Hannah was relatively sure of how Snape found them talking, but it no longer mattered. No great act of brilliance by the group would be what saved Flora from wrongful expulsion and probable imprisonment, but the fact that one of the judges was in their corner due to a deeper grudge against another student than the one he had against most of them, and the fact that another one of the judges would likely vote along with him. There's really no telling with Karkaroff. He basically doesn't talk, and we've never met him before this.

Everyone took their places as Professor McGonagall explained that Ernie had retracted his testimony with the permission of the judges, to the audible chagrin of the students in attendance. Really, we should be counting our blessings that Flora's never given Snape any reason to hate her. The prosecution was angry for being denied the ability to cross, but from what they had read of his affidavit, his testimony had a small chance of costing them the trial entirely. All that was left were the final redirects and the closing statements.

As Ron had one of the Hufflepuffs on the stand, whose injuries had mostly been healed, she could hear whispers from everyone else in the audience, and she dared not look at Draco. If he's a Legilimens... it's only so long before he realizes I'm a werewolf. Hermione had made a last minute trip to the library for a book on Occulmency in lieu of eating, but it was difficult and time consuming to learn. It was not something that could be mastered in an afternoon.

"So let's say you were attacked by six Slytherins," he started, gesturing with his wand toward Malfoy and his henchmen, causing some people in the audience to duck. "You don't know how to Apparate and you can't use advanced shielding, so what do you do?."

"I object, what is ze relevancy of zis question?"

"Earlier you said that it wouldn't matter if Flora said she'd use the curse on her parents if they attacked her. I couldn't ask you as you're not on trial, so I'm asking one of your witnesses." Hannah supposed there was no particular need to remind him that he was supposed to be directing his answers to objections to the presiding. "It's the only question I have for the witness."

"Answer the question," Snape ordered from the bench.

Leanne looked out at the audience for a moment before complying.

"I would respond with only the force necessary to protect myself from the immediate threat," she said, perhaps anticipating the question. "It would be important to remember the context, of course. Those people are all blood purists."

The audience was alive, some whispering, some shouting, some silent. Madame Maxine shouted audibly over the din, but only a few obeyed, the rest were silenced by the other Headmasters and teachers. It's a little unfair, treating us like that. I imagine it was Snape's idea.

When at last order had been restored, Ron decided his redirect was concluded and the prosecution moved to ask Flora more questions on redirect to give the presiding an idea of her personal character, but all three judges concurred that it had no bearing on whether or not she committed any crime, though whether that was out of a desire to see the matter resolved, Hannah could not say. Her eyes wore the same tired expression as Karkaroff across on the bench and for a moment she wondered if he feared for the future, but his boredom seemed more deterministic. Sooner or later he would be out, but for the time being he was confined to the bench. For the life of her she could not say what would happen after the trial, but whatever Hermione and Terry hoped, she doubted it would make a difference. If two of their own people had been on the bench and ruled Flora not guilty, they would be secret blood purists from then on; the fact that they had a pair of dark wizards, at the very least, in their corner helped them none at all.

They've got responses prepared for whatever happens. If they win, they'll decide that Flora was someone the rest of the Death Eaters wanted put away or dead.

Closing arguments began with the prosecution.

"Reputable Headmasters and Headmistress, the case that we have presented clearly establishes the validity of punishment for the defendant. Not one of you have made any remarks that support blood purism to our knowledge, and the prosecution is prepared to presume the three of you have no inclination toward it." There isn't a chance in Hell. "Sentencing the defendant, the daughter of a known Death Eater, to an appropriate punishment for attempted murder would be sufficient to deflect any present suspicion of dark influence in the three schools represented by the bench." Karkaroff could not have had a less amused expression. "There are those among us who doubt that the law and the courts can be vehicles for justice when untold numbers of dark wizards were spared imprisonment after the apparent death of their leader, but it seemed only fair to give them another chance. That will be all," Megan said as she resumed her seat. Everyone caught the double meaning. There was, however, nothing resembling a response. Terry said something about how you can basically say whatever you want in a closing statement, even if it's not relevant to the guilt of the defendant.

"Honored Headmasters and Headmistress, the probability that Flora Carrow committed attempted murder is somewhere below a part in ten," Hermione started, remembering to use 'wizarding' terms for probability. In fairness, it's easy enough to pick up and most of them mean about the same thing as a familiar term. "The defense has obviated that the views of our client have nothing to do with the facts of the case, but more importantly that a court is not a means to political ends, but a servant of justice and law." she finished. Hannah remembered something about how she wanted to keep the statement short, the better to appease the judges most likely to vote in their favor.

The judges dismissed the students, with the teachers announcing that they would deliberate before at last removing the silencing charms.

"Professor Snape only told us how he would vote," Terry reminded her at a whisper as they moved through a crowd of bodies, feeling someone step on her foot unapologetically. She felt a little better about everything with him there. He has his faults, but he's a good friend. He cares about us.

Remembering that they were supposed to meet in the mysterious room if they were separated, her legs took her there, her Ravenclaw companion seeking no particular conversation, as always. It was only when they got to the door and they were scouring the area for anyone who might have followed them that he opened his mouth.

"Do you think Hermione likes me?" he asked. The Hufflepuff witch stopped dead in her search.

"I'm sorry, I haven't asked," she said, careful not to explicitly lie. Well, I don't know, do I?

"Oh. That's fine. I mean it's totally fine, I'm not just saying that. I only thought that if she told someone, she would tell you."

"I mean, she might tell me that, I don't know." Don't offer to ask. Don't offer to ask. Don't offer to ask.

They went in without further ceremony. The other two would probably have to check on their own, but that made sense, as someone might have been following them. Even with this incredible magic on our side, we can't just disappear when the school's full of people who hate us. It's only going to get worse if they decide Flora was innocent.

A week ago, Susan asked her why the four of them couldn't just pick a side, likely after weeks of holding that question in. Hannah knew the girl meant well, and she imagined that it was like watching her friend standing in the middle of a meat packing plant where they sawed the carcasses in half, but refusing to jump to one side or the other. She also knew that Susan probably wanted her to side with their House, and by extension the faction and the Department.

"Susan the majority of normal people out there don't really want to pick a side, but they're afraid of saying anything about it," she had said. "I've told you about all the terrible stuff the Ministry's been doing, you're only picking them because it'd be worse if the Death Eaters won. How do we know which would be worse? Did dark wizards ever win before? Did we ever have the kind of absurd police state people like Electrum are promising? How do we know their promises line up with the future?"

It had been a difficult conversation to have, but she did not anticipate having any more like it.

We've sealed our fate.

"You know, now that we've helped Ernie by telling Snape that Malfoy cursed him, the Slytherins are going to be out for our blood and much as the Hufflepuffs."

"They'll probably never find out about that," Terry scoffed. "Malfoy's already making plans to put us all in the ground. We should have known Longbottom would let him out."

Hannah rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what happened or why he did it. I imagine he just forgot that Hermione told him to keep the box closed." She gave an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, I'm glad Ron put his foot down about letting him in the group... about as much as I'm gutted that I was in favor of it."

"It's an easy mistake to make," the dark-haired wizard said after giving a nod that said basically the same thing. "When we were all idiots, he didn't stand out much. And it's not really that he's an absolute buffoon who can't think, it's just harder for him to learn, even when his memory problems seem to be mostly short-term. If he misses an assignment, he has to work harder in that class to make the same note. Working harder in any given class puts him on the back foot with the others, and it drains his time that we usually use to study other resources or practice. Over the course of three years, an active, invested student will get ahead of a student who is only getting by, so it actually kind of makes sense that he's throwing everything into his favorite class. He won't be more impressive than other students who dedicated more time in Herbology than anything else, but he will be able to do a few different jobs after Hogwarts, unless he decides to go on studying."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," the blonde witch commented as their friends entered.

"It's kind of like card games. There are mathematically verified, by-the-book strategies. The thing is, if you play them, you only lose slowly." Ron seemed to take a particular interest. "You lose about sixty percent of the money you wager per hand, on average. If, however, you gamble, you actually have a chance to win some, not that it's a significant chance." He looked over at the other two. "Well, you've got your wish. Consider us side number three, sacrificial, all-around good guys that the bigger, scarier people hate more than each other."

"Not saying we can't do research, Terry," Ron argued, exhaling more with fatigue than annoyance. "Can't hurt to have an extra set of eyes or two. Only way we're going to get that is by changing the game."

"You seem to have too much faith in the strength of the human spirit," the Ravenclaw wizard decided. "Respectfully, I cannot say I share it. The Death Eaters, their children, and the conspirators may be incorrect in characterizing many people as fearful fence-sitters, refusing to take one of the bigger sides for fear of the other, but the average person is not going to take our side, even when it presents itself as a morally upright alternative to the others, because the fear of the other two sides is perfectly reasonable. There are not a great amount of people as mad as we are." You mean as mad as he is, don't you?

"Well, I'll take a bloody few. When we get them, we can start picking up some less mad people," Ron said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm not that stupid. I know we're outnumbered and I know they'd rather go after us than each other, but that's because we're the real threat. They need a war where you've got the choice between one, the other, and certain death. That's basically how it was until maybe two years ago, and that's how they picked up almost all of the students here. When we give people a third side, everything falls apart for them."

"When the third side is blown to pieces in eight seconds, the third side ceases to exist. It cannot inspire people, it cannot fight the other sides; it is no more," Terry argued. "Had we lasted long enough to accomplish something, people might have joined after that, but that thestral has flown. All that remains is to decide our next move. We may not have many left."

"Bloody Hell, Terry if we'd gone anonymous and battened down the hatches, no one'd ever be able to join us. Why would they, anyway? If the Ministry blew up one day, they'd be more likely to join the Death Eaters than anyone else, and if Voldemort dropped dead and we weren't around to claim credit for it, they'd think it was the Department." The other wizard looked like he was about to respond. "Look, if this ever comes to an open battle, and whichever side thinks it's bigger'll want that; numbers win every time. If the four of us are locked up in the library reading books, the other sides'll have like twenty times that doing the same thing. Like, you and Hermione are smart, but there're going to be a ton of smart people working for our enemies."

"Now that we have that out of the way-" the Ravenclaw witch interjected, looking back and forth. "- what are we going to do about Draco and the others?"

The other Ravenclaw looked somewhat annoyed, perhaps having had something else to say. He might not like the idea that smart people take different sides. It kind of separates being smart from being right, but that's how it is. I would be an idiot not to acknowledge that Voldemort's a genius, coming back to life and all, and it's the same thing with the Department. We can't even say Anthony was not simply doing the smart thing.

The others seemed to be thinking about the next moves of the group, but her train of thought had yet to reach the station. Ravenclaws are people who value being smart. I know I've looked at working and making do and surviving as perfectly necessary my whole life, and I'd probably be upset if someone said otherwise. She sighed. Not that that's the only explanation.

"Hey, where's Mafalda?" she asked, remembering her debt to the poor girl. Hermione spun around, the wizards quiet immediately.

"Mafalda?" she called, craning her neck to the stairs.

"I reckon it's too soon to be asleep," Ron wagered. "Can't hear any water running."

Hannah's fears came calling from the back of her mind. She knows about this place. She knows about me. She knows everything.

"We have to find her- Why didn't we just use the memory charm to make her forget about-"

"Hannah, please, slow-"

"Malfoy might already have her," she choked. "Once he finds out every secret we have, there's no telling-"

"There's no telling what might happen to me?"

Everyone turned around to find the Slytherin witch by the door.

"Don't you usually-"

"I had some reading to do. I'm glad your secrets didn't get out," she answered, sniffling a bit as she walked past them. The Hufflepuff was without ideas.

"Wait," someone said. Hannah did not think the words came from her lips.

"I'm going upstairs," Mafalda obviated, her voice shaking slightly. She wants to be alone.

Nothing was said for a moment as Terry and Hermione glanced at each other before bowing out. That's right. With Mafalda here, we can't really put up all of us, unless Terry and Ron want to get really close all of a sudden. She thought about different ways it could be arranged.

Well...

She shook her head as she looked over at Ron, who looked like he was feeling about as guilty as she was. At least the fact that the other two left means they don't know. Well, if they know anything, at least they don't think we're that far on.

In truth, the pair of them had spoken plenty since the first time Mafalda caught them, but rarely about each other. Neither of us want to talk about it. I suppose you know you've got problems when you'd rather discuss a damn war.

"Kinda reminds me of the last time," the red-haired wizard muttered.

"I was thinking about the same thing," she said. Well, that's obvious. Of course I would be thinking about it- and the only reason he would pretend not to know is if he were a Legilimens, and the trial would have been a bit easier-

"Are you alright with everything?" he asked, somewhat unexpectedly.

"I- I mean, I can't ask for much better, we're teenagers and things are going to be weird-" The Gryffindor seemed to hang his head a bit. "-because we're still figuring things out. I mean, I know I like you, and I can't sort anything else out, but I feel like... I feel like that's enough for now."

"Yeah, that sounds good to me," he decided, looking like he would fall asleep soon. She smiled slightly, almost entirely to herself.