"Miss Diggory, I will ask you one last time. What is your name doing on this list."
Vanessa sat in front of the High Inquisitor, Pansy Parkinson standing proudly behind her. The Slytherin had been the one to grab the list from the Room of Requirement after everyone had fled. Why had no one thought to grab it? It had all but implicated everyone who had signed it.
Dobby had come to warn everyone during the meeting that Umbridge had found out about them and that she had people coming to capture them. Thankfully most of the group, Vanessa included, had been able to get back to their dorms before they were caught. Others weren't so lucky.
"Dolores, you summoned me?" Snape's cold voice pierced the momentary silence as his eyes landed on Vanessa.
"Thank you for coming, Severus. The Minister of Magic is on his way to Hogwarts. The secret organization that I had long suspected Dumbledore of forming has finally been found. Miss Diggory appears to have been a part of it, though she won't tell me anything. I figured some Veritiserum might loosen her tongue."
"What proof do you have of Miss Diggory's involvement?"
Umbridge handed him the piece of paper that showed the names of all the students who were a part of Dumbledore's Army.
"Marietta Edgecombe of Ravenclaw informed me of a secret meeting taking place tonight. When I dispatched a group of Slytherin's to investigate, they found a dozen members trying to flee. Mr. Malfoy caught Mr. Potter himself, and Miss Parkinson grabbed the list in your hand from the room."
"It appears Miss Diggory is the only Slytherin on this list. Explain yourself."
"Professor, I was only trying to gather information on the group. I had suspected something was going on months ago, but as none of the other members trusted me, I was not able to gather the information I would have liked."
"And why wouldn't you tell me about your suspicions sooner?" Umbridge's voice was back to being that sickly sweet tone she used so often.
"I wanted more information before I came to you. I figured if I could infiltrate the group, they would come to trust me and let me in on their plan. You may not know this, but before the summer, I was good friends with some of them."
Her words seemed to intrigue Umbridge. "I take it Mr. Potter lying about your brother's death has changed your opinions then?"
Vanessa nodded. Her story seemed to be working. "I knew Potter was lying about He Who Must Not Be Named returning. I have long suspected him of being the one who murdered my brother. I believe he did it so he could win the tournament himself. I wanted to know more, to hear the lies he was spreading. I realize now that I should not have done this on all on my own."
Umbridge looked from Vanessa to Snape.
"I will back Miss Diggory, Dolores. I have known her for many years. She deals with facts and logic; she would not have been part of this group without reason."
Nodding her head, Umbridge stood from behind her desk.
"Very well. Miss Diggory, you are excused. But please remember what I had previously told you. If you suspect anything, please come to me first. While I appreciate what you tried to do, I could have been of more help to you. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have to meet Cornelius and see to Dumbledore's dismissal."
Pansy followed her out of the room, and Vanessa turned to look at her Head of House.
"How could you be so stupid?"
"Professor, I-" but Snape cut her off.
"You have acted incredibly foolish. Had you been caught tonight, you could have blown your whole cover. Remember what you're doing and why you agreed to do it."
She immediately stood from her chair and glared at him.
"I know why I'm doing this. I've risked friendships for this. And for what? I have not obtained any information. Did Dumbledore think that children of Death Eaters were going to be vocal about his return?"
"Keep your voice down, Miss Diggory. Your school year is nearing its end. This will all be over soon. Trust the Headmaster. He knows what he's doing."
"He's about to be sacked. It's only a matter of time before Umbridge is running things around here."
"Then I suggest you stay on her good side as you have been."
Vanessa left the room, not responding to him and not giving him a second look. This was not at all how she wanted to spend her last year at school.
The next day it was announced that Umbridge had been made Headmistress of Hogwarts. Dumbledore had fled before the Aurors could arrest him the night before. He had taken the fall for Harry, telling the Minister and Umbridge that the D.A. was his idea.
Marietta's face had become disfigured, thanks in part to Hermione's jinx she had put on the signup sheet. Everyone knew she was a sneak now, and almost everyone was giving her the cold shoulder. Cho was the only one defending her friend, but no one wanted to hear it.
Umbridge had rewarded the Slytherins that had been involved in the capture of D.A. members. Draco had earned Slytherin house points for catching Harry. Pansy had earned herself house points for grabbing the list. Graham Montague, however, had been shoved into a vanishing cabinet by Fred and George. He had tried to Apparate out the next day but ended up in a toilet on the 4th floor. He was currently in the hospital wing in a disoriented state.
Umbridge had taken it upon herself to form the Inquisitorial Squad, composed of the Slytherins who had helped capture Dumbledore's Army members. Vanessa had joined in an attempt to show further allegiance to the new Headmistress.
Fred and George decided to display their Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs on the second floor on the day Umbridge had been announced as Head Mistress. While the fireworks had disrupted many classes, none of the teachers did anything to stop it. No one wanted to help her. Many students had gathered around to watch this display. Vanessa stood back, away from everyone else, and smiled at the chaos.
The Easter Holidays arrived at the end of the week, but Vanessa had a pile of homework to finish and wanted to study more for her N.E.W.T.s. She had taken to studying in her secret room in the library again. Roger had been spending so much time in their dorm with his girlfriend that Vanessa couldn't concentrate properly. She had found herself falling asleep multiple nights in the room, not realizing how long or late she had been studying.
When the holiday had finished, and Monday rolled around, it had appeared the twins were back to the pranking. A portable swamp had been set up in a corridor on the fifth floor near Umbridge's office. Most of the students had been in the Great Hall when they had heard Umbridge shouting. Everyone gathered in and around the entrance hall to see her standing near Fred and George, who had mischievous grins on their faces.
"So – you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?" Umbridge looked furious.
"Pretty amusing, yeah," Fred said from the middle of the entry hall.
Filch ran up to Umbridge with forms in his hands, proclaiming he had whips waiting. She thanked him before turning her attention back to the twins. When she told them they were about to learn what happened to her school's wrongdoers, they piped up again.
"You know what, I don't think we are. George, I think we've outgrown full-time education."
"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," George said.
"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?"
"Definitely."
Together they summoned their brooms, and from a distance, a commotion could be heard. A moment later, their brooms were zooming down the marble staircase, a massive chain and iron peg still attached to one, as they had been secured in Umbridge's office.
The twins got onto their brooms, still antagonizing Umbridge as they went. They promoted their store and told students they would get a discount if they swore to use their products on the new Headmistress. She tried to stop them, even sending the Inquisitorial Squad after them. Vanessa stayed toward the back of the crowd. She was proud of them for finally taking a stand and wasn't going to try and stop them. She had met George's eyes for a moment, and he winked at her.
The twins kicked off on their brooms before anyone could reach them.
"Give her hell from us, Peeves," Fred shouted.
Peeves saluted the two before they took off into the sunset, the entrance hall erupting into cheers behind them.
In the days following, all anyone could talk about was Fred and George and the chaos they caused before they left. They had left no instructions on how to remove the portable swamp. Umbridge had to get a new door for her office, as the twins' brooms had left two broom shaped holes in the door. Even with the new door, it didn't stop students from sneaking nifflers into her office and causing chaos. Everyone was causing mischief that would have made the twins proud.
Even members of the Inquisitorial Squad were being caught in the crossfires. Vanessa continued to keep to herself so as not to be targeted. Just for effect, she had let Ginny jinx her at one point, though it was nothing too serious.
Gryffindor proceeded to beat Ravenclaw and secure the house cup that year, much to the Slytherins' disappointment. Though Vanessa watched and silently cheered for Ginny and Ron, both of them played very well.
The fifth and seventh years continued to study for their examinations as April turned into June. The examiners arrived the Sunday before exams were set to begin.
The next week and a half consisted of non-stop studying and test-taking. Vanessa had stayed up into the early hours of the morning, trying to study as much as she could. She and Roger had even taken to quizzing each other in their common room at night. It proved to be successful. She had every confidence that she passed each of her exams. She had even spent her birthday alone in the library, wanting to spend every last minute she could testing herself.
The day of the final exams had come, but that wasn't what was on people's minds. Aurors had come to arrest Hagrid just after midnight that morning. He had escaped, though Fang had been hit with a stunning spell while trying to defend him. McGonagall, who had also come to his aid, had been stunned by four Aurors at once. Madam Pomfrey had been tending to her in the Hospital Wing, but it wasn't enough. She was eventually transported to St. Mungos for further care.
Once exams were over, Vanessa was on her way back to her dorm when Cassius Warrington stopped her.
"Diggory, come on, we've got to get to Umbridge's office."
She looked at him before nodding her head and taking off after him. Other Inquisitorial Squad members had arrived and had Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna in their grasps. She knew she couldn't help them, not at that moment, not with Umbridge so close. She pushed to the front and grabbed Luna. They had all been gagged, and Crabbe was practically choking the life out of Neville.
"Crabbe, loosen your grip. He won't be much help if he passes out."
She grabbed the wands that Goyle had confiscated before she led them into Umbridge's office. Hermione was being pinned against the wall by Millicent Bulstrode, while Draco leaned against the window watching Umbridge and Harry. Warrington proceeded to tell Umbridge how they had captured Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Vanessa had loosened her hold on Luna, not wanting to hurt the young girl like the rest of her housemates were hurting the others.
Umbridge had sent Draco to get Snape, as Harry was not giving her the answers she wanted. He had been using the Floo network when he was caught, and Umbridge believed he was trying to contact Dumbledore. Snape arrived a moment later, Draco tailing behind him.
"Severus, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum."
"You've used the last of my supply to interrogate Potter. I told you three drops would do the trick."
"Can't you make more?"
"It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so it can be ready in a month."
"I don't have a month." She proceeded to tell him about Harry using the Floo. Snape didn't seem surprised by this. She told Snape that she needed to interrogate him, that he had to know where Dumbledore was, but Snape assured her that he had no more Veritaserum in stock.
In a last-ditch effort for help, Harry told Snape that he had Padfoot at the place where it's hidden. Umbridge questioned him, and Snape played dumb. As Snape left, he reiterated what Vanessa had told Crabbe earlier, that if he didn't loosen his grip, Neville would be seriously injured, and Snape didn't want to deal with the paperwork.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," Umbridge said, once Snape had left the room. Hermione was shouting in protest, but it fell on deaf ears. The Headmistress proceeded to tell the room that she was the one who had set Dementors on Harry over the summer. She had wanted Harry silenced, but it didn't work.
Hermione had finally gotten Umbridge's attention. She had told the room that Harry was attempting to contact Dumbledore and that Dumbledore had a secret weapon that they had been working on, and it was finally ready. This seemed to delight Umbridge. She told the Inquisitorial Squad that she would have Harry and Hermione take her to the weapon while they proceeded to watch over the rest of the group.
Vanessa still didn't fully trust Malfoy. Even after the D.A. had been captured, he had still tried to approach her, trying to defend himself and his actions. She didn't know what to believe though.
When Umbridge left the room with Harry and Hermione, Vanessa looked around and caught Ron's eye. Vanessa had attempted the same spell she had used on the twins during the third task of the Triwizard tournament, though instead of it being on herself, she projected it onto her friends.
Suddenly, all of the Slytherins were letting go of their hostages, wincing at the heat. She nodded at Ron and whispered into Luna's ear. Ron grabbed the wands from Vanessa during the distraction, and the group turned on the Slytherins and started attacking them with any manner of spells, hexes, and jinxes they could think of. With a nod to her friend, Ginny hit Vanessa with a jinx to make it look like she hadn't just helped them.
Once the jinx wore off, Vanessa got to her feet and started to help the Slytherins around her. Even though they had been hurting her friends, she wasn't going to let them suffer. It would have looked suspicious.
Vanessa helped them to the hospital wing and explained to Madam Pomfrey what had happened. Once she made sure everyone was settled, she took off to the dungeons to find Snape.
"Miss Diggory, it's been taken care of. The Order has been informed and should be on their way to help your friends if it's not too late."
"What do you mean if it's not too late?"
"There are things you can't know about Miss Diggory. You should go to your dorm. I will make sure you're informed once I have news."
And so Vanessa returned to her common room and waited, eventually falling asleep on the couch. The next morning, she was being shaken awake by Roger Davies.
"Vanessa, wake up."
"What, what's happened?" She looked around, forgetting she had fallen asleep on the couch.
"Professor Snape sent me to get you. He said they're back. The whole school is buzzing about it." He gave her a copy of the Daily Prophet he said he grabbed at breakfast.
She took it from him and quickly read the headline, HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS. She quickly read through the article before rushing to her room to clean herself up and change. A while later, she was running through the doors of the hospital wing.
"I only meant for you to escape, not try and get yourselves killed." She looked around at the lot of them, taking in the various injuries they had sustained the evening before. "I wish I could have been there to help you." Vanessa walked over to where Harry was and looked down at him. "I'm so sorry about Sirius. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
"Thanks, Vanessa. That means a lot."
"Helping us escape was all we needed, Nessa. We knew you couldn't do more than that," Ginny said, smiling up at her from the end of Hermione's bed.
"Should you even be here right now?" The concern was evident in Hermione's voice.
"It's all over. Umbridge is out; Dumbledore is back in. I'm graduating, so I won't have to worry about pretending anymore."
"And you and George can finally be together." Everyone looked around at Ron. "What? I notice things."
She spent several hours with them in the hospital wing. They made fun of Umbridge, who was lying across the room looking delirious. Vanessa had finally made to leave after receiving a summons from the newly reinstated Headmaster.
She was climbing up the steps behind the stone gargoyle minutes later and knocked on the door. When she heard his voice beckon her in, she opened the door and walked inside.
"Miss Diggory. Please, come sit down."
She nodded her head and walked further into the office, taking the empty seat across from Dumbledore.
"I want you to know how foolish you acted yesterday. Your friends told me how you helped them escape." She had started to speak, but he held up a hand. "Sometimes, friendship is more important than duty. I will admit that. You have proven your loyalty and devotion to your friends during your time here. That is why I must ask you to return next year."
"Return? But Professor, I had plans to work on my career once I graduated."
"I understand that. We have reinstated Hagrid, and I believe that you would be a great asset to him. You could continue to learn from him, as you have over the last few years. Hagrid has said you have helped him heal animals when he has been unable to. You can continue to do that. Be his apprentice."
"And the Order?"
"The offer is still open for you to join permanently now that you are going to be out of school. But I will leave that decision to you."
"Yes."
Yes?"
"I will come back next year and help Hagrid. And I will join the Order. I want to be here should my friends or anyone else need my help." She thought of Draco and how oddly he had been acting throughout the year.
"You'll receive a letter sometime in the summer with information about your employment here at Hogwarts. You will, of course, be granted room and board inside the castle. I will have more details for you then. Thank you, Miss Diggory."
She left the office and returned to her room. She had never considered staying at Hogwarts as a career path, but with the oncoming war, it might just be the safest place for her.
The next week went by quickly. Professor McGonagal had returned from St. Mungos, having to use a walking stick, as she still wasn't entirely back to her normal self. Umbridge had recovered from the Centaur attack in the forest and was soon being run off the premises by Peeves. No one was sad to see her leave. Draco, who had been standing next to Vanessa when Umbridge was being chased off, slipped a note into her hand before disappearing.
He was worried about Voldemort being back; he was concerned about his family. With his father now in Azkaban, and having failed his mission, Draco was worried Voldemort would come for his mother and himself. His letter mentioned he would be in contact over the summer if he could. He had trusted her and hoped if the time came, she would be able to help him.
The seventh years were all eagerly anticipating their graduation ceremony. The night before their graduation, they all went up to the Astronomy Tower and had a huge party. They put up a silencing charm so that they wouldn't disturb the rest of the castle. Vanessa spent time with the other four girls she had shared a dorm with for seven years, as well as the other Slytherins in her year.
The group played loud music and drank too much that night. They weren't a group of 40 that they had been for six years. They were now only a group of 37. The twins were gone, running their joke shop in Diagon Alley. And Cedric, Cedric had been gone for a year, and it still hurt. The nine remaining Hufflepuffs silenced the room and called Vanessa over to them. Together, the group raised a glass in Cedric's memory.
That night, she talked to Adrian. She had avoided him for some time but knew she couldn't avoid him in their current setting.
"I'm sorry I've been ignoring you, Adrian. That wasn't fair to you. We've been friends and teammates for years."
"I get it. I'm not George Weasley."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not stupid, Nessa. We've been friends for seven years. Plus, that bludger he hit you with, I know it was intended for me."
She laughed at the memory and touched her arm. "You're not mad?"
He hugged her, still smiling. "Not in the slightest. If I'm honest, I was using you almost as much as you were using me."
Vanessa laughed. "Sophia?"
He nodded. "I figured seeing someone else would help me get over her, but it didn't work. Especially because that someone had feelings for someone else. I asked you out at the beginning of sixth year because I was jealous she was flirting with someone else. Same reason I kept trying to get you to go out with me again this year. I hope it works out between you and Weasley though, considering you two aren't friends anymore."
"We weren't ever not friends. It's a long story. But I love him, and I'm going to tell him when I see him again." Vanessa took a sip of her drink before turning to look around the room. "Sophia, come here," she yelled over the music.
"What are you doing?"
"Just trust me, Pucey."
Sophia came over to the two of them, her long blond hair falling down her shoulders. She eyed the two of them for a moment, her cheeks slightly pink from all the drinking, but she had a jealous glint in her eyes.
Vanessa took another drink and then smiled at both of them. "Soph, I know for a fact you still have feelings for Adrian, and he's just admitted to me that he still has feelings for you too. So would you two please get over yourselves and get back together."
A few of the Slytherins were standing nearby and shouted their agreement. Adrian and Sophia had dated on and off since fourth year but officially split when Sophia decided to have a fling with one of the Beauxbaton boys last year. It obviously didn't last. She had spent most of the year either flirting with random boys or moping around because she wanted Adrian back.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and Vanessa took the opportunity to join the rest of the Slytherins that were watching. Adrian and Sophia were in each other's arms the rest of the night, ignoring everyone else.
Vanessa talked to the rest of her housemates that night. They all admitted that they knew she still had feelings for one of the twins, but the weird part was, none of them seemed to care. Most of them admitted that they liked the twins and thought their pranks were hilarious. Some of them even admitted to secretly dating members of other houses who weren't pureblood. Though not all their parents were Death Eaters, the ones who were, seemed worried that Voldemort's return would mean they would become the next generation of Death Eaters, as their parents would want them to. But none of them seemed to like that idea.
Graham, who had finally recovered from his vanishing cabinet injury, admitted to the group that the only reason he joined the Inquisitorial Squad was because his parents had encouraged him to. They wanted him to be on Umbridge's good side.
It was just what the Order predicted. Voldemort was most likely coming after the children of Death Eaters. Vanessa had no way of knowing what would happen to them once they left school. She probably wouldn't keep in contact with most of them. Maybe the people she played Quidditch with, but that was a stretch. She would probably stay in touch with Adrian, as they had been friends since first year. He was the first person who talked to her after they had both been sorted. It was nice though, she thought, to speak openly and honestly with them for the first time in years.
Vanessa had finished packing all her belongings the next morning and had spent the day wandering around the castle.
When the time came for the ceremony, an area in front of the Black Lake had been filled with rows and rows of chairs. Family and friends filled in first, then the underclassmen. The seventh-year students then made their way down the walkway between the rows of chairs, filling up the seats at the front. They were not divided by house as they had been through their education but were now sitting in alphabetical order, the same way they had been sorted when they first came to Hogwarts. Dumbledore made his usual speech, acknowledging how proud he and the rest of the professors were. He mentioned how far they had come and how far he knew they all would go. He mentioned Voldemort and warned them of the dangers and temptations they may face.
The seat to the left of Vanessa had been left empty for the ceremony in honor of her brother. She kept glancing over at it, even though she knew he wouldn't be there.
Dumbledore, with the help of the Heads of Houses, stood and called each student's name. Their Head of House presented them with an envelope, similar to what they received upon their acceptance into the magical school. However, this envelope included their N.E.W.T. scores and a letter from the Headmaster congratulating them on completing their magical education. As each student went, there were cheers in the crowd.
When it was time for Vanessa's name to be called, Dumbledore also mentioned that she would be receiving an envelope on her brother's behalf. As she walked to Dumbledore and Snape, she glanced out into the crowd. She couldn't believe everyone who had come to see her. Her mother, aunt, the Weasley family, Rosie and Antonia from the Dragon Reserve, Fleur, and Viktor were all there. She turned back to Dumbledore and smiled, taking her envelope from Snape. Professor Sprout moved next to Snape and handed her another envelope.
"For Cedric. He should have been here today."
Vanessa nodded her head, holding back tears, and she made her way back to her seat. Once everyone had made their way through and received their envelopes, Dumbledore moved to center stage again and spoke.
"Seventh years, please reconvene back here in one-half hour. You will be taking the same boats back to Hogsmeade that had brought you to Hogwarts in your first year. Until then, please enjoy your time with your family and friends. Thank you all for attending, and seventh years, best of luck in your futures."
Everyone stood up and began applauding. Many of the students around her were hugging their friends and classmates. She had started to make her way over to her family and friends when Professor Snape stopped her.
"Miss Diggory. I would just like to say that it has been a pleasure teaching you. I haven't seen as much skill in potion-making since I was your age. You should consider a career in it, though I know it isn't your dream."
"Thank you, Professor. And not to worry, I'll still be using my potions skills to help magical creatures."
"And it seems you'll be doing so here at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, it looks like we'll be colleagues of sorts next year."
"I expect you to continue to make Slytherin house proud."
She nodded. "Of course."
He nodded his head to her and took off back towards the rest of the professors.
She ran through the crowd to where her mother was standing and wrapped her arms around her.
"I didn't know you would be here."
"I wouldn't have missed this."
Fred and George had gone to talk to Angelina, Lee, and the rest of their friends from Gryffindor who were graduating.
She proceeded to hug and talk with everyone else in the group, thanking Charlie, Rosie, and Antonia for traveling so far. She had finally made her way to Fleur and Viktor, who had been talking about being back at Hogwarts.
"I can't believe you two came back for this. Thank you so much."
"We wouldn't miss it. Plus, there is this," Fleur brought her hand up to show Vanessa the ring on her finger.
"You're getting married?" She looked from Fleur to Viktor, slightly puzzled, when Bill walked over to them and wrapped an arm around Fleur.
"It's me she's marrying. She'll be spending the summer with the family at the Burrow."
"That's wonderful news. Congratulations."
She turned to Viktor, who had grabbed her hand and kissed it. The two stood and talked for several minutes, catching up with each other and talking about his graduation the year before.
When she had finally started to look for the twins, it was too late. It was time for the students to gather onto the boats to take them across the lake. As it was, she couldn't find either of the twins in the crowd. The seventh years were told that their belongings would be waiting for them when they arrived in Hogsmeade.
She met up with Roger and his girlfriend and decided to take the boat over with them. While the method wasn't as quick as the carriages, she enjoyed the ride, looking at the castle growing smaller in the distance. She was still holding on to the envelopes in her hand and stared down at Cedric's name, wishing he was there with her.
When they finally arrived in Hogsmeade, she got out of the boat and headed towards the train station alone. She put the envelopes in the pockets of her robes, not wanting to lose them. Most of the underclassmen had already arrived, and the platform was full of people. She had seen the group of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, surrounded by several D.A. members who had just stopped Draco and his friends from attacking them.
"You know, now that you're no longer a student, you don't have to take the train back to King's Cross."
She turned around and was face to face with the twins. "Well, maybe I want to. However, I could always pull a Fred and George and fly my broom out of here. That's what all the kids were calling it."
"You're not mad at us for leaving, are you?" George asked.
"No, I'm not mad. It might interest you both to know that after Flitwick finally decided to get rid of the swamp, he left a bit of it roped off in the corridor. He said it was a good bit of magic."
"Well, he's not wrong," Fred said.
"So, are you taking the train, or do you want to come with us? Because we have something to show you."
"But George, all my stuff. My owl."
"We talked to Ginny. She said she would make sure it got back to you."
"Fine, where are we going?"
"You'll see." Fred and George each took one of her hands, and with a pop, they were gone.