AN: sorry so short, but I couldn't resist posting again. I'll be a while, and I know you'll kill me for the way this ends, so please, don't. Sev doesn't show up yet. This is what I call the "transitional" chapter into the next world. Anyhoo, I just said what I wanted to last chapter, so please, enjoy!

Chapter Eighteen: Trial And Error

Emilia now had to figure out what exactly she was going to do with the Gryffindors, now that she'd gotten them all safe. With all of them looking at her expectantly with ashen faces, she found that she wasn't as sure as she was before about finding them a way out.

She needed to get them out of harms way. Right now, they were no better than they were with the Death Eaters. Things were looking up, though. She needed to get them to Dumbledore. He'd know what to do. Then, she was going to do some spy work.

"We need to go to the Hufflepuff Common Room," she said clearly. She wasn't quite sure of where it was, just the general direction. There were about twenty of them, she counted quickly. One group was too big. Two groups would take too much time. Hmm...

"All right, this is how were going to do it. I'm going to take all of you, all at once. We must keep as quiet as possible. This is of the highest importance. Do I make myself clear?"

They all nodded slowly, and each of them looked scared. This was no help. "Okay then, let's go." She walked to the door and pulled, opening it just a little. Scanning the area, she saw no one. She walked out and raised her wand. "If you see anyone, tell me and don't be afraid to defend yourself. I hope I taught you well enough for that."

"Defend us against animals, not people!" someone whispered urgently, and Emilia noticed they were all on the brink of nervous breakdown. Emilia felt her exhaustion settle in, and their nervous faces made her anxious and tired, both at the same time.

All twenty of them made their way through the corridors, quietly and cautiously. Emilia could hear every footstep, every breath, every whisper that they made, and it was making her paranoid. Certainly someone would hear them. Certainly they would meet someone on their way. It was inevitable. And it was foolish to think otherwise.

One of the Weasley twins had made his way to the front of the group. "Professor," Fred said calmly, "I think we could be of assistance."

She glanced at them, and saw Lee Jordan and his brother standing there. Bruises and cuts were on all of them, more so on the twins. In the bright shine from the flashes of lightening, pouring from the windows, she could see they were tired and frightened.

"We know this school better than anyone," Fred continued, and gestured to the wall. "I can probably get us all there in a very short time."

Emilia looked at him for a moment. That suggestion would definitely enable them to get to Dumbledore before anyone found them—but what if they got lost inside the corridors of the walls? Severus and she almost did once, and the prospect of having 20 adolescent children in a panic was something she did not need at all.

"Are you three sure you can get us there safely?" she said. Even she did not know the way to the Hufflepuff common room, and this was probably the best idea she had heard today, she was wary of entering the walls again.

"There's a statue up ahead," Jordan said. "If you open it up, it leads right to where you need to go. The only thing is..." he said, trailing off and looking at the twins expectantly—a panicky kind of expectancy, an anxious look.

"It is very, very narrow," George finished. "About two feet wide, at the most, and four feet tall. It's a small nook, really. But it's the fastest way."

"Unless you want to walk down further. There are so few passages that lead over to the Hufflepuff Dormitory, not many of our trails would help you," the other twin continued.

"Not to mention," Jordan added, "the only other trail to the Hufflepuff Dormitory is near the Potions corridor."

The three of them were silent. She could hear the wind howling outside, and the thunder booming in the distance. "We didn't think it wise to use that corridor, Professor," Fred said at last.

"Of course," Emilia agreed, waving her hand. She weighed her options. None of them were good options. They must be talking about the one that she came through, after she parted with Severus and Dumbledore. That corridor was large, but crawling with Death Eaters, many of them on the lookout for Dumbledore. What the hell was she going to do?

Looking at her group, she saw that not many of them would have problems going through, but if one of them got stuck...could she risk doing magic inside the walls? Something needed to go right this morning. They said it was the fastest way. She believed them, of course, and decided that she needed to take the risk.

"Show us the way," she said to their expectant faces.

Fred smiled weakly and told her to follow him. They edged their way against the wall, and suddenly, without even realizing it, she had reached the statue they were talking about.

"Alohomora!" George whispered, pointing his wand at the statue of Franc the Friendly, whose arm was up in a happy wave. The arm swung down and the statue moved out, edging along the floor slowly, making a creaking sort of noise. She scrunched her nose at the sound, hoping that no one can hear. The loudness of it made her heart jump—surely, surely—someone ought to have heard it. It was so loud, she held her breath, waiting for some Death Eater to pop out from behind the corner. But nothing came. Emilia look back at the statue, and saw that it had opened all the way, revealing a narrow, dark inside. The entrance was jagged and very rough stone; much different from the passage near the Slytherin corridors. At a first glance, even if she saw the statue open, she wouldn't have bothered with it, that's how small it appeared.

It was barely two feet wide; like the twins had said, it was a small and narrow passage. They would have to edge in one at a time. She appointed Fred at the beginning of the group, to lead them, along with Hermione Granger, the fifth year Prefect. Emilia figured that Granger, being nearly a copy-paste model of McGonagall, would be the best choice for order where she couldn't see. Lee Jordan offered to take up the middle, after seven or so people went through; going through himself, she could tell that he was not as confident as he tried to be. George Weasley took up the end, along with Emilia. She edged in herself, banging her head on the ceiling, and closed the statue, yanking it once again through the floor. Now it was completely dark in the tunnel.

"Lumos!" was whispered up and down the hall. The dark hallway suddenly lit up with those who had their wands, which was not many. Out of twenty, only twelve of them had wands, including herself. Suddenly, she began to worry. Not enough people had the ability to defend themselves...

The corridor was small and cramped; Emilia felt herself slide uncomfortably against the wall. How long was this corridor? How much had they covered? Thirty feet? Forty? She could no longer see far behind her; the maximum was two feet, as the corridor went up and twisted in a spiral. Emilia figured that they were going up an inside of a tower. Without warning, the walls condensed a little, and Emilia began to feel the onset of claustrophobia. Her stomach was tight and her muscles tense; her worry for being caught was almost unbearable.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. In her own wandlight, she saw George's face change from ashen to pale to stark white. "How long is this corridor?"

"Not too much further, Professor," he said, his voice strained. "About another fifty feet."

She nodded abruptly. God, this was only getting worse. The walls were coming even closer. Emilia estimated a foot now, in width. At least the top was getting taller. She was able to stand up properly, and Emilia was five foot-seven.

Twenty feet...thirty feet...she counted off the amounts in her head. They would be there soon...but she had no idea the distance from there to the dormitory. And would Dumbledore even be there, once they finally arrived? God, she hoped so. She would cry if he wasn't; that's how upset she was.

"Professor, Fred is out," George said suddenly. There had been whispers down the line; it was much like the Muggle game of Telephone. "He wants to know what you'd like to do."

Emilia bit her lip. She very well couldn't edge her way down the line to see if it is safe. She reached in her pocket, and felt for something—anything—she could send to Fred. By her luck, Potter kept a spare bit of parchment and a Muggle pen in his pocket (which she found odd, to say the least). Pulling off the cap to the felt pen, she scrawled in untidy handwriting to Fred that he should find the nearest classroom—preferably alone—and unlock it. Then he should get everyone in there, telling them that they should all look for any signs of trouble before crossing. She waited a second, to let the ink dry, then folded it in half. She whispered to George, "Hand this down to Weasley, please."

"Certainly," he said, taking the note and nudging the person next to him. She watched to note pass from on person to the next until she could no longer see the paper. Emilia sighed. She needed some rest. Her stomach hurt, from the stress and the pain...her mind was exhausted, her body was exhausted...and she felt like she couldn't deal with planning so far ahead, agreeing with the negative images and trying to plan around them, trying to make sure that they all arrive safely and soundly...

Emilia closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deep. She trying to calm herself down...but it wasn't working. She was nudged by George, once more. "He's found a classroom. He's going right now, and from what I've heard, it's really close to the Hufflepuff Dormitories."

Emilia opened her eyes, and turned to him. Trying to give him a smile, though it was weak, she said, "Thank you, George."

They moved up the corridor, and Emilia was happy no blood curdling screams errupted yet. Finally, it was just George and her left, and they made their way across the hall and down to the right, entering a Charms classroom.

It was a small room, used for special classes, and therefore the desks were spread apart, totally maybe about ten tables throughout the room. There was three windows on the other side, small, open castle windows in the wall, and the murky outside gave her stomach a little jolt. The clouds were swirling within themselves, a black and dark gray mass, flashing with jagged lightening and loud cracks of thunder (AN: I don't usually do this, but to get the better example, think of the clouds in Twister with the "jumper" tornado they got stuck in—the one where Bill tries to comfort Joe, and Bill's fiancée get really pissed). It must be right on them. There was no rain, however, but the wind was so strong it was making even the Whomping Willow bend to its will; the top most branches were brushing the ground, and it pounded on the castle walls. The lake, she could see, was slamming the ground with four feet waves with pure-white crests. Emilia felt suddenly very small, and very scared.

All of them were jumping or gasping with the thunder, which rang in their ears. Emilia plucked up her courage and turned around, facing the class and looking at them squarely.

"All right, I'm going to go and make sure Dumbledore is inside the Hufflepuff Common Room. Then I'm going to come out and bring you all in. Please, I want you to get down near the ground, and try not to make any sounds. I'm going to lock the door when I leave, so please, don't leave. I know all of you are tired, scared and hurt," she continued, glancing at Ginny and Ron Weasley, who were the most battered of all, "but please bear with me. I'm tired and hurt just like all of you. So I know what it feels like, and I know it's a terrible burden, but please bear with me. I promise much sleep and food when we get done." She smiled weakly. "All right, I'm leaving now. Please, all of you, lay down and keep quiet. Don't talk, try not to move, just relax and calm down while I consult with the Headmaster." She spun away and opened the door cautiously. She heard shufflings as people got on the floor, and turned around. They were all lying on their stomachs or their backs, all of them in a dreary state of exhaustion. She nodded, revolving on her heel, and turned her attention to the door, muttering the Locking Charm. She heard it click, and then, peering outside, she exited swiftly and closed the door behind her.

The hall was dark and fairly eerie...much like the Slytherin corridors, but the Hufflepuff dormitories were on the fifth floor. The thunder continued to roll outside, with no signs of relenting. It was almost suitable to the situation, she thought, slightly amused. She edged along the wall, and looked around the corner. Just as she did, the flash of lightning struck through the window, blinding her for a moment. She turned back, and breathed in deep. She nearly screamed. This goddamn storm was going to be the last of her. It was creeping her out. She never much liked thunder or lightning; especially lightning.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and was on her shoulder. Emilia whipped her head around, her hand jutting out and smacking the assailant in the stomach, who collapsed with a satisfied knocked-wind sound and her wand was pointing at his head. She looked down at who it was, and gasped.

"You!"