Someday, I will own something of great importance.

This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already

owns that.

End of Year Five

The next few weeks were, to put it mildly, rather

hellish. For once in her life, Ryua was wishing the

school year would end. At least at home, she had the

chance to attack her problems…

Now, she was stuck in the Slytherin dorm during much

of her off hours, with no quidditch or DA meetings to

occupy her. And when she wasn't there, she was with

Umbridge, carving letters into the palm of her hand

over, and over, and over… Ashley was there too for

three weeks, although they didn't get to talk a whole

lot. And then Ashley's detention was up, and Umbridge

kept Ryua for pure spite. At the end of the month,

Snape had fully intended to say something about it,

but Ryua was adamant. "You and Draco are the only

people left down here that I actually like, sir. If

you try to go against her, you'll end up in Azkaban,

probably, and then I'll really lose it." So Snape

waited, brewing up the occasional potion strengthener,

to boost Ryua's cream.

Even with that, there were still definite lines etched

into her skin. Ryua had noticed one day that on the

palm, the scars were sunken, while on the backs they

stayed up. Man, that's morbid… you know you've got too

many old wounds when…

Gryffindor won the cup, thanks to Ron's spectacular

come about. And, being in Slytherin with Umbridge

breathing down her neck, she couldn't even go to his

celebration party.

There was one good thing happening, though. With

Dumbledore gone, various students and teachers decided

to just let it all out. Even though the teachers

couldn't talk to the students about anything except

their subject, they were obviously rebelling. Sprout,

after seeing Harry's box of mice for the Quibbler

article, was now handing out candies in class. They

were rather like those little sweet tarts, except for

the messages, which read something along the lines of;

"Down with Umbridge", "Silent Rebellion", "Dumbledore

Forever!", and a couple obviously inspired by Fred and

George, such as "Beat the Butterball", and, "Oust the

Bitch!"

McGonnagall was stubbornly teaching her students the

same as ever, regardless of what Umbridge said. And,

since she was smarter, older, and wilier, she always

managed to find an older Ministry decree to support

her for it. It was a real treat to see Umbridge balked

at her own game… especially because McGonnagall seemed

to be assigning less homework.

Potions, even though Snape hated the Gryffindors as

much as ever, was transformed. He was concentrating on

poisons, hallucinogenic vapors, antidotes… anything

that could possibly be useful on their DADA finals.

And, as those who believed Dumbledore and Harry

realized, whatever could help to make up for their

lack of defensive instruction when the war broke out.

And for the first time ever, Ryua was excelling in

Charms. Flitwick had also thrown the more domestic

charms out the window, and was concentrating on spells

useful in a duel. Since it was her left hand that was

in a permanent state of disability this time, Ryua was

at the top of her form, charming people into

immobility, confusion, floating, tickling… Flitwick

was ecstatic to have finally made a breakthrough, and

Ryua was thrilled to have a shot at passing her OWL…

Care of Magical Creatures, on the other hand, was

pretty awful. Grubblyplank was a good enough teacher,

of course, but the Gryffindors' foul moods were

catching. Not having Hagrid around just took a little

something out of it. The danger, the excitement, the

uncertainty… all the stuff that made the class so much

fun, in Ryua's point of view.

And then the OWLs, which had been looming over them

since the first day, arrived. Or rather, the frail

looking judges who were grading them did. Classes were

suspended for the fifth and seventh years, and

studying tripled. The written DADA was no problem, and

neither was the practical, thanks to all the extra

practice time. Neville was in the room at the same

time as Ryua, and she was proud to see how much he'd

improved. He'd be getting an EE, at the very least.

And Harry's stag guaranteed him an O… and Draco wasn't

nearly as good as he'd expected. Rusty skills…

Potions was gleefully easy, Transfiguration went by

without a hitch, Arithmancy, Care of Magical

Creatures… the only one that really made her sweat was

Charms, of course. And lucky her, her judge was a

retired Auror, and had a penchant for dueling spells.

There were still the required domestic ones (most of

which Ryua failed miserably), but he seemed more than

willing to balance it with the spells she did know.

And then there was the Astronomy practical exam. Ryua

was about three-quarters through when she heard the

unmistakable sounds of a duel starting up. She jerked

up, head whipping around to see if the Death Eaters

had decided to come storming in and saw a jet of red

light. Stunners… can't be Death Eaters then. By now,

Harry and a handful of others had also looked over,

and she heard him say, "They're going for Hagrid!"

"No way," Ryua said, following him over to join Ron

and Hermione at the terrace. Sure enough, illuminated

by the light from his cabin and the wands of the

wizards below, Hagrid was in a full raging fury. A

rouge stunner hit Fang, which caused Hagrid to bellow

and knock the erring wizard back ten yards or so with

one hand. The spells sloughed off of him, probably

because of the giant's blood (Idiots! Ryua muttered.

So much for superior Auror training.) And then the

doors to the Great Hall burst open and McGonnagall was

rushing down the steps, wand raised, voice calling out

clearly across the grounds.

In the next instant, four stunners hit her square in

the chest. Hermione screamed, and Ryua wasn't far from

it. McGonnagall never came off as being a frail

pushover, but Ryua knew that no one was invincible,

and someone at her age couldn't take that much of a

jolt. Instead, she turned around and pelted towards

the hospital wing, just a little lower in the tower.

She would have followed Pomfery down and blasted a few

Aurors, but was (probably for the best) shoved

hurriedly back up the stairs.

She just cleared the top of the stairs again to see

Hagrid disappearing into the Forest, Fang slung over

his shoulder. The shocked OWL judge shook himself and

announced, "Two minutes test time…" but rather

quietly, knowing no one was paying the least bit of

attention.

The next two days saw Ryua spending a lot of time

asleep or getting the last bit of quidditch practice

in that she could, and of course, the never ending

detentions. And then one afternoon, when Ryua had just

come in from an exhilarating flight, she saw a sobbing

Hermione leading Harry and Umbridge into the Forest.

She was about to follow when she heard Draco's voice

echoing down a corridor. And he sounded far too

cheerful to mean any good for anyone else. So Ryua

slinked up the hall, easing around Umbridge's office

door.

There were three DA members, under watch of the

Inquisitorial Squad. Draco held a fistful of wands,

and his own pointing casually at each of the

Gryffindors. Ryua, not hesitating in the slightest,

quietly said, "Expelliarmus!"

The result was utter mayhem. Ginny, Neville, and Luna

all made a mad scramble for their wands, Luna calmly

breaking Crabbe's nose, Neville and Ron expertly

stunning the two by the window, and Ginny setting off

a truly exceptional bat bogey curse… in fact, it made

Ryua's nose itch to watch it. Instead, she calmly

picked up Harry and Hermione's wands and said, "Shall

we go then? And would someone tell me what's going on?

And while we're at it… could you teach me that spell,

Ginny?"

"Good timing," Ginny said, jogging down the corridor.

"Hermione's got Umbridge thinking that Dumbledore made

a weapon of some sort, and is hiding it in the

forest…"

"So now they're in the forest, without wands!" Ron

said, obviously worried. "And I have no clue what

she's up to!"

"Lovely." Ryua picked up the pace. She knew Harry and

Hermione could take care of themselves, but that was

with wands…

And they'd just gotten a hundred or two yards in when

they saw the two of them hurrying back, covered in

blood.

"Blimey, what happened to you two?" Ron drew to a

halt, aghast.

"Hmm? Oh, the blood. That's Gropp's." Hermione said,

taking her wand from Ryua.

"What's a Gropp?" Neville asked, panting.

"Hagrid's big brother," Harry said, trying to wipe his

glasses on his bloodstained robes. Ryua took them and

did it for him as he said, "Hagrid told us in the

middle of your quidditch game, Ron. We'll fill you in

later."

"Could anyone tell me what's going on?" Ryua asked,

handing Harry his glasses and wand.

"Voldemort's got Sirius in the Department of

Mysteries."

Ryua whistled. "And with most of the decent teachers

gone… did you tell anyone?"

"Yeah, well… sort of. I don't know if Snape understood

or not, I wasn't about to say it in front of Umbridge

and the Squad."

"So, we'll go get him," Ron said, although he looked

rather pale.

And how are we supposed to get to London?" Hermione

asked, tapping her foot.

"Those…" Luna said, pointing at a Thestral nibbling on

Harry's sleeve. Harry jumped, then a grim smile

stretched across his face.

"Whats? I don't see anything," Ron said, still

clueless.

"Thestrals, Ron." Ryua said, steering him towards

another one. "They're wonderful creatures really. Just

tell you where you want to go, and they'll take you

there. I really have to get one…"

"Okay." Neville set his jaw and awkwardly climbed up

on a Thestral licking Hermione's back.

"No. Just the three of us."

"What? There's no way three of you can take on a whole

load of Death Eaters!" Ryua said, stunned.

Yeah, you aren't leaving us," Ginny flatly stated,

looking incredibly like Fred and George.

"Yes, we are. I'm not getting you four in trouble."

"Too late, Harry." Neville said, having guided Ginny

onto a Thestral. "We're coming."

Harry looked helplessly from face to face, finally

settling on Ryua, sitting like an Amazon cavalry

warrior on her Thestral. "You stay, Ryua."

What? Have you lost your mind, Potter? You need me,

and there's no way I'm not following."

"Ryua, think about this. Your life's dangerous enough

as it is. If your father, or Voldemort finds out where

you are, you're screwed."

"I don't CARE!" Ryua snarled back, glaring at him.

"I'm not letting you go off against them, they'll kill

you. I know exactly what they're capable of, Harry."

"Ryua… Harry's right," Hermione said hesitantly. "If

you get caught attacking Death Eaters, with Harry…"

"What. What? They'll kill me? Who gives a damn?" Ryua

said, seething. Her Thestral danced under her, sensing

the high tension in its rider.

"I do." Harry said, firmly. "You're staying here."

"And how do you propose to make me? Stun me, and I'll

be helpless in this forest."

"Hermione, Thestrals go wherever you tell them,

right?"

Uh… yes."

"Okay. Silencio." Harry said, pointing his wand.

Ryua's eyes flew wide, blazing with fury. She started

calling him things that probably were better off

muted, but was helpless to do anything. Sure, if she

tried hard enough, she could probably curse a couple

of them, but what would be the point in that. "I'm

really sorry, Ryua, but you're not coming. Talk to

Snape, let him know."

Snape? Why the hell does he want me to talk to Snape?

Surely he knows Snape's a Death Eater by now… Ryua

watched helplessly as the other six told their

Thestrals the destination and disappeared through the

trees. Silently growling, she slid off her mount and

took off at a dead run. She was far enough out that it

was faster to stop at the broom shed than go directly

to the school. For a moment, she considered flying

after them, but realized she didn't have a chance of

tailing them without knowing the route. Instead, she

shot off to the school grounds, searching the walls

for an open window on her way.

Dumbledore's office window was wide open. Considering

it had been impenetrable since he left, it seemed like

something she ought to investigate. Inside was Snape,

talking to Professor Lupin in the fireplace. Ryua

glided in, and jumped to the floor with as much noise

as possible, considering she couldn't make much else

in the way of sound. Snape whirled around, looking

terrified, then relaxed when he saw her. "Ryua? What

are you doing here? Why is there blood on your hand?"

Ryua just stared, tapping her foot impatiently.

Snape's face cleared, and he undid the charm. "Harry,

Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood have

all taken off on Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic to

rescue Sirius Black!" Ryua burst out in one breath.

"And Harry told me to come and tell you. Now, I know

he hates you, and he knows you're a Death Eater. So

would you PLEASE tell me what is going on? Oh, hello

Professor," Ryua added calmly.

" Hello Ryua. Snape? It's your call. You're the

closest thing to a guardian the girl has. I'll take

care of things here." Lupin disappeared in a wash of

flame, leaving Ryua and Snape standing in the empty

office.

"Sir?" Ryua asked, rather demanding now.

"By rights, Ryua, I should wipe your memory now. It

could save your life…"

He was cut off by Ryua's wand pointed at his throat.

"Listen, sir, I've been having a very frustrating day,

where people start to tell me something, and then

charm me so they don't have to answer. Well, I want

some bloody answers! I'm tired of people treating me like a little kid!"

"Alright. Alright," he said, carefully lowering her

wand. "I want you to know that what I'm about to tell

you could make life exceedingly difficult for you… and

me. Even if you choose for me to wipe your memory

afterwards, that can be broken through if he suspects

anything, do you understand?" at her nod, he took a

deep breath and continued. "I'm not a Death Eater. At

least, not anymore. I'm a spy. I'm a member of

Dumbledore's answer to the Dark Lord's inner circle, a

secret organization. Harry, Hermione, and the whole

Weasley clan have known since summer. I didn't tell

you because…"

"No, that I understand. So… there's someone going

after them?"

"Yes. As much of the Order as can be mustered. Only

myself and the other member teachers will stay.

"Huh. Well. That's… huh. That explains a few things."

"Like?"

"Like how Dumbledore trusts you, went to bat while you

were on trial, why Harry told me to find you, and not…

Pomfery or someone."

"Hmm. Hopefully, no one else begins to suspect, or my

life is forfeit. With luck, Dumbledore will kill me

first."

Ryua grimaced. "So… we just have to wait?"

"Yes." Snape sighed. "We wait."

It was an incredibly long wait. Hours crawled by, and

they both waited in Dumbledore's office the whole

time. It was the site of the only secure floo place,

Fawkes' favorite spot, and the one place no one would

think or be able to look for them. They didn't talk

much, their thoughts in the Department of Mysteries,

wondering, hoping…

And then the fireplace flared up green, and an

exhausted, tear-streaked Harry fell into Ryua's arms.

She shifted him into a chair, looking back for anyone

else, but the fire died down again. "What happened,

Harry? Where are the others?"

"Hospital wing, I think," he mumbled. Snape turned on

his heel and went there.

"What happened?" Ryua asked, sitting on another chair.

"…A trap… Death Eaters everywhere, Hermione out, Luna

out, Ron out, Ginny out… Just me and Neville by the

end, thought we were dead… Then… they came… with…

with…" Harry couldn't finish, he couldn't force the

next words past his throat. He was completely still,

just the slightest tremors in his fingers. Ryua

recognized it as stress, the special kind of stress

you get after pain, fear, loss… all the worst things

rolled into one ordeal.

Unfortunately, she had no idea what to do to make it

better. Usually, she and Draco just patched each other

up, and generally fell asleep right after. Harry

didn't have any obvious cuts or curse marks… and he

looked like he'd never be able to sleep again,

exhausted as he obviously was. Awkwardly, she held his

hand, wishing she could do something more to help.

When the fireplace flared up again, Ryua placed

herself between Harry and the fire, wand pointed at…

Dumbledore's long, white beard. "Ryua, I promised

Harry I would speak with him now, and I have very

little time to waste. Please go to the hospital wing,

or wait at the bottom of my stairs for him."

It wasn't like Dumbledore to be so… abrupt, but Ryua

went anyway. It probably was one of those things she

really shouldn't hear if she expected to live the

summer out. But she did wait at the bottom of the

stairs, glaring at whoever happened by. They all sped

on their way, without bothering to look twice. Once

glance was enough to ascertain her mood.

Harry walked listlessly out from behind the gargoyle,

and Ryua gently pulled him up to the hospital wing.

Looks like I'll have to wait… She was completely

distracted, anyway, when she got into the wing and saw

the condition of her other friends. Hermione and Luna

were deathly pale, lying perfectly still, but with

their faces uncovered, signifying they were still

alive. Ron was also unconscious, but twitching as if

with bad dreams, and covered in weals even Ryua

couldn't recognize. Ginny was walking carefully over

to help Harry to a bed, tired but in one piece.

Neville was sitting on the end of his bed, his front

soaked in blood, with Madam Pomfery fixing a

spectacularly broken nose. "By the Four, what

happened?"

Having been shooed away by Madam Pomfery, Ginny came

over to Neville's bed, where Ryua had also sat down.

And between the two of them, they managed a fairly

complete version of events.

"Well." Ryua said, and then couldn't think of anything

to follow.

"Yeah. Aah… sorry about landing your various family

members in Azkaban, Ryua," Neville said nervously.

"Eh, good riddance. Draco and I'll have the run of the

house now. It should actually make for a decent

summer… until Voldemort breaks them out of Azkaban, of

course."

"Yeah. Hey, if that happens, come over to my place,"

Ginny said, "Just floo there, or something, we're at

the Burrow. We don't' have a whole lot of room, but

Mum'll always take in another kid."

"Thanks…" Ryua said, glancing back over at the four

sleeping students. "Hope they'll be alright."

"Yeah. It was a long night."

"I wish I could have helped you…"

"No you don't. If Lucius was that mean to just regular

kids, I can't imagine what he'd have done to you,"

Neville said, looking over at them.

"Poor Harry. The first family he'd ever really had…"

Ginny said quietly. Ryua knew she was thinking about

her own family, her brother so close to death…

"Yeah." Ryua really couldn't imagine. She'd never been

really close enough to people to really miss them when

they were gone. Narcissa… nope. Lucius? Hell, she'd

kill him herself, given half a chance. Aunt Bella? The

Crabbes or Goyles? Not really… "I should go. It's

probably not a good choice to be hanging around here…"

"Yeah, I guess. We'll let you know…"

"Thanks…" It wasn't until she was down into the

dungeon levels that she realized just how terrified

she was that Harry wouldn't last the night… "Shit. I

am not falling for the Boy Who Lived. I'm not, I'm

not, I'm not…"

Author's Note: I actually sort of like this one,

unlike the last four or so. Not perfect… but it's

getting there, it's getting there (and I just noticed

it's 7 pages…). Thanks, JeannieBeannie, for letting me

know someone still cares if I exist… And sorry if the formatting is messed up. I can only type on one computer, but it won't let me access or hotmail. So, I have to copy it into my yahoo email, send it to my hotmail, copy and paste to a word document, save it on this computer, and then I can upload it... all because floppy disks aren't compatable with the laptop... Ah, maybe I'll fix it, someday, if I ever figure out how!