"Harry taught us ways to defend ourselves." Neville clapped his hands as he paced in front of the younger DA members who stared up at him with shining eyes. "Umbridge taught us to obey the Ministry. Now Carrow is here and he is teaching us how to use dark magic against each other." He took a deep breath and looked around. "I think we can all agree that his tactics are inhumane and meant to turn us against each other."
"You can say that again," Michael called from the back of the room. He clapped Terry's shoulder and made his way up to the front. "Which is why we need to learn the best ways to protect ourselves. Now, who's ready to learn a correct shield spell?" He grinned as he was met with cheers from the eager fourth and fifth years. "Morag? Care to demonstrate?" Morag MacDougal beamed as she rose to join him.
"Things are going well," Neville said, approaching Ginny as Morag and Michael began their demonstration. She and Demelza were sitting together on the floor, leaning up against the wall as they watched the presentation from a distance.
Ginny looked up from fiddling with Colin's camera and smiled. "They sure are. Smile!" She held up the camera and snapped a photo with swift speed, briefly showing off her chaser reflexes.
"I wasn't ready for my close up!" Neville cried jokingly, hiding his face. Since receiving the camera, Ginny had brought it everywhere over the past couple of weeks. Though never having been a fan of having his picture taken, as his grandmother could attest to, Neville caved every time Ginny asked him. It had gotten to a point over the week where she had stopped asking him and simply shoved the camera into his face.
Ginny peered down at the camera and scowled slightly. "Bloody hell, Neville, it's blurry!"
"Find another model then!" He practically begged.
"Fine, then. Mel?" Without waiting for a response, Ginny whipped the camera towards Demelza and snapped a photo.
Blinking and rubbing her eyes, Demelza looked up at Neville. "I can see why you wanted out," Neville smirked and nodded.
"Hey Nev, Demelza had a really great idea," Ginny said, putting a blushing Demelza on the spot. She set the camera down in her lap and nudged her friend with her shoulder.
"Alright, let's hear it," Neville nodded, looking down at Demelza expectantly.
"Way to put me on the spot," Demelza complained, shoving Ginny gently. "I was just telling blabbermouth here how great it would be if we could get a game of Quidditch going. Don't get me wrong, these meetings have been doing wonders to lift our spirits but it's not quite the same. Ritchie and I were talking yesterday about how much we miss Quidditch, and I'm sure the younger students do too."
"Quidditch?" Neville asked, as if the thought had never crossed his mind. Which, of course, it hadn't.
"I know Snape banned it," Demelza quickly said before Neville could really answer. "So forget I said anything, it's too much of a danger anyway." She hid behind her dark curtain of hair embarrassedly.
"I think it's a great idea," Neville said quickly before she could sink further back into the wall.
"Really?" Ginny and Demelza asked in unison, both looking at him with equally wide eyes. Demelza pushed herself off of the wall and leaned forward hopefully.
"Yeah, why not? People need something to look forward to."
"We'll be very careful," Ginny promised as she clasped Demelza's hands with her own.
"We'll definitely need to scout out the Quidditch Pitch but it's far enough away from the castle that I think it should be fine," Neville said as he mulled the idea over in his mind. He made a mental note to ask Anthony or one of the Ravenclaws about concealing spells.
"We could have the rest of the team distract the Carrows and Snape," Demelza eagerly pitched in.
"That won't be too hard convincing people to cause trouble, everybody's itching to make some mischief," Ginny smirked as she looked around the room. "I'll break into the broom cupboard and steal us some brooms."
"Yeah, that should be good," Neville said decidedly and smiled. "Brilliant idea, Mel, tell Coote I said so too."
The next evening, Neville ushered about a dozen students out a back exit of the castle. They clutched their brooms tightly in their hands as they scurried down the hill, following Ginny who was in the lead. Michael and Terry winked at Neville as they took up the rear, carrying the box of Quidditch equipment between the two of them. Neville cast one last look over his shoulder to make sure nobody was watching before following after the Ravenclaw seventh years. The single-file line raced down the hill and beelined straight towards the Quidditch pitch.
"You're a champ for doing this, Nev," Seamus complimented, having hung back to wait for Neville to catch up.
"We all need a little bit of happiness right about now," Neville said with a shrug, though he allowed himself to grin quickly. He felt his pocket heating up and reached into it to grab his galleon and read the message. Carrows busy with detention, you're in the clear - Susan. Almost immediately, another message replaced it. Snape distracted, good to go - Luna.
Neville smiled down at the galleon in satisfaction and pocketed it. Thanks to the combined brainpower of Padma, Terry, and Anthony, the galleons were up and running with new improvements. People were able to send private messages, both of the ones Neville had received being private, as well as ones to all galleon owners. More galleons were charmed and given to new members, allowing them to participate in the message-sending.
Ahead of them, Ginny was already unlocking the Gryffindor locker room door. Though Snape had ordered the stadium doors to be boarded up, the locker rooms were still able to be opened thanks to the key Ginny had swiped from Harry the previous year. That same key was also used to unlock a closet stuffed with brooms on the second floor of the castle.
The door swung open and Ginny led everyone inside. Neville, having never been involved with Quidditch, was surprised to see how spacious and nicely furnished the locker room was. Even in the dim light, the lockers were shining a deep red color. He noted the wistful expression on the former Gryffindor team members' faces.
Jimmy Peakes marched up to one particular locker and waved his wand, causing the door to fly open with force. He peered inside and grinned, pulling out a faded Weasley's Wizard Wheezes box. "Knew I left this in here!" He slipped the dusty box into his pocket before closing the locker.
"It smells just like it used to," Ritchie Coote muttered under his breath, stopping briefly to run his hand along one of the wooden benches. Demelza hooked her finger around his belt loop, gently pulling him along with her.
"This is probably the closest we'll ever come to making the Quidditch team, eh?" Seamus nudged Neville as they walked past the crimson lockers at the rear of the group. Neville had opted to bring Seamus, a self-proclaimed Quidditch enthusiast, to accompany him on the ground while the others played.
"I think I'd injure myself if I picked up a beater's bat," Neville admitted, causing Seamus to snort into his sleeve. They were the last two to file out of the locker room and onto the pitch itself. The protection spells he and Susan had cast the previous day created a glossy bubble around the stadium, preventing anyone on the outside from seeing the action inside. He looked at the wide, grassy field and metal hoops with mild interest. The stands were draped in faded house banners of red, yellow, blue, and green. It looked like a Quidditch pitch to him, nothing special. But seeing his friends' faces, it was magical to them. And he couldn't help but smile.
Ginny glowed as she slowly turned in a circle, taking in the empty Quidditch stadium with her eyes. She swung an arm around a wide-eyed Savannah Spinnet who beamed and clutched onto the older girl. Demelza came up beside them and Ginny's free arm immediately snaked around her shoulders. Ritchie let out a loud whoop as he raced across the pitch with a laughing Peakes on his back. Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper chased after them, equally loud and grinning. Ernie wrapped his arms around Maxine O'Flaherty and Owen Cauldwell as the three of them looked around in wonder. Megan Jones took to the air on her broom, grinning as she made lazy loops. Michael ruffled Marcus Fenwick's hair and the two of them bent over to help Terry with the chest of equipment.
"Line up, teams!" Seamus's loud voice echoed across the grassy lawn, causing the players to snap out of their stupor.
Demelza, Maxine, Megan, Jack, Michael, and Andrew all made their way over to Ernie while Ritchie, Terry, Owen, Marcus, Savannah, and Jimmy stood behind Ginny. Michael blew a kiss to Terry, who snatched it out of the air and held it close to his heart with a wink.
"Captains, shake hands," Seamus commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Ernie and Ginny marched up to each other and grabbed hands. Ernie winced in surprise as he felt his fingers slowly being crushed. He looked at Ginny and gulped slightly at the fiery look burning in her eyes. She raised an eyebrow and smirked, daring him to flinch. His eyes narrowed.
"Players, mount your brooms!" Seamus shouted as Neville hurried towards the edge of the pitch to avoid the flurry of brooms. The fourteen players mounted their brooms and slowly floated into the air. Jack was practically buzzing with excitement and his broom quivered slightly. With a grin, Seamus kicked the chest open, letting the bludgers and snitch loose. They flew high into the air with a whoosh. The seekers, Megan and Marcus, watched the snitch disappear into the air with hungry eyes. Seamus bent down and gingerly lifted the quaffle into the air, took a deep breath, and threw it straight upwards with all his strength. And choreographed chaos ensued.
Owen, Demelza, and Maxine immediately shot forward, eyes on the quaffle, but it was Ginny who got it in the end. With one arm, she snatched the ball away from the other chasers and sped off through the air, cackling. She elegantly dodged a bludger sent her way by Jack and tossed the quaffle to Terry who shot past her in the other direction with Michael hot on his tail. Terry whipped the ball through one of the shorter hoops before Ernie could block it.
"And Team Weasley scores! Atta boy, Boot!" Seamus shouted through his cupped hands from beside Neville. Terry saluted him as he flew overhead.
"I didn't even know Terry played," Neville noted as he watched the Ravenclaw pretend to knock Michael off his broom.
"Heard Katie taught him a thing or two," Seamus said with a smirk. That comment jogged Neville's memory as he remembered that Terry had, in fact, dated Katie Bell for a brief period of time in his fifth year.
"Guess the same could be said for Michael," Neville joked back.
"Ginny would never share her Quidditch secrets, not even with her boyfriend," Seamus objected and Neville had to agree.
Up in the air, Ernie had retrieved the quaffle and tossed it to Maxine who dove downwards to avoid Owen. She clutched the ball to her side as she gained speed. Ginny suddenly appeared in her path and she launched it right at Ginny, much to the ginger's surprise. Before she could catch it, Demelza flew up from under her and plucked the ball out of the air. Andrew and Jack flanked her as she flew towards the hoops, knocking bludgers away with determined concentration as she tossed the quaffle. As it went flying towards the hoops, Savannah appeared out of nowhere and knocked the ball away with the tail of her broom, earning her cheers from Marcus and Ginny. The fourth-year beamed in a familiar way and Neville realized that he had seen that same smile on her sister's face only a couple of years ago.
"Man, I've missed this," Seamus said with a content sigh as he gazed up at the cloudless sky.
"Me too," Neville admitted. He had always enjoyed Quidditch, even after his first-year broom mishap that resulted in him being sent to the Hospital Wing. He had never missed a game, despite the fact that the thought of riding a broom made him sick to his stomach after his little accident. Watching the game above them made him suddenly wish Harry was there, flying through the air with the rest of his friends. Though Neville would never admit it aloud, leading Dumbledore's Army exhausted him. He was physically and mentally tired all the time and spent countless nights awake, worrying about the fate of his friend, those at Hogwarts, and those absent. It was easier with Harry here, he thought to himself somewhat selfishly.
"Wish Lee Jordan was here to give us some killer commentary." Seamus's voice brought Neville out of his melancholy thoughts. He blinked and nodded at his expectant friend with a quick smile and turned his attention back to the game.
Ginny had just completed an impressive dive that got Michael off her tail. She threw him a grin over her shoulder before high fiving Owen, who passed by her as he chased after Demelza. Michael, who was a cousin of the Spinnett girls, flew past the goal hoops and stuck his tongue out at Savannah, who returned the gesture immediately. The sound of a beater bat cracking against a bludger made Neville think about how he missed seeing the brilliance of the Weasley twins on the pitch. But the smile on Peakes's face and the twinkle in Coote's eyes nearly made up for it.
"The snitch!" Seamus suddenly yelled, pointing at a golden streak high in the air. He didn't need to announce it, though, for Megan and Marcus were already zooming after it.
Neville found himself yelling along with Seamus and the other players as the two seekers raced each other neck-and-neck. He was suddenly distracted from the game as a noise in the background caught his attention. He stopped shouting and turned around, staring at the wooden walls of the stadium from which he was nearly positive he had heard the snapping of wooden boards. "Do you hear that?" He whispered to Seamus, craning his neck to listen to what he thought he heard.
"Nah, mate, you're mental," Seamus muttered, ignoring what Neville had said as he watched Megan and Marcus race each other through the air, arms outstretched as the golden ball danced away from their fingertips.
But Neville felt his stomach twist, he knew that something was wrong. He left Seamus's side and walked cautiously towards the edge of the stadium, worry building inside of him. At that moment, he wished that Susan and her super-hearing were there with him.
"And Fenwick has caught the snitch, Team Weasley wins!" Seamus shouted as Marcus clutched the small ball and pumped his fist in the air, his dark face bright with excitement. His team raced through the air towards him and surrounded him, screaming with joy as they rubbed their knuckles into his curly hair.
The sound that Neville had previously heard was growing louder, suddenly catching Seamus's attention. "Mate, I hear it too," he said, worry etching his voice.
"Something's wrong," Neville muttered, brandishing his wand as his stomach turned.
"Oi, Ginny! Ernie!" Seamus bellowed, turning around and waving his arms in the air to catch the Quidditch players' attention. Ernie, Ginny, Megan, Terry, Ritchie, and Michael all landed immediately, their smiles turning into expressions of confusion.
"What is it?" Ginny asked as she hurried towards them, her smile falling from her face. She then looked to Neville, who was standing completely still with his wand outstretched. "Nev?"
All the previous smiles were gone and people had gone silent as they shared nervous looks with one another. Demelza, Marcus, Peakes, Kirke, and Maxine all touched down on the ground, hanging back behind the others as they clutched their brooms anxiously. Neville held up a hand as he stared at the wall. He barely had time to dive out of the way, yelling for the others to take cover, as a voice from the other side roared, "Confringo!"
Ernie, Ritchie, and Ginny were tossed to the side by the impact of the explosion while Terry, Seamus, and Megan flew backward, hitting the grass hard.
"What the-?" Jack began to say, mouth agape. The dust settled, revealing the glowering faces of several Slytherins, a scowling Theodore Nott at the head of the pack.
"A little birdie told me that some blood traitors were breaking the rules," the large Slytherin said in a low voice as he stepped through the rubble and into the stadium. The Dumbledore's Army members picked themselves up off the ground and slowly backed away from the approaching Slytherin. "Quidditch isn't allowed, it isn't allowed at all. So what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Playing Quidditch?" Seamus offered unhelpfully as he subtly pushed Peakes behind himself.
Clearly unimpressed, Nott raised his wand and hit Seamus with a spell that sent the Gryffindor screaming to the ground, clutching his stomach. "Let's try that again, Finnegan. What were you doing here?"
"Breaking the rules," Seamus wheezed as he twitched on the ground.
"Breaking the rules," Nott repeated, a mean smirk twisting across his mouth. Ginny and Terry rushed forward and dragged Seamus up off the ground, slinging his arms around their shoulders. He moaned as his head lolled against Terry's shoulder.
"Was that really necessary?" Neville asked, his voice only wavering slightly.
Nott got up so close to him that Neville could smell his foul breath. "Rulebreakers get punished, that's just the way it goes." It was in that moment that Neville wished that Emilia Insley and her hypnotic abilities were there with them.
"We forgot it violated the rules, we didn't mean to cause any trouble. It was just a friendly match, why don't you all join us?" Ernie said in an overly cheerful voice, opting for a technique of flattery. "Slytherin has always been the hardest team to beat."
His flattery, however, didn't go over well. With a curl of his lip, Nott turned to the Slytherins behind him and gave a single nod. Three of them robotically raised their wands and aimed them at the three players still in the air, blasting their brooms. They fell towards the ground with screams of terror.
Michael dove to break Savannah's fall and the two collided, falling to the ground in a pile of sprawling limbs. Megan and Ernie had whipped their wands out with impeccable speed and managed to catch Owen and Jack with a conjoined cry of, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The pair stopped screaming as they gently floated down to the ground.
"Are you mad?" Neville rounded on Nott, all traces of nervousness gone as his face grew red with anger. His blood was boiling.
"No, you are," Nott said simply before grabbing him by the arm. "Round them up, we're taking them to the Headmaster," he instructed the other Slytherins, who immediately dispersed and herded the other students out of the Quidditch stadium.
"This is ludicrous," Ernie protested, all traces of amenity gone as Malcolm Baddock roughly pushed him and Michael through the wreckage.
"Let us go!" Michael snarled, thrashing in Baddock's strong arms. He watched as Pansy Parkinson dragged Savannah and Marcus away by their collars and his anger intensified. "Hey, leave them alone!"
Demelza and Megan wriggled in Millicent Bulstrode's grip as she pulled them up the hill. Demelza threw a tearful glance over her shoulder at Ginny, who was being dragged by her hair by Daphne Greengrass. Trying not to bump into Ritchie beside her, Ginny shook her head at Demelza, rejecting her apology with fierce eyes.
After much objection and crude manhandling that resulted in a red handprint across Michael's cheek, Neville and his friends found themselves packed into Snape's office with the Slytherins breathing down their necks. Seamus, who was still feeling the effects of Nott's curse, lay sprawled out on the carpet where Crabbe had crudely dropped him.
"Quidditch, you say?" The Headmaster asked in his usual monotonous voice. Neville scowled at Malfoy, who was hovering at Snape's shoulder behind the desk.
"Yes, sir," Nott puffed his chest out as he addressed the Headmaster in a pompous manner. "Heard a young Ravenclaw whispering about it in the halls. Ackerly. Had to beat it out of him but we got the information we needed."
"How dare you!" Terry growled as he struggled to free himself from Goyle. "He's barely fourteen!"
"Silence, Boot," Snape held up a hand, a bored look on his face. "That is of no importance. And who, do tell, was responsible for this little rendezvous on the pitch?"
Ginny grabbed Demelza's hand before she could raise it, startling the brunette. She then immediately kicked Ritchie, who had begun to raise his hand. He turned around to glare at Ginny, who glared back harder.
"Blame me," Neville and Terry, ever the selfless ones, said in unison.
"Don't listen to them," Ritchie immediately objected, trying to free his robes from Daphne's iron fists. "Don't!"
"Mister Coote?" Snape drawled, accentuating the last syllable of the name. All eyes were suddenly on the tall black boy, who tried not to fidget under their gaze.
"It was my idea," Ritchie said firmly, ignoring Demelza and Ginny's protests from behind them. "I planted the idea, blame me. I wanted to be back on a broom and I forced the rest of them to join me, they had nothing to do with it."
"He's lying," Neville said fiercely in an attempt to protect the younger Gryffindor. "I made everyone go."
"Malfoy?" Snape turned to the blonde boy for answers.
Not making eye contact with anyone, Malfoy muttered, "Longbottom couldn't lift a beater bat if he tried."
"Hey, that's what you said," Seamus said half-heartedly to Neville from the floor, tapping on his friend's shoe with his finger.
"Very well, then. Crabbe, Goyle, take Mister Coote to Mister Carrow, I'm sure he will need your assistance in the punishment." Crabbe and Goyle abandoned their captives and took hold of Ritchie.
"NO!" Demelza screamed and thrashed, attempting to free herself as Ritchie was dragged past her and out the door. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to scream. An angry Millicent Bulstrode slapped her hand over the crying girl's mouth. Demelza struggled in her grip before going limp, staring hollowly at the door that Ritchie had disappeared from.
"As for the rest of you rule-breakers, you will be serving detention with Madame Carrow tonight. One thousand lines for each of you should help the lesson…sink in."
"You're cruel," Neville spat as his eyes met Snape's empty one.
Snape simply quirked his lip and said, "Dismissed."
Once released from the Slytherin's clutches, Neville and Seamus herded the younger Gryffindors out of the Headmaster's office and down the halls. Ginny wrapped her arm around Demelza and muttered comforting words into her ear as she pulled her along. Jack and Andrew were cracking halfhearted jokes in an attempt to make Savannah smile. But the joking soon died down and the group became silent.
Parvati looked up from her place curled up next to the fire and smiled when the eight of them walked into the Common Room. She snapped her book shut and leaned forward. "How'd the match go?"
She was met with silence.