"Can anyone tell me about Halloween?" Alecto Carrow asked in her scratchy voice that sounded not much different than nails on a chalkboard. She looked around the room at the group of sixth-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws expectantly and was met with silence. Ginny, in a foul mood from her fight with Neville the previous night, crossed her arms and ignored the professor's question. Instead, she chose to shoot a glance at Luna, who was sitting across the aisle from her, humming softly under her breath. Behind her, Jack Sloper gazed out the window, no doubt daydreaming about Quidditch despite his obvious lack of skills in the sport. Ritchie Coote, who had finally been released from the Hospital Wing, sat next to Jack and avoided the professor's harsh eyes, still probably shaken up from his detention. Marcus Fenwick and Etta McKinnon, two DA members, attempted to pay attention to the lesson while Milo Erickson and Emilia Insley sat in front of Ginny, doodling absent-mindedly on their parchment. A couple of other Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were scattered around the room and Ginny counted their heads, concluding that their class totaled fifteen students. "Sloper!" Alecto suddenly shouted, causing the brunette boy to snap out of his stupor and look up at her in surprise. "Halloween. Explain."
"Uh," Jack, who was known to love any type of attention except when it was coming from a teacher, fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. "It's a holiday." Ginny looked at Demelza, who was sitting to her right, and the two girls snickered quietly at his answer.
"Elaborate, Sloper," Alecto sighed, rolling her eyes. Ginny could tell that she was beginning to regret calling on him and smirked, silently praising Jack's stupidity.
"Oh yeah, of course." Jack cleared his throat. "It's a holiday that happens on the 29th-no wait! It happens on October 31st, yeah, the 31st. Which is actually today, I guess. Ha, that's a coincidence…" He ducked under his desk suddenly as Alecto's textbook went flying at his face. It landed on the desk belonging to Aileen Dorshey, who was sitting behind Jack, causing her to let out a surprised squeak.
"I'm surprised she was willing to part with that bloody book," Ginny muttered to Demelza, for Alecto religiously preached the words of the Ministry-issued Muggle Studies textbook. Her textbook was practically glued to her left hand at all times.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for your incompetence." Judging by her docking points, Alecto had certainly not forgotten the fireworks that Jack and Milo had set off the other day. She swept across the room to his desk and snatched the book off of Aileen's desk and promptly whacked him across the back of the head. "Redeem yourself, Sloper, who celebrates it?" She continued to pester Jack, who winced as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Wizards and Muggles," Marcus Fenwick quickly chimed in before Jack could butcher his answer any further.
"Thank you, Fenwick," Alecto perked up at the dark-skinned Ravenclaw's answer and nodded eagerly, forgetting Jack completely. She flipped open the textbook she was carrying under her arm and began to read off of a dog-eared page as she strutted to the front of the classroom. "Halloween has been a Wizarding holiday for centuries that Muggles have stolen and appropriated-"
"That's not true!" Milo Erickson immediately protested. His American accent still hadn't worn off, despite the fact that he had lived in Lancaster for nearly seven years.
"Who's the teacher here, Erickson?" Alecto turned her steely gaze to the Gryffindor, who didn't flinch. His lip did quiver, though, and it did not go unnoticed by Alecto. She gave him a cold smirk, indicating that she certainly hadn't forgiven him for the fireworks. "That's right, I am."
"Then why are you reading from a textbook instead of actually teaching?" Ginny asked through a snort, unable to keep her mouth shut any longer. It came out louder than she had intended, but she didn't really care.
"Because this textbook is Ministry approved," Alecto said, obviously not answering the question. Ginny knew the answer, though. The she-Carrow kept her nose in the textbook throughout the class because she didn't know anything except for the lies that were whispered in her ear by the Death Eaters. She lacked brains but made up for it with brutal force, despite her short, squat figure. Ginny and Seamus had come to the conclusion, after much discussion, that the Carrows were a package deal and Alecto was the freebie of the pair.
"The textbooks are blarmy, though," Ginny could hear Ritchie mumble from behind her, quiet enough to slip past the professor's attention.
"Halloween is a Wizarding World holiday that dates back to the Era of Purebloods." Alecto read from the textbook, ignoring the side-chatter and continuing on with her twisted lesson. "It is a festival of wizarding tradition that emphasizes the importance of purebloodedness."
"Can you believe she actually believes this batshit?" Ginny hissed to Demelza, earning a warning look from her brunette friend.
"I think of Halloween more as a celebration of wizarding culture by Muggles," Etta McKinnon, a Ravenclaw in the DA, immediately objected. She hadn't even bothered to raise her hand, which Ginny took note of. After five years of being classmates with the Ravenclaw, Etta had always reminded Ginny of Hermione in the way she answered questions with fervent eagerness and a raised hand. One of her friends, Claire Hotchkiss, gave her a warning nudge but Etta ignored it.
"Care to repeat that, McKinnon?" Alecto drawled with a raised eyebrow. Etta's eyes widened as the teacher approached her. "No? Pity, I have always been told that Ravenclaws stand by what they say. I guess that's a lie, then." She cast her eyes on the rest of the Ravenclaws expectantly. "Any other wild opinions?"
"I agree with Etta, it's quite a beautiful celebration of culture," Luna bobbed her head, causing her radish earrings to swing back and forth. "I've been told that Muggle children receive candy from their neighbors on Halloween Night, which is quite sweet if you ask me."
"Oh!" Demelza and Ginny looked at each other with wide eyes as they were struck with a moment of clarity. Ginny's hand drifted down towards her robes, for Lavender had slipped an acid pop into her pocket that morning with a wink. It must've been in honor of Halloween, for Lavender often spoke of her Muggle side of the family. The rusting noise followed by the crinkling of wrappers coming from behind her told Ginny that Ritchie and Jack had come to the same understanding.
"Candy?" Alecto snorted, rolling the word around in her mouth as if it was dirty. "Candy? Who do those foul creatures think they are-"
"Muggles are not foul creatures, they're people just like us," Marcus said hotly, earning him nervous glances from the Ravenclaws who weren't in the DA. Ginny quietly applauded the Ravenclaw's courage and shot him a respectful nod.
"Those evil creatures are making a joke of our sacred tradition!" Alecto raged on, holding up a finger to indicate that Marcus should stop talking. Her hand was shaking in anger.
"And you're making a joke of Hogwarts tradition," Ginny burst out, no longer able to contain her growing rage. The way that Alecto talked about Muggles made her sick to her stomach.
"Excuse me, Weasley?" Alecto hissed, training her snakelike eyes on Ginny.
"Beating up your students? Teaching us all these bullshit lies that the Ministry tells you? It's honestly embarrassing to the integrity of Hogwarts."
"That's enough of that," Alecto said in a calm voice that reminded Ginny too much of Umbridge for her liking. "Now why don't you just apologize and we can go on with the lesson?"
"No," Ginny said with a toss of her chin. She held herself high, not giving into Alecto's steely glare. The room was eerily quiet at that point. Emilia and Milo had turned completely around in their seats to look at Ginny. The acid pop that Jack had finally managed to unwrap had fallen out of his mouth and onto his desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Harlow Moss and Emir Batwell shaking their heads while Levi Urness simply gawked at her. Luna did nothing to stop her, she merely blinked at her with her big blue eyes, waiting for Ginny's next move.
"Ginny, please," Demelza begged from beside her, breaking the deathly silence. She tugged on Ginny's long sleeve desperately.
"I won't apologize to that wretch!" Ginny tore her sleeve out of Demelza's shaky grasp and looked at her friend with fiery eyes. From behind her, she could hear Aileen and Liesel Drake let out loud gasps, causing her to roll her eyes.
"Gin," Ritchie muttered quietly, but she ignored him.
The cool smile that was present on Alecto's face for the duration of class had completely vanished and was replaced with a foul sneer. "I don't take disrespect lightly, Weasley."
"Well, neither do I, Carrow."
"That's no way to speak to a professor." The professor snapped her beloved textbook shut, which was the moment Ginny knew that she was in trouble.
But rather than stopping there, Ginny continued. "Well, it's a good thing that you barely count as one."
The wand was whipped out of the professor's sleeve before Ginny could process it. "Crucio!"
And Ginny was suddenly writing on the floor, experiencing the worst pain she had ever felt.
"...Hospital Wing…"
"...get Neville…"
"...never seen something so awful…"
"I hope she's okay."
"Go, Sloper! Go get Neville!"
The frantic voices around her brought Ginny back to reality. A person with soft, callous-less palms held her hand, Luna. Another person with a gentle touch who smelled of rosemary stroked her hair, Demelza. Her drowsiness began to fade away, replaced with aching, throbbing pain. She gasped at the feeling, jerking herself out of her friends' hands as a spasm of pain shot through her body. Tears stung her eyes as she processed how her body felt. It was as if every bone in her body had been pulled in different directions, leaving a horrible feeling of pain behind.
"Try not to move," a soothing voice advised her. Ritchie. Of course it was Ritchie giving her advice, for he had been through the same punishment only a week prior.
"Hurts," Ginny croaked out, pawing at her throat and then her torso before letting her hands drop to her sides. She twitched on the ground, crying out in agony.
"Lie still," came his response. And she obeyed. As her vision came back into focus, Ginny could make out Etta, Milo, Ritchie, Marcus, and Emilia huddled over her. Sloper had obviously gone to get Neville while the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had seemingly bolted. That caused something inside her stomach to twist, how easily her classmates had left her. Even Aileen, with whom she had shared a dorm with for over five years, was very obviously absent. Demelza must've known where her mind was going because her tentative smile dropped and she opened her mouth.
"Where's Carrow?" Ginny growled, blinking back tears before Demelza could speak.
"Left," Emilia said morosely, playing with the tips of her long blonde hair. "Said it was her lunch break and that we better get you out of here before her next class starts."
"Sounds like a t-typical Death Eater response," Ginny gasped.
Milo let out a short, surprised laugh, obviously relieved that she was still her normal self. "Merlin. You scared us half to death, Weasley."
"No death jokes right now, Erickson," she responded through gritted teeth, trying to glare at him from her position on the floor. He laughed again, shaking his head fondly.
"That was reckless, Ginny," Luna sighed, peering down at her with an expression somewhere between sorrowful and proud. "Reckless and-"
"Brave?" Ginny supplied somewhat hopefully, earning soft chuckles from Etta and Emilia.
Luna thought about it for a second then smiled tentatively and nodded. "Yes, and brave."
"Gin?" A new voice suddenly spoke up from the doorway. Neville. Ginny tried to sit up to get a look at him but Luna and Demelza held her down gently. His worried face suddenly appeared in her line of vision and she let out a choked laugh at how his eyebrows nearly met in the middle. "Are you okay?"
"I've been better," she said, attempting to shrug which only resulted in more pain, causing her to gasp.
Jack Sloper's dumbstruck face suddenly appeared at Neville's shoulder. He made a face at the sight of Ginny on the ground. "Damn, Weasley."
"Go away," Ginny groaned, causing him to smirk and hold up his hands in surrender as he backed away.
"Come on, guys, let's go to lunch," Ritchie suddenly spoke up, tossing his head in the general direction of the door. "I think we should give them some privacy."
"Ritchie," Ginny began to say, her face twisting into a guilty expression. For Ritchie had warned her. He knew how awful it was and he tried to prevent her from getting hurt. But she had been blinded by her anger and wouldn't shut her mouth. Ritchie had faced the Cruciatus Curse because he took the blame for the Quidditch match in order to point the blame away from the others. She knew how badly it had scarred him but she forced him to indirectly experience it for a second time. "I'm sor-"
But Ritchie merely shook his head and gave her a tight smile, causing her to fall silent. "You know now," he said simply. "Let's go, you lot." Demelza immediately began to protest at the prospect of leaving Ginny's side but he pulled her up off the ground with ease and guided her towards the door. Etta, Marcus, Milo, Jack, and Emilia all joined them, looking somewhat reluctant at leaving Ginny. She winked at them to tell them it was okay and they loosened up, waving at her as they exited out the door and into the hall.
Ginny snagged Luna by her sleeve as she moved to get up. "Stay."
"Really?" Luna asked unsurely, her eyes darting back and forth between Ginny and Neville.
"Of course," Ginny said with a small frown. "Why wouldn't we?"
Luna shook her head and merely smiled, settling back down beside Ginny and taking her hand once again. Neville dropped to his knees heavily and looked down at Ginny with sad eyes, causing her to scowl. "Spit it out, Neville. You're disappointed, I know. You're mad, you're furious, you're-"
"Sorry," Neville blurted out, causing her to pause, mouth opened in shock. "So, so sorry, Ginny. For yelling at you last night, for dictating the DA's mission, for being an arsehole." Ginny and Luna looked at each other in surprise and then back at Neville. "The truth is, you're right. I've been a lousy leader, it's you who truly embodies the values of the DA. You're the heart of this operation, Gin, I can't stamp out your fire."
"Oh." Ginny was dumbstruck by his words. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she blinked rapidly to get rid of them.
"I've been so concerned with keeping people safe that I've forgotten what the DA is about. It's about defending and standing up for ourselves. And that's not always going to be safe thing to do, that's just the reality of it." Neville sighed, looking down at his hands.
"If you try and hold us back, we're only gonna want to lash out more," Ginny said, gentler than usual. "These people are evil, they deserve our wrath. We know the consequences, we're not dumb."
Neville nodded rapidly. "I know, I know. It's just that your mother practically begged me to watch over you that day I picked you up for the train station."
"Of course she did," Ginny groaned, rolling her eyes.
"I think I took that order a little too seriously," Neville chucked wearily, running a hand through his hair. "The truth is, Gin, you've done a fine job of taking care of yourself. Until now, that is. I managed to get out of Sloper that you had a yelling match with Alecto. He was still pissed at me for last night's little debacle so he wasn't exactly keen on talking to me."
"Sloper is a vengeful bloke. And yeah, I guess I had this one coming," Ginny sighed, looking down at her arms and legs. Luna tsked, pulling Ginny's head gently onto her lap as she began to stroke her long, red hair. "So what does this mean then?"
"It means we're going to give the Carrows hell," Neville said with such confidence that Ginny and Luna gawked at him.
"Do you think Neville got bitten by a Dabberblimp?" Ginny whispered loudly to Luna.
"Probably a Snabberwitch, Dabberblimps are known to be toothless," Luna whispered back. The two of them stared at Neville. "Do you really mean it, Neville?"
"I do," Neville nodded enthusiastically. "Harry's coming back but we don't know when, and that could take a really long time. In the meantime, we need to survive on our own in the best ways we know how to. Besides, someone once told me that rebellion is needed in times like these." He smirked to himself as he repeated Professor McGonagall's words.
"Whoever said that was wise as fuck," Ginny declared.
"Ginny!" Luna giggled at her friend's response.
"So what, then?" Ginny pushed herself up off the ground and into a sitting position with Luna's assistance. She looked into Neville's eyes. "You're just gonna give us free reign of the castle? Let us do whatever we please with no interference?"
"No," Neville responded and Ginny threw up her arms in annoyance. She gasped in pain at the sudden movement and quickly lowered her arms.
"What do you have planned?" Luna asked him somewhat suspiciously as she studied his face. "You've got something brewing, I know it."
"Indeed I do," Neville said with a grin, tapping the side of his nose. "It's a little plan that Terry, Susan, and I have in the works. I'll fill you in on our way to the Room of Requirement."
"The Room of Requirement?" Ginny asked, puzzled as Neville got to his feet and held out a hand, pulling Luna up.
"I sent Parvati to meet us there," Neville explained as he and Luna gently lifted Ginny into a standing position.
Ginny groaned as she put her arms around their shoulders. "Oh great, you're sending me right into Mother Parvati's wrath," she complained. "Don't tell me Lavender's there too." Neville smiled sheepishly and she groaned a second time. "Oh great, another person to chastise me."
"They mean well, they're simply concerned for your safety," Neville chastised her. "Seamus is fetching Mick McManus to brew you up a pain potion, too."
"Music to my ears," Ginny sighed, allowing Luna and Neville to support her weight. The three of them staggered towards the door.
"Did I mention how sorry I was?"
"Can it, Longbottom. Now tell us about this plan of yours."