A/N: So, today I was elected one of the fiction editors and the creative nonfiction editors for our nationally published undergraduate literary magazine-so, I thought, I'll post three new chapters to celebrate!

Chapter Thirty-Eight—No One Is Safe

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Hermione yawned on the Head student couch.

"Hey, Hermione," Anthony said as he took a seat next to her. "Long day?"

"Yeah," she yawned again.

"You know, I been thinking," the Head Boy began. "The Head Boy and Girl usually end up dat-."

Hermione's hand jumped to her pocket. "Uh, Anthony, I'm going to go do rounds—you can take the night off, okay?"

Anthony slumped and looked after Hermione, sadly, as she sprinted from the room. "Okay, talk to you later, I guess…"

The DA coin wouldn't burn unless someone had written a message—and they only used the coins to convey important things.

HG—meet us in infirmary

Hermione ran through the halls. Who is in trouble? Is Hagrid back in the hospital? Was Harry attacked while searching for Horcruxes? Is it Dumbledore? Minerva—oh, God, Severus? Ron? Luna?

The Head Girl burst into the infirmary. Harry and Ron looked at her darkly.

"Who is it? What is it?" she panted.

"Roberta Gearn was attacked." Chicken feathers littered the floor. "The Snakes got to her."

Madam Pomfrey emerged from the curtained-off bed. "Roberta," she said softly. "You have some visitors."

"Let them in," Roberta quietly replied.

The mediwitch pulled away the curtains to reveal a heavily feathered Hufflepuff seventh-year. Yellow chicken feathers stuck out from her dark brown hair and covered the bed. Downy feathers, as soft as air, coated her skin in patches.

"Oh, Roberta," Hermione commiserated. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Roberta replied. "I joined the Army of my own free will. They found me…alone…and grabbed at their opportunity to intimidate us." Her eyes were trembling.

"When will you be able to leave the infirmary?" Ron asked.

"When all the feathers fall out," she said bitterly. "They marked me as a chicken for joining with Dumbledore instead of You-Kno—Voldemort."

The two boys were riled up.

"They're the chickens!" Harry insisted vehemently. "Attacking a girl in a hallway when she's all alone!"

"Which of those bastard Slytherin's did this to you?" Ron asked.

Roberta shook her head with a trace of shame. "Not Slytherins," she whispered. "Hufflepuffs." Her voice cracked. She bent inwards to hide her tears.

Ron stared. Freckles popped bright orange against his now-paled skin. "Your own housemates attacked you?"

"Yes," she whispered to her knees. "They said there are Snakes in all Houses now—that we can't stop them!"

The trio exchanged looks of alarm, anger, and trepidation. Roberta calmed down.

"And some of them are Death Eaters. They said so. Not all of them, but some…"

Hermione held her breath. Death Eater students…

"I don't think they would have killed me."

"They wanted you alive, to scare the Army?" Harry supplied.

"Yes. To make an example of me—to tell the school that I'm in the Army, and pureblood, and I'm not safe. That no one is safe unless they're a Snake."

"How did you get out of there?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I hexed a few with the Jelly-Legs. But once I was covered in feathers my wand slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. Harold Schneitteker was walking back from the library, too, and saw what was going on and chased them off, threatening to call Professor Sprout. We were so close to the Common Room, Sprout would have heard him."

"Harry, Ron, will you talk to Harold Schneitteker—see if we have a possible new recruit? We obviously need a bigger number of Hufflepuffs in the Army."

"We're having a meeting tonight," Harry instructed. "We have to talk about this, talk about what we're gonna do, how this effects things. How to protect the students."

Ron said, "Tonight will mostly be a sit-down meeting, I expect."

"Alright, let people know with the Protean Charm and by word of mouth. I'll alert any of the teachers."

"May I be included, Mr. Potter?" a quiet, elderly voice asked.

The kids turned to see Poppy Pomfrey clutching her white apron over her brown healer robes.

"I don't know whether there is a place for me in this militia of yours, but if there is, I would like to listen tonight. I need to know what to expect—more feathers like Roberta? Or will it escalate? I've been treating more students this year than any other two years combined."

The Trio exchanged looks; Ron shrugged. Hermione said, "It might be best if you meet up with Professor Flitwick beforehand, so he can show you the way. We're meeting at eight."

"I will do that," Pomfrey said, with a gentle voice and a gentle bow.

Hermione turned back to the Hufflepuff. "We won't let anything like this happen again."

"Too bad I can't go to the meeting," she said miserably. "Even if I weren't all feathery, I just don't feel up to it."

"Shall I nip to the kitchens and get you a pint of ice cream?" Hermione offered sneakily.

"You, Head Girl, Gryffindor princess, Golden Trio Hermione know how to get into the kitchen?" she asked.

Harry and Ron smirked, and plucked at Hermione's robes until she stood up. Hermione only smiled at the girl before she headed towards the door.

"I prefer vanilla!" Roberta loudly whispered, hoping that Madam Pomfrey wouldn't realize their treachery.

The Trio stood at the back of the Room with Severus and Minerva. Dumbledore attended the meeting in secret, observing the scene through a magic mirror in his office. The other five had a heated discussion.

"Hufflepuffs attacking their own?" Minerva bristled.

"The Snakes have instilled a strong sense of invincibility," Severus noted.

"Do we know which ones are the Death Eaters?" Ron asked.

"Draco gave me the names of those amongst the Snakes. There are thirty-one Death Eaters, and fifty official Snakes total."

"Merlin!" Minerva gasped. "Fifty students—that's a sixth of the school!"

Ron crossed his muscled arms tighter. "Estrella and Roberts are doing a helluva job recruiting."

"Thirty-one students…" Hermione said sadly.

The clock chimed eight. The Army trickled in; several people walked in alone.

Harry continued to stand as everyone else took their seats. "No doubt you've all heard about Roberta's attack."

They nodded. "Is she alright?" Neville asked.

"Yes."

"And…is she still in the Army?" Ernie Macmillan ventured.

"Of course," Hermione said from Harry's right. "Those Snakes did not scare her off."

"Who did it?" Justin Finch-Fletchey demanded, angry that his fellow Hufflepuff had been hurt.

"A group of Hufflepuffs."

The table was silent.

"No," someone gasped.

"It's true."

"From now on, nobody walks alone," Ron ordered sternly. "Everyone compare schedules and see who you can walk with."