Hunted

Food being back on our table was of course a massive relief. Honestly, it had been ten days, the students personals stashes of snacks and sweets in their dorms had lasted what, two days? Three tops? All the beds in the infirmary had been occupied by students too weak to walk, or even wake up. Obviously, many students thought they were going to starve to death.

So when Snape brought back the meat, the chickens, the potatoes and the bacon, the salads and the beans in tomato sauce... Some started crying of happiness, jumping on the plates like hyenas on a carcass after weeks without flesh. Also, the Headmaster's popularity suddenly gained a giant, unexpected boost.

It was true that he had actually never made any move directly against the students, apart from appointing the siblings to their current positions. Never punished anyone for petty motives, never conducted any torturing detention.

So maybe he wasn't that bad? Maybe he was not working for the Dark Lord after all? At least those were the talks in the hallways.

Now, the thing you might actually want to note, is that things didn't go back to the way they were before at all, as you might have expected. One would think that, with the situation back to normal, the cat and mouse game between the Dumbledore's Army, The Carrows and the Squad, and the Siblings of Metal silently navigating between them all, would resume.

Well it did not. First of all, they brought back the Dementors, just like in 3rd year. They stayed outside, patrolling the gates, but well, ain't nothing like a black ghost of death to bring cheery smiles, am I right? Then, the starvation had marked and scared the living hell out of most of the rebellious minds. Not that Potter's partizans gave up, by any means, but now they stuck with gathering in the Room of Requirements once in a while. A few times, more people entered than got out. According to the few intels Jacob, Mordin and Joker managed to gather, they mostly met to practise battle spells, discuss the Potter situation, and try to find ways to keep the fight going.

But they talked more than they acted, anymore. No more messages on the walls, no more skirmishes and nasty pranks on Slytherins or the Carrows. They kept their heads low, preparing for the final battle. The calm before the storm, sort of things.

You would also think that it left the field wide open for the Squad and the Carrows to be even worse. And you'd be wrong again.

With fewer rebellion acts, fewer detentions. I also think that the Carrows had lost both the interest and the patience for it. And with fewer detentions, fewer victims to bully in the hallways at night. And the threat of the faceless, vengeful spirits was strong enough to dissuade the worst elements to get out at night for just a handful of kids. Soon there were also no kids to punish and use for practical cases in class, and therefore, no more protestations, and so, no more detention, and so on. You see the pattern.

With that, the school fell into a sort of lethargy that lasted for weeks.

As for us, the Siblings, it was perfect. We took great care to not let our guard down, because we knew that the Carrows were only thinking of a new plan to draw us out. But nonetheless, our trainings in the Suitcase kept going at the steady pace of once a week, mostly during weekends, to the great displeasure of our homework workload...

Because it's easy to forget, now just as easy as then, that the NEWTs were still a thing. I'd even say that maybe this was the Carrows new way to torture us : drowning in assignments and papers.

Anyway, we were not about to let these stupid exams, which, as we know, ended up meaning nothing, get in the way. We went rougher, harder, sharper by the week. I'm not even talking about the pushups and Draining Spell anymore, we were all at a level that made any Auror applicants irrelevant, and many of the Senior Aurors looking like students themselves. Not the mention the power of our spells and shields, it was incredible.

I could not really explain why suddenly, within the spawn of few weeks, it felt like our power just... exploded. Like we had unlocked the next level.

Now, I know that we had actually reached our adult magical potential. Liara believes that the heavy training accelerated our growth, and that the starvation acted as a trigger, which is why we all achieved those heights at pretty much the same time. That could be worth investigating, to be fair. But since then, we sort of stop progressing. We just got more experienced.

Well in any case. Back to the second half of April 1998. Sometime around the 16th, or 17th. All the wounded students who had faced the Siblings were out of the infirmary, then. We were a week and a half away from the famous Battle of Hogwarts, but hell, we had no idea. The only thing we were concerned about was the Carrows new trick to get to us.

Those bastard put a bounty on us.

It was pretty simple, really. A Monday morning, Amycus Carrow spoke tous as he liked it, before breakfast. Never would he apologize for what he did to us, of course. This time, he started with his usual good mood voice, his snarky laughs and implies. And then, all casually, he said that the student who would bring the information leading to the identification of "The Archangels" (he actually used those words. Chills. Litteral chills) would be rewarded with Outstanding grades to ALL their NEWTs, if in sixth or seventh year, or to their OWLs if in fifth year or under.

I don't have to explain to you how having the best grade in all subjects without having to work and study for it was worth a lot. It would open ANY career path to who would get them. Change a life, a destiny. Even more, this could change the whole status of one's family in the magical community. A child from a not-so famous family could then walk among the most important persons of the Ministry within years. Their children would benefit from this position, and the fate of the entire bloodline could be changed.

That was worth killing for. That was worth hunting us. That was worth betraying us.

Within the first day, their office was swarming with students banging at their door, shouting names and theory, hoping to be the ones with the right guess that would grant them the big prize.

Again, most of the time, it was the name of Neville Longbottom, which was cited the most. But the Carrows dismissed it. The Weasley girl had disappeared around Easter, and they thought he could not do much by himself anymore. They quickly understood that someone else was using them as a smokescreen to cover for them, and they hated it. They were sweating hate and frustration. Then, Longbottom disappeared too. Hiding in the Room of Requirement, explained Mordin. But they did not stop searching.

Another theory popular among the students was Luna Lovegood. She had disappeared since Christmas, and some kids believed she was dead, and her ghost was coming back to haunt the castle's walls, hunting for her killer. Of course, the Carrows knew where she was, back then, so they discarded this lead as well.

For a bit, and based on few rumors, they searched every corners, paintings, old closets, for secret passage between the school and the outside. They had already closed all the known tunnels at the beginning of the year, but they started to think that maybe they had missed some.

They actually thought to have found two old tunnels, one from an unused room near the dungeon, one under a tree in the park, but both of them seemed to be collapsed.

This whole thing took them roughly a week, a very previous week during which they were off our backs, despite the bounty. A week that changed everything.

It started right after the Carrows, brother and sister, stormed into the Great Hall during lunch, followed by members of the Squad.

- What happened ? I asked to the younger one in the band, a kid that seemed to have joined late and never really got on my radar before.

- Found a tunnel under a tree, at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Turned out it was just a big hole to nowhere, filled with spiders. He was pretty pissed.

- Yeah I figure. Better luck next time.

- Don't tell'em that. They'll pin you to the wall.

I scoffed and left it at that.

We had a short session planned that week-end. One or two hours top, before curfew. We were not here to practise, however. We were there to talk. To plan. To prepare.

- The Carrows are still quite off the mark, I started, but we cannot just wait around, fingers crossed that they keep searching in the wrong direction.

- What are we searching for, then? asked Garrus. A new way to throw off the scent?

- We do. But not only. More importantly, we need a plan in case they catch us. This bounty business has me on edge. I feel like half of the House is talking behind my back.

- I feel that too, added Liara. Some girls are talking... and I don't like that.

- I'm pretty sure some already mentioned our names to the Carrows, said Miranda. I just think they don't believe it yet. But if there's too much noise, they will pay attention.

- And I fear it might be soon, I concluded. So we need a plan, in case that happens. Does anyone knows an emergency spell? Or a communication spell? Anything to warn each other?

- The Protean Charm? Like the DA's coin I reproduced? offered Mordin, get the said coin of his pocket.

- I don't know. It takes a bit of time to act with it, and others might not get the message right away. Too slow, too unsafe.

- Well, said Liara, I know that the Patronus Charm can be used to communicate... I think Albus Dumbledore himself created this.

- Do you know how to cast a Patronus?

She lowered her head.

- No idea. It's said to be one of the most complex summoning spell.

We sat in silence for another minute, searching for ideas.

- I know some muggle devices... I offered

- Electronics don't work at Hogwarts, countered Miranda. Plus, there's no way of getting anything in, anymore. Not without having the Carrows checking it first.

- What about enchanted animals? Like our own Owl Post Service? asked Kaidan.

- Too noticeable. Too slow. They could be tracked, followed... No, we need something almost instantaneous...

- Wait, whispered Tali... Go back to the Protean Charm. Mordin, you know how to do it, right?

- Well, I did it once, after a lot of failed attempt...

- And enchanted objects are supposed to replicate the changes operated one of them, right?

- Yes, they do.

- So what if we destroyed one? What happens to the others?

A shocked, amazed silence settled for a minute.

- I... don't know... admitted Mordin, after reflexion. Would need to experiment.

But my mind was already racing. Tali's idea was excellent.

- Here, I said, going to one of the curtain.

I took a small piece, cut it with my wand, then divided it in two.

- Try enchanting those.

- Alright... he answered, hesitant.

For ten minutes, we sat there, watching him, hopeful.

- Okay, I think it's done, he finally claimed. What do you want to do with this?

Instead of answering, I just took a strain of tissue and hold it ahead of me. I pointed the wand with my other hand, and invoked :

- Incendio!

A small flame erupted and ignited the fabric. It consumed completely in a few seconds. On the table, its magically connected twin slowly disappeared into smoke and ashes as well, without any flame.

- Perfect. Awesome !

Cheering screams echoed my joy.

- Mordin ! Created ten of those ! Long enough to wrap around the arm, or the ankle. We'll wear those at all times.

- Okay. On it, Commander.

- The others... Now we need to figure out what we do, in case we're caught. What's our fallback plan? Where do we meet, where do we hide? The Potion Room is out of question, so is the Room of Requirement I believe...

- Honestly? answered Jacob. The only safe place I know is the Gryffindor Tower. Since the incident at the beginning of the year, the Fat Lady is not letting them come without the password, and we're very careful not to let them know...

I looked at the others.

- The Ravenclaw Towers opens only if you answer a riddle, said Tali. Too risky, too long.

- Same problem for Hufflepuff, added Garrus. It's too long, too complicated. Even to explain...

- And I don't think hiding in our dungeons is a good idea, laughed Ashley without humour. Although no one would think about looking for any of you here...

I turned to Jacob and Joker.

- You would share the password with the group? Risk your House's safety for the group?

- Not even a question, answered Joker with a smile. We're the Siblings. It's all that matters. And there's not a single Gryffindor that would turn down a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff seeking asile... But... A Slytherin... Or a group of Slytherins? That's a lot less likely...

- Yeah I figure... Any secret password, maybe something related to the DA, that could help them trust us?

- Nothing on top of my mind... But we could look into it.

I sighed... Miranda jumped in.

- Slytherins, they will fight... But what about the Archangels? What's the general feeling regarding our... alter egos?

Jacob raised his shoulders.

- Hard to say. Many thought they, we, were heroes, at first. Several kids in our House had been victims to the Squad, so they kinda appreciated the payback. But after a week and a half without food... I can't say some won't hold a grudge.

- Especially since both Weasley and Longbottom disappeared. They're not worried, they know they're hiding somewhere safe, but they're twice more careful and suspicious. I think some would welcome you, others would kick you out. Plus, we do look kinda scary without our faces.

- Okay, so, unless someone has a better idea, if someone gets caught, he burns or tear the ribbons, hides his face with the necklace, runs to the Gryffindor's dorm with the password and hides in there?

- I'll keep the Suitcase hidden up there, added Mordin from afar. You'll just have to stay in the House until one of us three gets you in here for safety.

I was still undecided.

- That's a shitty plan, I whispered. Too many unknowns. Any other ideas?

- The Forbidden Forest?

- Centaurs and other deadly creatures, no shelters that we know of, no way to get food? Nope.

- Could we create an enchanted room, hidden somewhere?

Miranda declined.

- It would take us months... and any skilled wizard would detect it in hours. There's a reason there's only one Room of Requirement... Maybe we could escape to Hogsmeade? Hide there?

- How ? There are Dementors and guards at every exits.

We were out of ideas.

- Okay. Gryffindor's dorm it is then, until we come up with something better...

Joker wrote the password on a piece of paper, and passed it around for us to learn it by heart. When we were done, he burnt it.

- It changes once every two weeks, more or less, he explained. This one should do for another ten days or so. I'll pass the new one around as soon as I can.

- I'm done ! yelled Mordin. They're ready!

Our pilot dragged us back to the first floor's toilets soon after, where we split up discreetly, a stupid piece of ribbon tied around our ankles, hidden under our robes...

Honestly, who would have thought that the timing would have been in our favor that way? That our whole lives were played on this simple week, on the fact that Mordin had ideas we could apply on the spot.

If he had come on up with anything like the Suitcase, that required some kind of setup or preperation, we would all be dead.

Now, that saturday in question where we made our little DIY alarm system, was the 25th of April. If you know your dates, you kinda know where I'm going with this. But of course, back then, no one, except maybe Professor Trelawney, had any idea that we were so close to the end.

So it was business as usual, for all of us. For the young rebels of the DA, left without any leaders, it was about trying to keep fighting while staying safe and under the radar, and the "staying safe" part was taking over the "keep fighting" one, big time. For us Siblings, it was about trying to plan our next practice without catching attention, and deciding whether or not we needed to make another "Archangels" appearances. For the Carrows, and their damned Squad, it was about catching either of us rebel groups.

And for 80% of the students, it was about homework, upcoming exams and avoiding detention.

Weirdly enough, straight from the monday on, none of the teachers gave us any additional homework. None. Nada.

Same thing on the Tuesday.

So we figured, we might as well use that newly found free time to get an extra practice. It was the first time in months we would have a chance to practice during the week and not a week-end. That should have tipped us off, but we were too focused on us, I think. It was a bait. A special request from the Carrows to all teachers not to give any homework, the objective being to track anyone using that time to wander off the Common Rooms before curfew. And we fell into it like damned rookies.

But maybe let's go step by step.

It was 4pm, Wednesday 29th, when the last class of the day ended. History of Magic, you know how these can make anyone fall asleep. Kaidan and I got out of there yawning, but there was no turning down the excitement of the physical exercice ahead of us. Boy we were hungry for action, and sweat, and just... to use that energy. So we didn't notice the eyes on us, in our backs.

Joker picked us up, as usual, comforted by the feeling that everything was as it used to be.

The heat inside the Suitcase was getting harder to bear, honestly. Afterall, we were in the middle of spring. So we were sweating hard, and very much looking forward to the dive into the pool that would follow. (Truth is, I really started to appreciate this addition to our training grounds). We didn't have much time, barely two hours, including the trip back to our dorms, so I focused the whole session on stamina and muscular reinforcement. I'm not talking about just push-ups and crunches. I'm talking about every single damn exercises that I knew. Worked the arms, the legs, the calves, the abs, the back, the shoulders, the hands, the neck. All of it.

Panting, dripping, struggling to get one foot ahead of the other, we dragged ourselves to the waters for the five little minutes of heaven we had left.

- Dammit, John, complained Ashley getting her head of the water, her hair sticking to her face. What's got into you today? I wasn't punched, kicked, stunned or whatever torture you usually put us through, and yet, my body has never been so damn painful.

- Agreed, added Garrus. Did you have something against us today or ...?

- I dunno, I answered, stretching my arms in the delicious embrace of the warm liquid. I thought it would be the best use of an hour and half, rather that warming up, come up with some new exercice or something.

- Well at least we're gonna sleep tight, tonight, smiled Liara, getting out of the pool. Come on now. We don't want to risk curfew.

- Already?

- Not yet !

The complains went on and on, but nothing more than a joke, as all of us were already using spells to dry ourselves and dress back up. Jacob waved us goodbye, and took off.

- Hold on tight! yelled Joker in the distance shortly after, up from the top of the staircase. We're moving!

Of course, as I already explained, the inside of the Suitcase would not move, and we could just sit lazily in our chairs while Joker would get us to our destinations. The Ravenclaws girls were dropped of first, then Garrus, and finally us four Slytherin, in the empty Transfiguration Classroom on the first floor. McGonagall's kingdom was usually a rather safe space, as long as she was not in here herself. If Joker had brought us here, it meant the path was clear.

We got out of the Suitcase, and then left him to leave first. Safer not to be seen together more than necessary, you know. We waited for five minutes before going out ourselves. Less than that, and we might have been trapped. More, and we could have been ambushed. Once again, the timing was just... perfect.

Maybe the gods were watching over us.

We climbed down the stairs, back to the dungeons, taking care not to mention anything related to the practice we just went through. You never know who, or what, might be listening within those walls. Specially the paintings and portraits.

It was ten minutes away from the curfew, but there was still some students in the hallways, most of them making their way to their own house (as discussing in groups was still forbidden).

Arriving at the cross at the bottom of the main stair, where the right corridor would take us to our dungeons, I saw them, on the other side. They were coming from the Great Hall, at fast pace.

Amycus and Alecto Carrow. Severus Rogue.

And slightly behind them, trying to keep up, her face red, her finger pointing at us, was the young Aerin.

Honestly it would have been easy not to pay attention, to miss it, but something in the way they looked at us and pressed on at that moment, something in Aerin's eyes, filled me with dread.

The little bitch had sold us off. She must have. After all we did for her, after the risk Miranda had taken for her.

I stopped in my track and blocked the path with my arm to stop my friends as well.

- What? asked Kaidan.

- Go, I said, Go, run ! Warn the others !

It took them a second, but when they saw the Carrows now almost running and they reacted as they were trained. I took out the wand of my pocket, and felt them run back to the stairs behind me.

- Shepard ! yelled the sister.

- Stop right there! added the brother.

Snape said nothing, but had kept advancing, while Aerin had stayed a step behind.

The closer they were, almost fifteen meters now, the stronger was the effect of The Pledge. And for the first time, as my blood was free of any chemical restraints, I summoned all of its rage and hate, and casted my spell.

- Stupefy!

The bright red light almost blinded me, and while they had both raised their shield with impressive speed, they were too weak, and too hasty. The magical protections shattered like crystal, and they fell backward, flying over a meter or two.

I did not spare the time to check, and I turned my back and ran as fast as I could. I still heard Snape use the Innervate to bring them back, still heard some students gasps and screams, but I did not care. I ran.

I regretted HARD to have focused the training of the day on muscles. My legs hurt so much up those stairs ! But even in this state, there was no way in hell those lazy-ass pieces of dragoncrap could catch up with us. While running, I suddenly felt a sharp burn on my ankle, although made very bearable by the Blood Shield, and felt the piece of ribbon vanish away in ashes. The Siblings were warned.

I grabbed the necklace and brought the pendant to my forehead, whispering the secret words, and the world around me changed in shade, as the screams and curses from the Death Eaters below me were slowly fading in the distance when I passed the second floor.

I finally found my friends, waiting by the portrait of the Fat Lady, on the third floor. She was looking at them with a suspicious eye, but without a word.

- Hurry ! scream Miranda.

I grabbed her hand, panting, and said the password.

- You're not Gryffindors... countered the portrait.

- Damit, we're on the same side ! How d'you think we got the password?

- They're coming! warned another painting, somewhere down the stairs. The old man looked like a knight.

The Fat Lady sighed, and made way for us to go through. Her painting moved slowly, crackling a bit, and we engulfed in the entrance as soon as we could slide in. It closed behind us much faster than it had opened, with a sharp clank.

Inside, the Gryffindor's Common room looked almost... shocking to me. It was smaller, but taller than ours, very warm in both colors and temperature. What it lacked in sliver and noble woods, it made up in cushions, big couches and cozy lights. However, it's not like we had much time to appreciate it. Lost in an unknown environment, I watched left and right frantically, searching for someone I knew.

Some students were there, working on paper, reading books or playing wizard chess. Some yelled in surprise, others fell from their chairs, and a few raised their wands. One of them, who looks like the eldest in the room, pointed his at us and threatened, through his terror:

- Get out! Get out now ! Or I'll hex you! I'll send you through the damn windows!

But another one, much younger, grabbed his robe.

- Tim... Look! No faces... I think they are the Archangels...

A few whispers ran through the small crowd.

The named Tim lowered is wand just a few centimeters, but still asked.

- Are you really? Want d'you want? Why are you here?

Without paying much attention to him, I yelled Jacob's and Joker's name, trying to disguise my voice as best as I could.

- They're at the door ! warned another portrait with a loud whisper. The Fat Lady will hold them! You have to move quick!

With the crashing sound of someone who fell down the stairs, Jacob appeared in the frame of the staircase.

- I felt the warning ! Shit! Come with me, hurry!

Without a word, we pushed Tim aside, who stayed immobile, gobsmacked, and ran up the stairs after our friend. He brought us to a dorm, where bunk beds filled most of the space. Joker and Mordin were already here, the Suitcase lying on the ground.

- Quick! Get in! said the crippled. We'll hide you.

Miranda, Ashley and Kaidan quickly stepped into it, and just before i went as well, I grabbed Jacob's arm.

- You're all in danger. Garrus, the girls! They will make the connection. You need to get them! We need to hide. We're caught.

- I know, he said, all the weight of the world on those to words.

I went down, and the Suitcase closed behind me.

We sat there in silence for a moment. Heads down, looking at our own hands. I don't know how long we stayed without moving. Two minutes? Five? Ten? I can't say.

It's Ashley who broke the silence first.

- So... This is it ? We got caught?

- I guess so, I answered, dispirited.

- I don't know how this happened, raged Kaidan. We were careful! No one knew!

- Except Aerin, it seems...

- Aerin ? asked Miranda, baffled.

- Yeah. You didn't see her? She was with the Carrows. She was pointing at us, leading them to us.

- That little tramp! We helped her! Defended and protected her ! How could she?!

I shared her anger, but Ashley tried to take her side. Or at least, defender her.

- I get it. That was her ticket from target to hero, you know. Not to mention, the rewarding grades... That's her ticket for another life. A safer one.

- Not if I get my hands on her, I growled...

Truth is, around three months later, I met her again, at her request, in a small cafe in Muggle London. She spent an hour crying, apologizing again and again, giving those same motives Ashley had guessed. She did not regret doing it, she regretted having to, to save her own ass. I guess she was in Slytherin for a reason, in the end.

- So what now? asked Kaidan after another moment of silence. How do we get out of this? There's no going back to class tomorrow, I wager.

- I suppose our only choice now is to leave the school. All known exits are pretty tightly monitored, but I guess that, if we can stay here until the end of the year, Joker should be able to carry us out.

- That's more than a month in here! Inside a bloody Suitcase. How will we even eat?! With Joker and the others hiding food in their pockets for weeks?

- Well I don't have any better idea right now ! Okay? I need to think about it ! WE need to think about it!

- For now, I'm more worried about the others out there, cut Miranda with a quiet voice. The Carrows know we are tight and gathered for years for "Potion classes". They'll try to get us here, and if they can't...

- When they can't!

-... when they face a dead end, they will search for other ways to get us. And the other Siblings are the obvious choice. First Jacob, Joker and Mordin, because they're Gryffindors, but Garrus and the girls are not safe either... They should hide too. They'll be in danger as soon as they step outside their Houses. Even inside they can still get in.

- You think they should hide in here with us too?

- Yes. But how would they come? Joker would have to go get them, putting everyone at risks. And then what? We'd have no one left to keep an eye on the outside, no one to get us out of the school...

I fell back to silence, and I sighed.

- I didn't think this would all fall down so... fast. I thought we'd have more time. That we could make it 'til the end, even. And now...

- And now it turns out we have no plan at all.

- Yeah... I'm sorry. The only solution is to run... But I don't know where and how.

- And your family's safe on the other side of the ocean, snarled Kaidan, bitter. Whereas ours... If they don't catch us, they'll be the next target. For all of us.

- And you knew it was a risk when you joined me years ago! We said it again at the beginning of the year ! You agreed to that risk!

He jumped out of the chair, knocking it over.

- I know ! I know ! I'm just pissed ! We should have seen it coming! Prepare for it! Get a plan B, a plan C, all the way to fucking Z! Why didn't you plan for it?

I lowered my head, taking the hit. I couldn't deny it.

- Miranda, I asked. Any chance we could hide on Lawson Island?

- Unlikely. Wards there are good, but not so good that they would stop Death Eaters in numbers. And it's location is fairly well known, for anyone with access to Ministry's files. As would be all of the other places owned by the family. Other than fleeing to the States, I don't have any other ideas, and even if we did decide to cross the ocean, I don't know how we could do it. Not without the help of my father at least.

- Shit... What about the Resistance? The DA's? Potter and Weasley?

- What do you mean?

- Well, last year, when the Death Eaters attacked and Dumbledore was killed... People showed up to fight, right? Adults we had never seen before. And I'm pretty sure that Potter is not hiding with both Granger and Weasley without any kind of support!

- It's true that Dumbledore was rumored to have created a secret society to fight against You-Know-Who. It would be fair to say that he brought the gang back when Potter claimed that He was back.

- My thought exactly. And I'm sure some people in the DA would know something. At least have the contact of a contact, someone we could talk to. Join the fight. Ask for help to get your families watched after. Something! So if we could just get our hands on Longbottom, or the Weasley girl...

- But no one knows where they are!

- I know, but I thought, maybe...

I was cut by the sound of the Suitcase opening up. We all got our wands out, ready to fight in case the Carrows had carved they way to us.

Thankfully, it was Mordin, Jacob and Joker. They all looked stern, worried, but safe.

- So? What happened ? I asked, eager.

- The Fat Lady hold them off for a while, answered Joker. Claimed you didn't come in, but they still forced through. It's a mess down there, they turned the Common Room upside down. Searched through the dorms, under every bed. They're gone now... They're not happy.

We let out a sigh of relief, but Joker carried on, voice heavy.

- Look, the Gryffindors are scared to death. They didn't talk, but that they were damn close to! The Carrows are sure that you are here somewhere, that we hid you. McGonagall arrived soon enough to prevent them from torturing left and right... But you can't stay. That's too dangerous, for everyone. They'll be back soon, and I'm not sure McGonagall will be able to stop them next time... Not to mention the detentions.

- Damit. Okay, I understand. But where do we go then? Any idea?

That's when Mordin, him again, jumped in.

- We got you covered, commander. I talked with Parvati Patil. Explained everything about the Siblings of Metal, that you were the "Archangels", that we ran a separate resistance group...

- What? You told her ever...

- Yes, sorry, no time. No time at all, had to move fast. She said she has the perfect place for you to hide. She just needs to talk to someone, not sure who. But she told me to get you ready. That in a few hours, we might have to get you to move.

- Okay... Okay. I don't like having to put our fates in someone else's hands. You trust her?

- As much as every Gryffindors. She's one of the founding members of the DA.

- What about the others? asked Kaidan.

- She told us that she'll get the word out to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The DA will try to get Garrus and the girls to hide too...

And so, here we went. After having used the Dumbledore's Army for months, years even, we had to rely on them to get us out of our mess.

We had to wait for hours, actually. Getting hungry, thirsty, exhausted, angry. Neither the Swimming Pool nor the Dojo felt right to us, even though it could , should, have helped with passing time.

We just sat there, brooding our hate.

When Joker came to warn us that someone was about to take the Suitcase on a trip, it was almost three in the morning.

- Don't worry, he said. You're in good hands. Not as good as mine, but you see what I mean.

- What about you guys?

- Don't worry, he repeated. We need to stay here for a bit, coordinate things so we can get the others to safety too. But we will join you soon. The DA has someone in contact with Mrs Pomfrey, in the infirmary. They said she could cover for us until week-end, gave us a "sick and contagious" note. By then we'll be with you.

We shook hands, he left, and few minutes ago, the slight rumble on the wall warned us that the Suitcase had been picked up.

We were exhausted, stressed out of our minds, hungry too, as we had skipped dinner. When the Suitcase opened again, we readied our wands once more, with less conviction this time. It was not Joker who appeared, not even Jacob.

To our immense surprise, it was Neville Longbottom.

His face was showing signs of healing cuts, deep bruises turning yellow, and heavy bags under his eyes. Nonetheless, he bore a smile on his lips, and a big piece of bread in his hands.

- Wo! Easy there! he claimed, when seeing our wands. I come bearing a welcome gift! Damn, that's a nice place you got here ! Woah !

- And you haven't seen the pool yet, I sighed, relieved.

- A pool? Merlin, I guess being rich can be of help!

Miranda winced.

- Sorry, he apologized. I'm tired. Here, I suppose you didn't get to eat tonight, you must be hungry. It ain't much, but we get what we can, here.

He put the bread on the table, and Kaidan did his utmost best not to jump on it.

- And where is "here"? I asked.

- Room of Requirement, of course !

- So we were right. That's where you guys have been hiding for months.

He winced in turn, his smile turning into a grimace.

- You knew about that, eh? Well, I myself arrived not long ago, but some have been here for months, yeah. So, Parvati and Joker told me everything. The Archangels, right?

- Not the name we gave ourselves, but yes.

- I suppose we're on the same side, then. Hard to believe some Slytherins were actually fighting the Carrows, not licking their feet...

- You're looking at all of them, answered Ashley, bitter.

- I figured. Look. Here's the deal. I trust Parvati's word, and Joker, Mordin and Jacob have always been nice guys. To think that you guys ran an parallel resistance network without us noticing is rather impressive, but you have to understand... People here will not be as understanding as I am. Only a very few know that you guys even arrived, and even less that you are from Slytherin.

- What's your point?

- My point is, don't get out of here. Yet. Don't show your face, or there will be trouble.

- For how long?

- I don't know. A few days? Until we get the others of your group here. It will make things easier. But until then, I'll come with food once or twice a day, as much as I can. And when everyone's here, we'll see how to get you out of the castle.

- You have a way out? asked Miranda, intrigued.

He didn't answer, got up from the chair instead.

- It's late. Or very early. Eat, try to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow, if I can.

I thanked him, and he just smiled again, a bit uneasy, putting a stretch on the scars on his face. He left.

We looked at each other, and shared the bread, in silence.

I didn't really like the taste.

A/N : Hello! So, once again, it took me a while to get that chapter out. As you might guess, we're getting close to the end! 2 chapters left, maybe three, max. I promise some action and some twists! =D Quick note : with this chapter, we're tying up with what we know of Hogwarts 1998 from the books. I re-read those chapters, did my very best not to make mistakes, but if there's any, please forgive me!