There was silence.
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione nervously.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Neville stood and said quietly but firmly, "I'm with you all the way, Harry. He cost me my parents. Anything I can do against him, I will."
Susan stood too. "He let those Death Eaters escape. Death Eaters killed my grandparents and uncle. He won't get away with this."
Ginny leapt to her feet with a grim face. "I'm with you too, Harry. Would have killed my dad if it weren't for you. You can count on the Weasleys."
"That's right," said Ron, strongly and adding more support.
Hermione smiled, "Me too."
Slowly, one by one, every last one of the others agreed.
At last it was Terry who asked the question that was on everybody's mind, "What do you want us to do?"
Hermione took the lead in conversation. "Well, we've got a headquarters already."
"Here, right?" asked Zacharias.
"Well.no. We were thinking more along the lines of.well." she trailed off, unsure of whether or not she should name the place.
Zacharias smirked. "I knew you didn't have anywhere."
"In fact we do have a place," Hermione said, irritated. "Here!" She picked up the diagram of the Shrieking Shack and used a charm to make it large enough for even those in the back to see. "Here, Ron, help me hold the other end so they could see it properly."
"Impressive," admitted Zacharias. Several others agreed.
"Where is this place?" asked Terry, standing and coming forward to get a better look at it.
"You know the Whomping Willow on the grounds? There's a secret tunnel from there that leads to this house."
"The Whomping Willow?" asked Dennis.
"Are you crazy?" echoed his brother. "That thing'll kill us!"
"Nearly," said Harry, grimly.
Hermione propped the diagram against the wall. "Now, before everyone leaves you must sign this paper. You don't have to come back to the next meeting if you don't want to. You can stop being involved in this. But we don't need Death Eaters to find out about us. So everyone signs the paper."
"What if we don't want to?"
"Everyone signs," she repeated firmly. She took out a paper. "This is a contract saying that you won't snitch. You snitch and you'll be worse off than Marietta was last year."
"I heard she had to go to St. Mungo's to get rid of those!" whispered Parvati.
Hermione nodded in satisfaction. "This year, it'll be even worse than that for anybody who snitches. I promise you." Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Harry, Susan, and Luna were the first to sign and the rest followed and signed with utmost reluctance after Luna wandered up.
"Does anybody not want to be a part of this?" asked Hermione cheerfully. "Speak now and leave."
Harry looked around the room, at each of them. He knew from past experience that Hermione and the Weasleys would stick by him no matter what. And the set of Neville's jaw told Harry that he was determined to do this. Susan had a gleam in her eyes that Harry had never noticed before. The others seemed to have some sort of sense about them that Harry couldn't quite define. Eagerness and reluctance at the same time, and a sense of burden but burden of their own choice. "They're all staying," he said quietly. Harry wasn't sure how he was sensing this, but he knew he was right. His gaze lingered a moment on Luna, staring in her eyes from across the room until Hermione's words brought him back to reality.
Hermione looked around. "I think you're right."
"What about some more definite plans?"
"We've got a general idea. We've thought of the perfect person to use as a spy in Slytherin. If she's willing to do it, that is. Haven't asked yet."
"Who is it?" asked Hannah.
"There's a first year, Muriel Hundus. Her twin brother's a Gryffindor. Look, I know you guys don't trust Slytherins but she'd make the ideal spy," explained Ron.
"What makes you say that?"
"Her brother Marcus explained it like this: Slytherins are ambitious, not evil; if we've got one ambitious toward our cause then nothing is going to stop her. Slytherins are a win-at-any-cost kind of lot and if she's on our side." Harry trailed off.
"I think I see what you're getting at," said Colin.
"All in favor of inviting Muriel and Marcus to join us?" asked Hermione, very business like.
Everyone agreed.
"You all still have the fake Galleons I gave you last year, right?" asked Hermione.
All but one or two said they did.
"Good. See, I made some extras last year and I should have just enough of them left to give one each to Muriel, Marcus, and replace the ones you lost. Keep them with you and that's how we'll notify you about the next meeting. It's getting late so we better get back to our houses."
Everyone began to drift out and back into the hall. Harry stayed to roll up the diagram of the Shrieking Shack and put it up on one of the shelves. He noticed one person was still there.
She had her customary "lost" look on her face but Luna's voice was very direct when she seemed to kind of float over to where Harry was and said, "You did the right thing inviting Cho earlier. Everyone was wondering if you'd invite her back here. Even though she didn't come you did the right thing."
"How'd you know I invited her?"
"I was standing near the library door. That comment about Roger Davies was spiteful. He really actually broke up with her yesterday if you didn't know."
"I didn't know."
"I think the meeting went well."
"Yeah. I think so too."
"You didn't tell them you wanted me to spy." She tilted her head. "Why? I know Hermione and Ron think I'd be a good spy if one was needed."
"I didn't think it'd be right you to be used like that," murmured Harry.
"You're a good guy." She blinked slowly. "I'm going back to Ravenclaw now." She wandered off.
Harry found Ron and Hermione waiting for him, everyone else had already vanished from sight, even Luna.
"What took you so long?" asked Ron.
"Oh. I was talking to Luna."
"Again?" There was something of a smile on Ron's lips.
"I'm sure your conversations with Luna are very.interesting but we've really got to be getting back," said Hermione. "Curfew's coming soon."
Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione nervously.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Neville stood and said quietly but firmly, "I'm with you all the way, Harry. He cost me my parents. Anything I can do against him, I will."
Susan stood too. "He let those Death Eaters escape. Death Eaters killed my grandparents and uncle. He won't get away with this."
Ginny leapt to her feet with a grim face. "I'm with you too, Harry. Would have killed my dad if it weren't for you. You can count on the Weasleys."
"That's right," said Ron, strongly and adding more support.
Hermione smiled, "Me too."
Slowly, one by one, every last one of the others agreed.
At last it was Terry who asked the question that was on everybody's mind, "What do you want us to do?"
Hermione took the lead in conversation. "Well, we've got a headquarters already."
"Here, right?" asked Zacharias.
"Well.no. We were thinking more along the lines of.well." she trailed off, unsure of whether or not she should name the place.
Zacharias smirked. "I knew you didn't have anywhere."
"In fact we do have a place," Hermione said, irritated. "Here!" She picked up the diagram of the Shrieking Shack and used a charm to make it large enough for even those in the back to see. "Here, Ron, help me hold the other end so they could see it properly."
"Impressive," admitted Zacharias. Several others agreed.
"Where is this place?" asked Terry, standing and coming forward to get a better look at it.
"You know the Whomping Willow on the grounds? There's a secret tunnel from there that leads to this house."
"The Whomping Willow?" asked Dennis.
"Are you crazy?" echoed his brother. "That thing'll kill us!"
"Nearly," said Harry, grimly.
Hermione propped the diagram against the wall. "Now, before everyone leaves you must sign this paper. You don't have to come back to the next meeting if you don't want to. You can stop being involved in this. But we don't need Death Eaters to find out about us. So everyone signs the paper."
"What if we don't want to?"
"Everyone signs," she repeated firmly. She took out a paper. "This is a contract saying that you won't snitch. You snitch and you'll be worse off than Marietta was last year."
"I heard she had to go to St. Mungo's to get rid of those!" whispered Parvati.
Hermione nodded in satisfaction. "This year, it'll be even worse than that for anybody who snitches. I promise you." Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny, Harry, Susan, and Luna were the first to sign and the rest followed and signed with utmost reluctance after Luna wandered up.
"Does anybody not want to be a part of this?" asked Hermione cheerfully. "Speak now and leave."
Harry looked around the room, at each of them. He knew from past experience that Hermione and the Weasleys would stick by him no matter what. And the set of Neville's jaw told Harry that he was determined to do this. Susan had a gleam in her eyes that Harry had never noticed before. The others seemed to have some sort of sense about them that Harry couldn't quite define. Eagerness and reluctance at the same time, and a sense of burden but burden of their own choice. "They're all staying," he said quietly. Harry wasn't sure how he was sensing this, but he knew he was right. His gaze lingered a moment on Luna, staring in her eyes from across the room until Hermione's words brought him back to reality.
Hermione looked around. "I think you're right."
"What about some more definite plans?"
"We've got a general idea. We've thought of the perfect person to use as a spy in Slytherin. If she's willing to do it, that is. Haven't asked yet."
"Who is it?" asked Hannah.
"There's a first year, Muriel Hundus. Her twin brother's a Gryffindor. Look, I know you guys don't trust Slytherins but she'd make the ideal spy," explained Ron.
"What makes you say that?"
"Her brother Marcus explained it like this: Slytherins are ambitious, not evil; if we've got one ambitious toward our cause then nothing is going to stop her. Slytherins are a win-at-any-cost kind of lot and if she's on our side." Harry trailed off.
"I think I see what you're getting at," said Colin.
"All in favor of inviting Muriel and Marcus to join us?" asked Hermione, very business like.
Everyone agreed.
"You all still have the fake Galleons I gave you last year, right?" asked Hermione.
All but one or two said they did.
"Good. See, I made some extras last year and I should have just enough of them left to give one each to Muriel, Marcus, and replace the ones you lost. Keep them with you and that's how we'll notify you about the next meeting. It's getting late so we better get back to our houses."
Everyone began to drift out and back into the hall. Harry stayed to roll up the diagram of the Shrieking Shack and put it up on one of the shelves. He noticed one person was still there.
She had her customary "lost" look on her face but Luna's voice was very direct when she seemed to kind of float over to where Harry was and said, "You did the right thing inviting Cho earlier. Everyone was wondering if you'd invite her back here. Even though she didn't come you did the right thing."
"How'd you know I invited her?"
"I was standing near the library door. That comment about Roger Davies was spiteful. He really actually broke up with her yesterday if you didn't know."
"I didn't know."
"I think the meeting went well."
"Yeah. I think so too."
"You didn't tell them you wanted me to spy." She tilted her head. "Why? I know Hermione and Ron think I'd be a good spy if one was needed."
"I didn't think it'd be right you to be used like that," murmured Harry.
"You're a good guy." She blinked slowly. "I'm going back to Ravenclaw now." She wandered off.
Harry found Ron and Hermione waiting for him, everyone else had already vanished from sight, even Luna.
"What took you so long?" asked Ron.
"Oh. I was talking to Luna."
"Again?" There was something of a smile on Ron's lips.
"I'm sure your conversations with Luna are very.interesting but we've really got to be getting back," said Hermione. "Curfew's coming soon."