I literally got the idea for Makoto's patronus as I wrote the sentence it came up in. I was thinking woodland creatures and then had the thought "lol, that'll confuse things a little later on" XD
The next week passed very slowly. Rei successfully tried out and became a beater on the Gryffindor quidditch team, as did Minako although none of them had known she was going to the tryout.
She had become very reserved, no longer joining in as much when they talked or did homework, forever putting herself at the edge of the group no matter how much they tried to bring her to the centre.
It was in the next week that Hagrid came back. Harry, Ron and Hermione went to visit him as soon as they saw the smoke coming from his hut while the senshi waited to speak to him in the lesson the following Tuesday which was, of course, inspected.
By the end of the lesson, every single one of them wanted nothing more than to hit Umbridge hard around the head for the way she had manipulated and embarrassed Hagrid – and the thestrals had been genuinely interesting.
Of course it was unprecedented that the whole class had been able to see them (after Seamus' death last year and Setsuna's death at the King's Cross). The girls hadn't even noticed the talk about them on their way into the school on the first day back, assuming that they had always been there given that they had never seen the carriages before.
Things started to wrap up for Christmas after this. The senshi were heading back to Japan while Hermione went skiing and Harry spent the holiday at the Burrow with the Weasley's.
Their last DA lesson of the term was on the Wednesday of the last week. The senshi arrived early as usual, with the exception of Minako who now came with Harry, Ron and Hermione. They transformed and did some warm up exercises before everyone else arrived.
"Tonight," Harry began, "as we've been doing so well, we're gonna start working on Patronuses." There was a murmur through the crowd. "Let me demonstrate. Expecto Patronum." The stag trotted around the room and came to a halt in the middle of the crowd. "This is also the only spell we've actually tested working together with the senshi before –Rei." Rei smiled and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder, allowing the silvery phoenix to raise its wings and soar around the room. There were sounds of appreciation as the two creatures met and the phoenix folded its wings to land.
"The hardest thing about this spell is finding the right memory – something really happy. You have to concentrate really hard on this memory when you say the incantation or it just won't work.
The scouts went to one side to try and figure out the movement for the spell. As they had for all the others to this point, they closed their eyes and gave their wand a chance to guide them.
"Expecto Patronum!" A silver dove flew across the room and swooped over the place where the scouts were standing. Looking back, Usagi saw Minako watching her patronus soar around the ceiling. As she watched, tears formed in her eyes and the bird blinked from existence.
She was about to head over to the other side of the room but at that moment Ami's sparrow sang from above her head and she glanced up, smiling at the little bird. She watched as Ami demonstrated the movement (a small, quick figure of eight). Rei tried it and the phoenix flew once more. Next Makoto tried it and produced a shining silver doe. There was, however, a slight disturbance when Hotaru made her patronus – it was not silver, but black, sucking in the light. The creature was not one of Earth, but one of the ghouls that haunted the surface of Saturn itself. They looked, if Usagi was honest, horrifying, but Hotaru had claimed them to be misunderstood – since before even the past life.
Usagi watched as others produced their own patronuses – Hermione's an otter, Ron's a terrier, Luna's a hare – before she tried to produce her own. She noted as she watched that none of those produced by ordinary means seemed to be as bright as those of the senshi. None of them, that was, except Harry's. Even Minako's was pale in comparison to the brightness of their shine.
She took a deep breath and flicked her wand in the figure of eight once. Instead of a shining glow from the end of her wand, the glow came from a space about three feet in front of where she stood. It started as a small white globe that expanded and filled out as they watched to form the body of a woman, with long silvery hair and deep blue eyes. The colours were muted and she was somewhat transparent, but there was no arguing that she was Queen Serenity.
The senshi dropped to their knees straight away, even Minako, before their Queen. Usagi only noticed Setsuna's presence in the room as a result of this, for she too had knelt. The rest of Dumbledore's Army looked on, a little uncertain as to what was happening.
"Queen Serenity?" Usagi asked, a little uncertain.
"It is I," she replied, her voice oddly distant.
"But I was trying… a patronus…"
"A patronus is a reflection of what is inside your heart – inside your heart lies the silver crystal and within that the power of the Serenity line. Our power Serenity. I am your patronus, and yet I am also myself. Setsuna?"
"Yes, my queen."
"Serenity will do, Setsuna," she replied gently, "the third taboo is lifted here for a time. Please."
Setsuna's eyes widened – clearly even she had not seen this moment coming. She stood and raised the garnet rod high in the air, spun it once in a full circle and then held it very still for a moment. Ami watched, expecting her to move but she did not.
"Ami," Queen Serenity said. Ami jumped and looked at her Queen. "Please rise." She stood on shaky legs. "Please do not fear me. I am here to guide you. There are dangerous times ahead and I fear for all of you. Your main role will be that of a defender, as it has been in the past and as a healer. Stay close to your friends and train hard. Be well." As Serenity spoke the traditional farewell of the moon kingdom, Mercury froze in time and Mars shifted a little on her knees.
"Rei, you are, and always were I think, the closest friend my daughter has ever had, however unwilling either of you are to admit this. Protect her, and fight with her. I have a feeling that you will find the times to come harder even than many of those around you. Stay strong and be well."
"Makoto, you will be a pillar of strength to all of your friends in the coming years – train hard and stay as such, but remember to always stay true to what you believe, or you risk losing yourself along the way. Be well."
"Hotaru. Your path in this war is a delicate one, as it always will be. Stay true and always have faith in the Princess. Be Well."
"Setsuna, my old friend."
"High- I mean, Serenity." The Queen, although she was made of little more than air, embraced the senshi of time who felt a pleasant warmth.
"Must you always isolate yourself so?"
"It is hard," Setsuna replied, "to get close to someone knowing that I will only live long enough to lose them."
"Is it not worth it though? Are not years of being loved worth the heartbreak? I found them to be, and they gave me Serenity. Your walls are your greatest defence, Setsuna, but also your greatest weakness. Be well."
"Minako, my dear Sailor Venus."
"Not any more," Minako said, looking down at the stone floor.
"Do you think being unable to transform makes you any less yourself? You are Princess Venus, and that will always be a part of you. I cannot give you your transformation, but I can encourage you to train with the others, watch them learn so that when it does come – as I am sure it one day will – you will be ready for it. Be-"
"But what if it never comes?" Minako asked suddenly, "Setsuna said it was very unlikely that I would reach my cosmos transformation ever."
"There is more than the one transformation yet to be achieved Minako, be well."
"Usagi, know that this is the only time I may speak to you in this manner – the ability of speech is not one usually granted to a being of the kind that I have become. I will stay your mother, always, and I will forever be in your heart ready to protect you, but I will be unable to hold you and comfort you as I wish."
"I don't mind," Usagi said, smiling sadly, "I never thought I'd get even this."
"I don't think either of us did."
"Be well."
"Be well, my Serenity."
When time restarted itself the Queen had gone, but Usagi did not care, because she knew that she would always be with her, resting inside her heart.
People were more than a little confused as time restarted itself – not the least because all the senshi had moved a little, particularly Minako who was now on the opposite side of the room from where she had started.
Harry called an end to the meeting and people began to file out very slowly, glancing back as the senshi moved to one side. No one asked anyone to tell them what Queen Serenity had said – she would not have had Setsuna stop time unless the messages were to remain private. Instead they stood for a moment in silence to remember their long dead Queen.
Eventually, they began to leave. Usagi hung back a minute with Rei who chivvied her on, reminding her to stay with the largest group of senshi. When they had all gone, this left only Harry and Rei alone in the room of requirement, standing beneath the mistletoe. Rei pointed this out.
"It's probably full of nargles," Harry said, laughing a little.
"I doubt it," Rei replied, "They prefer Holly.
Rei dreamed that night. It was not her own dream, but rather one she saw through her psychic link, meaning that someone else in the castle, likely someone else in the tower, was having the same dream.
It started as a dream she'd seen many times before, of herself (or the person having the dream) walking down a long corridor. She recognised the corridor in question for she had been forced to wait there for about ten minutes before darting down the corridor to the left and into the dreamers hearing. The corridor was in the ministry of magic and lead to the department of mysteries. Usually the dream would end at the end of the corridor, before a black door that just refused to open.
This time, however, there was something different. Instead of walking down the corridor, Rei moved close to the ground – slithering as though she were a snake. When the dreamers tongue flittered into the air before her face, she knew it was so.
There was a mound in front of the door – a sleeping form of a man Rei vaguely recognised although could not quite place. The snake reared its might head and attacked the man again and again.
Rei woke screaming.
"Rei, calm down, it was only a dream – just a dream." Usagi had leapt across the divide between her own and her friend's bed almost instantaneously.
"Deep breaths Rei," Minako said as she padded around Usagi's bed. "Deep breaths." The others crowded around Rei's bed, waiting until her breathing had steadied.
"It was just a dream, right? You don't think it was a prophecy or anything?" Minako asked.
"I… I don't know. It felt real. Not like a dream but not like a prophecy either. Prophecies tend to be disjointed but this…" she told them what she had seen, "I think… I think it was Mr Weasley," she said, looking around at their faces.
"We shouldn't take the risk that it was just a dream," Minako said, very much in control for the first time in far too long, "we should tell professor McGonagall." She flicked her wand and produced a silver dove for the second time that evening, sending it flying down the stairs.
"When did you learn to do that?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"This evening," she shrugged, "after the DA meeting. Come on, we should go wait in the common room." They pulled on their housecoats and headed downstairs and were surprised to find that there were already people waiting there for them. Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Professor McGonagall were standing at the bottom of the stairs to the boy's dormitory. As they saw them, the dove that spoke with Minako's voice vanished.
"It would seem to me that Miss Hino has seen your vision, or whatever it was, through her psychic link, Potter. Come, all of you, we must go see the headmaster – Miss Granger, would you please bring Miss Weasley?" Hermione nodded and ran back up the stairs. The senshi moved across to where the others stood. Usagi noticed the pale, worried looks on their faces and began to understand that something really bad was happening.
When Hermione came back down, dragging Ginny as she struggled to fasten her housecoat, "what's going on?" she asked, "what's happened?" her eyes grew more alert as she saw the worried looks on peoples faces.
"Miss Hino, please fill Miss Weasley in on what has… what may have happened." Ginny grew paler and paler as Rei explained the vision on their way to Dumbledore's office.
When they entered the circular room, Dumbledore looked up from his desk and spoke, "Minerva, what a pleasant sur-" he stopped talking as the students filed into the office. "What has happened?" When McGonagall had filled him in on the situation, Dumbledore stood and began talking to the portraits on the wall of his office, sending a couple of them away – apparently to visit portraits of themselves elsewhere.
"he's been found," a portly wizard announced from high up on the wall, "by the right people as well. They're moving him to St Mungo's now."
"Molly's been informed Arthur," said a man in a portrait to the left of the desk.
"Thank you Phineas – and Sirius?"
"Is ready and waiting for company," the man drawled.
"Good," Dumbledore turned to the students, "Use the fireplace to reach number 12 Grimauld Place – except Miss Hino please."
Harry frowned – Dumbledore seemed to be very purposefully ignoring him, his eyes flickering past him every time he spoke to the assembled Gryffindors. He lined up with the others (although he had to move forward to show the scouts how it was done as they still weren't sure after the Weasleys and Hermione had gone).
"So, Miss Hino," Dumbledore asked when they had all gone, "Can you please tell me what you saw?"
"Erm… wouldn't it be better to ask Harry that, Sir?" she asked frowning a little.
"There are advantages and disadvantages to hearing the story from either of you. In this case I have weighed the advantages of either case and decided to hear it from you."
When Rei finally made it to Number 12, it was to find everyone sat around the table in the kitchen. They glanced up briefly as she entered but no one commented. Usagi smiled a little and indicated the empty chair next to her, but short of Sirius passing her a butter beer nothing else happened for another quarter of an hour.
The door opened and Mrs Weasley entered the room, looking flustered. She saw the crowded room and her face broke into a smile, "he's going to be alright." The tension evaporated very suddenly. There were cheers and shouts of relief as Mrs Weasley sank into a chair and allowed herself to be mobbed by her children.
"Breakfast!" Sirius shouted, leaping up only to be pushed back down by Makoto.
"No offence Sirius," she said, "but I just don't trust you in the kitchen." She then set about making them all breakfast, point blank refusing to let Mrs Weasley help when it was offered and practically ordering Harry back to his seat when he tried to bring the plates over. When she had finished, having made boiled eggs and toast, she set them down on the table and joined them. The talk over the table was loud and happy and everyone except Harry seemed to be smiling. Makoto made a mental note to talk to him later if Usagi or Rei, both of whom had also noticed, did not get there first.
"Bed," Mrs Weasley said firmly when they had finished eating, "I can clean up Makoto, now all of you go to bed. You haven't had nearly enough sleep." They headed up to the crowded bedrooms and settled down. Usagi, Minako and Rei were sharing Sirius' brother's old room on the top floor and the minute they had finally reached it they collapsed onto their respective beds (camp beds in the cases of Usagi and Rei) and fell promptly into a deep sleep.
And that is DEFINITELY the longest chapter yet! Surely that deserves a review, silent horde of watchers to whom I am already very grateful?
And of course thank you to all the regular reviewers :) – Wonderbee31 and Amaramichelle in particular x