant idea to throw together this little shindig. Let's hear it for Prudence!"
Everyone whooped and hollered and my entire face heated up as I received pats on the back and high-fives from those closest to me.
"You know, I knew my aunt and your mum went to school together, but I had no idea how close they were," Susan observed.
"Isn't it odd how two upstanding citizens such as your mum and Susan's aunt ended up mates with the school trouble-makers?" Fred gleefully observed.
Noel smirked as she sipped from a bottle of firewhiskey that Lee had produced seemingly out of thin air. "Gee, sounds familiar." Her and I exchanged a grin.
"That it does, m'lady," George acknowledged, plopping himself down onto her lap. She rolled her eyes and shoved him off.
As the party continued on around me, I spotted Neville sitting off to the side, tending to a plant in the windowsill. "All right, Neville?"
He nodded. "Just making sure my Mimbulus Mimbletonium's getting enough sunlight."
"Hey, the twins were just going to start up a game of Exploding Snap, will you play on my team?"
Neville regarded me nervously. "Yeah, all right."
I beamed, and dragged him over to the middle of the room, where the furniture had been cleared in anticipation of things getting burned or singed from the flames of the snaps. Noel and Lee were a duo, Harry and Luna, Ginny and Hermione, Michael Corner and Padma Patil, and Katie and Angelina were the rest of the teams we were up against. The last partnership with more than one eyebrow between them were going to be declared the winners.
Luna and Lavender Brown were the official judges, doling out the cards and making sure no one – Lee and Noel – cheated. Everyone else settled behind us in a ring, cheering and booing. Alicia and Janice were cheering for Angelina and Katie, and I had the Hufflepuffs rooting for Neville and I.
Neville made a great play, and the two of us excitedly high-fived. "Nice one, Neville!"
As I caught George's eye from across the circle, he gave me a goofy grin and my heart swelled. In spite of Umbridge, this had been the best year of my life. Through my mother's past, I had unlocked something inside of myself that I never knew was there: courage. For the first time, I felt like I had true friendship, and like I was a part of this school. Though Dumbledore's Army may have been officially disbanded, I knew the bonds created were only going to grow stronger, and that was something Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad could never take away from us.
"Lee, I can't believe you forgot your essay!" I moaned as I heaved myself up the staircase as fast as my legs would allow. "We're going to be so late!"
Fred and George were sauntering along behind us at a casual rate, no longer caring about much of anything school-related. "It's just McGonagall. You know with how Umbridge has been tossing everyone into detention, she's not going to do anything besides give you a look. She can't even deduct house points."
Fred had a point. None of the other professors were giving out any sort punishment – their own small act of rebellion against our new headmistress. But I still loathed being late. It meant everyone staring and McGonagall's disapproval, something that left a pit in my stomach for hours.
"Right, you lot wait right here and I'll just nip in to the common room and be back," Lee said, jogging off. George leaned against the wall and yawned, his hands casually in his pockets. We were all the way on the seventh floor, by the Room of Requirement. Our classroom was on the third floor, and the lesson started in five minutes. I tapped my foot anxiously as we waited.
All of a sudden, we heard footsteps, calm and collected and nothing like Lee's heavy, hectic stride. The twins straightened up and whipped out their wands. I recognized the arrogant demeanor and aura of icy darkness that emanated towards me before I could make out the person's face. Montague.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he murmured slowly, fingering his wand teasingly. His black eyes glittered with malice, moving quickly over Fred and George and landing on me. He appeared almost…triumphant.
"We're on our way to class, Montague, and we're not yet late. We're breaking no rules, you have nothing to pin against us." I crossed my arms firmly across my chest.
The twins casually stepped closer to me, and George edged his right shoulder partially in front of my left. The Slytherin smirked. "No rules are being broken, but no one knows you're here either… I've been waiting for a moment like this."
My heart was pounding wildly, and I could hear a fierce ringing in my ear.
"Back off Montague," Fred snarled. "Umbridge and Snape may believe every smarmy word out of your mouth, but every other professor in this castle wouldn't hesitate to strip you of every precious privilege you've managed to acquire."
The tip of his wand was pointed between my eyes faster than any of us could react, and then all three of our wands were pointing at him. The twins were aiming for his temple, but I was pointing my twelve and a half inches of cherry wood straight at his heart.
"It doesn't matter what any of you three cast at me. She'll be dead before I so much as hit the floor."
My breathing, which had been so shallow that I was on the verge of hyperventilation, ceased. He was very, very serious. And this wasn't like his blow that I hadn't seen coming; his wand was pointed directly at me, and I was very much aware of what the possibilities were.
I felt both Fred and George stiffen, and willed them to keep quiet and calm. The tip of his wand touched my temple, and he delicately dragged it across my forehead and down my cheek until it came to rest beneath my chin. He forced my head up so I was staring straight into his dark gaze.
"If anything happens to her, I will kill you." George spoke with such hatred in his voice that I could hardly believe this was the same jokester who had been making me laugh just ten minutes earlier. I had never heard him so filled with rage, not even when Umbridge had caught him leaving the DA meeting, or when he received his lifetime ban from quidditch.
Montague's expression did not change. His full attention was on me. "The day a blood-traitor like you taints a single drop of my pure blood is the day I will die."
"Seems a bit drastic, mate," Fred quipped coolly and I choked back a laugh in spite of the situation. George's mouth twitched.
Suddenly my entire body spasmed with pain and I collapsed to my knees, the bones slamming against the stone floor, a violent jolt passing through me which I hardly even felt. My heart and lungs were on fire, constricting tighter and tighter with every frantic breath until I couldn't…breathe…
His wand dropped and I immediately fell forward with my weight on my hands, my chest heaving as I fought to remain conscious and clear the black spots from my vision.
Fred lunged at Montague, who calmly cast a shield charm, and the redhead hit thin air, stumbling back. George dropped down beside me, rubbing my back. "Prudence, are you okay?"
I managed to nod and sit back onto my knees, my thighs quivering with the effort. My entire being felt numb, and the mere effort of breathing exhausted me to the point of unconsciousness, but I was okay. Or at least, I would be.
Now, Montague's blank countenance faded as a wide smirk overcame his face. "I can do my worst to her and you can do nothing," he spoke, and his eyes glittered with relish as he dreamt up the damage he could bring upon my body. "She will be dead, and no one will ask questions, or else they will become our next target-"
"You son of a boggart's bitch!" came from behind him and he was viciously tackled, his face slamming into the stone with such force that it rebounded, and I found myself staring in wide-eyed wonder at his bludgeoned, bloody nose and mouth.
Lee kept him down with an elbow in the back of his neck, and Fred hurriedly hexed him into stillness. "Petrificus Totalus!" he uttered, and Lee stood. George bore an ugly expression, and put all of his weight behind a well-placed kick to Montague's kidneys.
"What…what do we do with him?" I whispered as Lee helped me to my feet. His frozen body was still pooling blood onto the ground.
George took a few steps down the corridor and opened up the drawers to a cabinet I hadn't noticed in my complete and utter fear of the Death Eater pointing his wand at my brains. "In here."
Fred and Lee hauled him up and propelled him toward the cabinet with unnecessary force. George helped them unceremoniously dump him in, and were about to shut the drawers when suddenly, Montague disappeared.
The three of them looked confused, peering in closer to see if their eyes were playing a trick on them, but a wave of nausea washed over me. "Oh my god…" I moaned.
They turned to me. "Prudence, what is it?" George asked gently, clearly not caring about where the Slytherin had gone.
"That was a vanishing cabinet," I said hollowly, staring into the void of the thick, maple wood.
Lee's forehead crinkled. "A what?"
"Basically, you shove something in there and it travels through space," I explained, my tone still zombie-like.
"To where?" Fred waved a hand in front of my eyes, which had glazed over with shock.
I swallowed and forced myself to focus. "Well, we don't know where the other cabinet is, do we?"
"Other cabinet?" George sounded incredulous, but I did detect a hint of apprehension.
My mind raced. "With magic like this, there have to be two; bookends, if you will. If you start somewhere, you have to end up in a certain place, like with apparition or portkey travel."
"Is this other cabinet in the castle?" Lee asked.
I shrugged. "It could be, but who really knows?"
It was silent for a moment. "Well," Fred said finally. "I guess we'll find out when he turns up."
"If he turns up." My voice was cold, the tone nervous.
George spoke next, all apprehension gone. "We tell no one."
Fred nodded, and when he saw the fear on my face, he turned his attention to me. "Prudence, he just tried to kill you, and when he reappears, that's exactly what we'll tell everyone. McGonagall will believe us, and Sprout, Flitwick and the rest. When Umbridge tries to pin it to us, all we have to do is roll up his left sleeve."
My stomach churned uncomfortably. "Yes but…he's hexed. He's in a mysterious void unable to move."
"Don't tell me you're actually feeling sorry for him!" The ugliness in George's tone was directed at me.
I shook my head. "I-I'm not… I just genuinely don't know when and where he'll turn up, or if he even will. If he's permanently harmed in there, or if he dies, that's on us."
"Better him than you," Fred said grimly, and I let out the breath I had been holding subconsciously.
"You're right…" I murmured.
George clasped my hand in his. "It was him or you."
I knew what they were saying was true. The war had begun last June, Cedric being its first casualty. And now, the second one within Hogwarts grounds had just been taken. We just didn't know if he would be coming back.
I had expected Noel to be positively irate when the four of us showed up in Charms forty-five minutes later, having left her in McGonagall's class alone, but she wasn't there. Without another word to Fred, George, or Lee, I had myself excused by Flitwick, convincing him I was incredibly ill and needed the hospital wing immediately.
I raced towards our common room as quickly as I could without full-on sprinting, feeling particularly exposed even though my biggest tormenter was stiff as stone traveling through a mindless void. I sincerely hoped she had just skived off, and was lying in bed peacefully, rather than bound and gagged in one of the castle's many crevices. Who knew what dangerous liberties the Slytherins were taking? I had just survived attempted murder, for the second time.
I all but dove through the entrance tunnel, and once my feet hit the solid ground, I took off running, ignoring the disgusted glares from fourth years vigorously studying by the fire. "Come on, please," I muttered as I flung open the door to our dormitory. My heart leapt to my throat as I saw her perfectly made bed, but then I noticed the light to the loo was on, and spotted her dragon-skin boots tossed pell-mell outside the door.
My shoulders sagged with relief. "…Noel?"
I received no answer, and crept towards the bathroom softly. "Noel, is everything all right?"
Peering around the doorframe, I came across the ghostly-pale Hufflepuff, curled up against the toilet in her thousand-galleon robes, hair disheveled and mascara dripping down her perfectly made-up cheeks. "Oh Merlin, what's going on? Are you sick?" I dropped to my knees before her. "Noel, answer me."
I spoke as gently as I could, but urgency pressed me to grab her shoulders. "Noel!"
She blinked several times, and brought her gaze to meet mine, though it felt like she was staring right through me. "Here." In a daze, she reached down beside her and handed me a small, blue vial.
My brow furrowed. "Noel, what is this? Wait…" I recognized the potion, and my heart sunk. "Is this…?"
Suddenly, her gaze was crystal clear, and her deep, brown eyes pierced through me with such lucidity that I nearly gasped. "I'm pregnant."
A/N: So, two years later and I'm back! ...anyone still out there? I hope you are, because I realized I couldn't let this story go and I just had to finish it. If there is anyone still reading, PLEASE drop a review and let me know your thoughts!
