I don't own East of Eden. Based on chapter 33 of Surpassing Danger.
A/N I really appreciate your reviews, but if you sign in as "guest" I can't answer your questions! I'm very glad that people are enjoying this, it makes me very happy. And in case you were wondering, the mystery Slytherins from last chapter are Flora Carrow (Hestia's twin) and Laurasia Rivers, the other two Slytherin seventh-year girls.
Chapter 36: Just You Wait
Roger caught her just as the strength in her legs gave out. There was a roaring in her ears, and she was choking and gasping. She felt like she was drowning. Roger whispered soothingly, though his tense body belied his calm. It took her a moment to make sense of what he was saying.
"Breathe, Lena, breathe," he murmured.
The words took her back to the day in the Room of Requirement. Her panic flared. Roger seemed to realise his mistake and instead began to whisper soothingly to her. It didn't help.
Adrian grabbed the letter from her hand. As he read it aloud, Roger's grip on her loosened. She slid to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. She shivered violently, teeth chattering. Adrian let the parchment fall and began to swear with such vigour that, despite her terror and panic, she started to laugh. When she regained control of herself, she felt surprisingly calm. Roger knelt beside her, kneading her tense shoulders.
"Have we made anyone angry recently?" he asked, chewing his lip.
Lena snorted. "Who haven't we angered? All the proper pure-bloods certainly. And the Death Eaters."
"But have we angered someone enough to want to take Zach and Graham and Natalie?"
She turned to look at him. "It wouldn't take much, and given that we've been flaunting our disdain for them for two years, they have a lot of reason." She looked up at Maya and Lee. "Are we sure that they're gone?" Lena asked quietly without waiting for Roger to reply. She sighed. "Of course they are." She reached up and took Maya's hand. They squeezed each other's hands comfortingly.
"I assume they were both taken or they would have come to tell us," Roger said.
"Unless they couldn't," Lena whispered, shuddering at the thought.
Maya's let go of her hand and she looked away, covering her face with her hands. Lee put an arm around her.
"Who...?" Roger began.
Lena looked up, wondering what he was talking about. Arti was tapping her DA Galleon with her wand.
"Harry. Natalie and Graham were part of the DA, after all. And they have connections." Maya lowered her hands, more composed now and looked annoyed with herself that she hadn't thought of this. Lena had to admit she hadn't thought of it either and was glad someone had a clear head.
"Come on," Arti said as Roger stood and they gave Lena a hand up. She tottered for a moment and Roger steadied her. "I told them we'd meet them at the shop. And I suppose they'll let everyone else know," Arti said. Lena stiffened. It hadn't occurred to her until then that the rest of the DA – and quite a number of other people – would become involved. "It'll be all right. We'll all be together. And you won't have to go anywhere near the loo if you don't want to."
Roger winced and gave Lena an apologetic look. She smiled reassuringly at him. She had quite forgotten about that too. She shivered and Roger put an arm around her and drew her close. They started walking, Nyx flying along overhead.
"I hope this is one of those unintentional non-painful changes," Roger murmured, eyes slightly unfocused.
She turned sharply toward him. "What?"
"The prophecy Luna had when you took Zach to visit," he said. It took her a moment to remember.
"He will be the cause of many changes," Luna had said. "Some intentional, some painful. Some both, and some neither. Be prepared for all, and fear nothing."
"Ah yes. Maybe one of us should have studied Divination."
"I doubt it'd have helped."
"I suppose you're right."
"This is what the Pride warned us about, isn't it?" Maya asked quietly.
Lena nodded, unable to look at her. Seeing Maya, who was usually so assured, looking lost and confused, scared her, as did the intensity of her anger, bubbling below the surface.
Graham's already escaped them once, I doubt they'll let him escape again. And they've got Natalie too... And it's all my fault. Maya'll never forgive me for this. None of them will.
"Which one of you will finally betray me?" Flora murmured, gazing down contemptuously at Hestia and Lilith's bound forms. "Because, as a Slytherin, you should have known we were all there only to protect our own interests and it wasn't going to be long before someone did. Well, you didn't think it would be me, did you?"
Laurasia grabbed her arm before she could say more.
"While I sympathise with you, now is not the time to be musing and gloating," she said. "Now let's go before someone finds us and hexes us before we can explain everything."
She dragged Flora out of the alley and zigzagged through several streets before stopping.
"What are we going to do?" Laurasia asked as she leaned against the brick wall, of an abandoned building, panting.
"Go find someone."
"Not...them?" she asked, nodding in what she hoped was the right direction to indicate the Three Broomsticks.
"Of course not," Flora scoffed. "They'd kill us."
"You didn't seem to take that into account a few minutes ago."
"Well, now that they know, I don't think they'll take kindly to seeing us."
"They don't know that we were involved. We could tell them we know who it was."
Flora snorted. "How long before they figure out the truth? I'd rather not be there when they do. We'd be lucky if we could get a word out before they strike. And they'll be much less merciful than any Auror we would encounter."
"That's true. What should we do?" Laurasia asked, fidgeting.
"I doubt we could simply go up to an Auror and tell them, "We know about a crime," ' Flora said with a snort. "And we helped commit it! But we decided to save ourselves and come find you and turn in the mastermind behind this diabolical scheme. Oh and yes, we realise we deserve to go to Azkaban too, but we thought the dementors would like more victims."
"We could try it. Maybe they'd send us to St. Mungo's instead of Azkaban."
"If only. We would be so lucky." Flora said wryly.
They twelve of them – the six elder of Maya's Pride, plus Blaise, Colleen, Arti, Adrian, Anne and Elayne – hurried toward the Weasleys' shop.
"I'd suggest you head back to school," Arti said to Elayne just before they reached the door. "But I'd rather not have you going back alone."
"I'll go with her," Anne said, with a glance at Lena and Roger. "You probably don't want too many of us crowding around. We'll go see if there's anything we can do to help though I doubt they want too many of us running around either."
With that, Anne, Elayne, Dean, Lindz, Blaise and Colleen left, but not before Lindz and Anne had hugged everyone.
Maya, Lee, Lena, Roger, Adrian and Arti turned and walked in. Adrian went over to Fred and had a quiet conversation while the others headed back toward the storage room. Within a minute, Fred was clearing out the store to many vociferous complaints. A few choice words did the trick and they too, left, leaving the store blessedly quiet. Fred closed the front door firmly, before joining them in the storage room.
"I assume the DA is smart enough to ignore the closed sign," Arti said.
"I assume so," Fred replied.
Lee and Roger hurriedly explained everything. Fred's eyes widened, glancing around at them, his expression full of pity and worry.
"The Pride's coming," Arti said before he could speak.
Fred nodded. "Should we get the Order?"
"I'm sure if someone tells Harry, then Professor Black and the others'll come too."
"Do you need anything?" he asked, glancing around at them.
"Can I have something you wouldn't mind breaking?" Arti asked.
The corners of Fred's lips turned up. "I think I can find something," he said before disappearing.
Lena turned to look at Maya who looked as badly as Lena felt. As she looked at her, Maya began to change. A moment later, a tan cougar stood in her place before curling up onto the floor. Lena stood staring down at her in disbelief before she remembered that this was Maya's Animagus form.
As this thought registered, she too, began to change. When her transformation was complete, she lay down next to Maya who curled herself protectively around her, her body tense.
After a few minutes of making sure that Maya was all right, Lee went out into the alley. Lena assumed he had gone to wait for Harry and the others, though she wouldn't have blamed him if he had simply gone to get some air. Roger stayed with them, his hand resting on Lena's back. Even their presence didn't lessen her shaking. She had thought that it would be easier, being an animal, since their emotions were less complicated, but it was actually worse. The smell of everyone's worry, shame, anger and fear was overpowering. She felt like gagging.
Arti and Adrian were pacing back and forth. Arti stopped when Fred returned.
"Will this do?" he asked quietly.
"Perfectly. Excuse me a moment," she said before leaving the room. Adrian followed.
A minute later there was the sound of something breaking and a torrent of cursing and threats. Arti and Adrian came back, both looking quite a bit more relaxed. But Arti had no sooner stepped into the room when she paled.
"Dammit," she hissed.
"What?" Adrian asked.
Lena looked up.
"Someone's got to tell Mother and Father. And Roger's parents. And yours. And..." She turned and ran from the room, Adrian on her heels.
Lena groaned, laying her head back on her paws. She hadn't thought of that. She was glad Arti was here to do that for her. She didn't have the strength.
"Now that we're not with them, can we panic?" Adrian asked quietly when the storeroom door had closed firmly behind them.
"After we tell everyone, yes. May we use your Floo?" she asked Fred.
"Of course," he said and led them into another part of the shop. He handed them a pot of Floo powder. "Take as much as you need," he said before leaving them alone.
Arti grabbed a pinch and tossed it into the fire as she stuck her head inside the fireplace. As green flames exploded from the logs, she thought, for a brief moment, how terrifying this would be for a Muggle or even a Muggle-born.
"Ottery Manor!" she said, then closed her eyes tightly until the spinning stopped.
An angry pair of voices greeted her and if she hadn't recognised them, she would have thought she had ended up in the wrong house.
"You just took Africa!" Phoebe's indignant voice cried from somewhere out of her vision.
"You've got Russia!" Ollie countered.
As the two of them stood glaring at each other, their game pieces started to rise in the air. Diana watched them, shaking her head in exasperation.
Arti didn't want to waste any time wondering – or asking – what they were doing.
"I hate to interrupt whatever war you're having," she said, trying not to sound rushed, "but can you get an adult?"
Diana turned toward her, her smile turning into a slight frown. The other two hadn't seemed to have heard. "I'll go," she said. "Is Mum all right? Aunt Kay's asleep. She had to work last night."
"I'd prefer Mother," Arti said, grimacing inwardly.
Diana nodded and pattered off. The other two had abandoned their argument when they noticed Arti, their game pieces falling haphazardly back onto the board. Phoebe gathered the board and the pieces and beckoned for Ollie to follow before leaving the room.
"We can start a new game," she was saying as they rounded the corner.
"All right," he said genially, his earlier irritation forgotten.
Aunt Áine arrived half a minute later, alone.
"Your mother's coming," she said. "She worked the night shift last night." Arti nodded. "Is it bad?" Arti nodded grimly. "We can wait until your mother gets here. Your father and Andy are out, doing something with that committee of your father's." She shook her head ruefully. "Of all the times for the two of them to be out of the house."
Mother came in and Arti's anxiety spiked at he sight of her usual composed mother looking anxious. She knelt, her brow creased with worry. Her hair was still tousled from sleep.
"Is it Lena?" she asked.
Arti swallowed, reaching out behind her for Adrian. He gripped her hand with one hand and put his other arm around her shoulders.
"Not exactly. She – she – got a note saying that Zach had been kidnapped." Her mother and aunt gasped. "We aren't sure when, but she let Graham and Natalie take him around lunch, so it could be as long as three hours ago. They've all been taken from what we can gather. We're looking for them."
"How is she?" Mother asked.
"Terrified," Arti said quietly. "But she's holding together, I think. She hasn't hit anybody yet. In fact, she's been rather quiet."
Mother nodded, with a sigh. "Well," she said briskly. "I'll get your father." She turned to Aunt Áine. "Do you mind if you stay with the children? I hate to have you left behind..."
"Don't worry. I'll be more use here than I am wherever you're going. Besides, someone has to distract them."
Mother squeezed her hand and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you." She turned back to Arti. "Should we call someone? An Auror or someone from the Ministry?"
Arti shook her head. "I don't think there's any need. We have our own connections. Especially with Sirius involved."
The name felt odd on her tongue.
Mother nodded. "All right. We'll be there in a few minutes. Of course we'll have to tell everyone, Roger's and Adrian's parents – I assume she doesn't mind if they know?"
Arti shook her head. "I'm sure she wouldn't."
"Where are you?"
"We're at the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Branch in Hogsmeade. But I have a feeling we won't stay there long. Probably easier if you came straight to Hogwarts."
"All right. We'll be there as soon as we can." Mother brushed a hand across Arti's cheek. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Arti withdrew her head from the fireplace. Her knees were shaking. Adrian helped her up and pulled her to him.
"Don't leave me," she pleaded, gripping his robes tightly.
"I won't," he whispered. "I promise."
When Lee came back, he wasn't alone.
"Selena had a note delivered," he was saying, his voice growing louder as he neared. "It said they'd taken Zach to play with your Pride for a while—" A familiar voice swore. "But that's not all. The note was soaked in something, some kind of Confundus potion, to make whoever held it believe what they were reading. If it hadn't been, it never would have convinced them it was from Graham, because—well, I'll let you see it."
Maya and Lena unfurled themselves, sniffing the air. The other person was Harry. Roger handed the note to Lee who gave it to Harry. Shame crashed over Lena anew when Harry's scent changed as he read the first sentence. Roger's grip tightened on her and she struggled to keep her cry of misery from escaping.
"When were they last seen?" Harry asked, handing the note back.
"Eleven-thirty," Roger said hoarsely but clearly.
Lena stood and returned to her human form, nodding in agreement. "We got the note at noon, they were probably already gone by then, and the potion on the parchment took three hours to wear off—" Harry grimaced but said nothing. "Which means they could be just about anywhere by now, doesn't it?"
"That's not your fault, not anybody's fault," he said firmly. She wished she could believe him. And she knew he wouldn't be the last person to tell her that. "Except for the bastards who took them, and we're going to find out who that was. They have to have had someone here, a plant in the village."
Maya growled under her breath, before sitting up so that she too could resume her human form. "Not necessarily," she said, her voice vibrating with barely suppressed rage. "They could have had one at the school. Someone who hates us, who'd want to see us hurt."
"And more than hurt, discredited." Lena's fingers twisted at the edge of her robe. She looked around the room, breathing fast, but a thought came to her that blunted some of her terror. But it wasn't a comforting thought. "Because if we can't protect our own, especially the ones who need it most, how can we ask Muggle-borns and their families to trust us to protect them?"
"By pointing out," said a woman's calm voice from the door into the front of the shop, making everyone whirl, "that this didn't happen within a protected space like Sanctuary, or even within the castle itself." Professor Black – both of them, Lena realised – stepped into the room. Sirius was using his wand to scribble on a roll of parchment floating in the air beside him as Professor Black went on. "And by getting them back, as quickly as we can. To which end, we're rounding up the students—everyone's to return to the castle immediately, no exceptions—and finding out who was with whom, and where, within the times it could have happened."
Maya rose and the others followed her out of the room.
"Who's done what?" Harry asked from behind them.
"Order, Shepherds, and teachers are locating students and getting statements," said Sirius. "They know not to hamper your lot or the rest of the older DA, though most of those volunteered to help with making sure everyone was accounted for."
Lena and the rest of the Pride looked at each other and nodded in satisfaction. Harry, Sirius and Professor Black's voices faded as the door to the storeroom closed.
Arti and Adrian were suddenly beside them as they walked out onto High Street before turning and heading for Hogwarts.
"I told Mother," Arti said. "She said she'd let everyone know and come as soon as she could. I told her it's probably best if she came straight to Hogwarts."
"Thank you," Lena said. She absently started humming "The Ride of the Valkyries."
"Yes, yes we are," Arti said chuckling. "Well, we will be soon anyway."
"I suppose we're all Göndul," said Lena thoughtfully. She glanced at Roger. "Though you'd probably be Muninn."
The others exchanged bewildered looks.
Lena went back to her humming. After a few more bars, Arti interrupted with a different tune.
"O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn," Lena murmured.
"English please?" Lee asked.
" 'Tremble not, my dear son' from The Magic Flute," she said with a smile.
"The second verse fits better," Arti said.
"Yes, it does. With a few change in pronouns. Actually, her second aria fits even better. Most of it anyway. Especially the last line." Arti nodded, a grim smile on her face.
Adrian turned to gape at them. "How the hell can you stand there discussing opera?" he demanded, raking a hand through his hair and making it stand on end. He looked as though he wanted to shake the pair of them. "What about your son? And Graham and Natalie? Shouldn't you go looking for them?"
Lee looked over and caught Adrian's eye. "It's better that they're calm. Would you rather have them going spare?"
Adrian glanced sideways at them, his gaze lingering on Lena. "No," he said.
Lena hid a smile behind her hand. "Because it's either that or I go mad. I need to think," she said to Adrian as though Lee hadn't spoken.
"Besides," Arti said. "Festina lente." Adrian's brow furrowed. "Make haste slowly. Don't go rushing into things. Do you really think we'd go unprepared? Do you really think we'd risk their lives by charging in without thinking this through? We are Slytherins, after all. We don't do anything? without proper planning. No offence," she said, glancing apologetically at Lee and Maya.
"None taken." Lee said.
"We don't know enough to do anything yet," Roger said. "I'd rather not go haring off somewhere without ascertaining the facts first."
Lee and Maya nodded.
"Who would do such a thing?" Arti whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Why?"
"I think you know the answer to both those questions," Lena said quietly. "Superficially at any rate."
Arti glanced at her, but didn't speak.
Lena looked up to see Roger's lips moving, reciting words she didn't recognise.
I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents. Some you can see, misshapen and horrible, with huge heads or tiny bodies; some are born with no arms, no legs, some with three arms, some with tails or mouths in odd places. They are accidents and no one's fault, as used to be thought. Once they were considered the visible punishments for concealed sins.
And just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? The face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or a malformed egg can produce physical monsters, may not the same process produce a malformed soul?
A chill ran through Lena as though dementors were nearby.
Blaise walked against the sea of Hogwarts students heading toward the castle. Various DA members were trying their best to reassure and placate several disgruntled and panicking younger students. Blaise caught sight of Anne and Elayne among the crowd. They acknowledged each other with a nod. He shook his head in exasperation as plaintive wails and panicked voices that surrounded him.
"But it's too early to go back yet!"
"Is there another attack?"
"No," Anne said firmly.
"But something's happened."
Anne hesitated. "Yes," she said finally.
"I heard someone was missing," a small Hufflepuff boy said, his piping voice rising above the din. Everyone grew quiet and Anne grimaced, looking away. Then everyone began talking at once, the panic palpable.
Several teachers were also walking with the group and cast Calming Charms on the students, who soon grew quiet. Still, Blaise was glad he didn't have to deal with them. He went on, the street now eerily quiet as the large crowd receded.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone coming toward him. He turned to face them. Two girls – seventh-year Slytherins, he realised after a moment – stepped out in front of him. They glanced uneasily at him, then their expressions turned to a mixture of resignation and relief. He stared warily back, his wariness turning to confusion and irritation as the two of them started talking simultaneously, making it impossible for him to understand anything they were saying. He sighed heavily.
After a minute, he started to piece together a more coherent story from their babbling and a chill went through him. The next moment his wand snapped up and the girls' wands flew from their hands, cutting off their chatter.
"You have ten seconds," he said coldly, his wand trained on them.
"You'll want this too," Rivers said as she slowly let her hand go to the pocket of her robes. Blaise tensed as she pulled out another wand. But she held it out to him, handle first. He took it. "That was Lilith's."
Carrow also took out a wand from her pocket. "And my sister's." He took that wand too and pocketed them both without taking his eyes or his wand off Rivers and Carrow. "We took them after we Stunned them and tied them up." Carrow's eyes darted around as he continued to glare at her.
"We can lead you to my sister," Carrow said. "Hestia," she clarified at Blaise's look. "She knew everything. We –" She swallowed. "We only knew parts. " Blaise nodded. A wise decision. Though of course, he couldn't trust that they weren't lying. "And then when you have her, you can take us all up to see an Auror."
Part of him wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the statement. No Slytherin would willingly let themselves be captured if they could avoid it. There had to be a catch.
He wondered if he could get both of them back on his own. Granted, they were Disarmed, but still, there were two of them. Luckily Dean was just walking up the street toward them. Dean raised an eyebrow, fishing in his pocket before holding up his DA Galleon. Blaise nodded. Dean tapped his wand against his Galleon without breaking stride.
"Let's go," Blaise said roughly, jabbing his wand at Carrow and Rivers.
He herded them in front of him and the three of them started walking toward the castle. By the time Carrow and Rivers turned around, Dean was right behind them, wand raised.
They ran into Professor Lupin – though Lena suspected it was he who had found them and not the other way around – who led them to McGonagall's office explaining that Ron and Ginny had found the spot from where Zach, Natalie and Graham had vanished. Arti and Adrian decided to wait in the Entrance Hall to meet their families when they arrived.
"We'll let you know as soon as they come," Adrian said.
Lena and Roger nodded gratefully and followed Professor Lupin into McGonagall's office. He led them over to a table in the corner where a map of Hogsmeade was laid out, pointing out the spot.
"No one saw them, I take it?" Lee asked with a sigh.
Professor Lupin shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We have DA members asking around as they bring everyone back to school." He waved his wand over the map while explaining that someone would analyse the Portkey traces to see if they could figure out where it had taken the three children.
The original Pride minus Neville, Professor Black and Professor Granger-Lupin trickled in over the next few minutes.
"Sirius has gone to the Ministry," Professor Black explained before she and Professor Granger-Lupin retreated to a corner and began speaking in low voices.
The Pride came to stand around Professor Lupin and the others. Over the next few minutes, they discussed possible scenarios and locations until Professor Granger-Lupin's laugh jolted them out of their discussion. Harry, Maya, Hermione and Professor Lupin looked up at her, then they turned back to the discussion at hand. Lena took a few moments to try to regain her concentration, but now, found herself unable to focus on Professor Lupin's words, as she became conscious of the conversation in the other corner of the room.
After a few moments, Professor Lupin's scent changed, as did his demeanour. Lena glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Had he figured out something? Lena's ears perked at Professor Granger-Lupin voice in the corner.
"...And who'd have more personal onus against our side's Slytherins, more reason to try to shut them down or punish them for the stance they've taken, than their Housemates of a more traditional bent?"
Lena's mind raced. A wisp of a thought came to her, but was gone before she could ponder it further. She forced herself to pay attention to what Hermione was saying, but was too distracted now.
"Not to mention what they get out of it. A pure-blood wizard, not even a year old yet—young enough to be trained into almost anything, as long as they can keep hold of him—and a boy and girl who are, at least biologically, capable of creating more witches and wizards between them. And what do you get when you cross a Muggle-born with a pure-blood?" said Professor Black.
Lena felt sick with dread at the thought, trying not to retch. Roger pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She could feel his rage and horror. Beside her, Maya stood with her firsts clenched tightly.
"Dear God in heaven, Letha. You're not saying—" Professor Granger-Lupin began. She didn't need to finish the sentence. The room seemed suddenly freezing.
"And why not?" Professor Black asked with a bitter laugh. "It makes perfect sense, if you can bring yourself to think like they do. Muggle-borns don't even rate as high as animals in their books, you know. Animals don't try to rise above their destined places. So why, still using their wretched excuse for logic, shouldn't they use time-tested methods for putting Muggle-borns back into the places they deign to grant us—and get half-blood children out of the deal, children who'll have the health and the strength of their Muggle-born parents, to raise in their own twisted beliefs?"
Maya growled under her breath, her hands curled into claws. Professor Lupin touched Maya's shoulder. She whipped around, trembling with rage, her fece contorted. Professor Lupin seemed quite unfazed as the two stared at each other – Lena wasn't surprised, he'd seen worse than an angry eighteen-year-old girl. She, on the other hand, wanted to hide, though she guessed that was more her fox's instinct than human. Even in sitting down, Professor Lupin's authority was unquestionable. A long moment passed before Maya lowered her eyes. Lee immediately went to her, pulling her into his arms.
"They won't do that to him," he murmured into her ear. "They won't get the chance. You'll see. We'll find him, we'll find all of them, and we'll get them back." Shifting Maya slightly to one side, he looked over her shoulder at Professor Lupin. "We will get them back," he repeated, more a statement of fact, than a meaningless bit of reassurance.
"If you can control yourselves well enough to stay within the rules of combat, you will." Professor Lupin said softly as he got to his feet, his wand held loosely in his hand. "But if you have any doubts, any fears, that you might not be able to do so—that your desire for revenge will pull you out of formation and expose your fellow fighters to injury or capture, or that some garbled story about murder and mayhem committed in the name of the Order of the Phoenix or the Red Shepherds might begin from what you do tonight—then you will be a hindrance instead of a help, and you will stay here. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly." Lena said standing at her full height to gaze up at him. She felt no fear. Instead, she felt strangely calm, relieved even. This was exactly what she wanted. "We will leave no one behind. And there will be no stories." Because we will leave no one alive to tell any tales, true or otherwise. The rest will wonder where they've gone of course, but they'll assume that they fled or died and no one will question it. She tried not to smirk in satisfaction.
She felt Roger tense slightly beside her, holding his breath. She flicked a glance at Maya out of the corner of her eye and got a knowing, satisfied smile in return.
A flash of anger went through her as Professor Granger-Lupin inhaled sharply through her teeth, but Lena pushed it aside, keeping her eyes on Professor Lupin as he inclined his head to her.
"Very well," he said. "As soon as we have information, you will be the first team assigned to this matter. If you will excuse us? We should check on the progress being made."
The three professors walked out of the room as the two Prides looked after them until their footsteps faded into the distance.
Lena turning to find Roger gazing at her with a mixture of trepidation and awe.
"What?" she demanded.
"I – I'm just impressed is all," he said simply, though something in his tone told her that that wasn't what he had meant to say at all.
"Unnerved, you mean," she corrected.
"Yes," he said slowly after a moment, glancing between Lena, Maya and Lee.
She leaned her head against his chest and looked up at him. "Gryffindors and Slytherins are more alike than we like to let on. We're rather ruthless when the time calls for it," she said with a feral grin.
Roger gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing, but said nothing.
Dean and Blaise followed Carrow and Rivers back to the Three Broomsticks, but instead of going in, the girls led them into the alley next to it. They had only gone a few feet when they stopped and the boys ran into them. Carrow gasped and Rivers swore.
"But they were right here!" Rivers protested. "We tied them up and took their wands and..." She turned sharply to Carrow. "You don't think...?"
Carrow sighed. "I think it's the only conclusion we can draw."
"Explain," Blaise said quietly.
"Someone must have helped them. I don't know who, so don't bother asking, but obviously they aren't here. I know you don't believe me and I really can't prove that I'm not lying, but everything I've told you is true. Take us to an Auror or a professor if you like. I'm sure they have ways of ascertaining whether someone is lying. I'm doing the best I can," she said, wringing her hands, a note of hysteria in her voice as the two boys stared at them. Rivers stepped up beside her, putting a calming hand on her shoulder. It didn't seem to help as Carrow looked ready to tear her hair out.
Dean and Blaise exchanged glances.
"All right," Blaise said calmly, interrupting Carrow before she could succumb completely to her hysteria, which Blaise was sure neither he nor Dean wanted to deal with. "We'll take you to them. I can't promise your safety. I have a feeling Maya and Selena at the very least will want to tear your hearts out and feed them to you." Blaise had to admit that he felt a certain amount of satisfaction as both girls blanched.
"I wouldn't expect any less, I suppose," Rivers said quietly. "After what we've done."
Blaise shook his head in wonder. "What?" Carrow asked.
"I don't think I've ever heard of a Slytherin admitting to doing something before. It goes against our nature. Though I suppose you're hoping for leniency?" He snorted. "Good luck."
"I'm just tired of running," Carrow said, sounding drained. "At least if we cooperate and get sent to Azkaban, we will, for a time, be safe from vengeful hands. Wizards can think of far crueller ways to kill one another than simply going mad from the dementors."
McGonagall's office door opened and Hannah and Neville came in, carrying armfuls of scrolls. Lena and the other three exchanged puzzled looks.
"What're those?" Harry asked, hurrying over to catch several that fell from Neville's arms. "DA records?"
"Yes. Ones that might help. Roger," Neville called, catching his eye. "Can you do a search spell through these? Find Graham and Natalie's names?"
"Put them on the desk?" Roger requested as he flicked his wand at the map of Hogsmeade. It rolled up and he slipped it onto one of the bookshelves. Neville and Hannah dumped their scrolls onto the table. There were quite a lot of them. Were there really that many DA members? "All right, let me remember how this works…" He stared down, biting his lip for a moment. "Revelio Graham Pritchard!" A flicker of red light issued from his wand and began to travel through the pile of scrolls. Lena watched in fascination. "Revelio Natalie McDonald!" The second jet of light was blue. The two lights seemed to travel through the pile of scrolls until they flared for a moment, which Lena assumed meant that they had found what they sought, though what exactly that was, she still didn't know.
"Here we are." Roger reached out and picked up the scroll enveloped in a red light. "Graham Pritchard," he read aloud, frowning. "Number eighty-four, white, yellow, and blue?"
"Natalie McDonald," Lee read from the other scroll. "Number eighty-three, white, yellow, and pink. What are these supposed to be?"
Firmly Lena told the voice in her head, which had begun to sing the colour song from Joseph to shut up.
"Potion pieces," Harry explained. "It's the records of which potion pieces everyone in the DA has, and what load they carry. White for healing, because they're medics, and yellow for knockout because everyone carries that—how'd you think of it, Captain?"
Lena had to agree that it was a very good idea. She wondered vaguely if there was a list of house-elves assigned to each of the DA members before turning her attention back to the conversation at hand.
"I didn't. She did," Neville said, pointed to Hannah. "I'd mentioned that I wished they were carrying something magical we could track down, and Hannah said, 'What about their potion pieces?'"
Hannah flushed as everyone looked at her, but managed a smile. "We don't think of them as anything special, since we've been training with them for so long," she said. "But they are magical, and they're all different, even if it's only by what second or third potion people carry in them …"
"And you've kept track of which ones all the DA members, or the Red Shepherds, like best to carry," Ginny finished, grinning at her. "Trust the Hufflepuffs! So Graham carries the Shrinking Solution, then?"
Maya laughed shakily, but it was a laugh nonetheless. Lena felt a faint bit of relief. "He thought it was funny," she said. "Because of how you helped him a couple years ago. And Natalie has the Love Potion—"
Hermione gasped. "Love Potion, DA—Romilda Vane! Luna, that prophecy you spoke to us on Easter, the one about the new-wed nymph, this must be it! Romilda Vane, who's been hanging around with—"
Lena felt the blood drain for her face. Roger let out a guttural sound, his face ashen. She and Maya exchanged horrified looks as the pieces suddenly began to fall into place. How the hell could she have been so stupid as to not see this? They had even talked about it not half an hour ago!
"Slytherins. The wrong sort of Slytherins." Harry looked around at all of them one by one. "Find her," he said harshly. "Ask questions, work spells, do what you have to do, but find me Romilda Vane." His eyes met Hermione's. "Except you, Neenie. And Neville, you and Pearl. And Hannah, if you'll give us a hand?"
"With what?" Hannah asked, stepping quickly aside as the Lena, Roger, Maya, Lee, Ginny, Ron and Luna started toward the door.
The rest of what Harry said was lost as they practically fell out into the hallway and the door slammed shut behind them.
Finally they were about to get some answers. Finally they had someone to blame.