"They did what!" Florence whispered.
"They broke into Bellatrix's vault. Destroyed half of Gringott's in the process. The Dark Lord is furious and Bellatrix is out for blood. I did not expect them to be so reckless." Severus hissed.
The mail arrived and dropped countless copies of The Daily Prophet onto the tables. As suspected the newspapers were filled with the coverage of the Gringott's break-in and destruction. Florence chewed her lip, "Did they get what they wanted?" she asked.
Severus nodded faintly as he scanned the newspaper, "From Bella's reaction I would assume so. I hope they do not have the displeasure of encountering her wrath."
For the remainder of the day Florence managed to collect numerous variations of the Gringott's break-in. Her personal favourite was that the trio was able to put Bellatrix Lestrange under the Imperious curse and she in fact broke into her own vault.
The Slytherins, however, were not as eager to gossip during their lessons and spent the day under a dark cloud. She could tell a number were concerned about the welfare of their family and the inevitable battle that was yet to come. A few were willing to bite back at the other students.
"To be frank, I hope Lestrange gets her hands on Potter and his friends. Are they so poor they need to steal from the purebloods now?" sneered Goyle. A few Slytherins laughed at the comment.
"Shut your mouth, Goyle. From what I've heard your father has been borrowing from the Malfoys. Perhaps you too could do with a trip to Gringott's?" Ginny retorted.
"A Weasley discussing money… have you stepped foot in a bank?" Malfoy sneered.
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Clearly money doesn't buy manners."
"Unfortunately, Gringott's will not help anyone pass their NEWTs, so I recommend you end your chatting and continue to work on the comprehension questions… in silence," Florence said, the students glared at each other before returning to their work.
The Gryffindors were wary of Florence due to her relationship to Severus and the Slytherins would not risk angering their Head of House and some did not trust her. They typically would fall into line quickly.
After the events at Gringotts the number of students started to drop. The attacks organised by the Death Eaters increased rapidly and Florence found herself doing more night patrols as a result of the bubbling tension amongst the older students.
"Ginny! This far too risky!"
"Be quiet. We need to do our part too. If you don't want to be involved, go back and be on watch. Use the coins Hermione created."
"No, I want to help."
Florence shook her head. She knew the Carrows would be patrolling this corridor. She smoothed down her dress and cleared her throat, hoping Ginny and Seamus would figure out someone was close by without her startling them.
"Shit! Someone's here!" Seamus hissed at Ginny.
"I recommend you use an alternative route… perhaps the floor below? A certain set of siblings aren't patrolling that floor." Florence said casually, "I believe there is easier access to the Carrows' office from there."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at Florence, "Why should we believe you?"
Florence sighed, "How many times have I helped you out? I know for a fact two siblings will be walking down this corridor in about three minutes. I know Professor Flitwick is on the floor below. Who would you rather bump into?"
Ginny paused, the information being processed in her head. Loud, raucous voices were echoing down the corridor and Ginny's eyes widened in realisation, "Seamus let's go," she grabbed his arm and ran back down the corridor. Ginny nodded her head in thanks to Florence before running after Seamus. Florence quickly cast a noise cancelling charm after the two students just in case the Carrows heard their footsteps.
Florence took a deep breath of relief and returned back to her patrol, loudly closing classroom doors and cupboards to ensure any more members of Dumbledore's Army knew she was coming and so the Carrows couldn't accuse her of slacking on her duty.
She opened another door and was about to slam it shut when a sparkling object caught her eye. She quietly closed the door behind her and approached it. The moonlight bounced off it and she was surprised to see it was a coin. The metal was cold and resembled a Galleon. She turned it over and gasped as she saw the numbers on the side change, "interesting. Fantastic work as always Miss Granger." She quickly noted down the numbers on a piece of parchment and pocketed the coin and paper.
"Slacking as always, Mountfield," Alecto Carrow sneered.
Florence narrowed her eyes at her, "Nope. In fact, I just stopped a student breaking into your classroom. They were about to Dung bomb it and thanks to me your classroom is safe."
She smiled triumphantly as she secretly conjured a couple dung bombs from her robes pocket. Alecto gaped at the bombs, and her cheeks were tinted with a mild pinkness, "I see. Well, get back to duty. You may be able to catch those students."
Florence respectfully bowed her head and quickly vacated the classroom leaving Alecto standing there baffled. Within ten minutes she bumped into a startled Neville who, it seemed, had received the secret message on the coin, "you might find these useful." She whispered, leaving the dung bombs on the desk he was hiding under.
With the news of the Horcruxes being destroyed, the Death Eater and Dementor security had doubled. More and more and more drills were performed and random searches carried out on students and staff.
The atmosphere in the staffroom dipped and many members of the staff begun to frequent their quarters in order to avoid the looming presence of the Carrows and suspicion.
The rumour that a member of staff had provided students with Dung bombs had spread and no member of staff had admitted nor denied it. It seemed Florence was not the only one who had become softer since the start of the academic year.
The promise of further progressing grades had diminished as it was becoming more obvious there was an war approaching.
Severus had become more withdrawn and spent more time in the Headmaster's office discussing matters with the portrait of Dumbledore. He would go to bed late and wake up far earlier than Florence.
The meetings with Voldemort and the inner circle increased and by the growing anger displayed by the Carrows it was clear Voldemort could tell his chances of victory were declining by each day Harry remained alive.
"Harry has been sighted not too far from the Castle," Severus told Florence one evening as he paced their living room.
"What does that mean for you and the school?" Florence asked, putting down her book.
"Eileen needs to be taken to safety. I believe your friend Tonks' parents are trustworthy and well hidden?"
Florence nodded, "I'm sure they will be happy to look after Eileen and Misty."
Severus smiled grimly, "Of course you prioritise the blasted dog over yourself." He near collapsed with exhaustion and buried his face in Florence's shoulder.
Florence sighed and kissed the top of his head, "I'm not going to leave you so close to this being over"