May 1, 2015

"Alright everybody, look alive!" Alexa yelled, "I want everybody to break into your Contubernium," she turned to the new arrivals, "You lot, find a group and stick to them, your team leaders will brief you. No more than ten per group." There must have been over eighty people in total, counting them. Nearly a full Centuria.

"Medical team stays here on standby. We have eight floors here, and three towers we can access." Alexa and Neville moved to stand by the map they kept pinned to a cork board on the wall. Each level was featured, and next to them was the patrol schedule. "Maarva, Flitwood, you two take the North Tower, Creevy and Collins, you take the West, Vane and Varnette, take the Astronomy Tower. Go in from the 8th floor, keep a look out. Keep us updated on the coins. Teams Mckinnon and Longbottom, divide up and escort them. Make sure the 8th floor is secured, and then Longbottom, report to the ground floorl-Neville will be there waiting, McKinnon, move to take the second floor as soon as we give the all clear." Alexa turned towards Neville, nodding to him.

"Team Potter, you take the seventh floor, there should be a patrol in about ten minutes, take them down. Black, you take fifth, Prewett, you take fourth, Fenwick, third-keep an eye on the covered bridge, Meadowes, second. Longbottom, once the towers are secure, you'll be working with Bones to take the ground level." Alexa took a deep breath, this was her strategy playing out now, although it had been Neville's idea to name the teams after the original Order of the Phoenix members. "If there's no patrol, proceed down to the next level, the plan is to congregate in the Great Hall."

"Dean, you don't have a wand," she turned to the boy standing beside Seamus, their hands locked together, "You're going to stay with Lavender here and help the medical team, got it? I'll get you a knife just in case. And Lavender, anyone comes through, send them to the Great Hall once the floors are cleared." Dean nodded, reluctantly releasing his apparently more than friends friend and joining Lavender.

"Every team leader have a coin?" She asked. They all nodded, and she held hers up, it had taken a while but they had figured out how to make more for those who hadn't originally been a part of the D.A.

"This is how we'll keep in touch. Just like we practiced guys." She nodded, looking at Neville.

"This is what we've been training towards," Neville said, "Tonight, we take back our home. Tonight we fight. And I know, I know," he emphasized, "We can do this. Let's kick some Death Eater arse!" He yelled, pumping her fist in the air. The crowd cheered, sparks flying into the air. "Dismissed!" Neville added, before turning to Ron and Hermione, who were watching the proceedings with wide eyes.

The Bones appeared at her side. She had gathered the best group of hand to hand fighters she could. They were small, only six in total, but they also were the most resilient to shadow travel. There was Theo, of course, and Daphne, Zachariah, Anthony Goldstein, and Pavarti Patil.

"Start working towards ground level," she instructed, "I need to tell McGonagall we're on the move. She's in the Ravenclaw tower."

Zachariah gave her a salute, "Yes Cap!" he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Be careful," she said, "I'll meet you there." And then she spun, stepping out in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"I see you've already found our guest," Alexa said cheerfully, examining the fallen bodies of Alecto and Amycus.

"Miss di'Angelo!" McGonagall clutched her chest, "What are you-!?" She turned back to Harry, "Potter, I—that was very—very gallant of you—but don't you realize—?" "

"Yeah, I do," Harry assured her. She wondered if he had been responsible for one of the Death Eaters lying at their feet. He seemed calmer than before as he said "Professor McGonagall, Voldemort's on the way."

"Oh, are we allowed to say the name now?" asked Luna with an air of interest, pulling off the Invisibility Cloak. This appearance of yet another outlaw seemed to overwhelm Professor McGonagall, who staggered backward and fell into a nearby chair, clutching at the neck of her old tartan dressing gown.

"I don't think it makes any difference what we call him," Harry told Luna. "He already knows where I am."

"You must flee," whispered Professor McGonagall. "Now, Potter, as quickly as you can!"

"I can't," said Harry. "There's something I need to do. Professor, do you know where the diadem of Ravenclaw is?"

"The d—diadem of Ravenclaw? Of course not—hasn't it been lost for centuries?" She sat up a little straighter. "Potter, it was madness, utter madness, for you to enter this castle—"

"I had to," said Harry. "Professor, there's something hidden here that I'm supposed to find, and it could be the diadem—if i could just speak to Professor Flitwick—" There was a sound of movement, of clinking glass: Amycus was coming around. Before anyone could act, Professor McGonagall rose to her feet, pointing her wand at the groggy Death Eater, and said, "Imperio."

Amycus got up, walked over to his sister, picked up her wand, then shuffled obediently to Professor McGonagall and handed it over along with his own. Then he lay down on the floor beside Alecto. Professor McGonagall waved her wand again, and a length of shimmering silver rope appeared out of thin air and snaked around the Carrows, binding them tightly together.

"We're taking it back," Alexa cut in.

"What?" McGonagall demanded, wand white knuckled in her hand.

"The castle. We're taking it back," she clarified.

"Who is we?" McGonagall demanded, turning to Alexa, lips pressed into a tight line.

"Dumbledore's Army," she said, glancing at her coin once more, "There's about eighty of us-more are still coming though. Someone's contacted the Order of the Phoenix too. We're securing the floors, taking down patrols, and getting the halls safe to move through."

"Eighty-how is this possible-no don't tell me," she shook her head, "Potter," said Professor McGonagall, turning to face him again with superb indifference to the Carrows' predicament. "if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named does indeed know that you are here—"

At once Harry staggered, hand rising up to clutch his famous scar, grabbing Luna to steady himself.

"Potter, are you alright?" McGonagall asked, and Harry came back.

"Time's running out, Voldemort's getting nearer. Professor, I'm acting on Dumbledore's orders, I must find what he wanted me to find! But we've got to get the students out while I'm searching the castle—It's me Voldemort wants, but he won't care about killing a few more or less, not now—"'

Alexa pulled her false galleon out of her pocket, "We've got the 8th level secured, and we've got eyes in the North, West, and Astronomy towers. We're taking down the patrols. Once we have the corridors clear we can evacuate.."

McGonagall's head swiveled for a moment between Alexa and Harry.

"You're acting on Dumbledore's orders?" she asserted, looking at Harry. He nodded. Then she drew herself up to her fullest height. "We," she looked at Alexa nodding, "shall secure the school against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named while you search for this—this object."

"Is that possible?" Harry asked.

"I think so," said Professor McGonagall dryly, "we teachers are rather good at magic, you know. I am sure we will be able to hold him off for a while if we all put our best efforts into it. Of course, something will have to be done about Professor Snape—"

"Easy enough," Alexa said, a small smirk on her face.

"—and if Hogwarts is about to enter a stage of siege, with the Dark Lord at the gates, it would indeed be advisable to take as many innocent people out of the way as possible. With the Floo network under observation, and apparition impossible within the grounds—"

"We have an evacuation route ready," Alexa said, "Through the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. It lets out in the Hog's Head run by Aberforth Dumbledore."

"We're talking about hundreds of students-"

"I know, professor. We're ready for them."

She looked between Alexa and Harry, something akin to pride in her eyes. Then she nodded, "We need to move." She pointed her wand at the Carrows, and a silver net fell upon their bound bodies, tied itself around them, and hoisted them into the air, where they dangled beneath the blue-and-gold ceiling like two large, ugly sea creatures. "Come. We must alert the other Heads of House. You two had better put that cloak back on." Harry obliged.

McGonagall raised her wand, and an ear splitting alarm rang through the entire dormitory. Several seventh years rushed down the stairs, wands drawn. When they saw it was McGonagall and Alexa, they stopped short.

"Make sure everybody is dressed and ready to evacuate. If you're older than sixteen and you want to stay and fight, then be ready for that too. Keep the youngest in the middle of the group, seventh years in front, sixth in back." Alexa told them, "Meet down in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes." She paused, glancing back to McGonagall, realizing she hadn't actually given her time to speak.

"Well, get to it," McGonagall shrugged, as the Ravenclaws turned to her for confirmation. She turned to Alexa, "Where are you headed next?"

"I'm going to check back on the Room, then the Great Hall. We're secure to the fifth flour." She said, checking her coin.

"Come with me then, we're heading that way."

Alexa held the coin up to her lips, "The Cat has pounced, Bones to Great Hall, Evac stand by." Her coin flashed hot, and the message scrawled across its surface.

"Let's go," she said, shoving it back into her pocket. She concentrated, pulling the shadows over herself much like the invisibility cloak Harry and Luna wore. McGonagall's eyes went wide, but she only nodded once to herself. She marched toward the door, and as she did so she raised her wand. From the tip burst three silver cats with spectacle markings around their eyes. The Patronuses ran sleekly ahead, filling the spiral staircase with silvery light, as their unlikely band hurried after. They raced through the corridors, jogging to keep up with their professor's brisk pace. Alexa kept an eye out for anyone approaching, listening carefully. Another pair of soft footsteps had suddenly joined theirs. She was about to warn McGonagall, but the elder witch noticed them first.

"Who's there?" she called, her hand tight around her wand.

"It is I," said a low voice. From behind a suit of armor stepped Severus Snape. She nearly snorted. What a fucking drama queen. If McGonagall could handle it, she wouldn't interfere. But the sight of him had her blood boiling. Her free hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her golden eyes sharp on his thin, pale face.

"Where are the Carrows?" he asked quietly.

"Wherever you told them to be, I expect, Severus," said Professor McGonagall.

Snape stopped nearer, and his eyes flitted over Professor McGonagall into the air around her, as if he knew that Harry was there.

"I was under the impression," said Snape, "that Alecto had apprehended an intruder."

"Really?" said Professor McGonagall. "And what gave you that impression?" Snape made a slight flexing movement of his left arm, where the Dark Mark was branded into his skin.

"Oh, but naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "You Death Eaters have your own private means of communication, I forgot."

Snape pretended not to have heard her. His eyes were still probing the air all about her, and he was moving gradually closer, with an air of hardly noticing what he was doing.

"I did not know that it was your night to patrol the corridors, Minerva."

"You have some objection?"

"I wonder what could have brought you out of your bed at this hour?"

"I thought I heard a disturbance," said Professor McGonagall.

"Really? But all seems calm." Snape looked into her eyes. "Have you seen Harry Potter, Minerva? Because if you have, I must insist— " Professor McGonagall moved faster than Alexa could have believed: Her wand slashed through the air and for a split second Alexa thought that Snape must crumple, unconscious, but the swiftness of his shield charm was such that McGonagall was thrown off balance. She brandished her wand at a torch on the wall and it flew out of its bracket. Alexa lunged throwing her arm around Harry and Luna and made the whole lot of them intangible just in time for the torch to clatter through them, becoming a ring of fire that filled the corridor and flew like a lasso at Snape— Then it was no longer fire, but a great black serpent that McGonagall blasted to smoke, which re-formed and solidified in seconds to become a swarm of pursuing daggers. Snape avoided them only by forcing the suit of armor in front of him, and with echoing clang, the daggers sank, one after another, into the breast—

"Minerva!" said a squeaky voice, and looking behind him, still shielding Luna and Harry from flying spells, Alexa saw Professor Flitwick and Sprout sprinting up the corridor toward them in his nightclothes, with the enormous Professor Slughorn panting along at the rear.

"No!" shrieked Flitwick, raising his wand. "You'll do no more murder at Hogwarts!" Flitwick's spell hit the suit of armor behind which Snape had taken shelter: With a clatter it came to life. Snape struggled free of the crushing arms and sent it flying back toward his attackers; Snape was in full flight, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout all thundering after him, Alexa dropping the shadows that hid her to join the pursuit. He hurtled through a classroom door, leaping over the desks and throwing himself through the glass pane of the window.

"Coward! COWARD!" McGonagall screamed, sliding to a stop at the window sill. Alexa cursed under her breath, and pulled out her coin.

"The Bat escaped."

"He jumped," said Professor McGonagall as Harry and Luna ran into the room.

"You mean he's dead?" Harry sprinted to the window, ignoring Flitwick's and Sprout's yells of shock at his sudden appearance.

"No, he's not dead," said McGonagall bitterly. "Unlike Dumbledore, he was still carrying a wand. . . and he seems to have learned a few tricks from his master."

Alexa saw in the distance a huge, batlike shape flying through the darkness toward the perimeter wall. She would get him later.

There were heavy footfalls behind them, and a great deal of puffing: Slughorn had just caught up.

"Harry!" he panted, massaging his immense chest beneath his emerald green silk pajamas. "My dear boy. . . what a surprise. . . Minerva, do please explain. . . . Severus. . . what. . . ?"

"Our headmaster is taking a short break," said Professor McGonagall, pointing at the Snape-shaped hole in the windows.

"Professor!" Harry shouted, his hands at his forehead. "Professor, we've got to barricade the school, he's coming now!"

"Very well. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is coming," she told the other teachers. Sprout and Flitwick gasped; Slughorn let out a low groan. "Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore's orders. Miss di'Angelo has assembled quite an army under our very noses, and presently they are clearing the castle of threats and heading towards the Great Hall. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable while Potter does what he needs to do. And then we fight."

"You realize, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You-Know-Who indefinitely?" asked Professor Sprout.

"Thank you, Pomona," said Professor McGonagall, and between the two witches there passed a look of grim understanding. "I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over sixteen wish to stay and fight, I think they ought to be given the chance."

"Agreed," said Professor Sprout, already hurrying toward the door. "I shall meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes with my House." And as she jogged out of sight, they could hear her muttering, "Tentacula, Devil's Snare. And Snargaluff pod. . . yes, I'd like to see the Death Eaters fighting those."

"I can act from here," said Flitwick, and although he could barely see out of it, he pointed his wand through the smashed window and started muttering incantations of great complexity. Alexa heard a weird rushing noise, as though Flitwick had unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds.

Harry and Luna trailed after the tiny teacher, assumedly to ask about the diadem.

"We shall meet you in the Great Hall, Filius!" said Professor McGonagall, beckoning to Harry and Luna to follow her. Alexa trailed behind.

They had just reached the door when Slughorn rumbled into speech. "My word," he puffed, pale and sweaty, his walrus mustache aquiver. "What a to-do! I'm not at all sure whether this is wise, Minerva. He is bound to find a way in, you know, and anyone who has tried to delay him will be in most grievous peril—"

"I shall expect you and the Slytherins in the Great hall in twenty minutes, also," said Professor McGonagall. "If you wish to leave with your students, we shall not stop you. But if any of you attempt to sabotage our resistance or take up arms against us within this castle, then, Horace, we duel to kill."

"Minerva!" he said, aghast.

"The time has come for Slytherin House to decide upon its loyalties," interrupted Professor McGonagall. "Go and wake your students, Horace." He spluttered, but McGonagall powered on, giving him no chance to argue.

Alexa caught up with her, catching her arm, "The Slytherins deserve to fight-some of them have been our spies. They get a chance," she said, her voice low.

McGonagall's eyes softened, "They will be given a fair chance," she agreed.

"Di'Angelo!" a voice called. Alexa turned, hand on her sword, relaxing only when she saw the face of Seamus Finnigan, leader of Prewett Squad, running towards her.

"Finnigan," Alexa, greeted, as he came to jog in pace with her.

"Fourth floor is secure-Fenwick is getting third now, we're almost there," he reported, "Sprout is passing through the lower levels, so is Slughorn."

"Good," she pulled out her coin, "Everyone in the corridors, report to Great Hall." She tucked it away once more, "McGonagall, we'll see you down there!" she called. The elderly witch nodded, standing in the middle of the corridor, wand raised.

As they ran, they met crowds of students, most wearing traveling cloaks over their pajamas, being shepherded down to the Great Hall by teachers and prefects.

"di'Angelo!"

"I saw Patil!"

"Finnigan!"

They paid no mind to the students, slipping in and around them to reach the Great Hall. Neville was waiting for them when they got there, standing in front of the staff table. Students were just beginning to file in, gasping and pointing as the outlaws appeared, falling into line in front of Neville.

"Lex," Neville said, making his way over to her, "The Order of the Phoenix is arriving, you should get up there and get them organized, I'll handle this."

She nodded, spun on her heel, and stepped out into a packed room.

"Miss di'Angelo!" Lupin called, giving her a wave. She didn't recognize everyone in the room, but his familiar face was welcome.

"Hello professor," she said pleasantly, "Nice night for a battle, isn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her dry humor, but said nothing.

Lavender was looking quite overwhelmed by the crowd, and she was trying to explain something to a tall man with earrings. Upon seeing Alexa, she pointed, directing the man towards her.

"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt," he introduced himself, "Lavender tells me you're in charge?" he had a kind face, and he shook her hand as an equal. She liked him immediately.

"Alexa di'Angelo, sir.. Neville and I lead the D.A."

"You're the demigod?" he asked. She stiffened, meeting his eyes and not looking away.

"My father is Pluto, god of the Underworld."

He nodded, "That's the kind of advantage we'll need in this fight," as his words she relaxed, "How are you organized?"

"We've got about a hundred and fifty people, eighty who are students sixteen and over, the rest are alumni, all grouped into contubernium of ten-"

They were interrupted by Harry and Luna bursting into the room. Harry seemed to fall in shock, stumbling back down several steps before righting himself and pushing forwards.

"Harry, what's happening?" said Lupin, meeting him at the foot of the stairs. Harry looked around, finding her.

She nodded, and he spoke. "Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school—Snape's run for it— What are you doing here? How did you know?"

Oliver Wood spoke up, she only recognized him from the quidditch games, "The D.A. got in contact with the Order and called us here," he said, grinning, "What's the plan, Harry?"

"Alexa has it," he said, swallowing hard. All eyes turned to her.

She stood straight, "As of now, the castle is secured. Dumbledore's army has taken out all the patrols on all levels-I'm assuming you all heard about the Deatheaters in training Snape hired-Snape has escaped, and the Carrows are incapacitated. Right now, all the students are being taken to the Great Hall. Those who can and want to, will stay and fight, everyone else will be evacuated the same way you came in. For now we're battering down the hatches, fortifying what we can. Harry has a mission from Dumbledore. We've got to let him do that."

"Everyone underage is leaving, right?" a redheaded woman Alexa could only assume was Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Everyone under sixteen-"

"They're just children, they can't-" the woman's eyes were filled with fear and fury, and she looked terrifyingly similar to her daughter in that moment.

"It's not up for debate," Alexa raised her voice to speak over the top of her, "I'm not lessening the strength of our army. If this is going to be a distraction for you, then perhaps you should remain here, with the healers."

Mrs. Weasley began to storm towards her, mouth opened beginning to say something was surely not going to be pleasant, when there was a scuffling and a great thump: Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen.

He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through lopsided horn-rimmed glasses, and said, "Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I—I—" the redhead spluttered into silence. Evidently he had not expected to run into the entirety of his family.

There was a long moment of astonishment, broken by Fleur, whom Alexa recognized from the Triwizard tournament, turning to Lupin and saying, in a wildly transparent attempt to break the tension, "So—'ow is little Teddy?"

Lupin blinked at her, startled. The silence between the Weasleys seemed to by solidifying, like ice.

"I—oh yes—he's fine!" Lupin said, just as loudly. "Yes, Tonks is with him—at her mother's—" the new Weasleys and the other Weasleys were still staring at one another, frozen. "Here, I've got a picture!" Lupin shouted, pulling a photograph from inside his jacket and showing it to Fleur and Harry. Alexa was beginning to get irritated that nobody was moving.

"I was a fool!" Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. "I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—"

Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron." said Fred, stepping into the room.

The man swallowed. "Yes, I was!"

"Well, you can't say fairer than that," said Fred, holding out his hand to the man. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled the man into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father.

"I'm sorry, Dad." he said. Mr. Weasley blinked rather rapidly, then he too hurried to hug his son.

"What made you see sense, Perce?" inquired George, who had followed his brother in.

"It's been coming on for a while," said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his traveling cloak. "But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight for it, so here I am."

"Sorry to break up the reunion," Alexa called, "But Fred, George, what are you doing up here?" she asked, hands on her hips.

They grinned sheepishly, "Neville said the Order was here."

"You two!" Mrs. Weasley snapped, "Where is your sister?"

"Molly," Kingsley placed a placating hand on her shoulder, "I fear Alexa may be right. We can't afford not to have every hand we can." Molly glared up at him and then sent an angry look toward Alexa, but didn't say anything.

"We need to get to the Great Hall," Lupin reminded everyone.

Alexa nodded, and Fred and George moved to her either side, well out of reach of their mother, "Let's move out," she yelled. The D.A. members followed her command immediately, while the Order was more hesitant. But they all went through. Alexa took a deep breath, and led the way.