Ch. 9 - Questions, Panic, Escape and Injury

"Are you going to tell us why we're here?" Balise asked when they were all packed into the Three Broomsticks. It was quite a task for the witch running it at that time, to get over two hundred students to fit in it, but after a few expanding spells they were all seated in their own seats, cramped, but comfortable.

"What makes you so sure I even know?" Melina answered. "Just because I was told to get you lot out of the school doesn't mean I know what's going on."

"What are you all looking at me for?" Harry said when all eyes turned to him. "I don't know what's going on." Snuffles barked at the window and Melina and Draco, being closest to it, looked out to see what was going on.

"Oh Merlin." Melina said as both their eyes widened at the sight. "Everybody has their wands right?" She asked still looking out the window. There was a chorus of 'yes' and Melina felt someone else come up to the window but know who it was.

"Oh Merlin is right." Harry said, pulling out his wand and moving toward the door.

"I'm not allowed to let you out of this room or out of my sight." Melina said grabbing his arm. "Don't make me say it Harry." She pleaded. Harry, Draco, Hermione and Ron were the only ones who really knew what she was talking about so the others looked at her in confusion. "Snuffles has permission to bite you if you try to leave, and I have permission to do what I must."

"What's going on out there?" A Ravenclaw called from the other side of the room.

"Hermione, seal the doors and windows." Melina told her, ignoring the students' question. She looked back out the window at the figure she had just seen. It was still where it had been, standing in the light of on to the street lamps, clad in a black hooded robe.

"Do you think it's a Death Eater?" Draco whispered so only she could hear.

"I can't tell if it's a Death Eater or Snape." She whispered back. "Sealing the windows and doors is just in case."

"Then why did Snuffles bark?" Draco asked, continuing to whisper.

"Snuffles hates Snape just as much as he hates Death Eaters." Draco chuckled at that and shook his head.

"Why can't you tell us what's going on?" Seamus asked. "It can't be as bad as not knowing." Melina put a hand over Harry's mouth before he could say anything.

"Let's not cause a panic, ok?" Se told him.

"A panic over what?" Ron asked from behind Harry. The room was quiet again, all eyes on Melina, who was presenting glaring at Ron. She sighed as he shrugged apologetically and she turned to the rest of room. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and she sighed.

"There are-are-um. . ." She took a deep breath before she straighten up. "There are Death Eaters at the school and possibly one right outside." She heard herself say loudly and straightforward. There were gasps heard around the room and everyone's eyes widened as they heard what she just said. "But I can't be sure about the one outside. It could be Snape for all I know."

"Death Eaters?" A first year Hufflepuff whispered.

"Yes and I didn't want to tell you all because I didn't want to cause a panic or in some Slytherin cases, a riot." Melina said eyeing the Slytherins, minus Draco, carefully.

"Melina." Draco said, drawing her attention back to the window. Melina looked back out and saw not one but now three figures outside, all hooded and cloaked.

"Great." She said slumping back in her seat next to Draco.

"What now?" Harry asked moving so her could see out. Melina leaned forward to Hermione.

"Did you seal it so he can't get too?" She whispered and Hermione smiled and nodded.

"What do you see Potter?" Balise asked.

"Two more." Harry answered and moved toward the door and tried to leave.

"Didn't I tell you Snuffles has permission to bite you. And I had Hermione seal the doors and windows. Nothing can get out and hopefully nothing can get in." Melina said almost tiredly as she watched the figures conversing with each other.

"Ok. You know when I said I didn't want to cause a panic?" She asked still looking outside. "Well, I'm about to cause one. For two reasons. One, there's now five of them." She heard a whimper from the back of the room. "Two, they're coming this way."

"Well." Dean Thomas said. "Wands at the ready then." He pulled out his wand and everyone else did the same. Melina watched as the figures drew nearer and out of the street lamps.

"What if they're teachers?" Neville asked, his voice wavering.

"I don't think those are teachers." Draco said following Melina eyes and looking outside. Snuffles barked again and back away from the door, pulling Harry with him.

"We need to get as far away from the doors and windows as we can. Just in case the spell doesn't hold. No offense Hermione." Melina said as they all packed themselves in the middle of the room. The door rattled as someone tried to get in and they heard someone say a spell. There was a shimmering and everything was quiet, the only sound was Snuffles growling at the door.

"I don't think your spell work Hermione." Ron whispered as the door started to open.

"Nobody move." Melina hissed at the group. Everyone stood frozen still while the door opened the rest of the way.

"Well, look what we have here." The person under the hood said in a cold, dark voice. "Looks like I found the Hogwarts students. Are you afraid child?" He asked a first year who moved so she was now behind a seventh year.

"What do you want?" Draco asked as he watched Melina out of the corner of his eye. She was watching the windows, seeing if she could see any of the other people.

"What do I want? I don't want anything. It's what someone else wants that matters." The man answered.

"And what, pray tell, does someone else want?" Melina spoke up, not looking away from the windows. If she was scared, her voice didn't betray her.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to look at the person you were addressing?" The man said, clearly avoiding the question. Melina turned slowly and looked directly at the hooded man, a smirk firmly in place. "I have been sent," The man said, now ignoring her. "to kill all who appose my master."

"All who appose your master? Isn't that a little exocentric?" Lavender spoke up, surprising those around her.

"Silence!" The man bellowed. "To show I do not kill helpless little children, I, and my colleges, are willing to give you a running start." The other four figures appeared behind him. Melina looked over at Harry and then to a window. Harry followed her eyes and then nodded.

"If you're going to give us a running start it'll have to be fair. You'll have to turn around and count to twenty." Melina told him, nudging Draco slightly toward the window, pretending she was just shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The man looked at her for a moment before answering.

"Very well. I'm a fair man. Twenty it is." He turned around and gestured for his colleges to do the same.

"No peeking." Melina added as she moved the students toward the windows after opening all of them with a spell. They all climbed out and took off in different directions. Melina made sure Harry and Snuffles were with her and sent Draco after Hermione and Ron. The students were intermixed as they ran through the street and into the woods, such as Slytherins with Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws with Slytherins, Gryffindors with Hufflepuffs and so on. Melina and Harry were with a few first year Gryffindors, and couple sixth year Slytherins in the woods next to the town.

"Not the best combination." Melina said as she and Snuffles brought up the rear, and Harry led the way. The group stopped short, causing Melina to nearly collide with the back of a Slytherin.

"Quiet everyone." She heard Harry whisper. Up ahead, she saw a shadow pass. It looked a lot like a person with a wand. They all dropped to the ground and hid behind a few trees as another shadow approached the first.

"Did you find any of them?" One asked the other.

"No sir. We can't find any." The other answered.

"They can't be this hard to find, they're only children. Continue searching. Master will not be happy if we come back empty handed." The two shadows separated and went off away from the group of students. They sighed in relief and stood back up and continued walking silently through the woods.

"I think we should head back to the school." Melina said, coming up beside Harry while Snuffles watched from the back.

"What about all the other students?" Harry asked.

"I'll find them. You lead these few back to the castle along with any you might find on the way. I hate to do this but, please go directly back to the castle, and don't try to take on any Death Eaters unless they threaten you." Melina told him.

"Alright." Harry responded automatically.

"Snuffles is coming with me. I'll see you back at the castle." With that She dropped back and went off in search for the other students, Snuffles close behind.


"Quietly." Draco whispered as they walked through the shadows of the trees. "I think there's something up there." He was leading Hermione and Ron, a few Hufflepuffs and two Ravenclaws through the woods as quietly as he could.

"What is it?" Hermione asked from behind him.

"I don't know." Draco answered gesturing for them all to stop.

"Should I say 'boo'?" The students all jumped and turned around to see who was there. Melina stood there, her hands behind her back and Snuffles sitting next to her.

"'Lina!" Draco hissed. "Don't do that! Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?"

"Possibly." Draco glared at her. "I want you all to head back to the castle. Quietly. It's probably safer there than it is here."

"What about you?" Ron whispered.

"I'm going to find the rest of the students." Melina told him.

"I'm coming with you, no arguments." Draco said before she could protest.

"Alright. Ron, lead them back. You and Hermione probably know where the secret passageways are just as well as Harry. If you find any other students on your way, take them with you. Stay safe." With that Melina turned and lead the way in the opposite direction, Draco and Snuffles following.

"Where exactly did you find this dog?" Draco asked quietly, eyeing Snuffles carefully. Melina paused and then turned to him.

"Do you really want to know?" She asked, looking back and forth between the two. Draco nodded and Melina nodded to Snuffles. Draco's eyes widened as he watched the dog slowly turn into a man.

"Merlin." He finally managed to say.

"Draco, I'd like to introduce you to my godfather Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Draco." Melina made the introductions as quietly as she could.

"Malfoy?" Sirius asked shaking the shocked boy's hand.

"He renounced the name of Malfoy. He's using his mother's maiden name." Melina explained.

"Is he now? I can't say I don't like it, 'cause if I did, I'd be saying I don't like my own name." Sirius said, trying to get some sort of reaction from Draco, who was still shell shocked. That is until Melina stamped on his foot.

"Pleasure to meet you sir." He said finally.

"Best turn back into Snuffles. Don't want any Death Eaters seeing you like this." Melina told her godfather. Sirius nodded and slowly turned back into the large black dog that was Snuffles.


"How many more do you think there are?" Draco asked as they walked through the shadows of the buildings in Hogsmeade. They had found a good amount of students wandering through the woods. A couple of the groups were battered, having been found and narrowly escaped, but no one was missing so far.

"I don't think there's a lot more. We found about 3/4 of them so far. There might be two or three groups left." Melina said as they moved quickly out of the shadows and into another. They stopped for a moment to look around a building and started off again. Well, they would have if Snuffles hadn't grabbed Melina's cloak with his teeth.

"Draco wait." She whispered, pulling him back behind the building. "What is it?" She asked the dog form of her godfather. Snuffles looked off in the direction of the Three Broomsticks and Melina followed his gaze. The building was a few yards away and standing in front of it were two of the Death Eaters and they were obviously guarding something inside. "We'll go around the back to see if there's any students in there." Melina gestured for them to head in the direction they had just come and moved around to the back of the Three Broomsticks.

"Do you see anything?" Draco whispered as he kept an eye out behind them for any other Death Eaters.

"This isn't good." Melina said as she looked through the window with Snuffles.

"What isn't good? Are there students in there?" Draco asked, worry clear in his voice.

"Four students and our potions master. Along with four Death Eaters. I think there's more of them than we thought." Melina told him. Snuffles huffed at the window at Snapes form. "No Sirius, we have to help him. I happen to like our dear professor Snape. Draco," She said turning back to the Slytherin. "I want you to go and see if you can find anymore students. If you do, or don't, go back to the castle." Draco opened his mouth to argue but Melina cut him off. "No do as I say and don't make me say the magic word. I'll be fine, I've got my godfather after all." She gestured to Snuffles. Draco heaved a sigh and nodded reluctantly.

"Don't go and get yourself killed. Harry'll never forgive me if you do that." He pulled her to her and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "Be careful." He said and turned and headed silently into the dark woods. Melina turned back to the window and saw Snuffles looking at her, his head cocked to the side and she could have sworn he was smiling.

"Did I forget to mention that he's my boyfriend?" She asked innocently before turning back to look through the window. "Ginny, Seamus, I think that's a Hufflepuff, and Balise Zabini. What an odd combination." She whispered to herself. "Best think of how to get them out of there, shouldn't we?" Snuffles gave a quiet 'woof'. "Because they were my responsibility. I can't just leave them there. Come on. Let's take care of the ones outside first." She walked silently around the building and peeked around the corner.

The two Death Eaters were stand at the door not moving. "Potrificus Totalus." She whispered and one of the men(or woman) fell to the ground unmoving. The other took one look the rounded the corner. "Stupefy. Potrificus Totalus." Melina said in one breath and that one, too, went down. Snuffles dragged them both to the woods and Melina put a second binding spell on them that bound them to a tree. "I think that was too easy." She said as she moved toward the door. She saw five wands on a table next to one of the Death Eaters and opened the door ever so slightly. "Wands." She whispered, holding out her hands. All five wands flew quickly into her hand and she re-shut the door. "Those have to be the stupidest Death Eaters I've ever seen." She said as she slipped back to the back of the building, wands in hand, and Snuffles following close behind.

She found the back door and entered without a sound, only pausing long enough to hold the door open for the large black dog. Taking a deep breath, she dropped to the floor and crawled to the door that led into the main room where the students and Snape were being held. Good thing it's open. She thought to herself as she crawled through the open door to behind to counter. She went to the other side and looked around the corner and found herself looking at Snape back. This is a little too easy. She looked back to see Snuffles lying on the other side of the door, waiting to pounce if need be. She moved along the back of the row of chairs that held the students. Way to easy. Although it looks like they're all under binding spells. She put the wands on the inside of her cloak and crawled backward back around the counter.

"How tragic to come so far and accomplish nothing." She looked to her side and saw who she suspected was the same man who she had baited into counting to twenty.

"Not nothing. I had fun." Melina said, keeping her mind on anything but Sirius, just in case he could get into her mind. She stood to her feet and pointed her wand at him. She could felt his smirk from under his hood.

"There are five of us and one of you. How could you possibly take on all of us at once?" He asked, holding his gaze on her wand.

"Who said I'm going to take you on?" She asked sweetly. "Now don't move I want to show you a trick." She turned back to the students and Snape and pointed her wand at them. "Sulatot Sucifirtop!" She yelled. They five of them broke out of their binds and stood to their feet. The wands in Melina's inside pocket somehow managed to make it to her hand and then into theirs. The man glared at her and then swiped the wand out of her hand, pulling his out at the same time. Ginny and the other students dropped to the floor as the other Death Eaters pulled their wands out. Melina stood frozen in her spot, looking at the man and then down at her wand.

"Out of luck I'd say. Crucius!" He said, the spell flew from his wand in, what seemed to Melina, slow motion. She closed her eyes and felt wave after wave of pain hit her. She heard Sirius bark and Snape shout but it all sounded distant as she hit the floor, blackness coming over her.


I have this story finished. It's just taking a while to update.