"Did you see that old toad's face? Merlin, why'd the twins have to go and set the standard that damn high?" Ginny lamented in the Castle Centre for what seemed the hundredth time.

Evanna couldn't begrudge her friend for it. She had seemed sad about more than the end of the DA for a few weeks, though she had refused to talk about it and Evanna had been doing her best not to pry into her friends' minds too much when she could help it. Anyway, the twins' spectacular escape from Hogwarts had been just what it took to cheer Ginny up again. Several weeks had passed since the explosion of fireworks that had followed the Weasley twins out, but the entire school was still talking about it. One of the corridors was still marked off because of the portable swamp taking up a large portion of it.

"We all saw it, Gin. The entire school saw it," Bridget drawled, less than impressed with the performance. She had been doing her best to distance herself from the DA and all it entailed. Evanna wondered if her friend had also received a stern warning from her family, if not quite as scary as Evanna's own. "And I still can't get to my Charms class without taking three extra staircases."

Ginny waved off the Hufflepuff, obviously unwilling to hear anything against her brothers' triumphant exit.

"How did Mrs. Weasley take it?" Luna asked.

"Oh, Fred wrote that Mum was raving mad, but Dad pointed out that Grandpop Prewett never graduated from Hogwarts either, and he did just fine," she said. "I think it helps that the twins were able to show Mum just how much money they've made selling their prank line this year. Apparently, they've enough to buy a storefront in Diagon."

"They're actually making a business out of their pranks?" Bridget said.

"That's what they say they're doing, and I've never met anyone as determined at the twins."

Evanna nodded along like she was still listening, but her mind was miles away. Her hand itched from the blood quill they had to use in detention. The phrase "I must not break rules" felt as though it had been carved to her bones. When Professor Snape had seen it, he had gone ballistic, but as Dolores Umbridge was now Headmaster, he had not been able to do anything. In fact, he had been ready to report the whole mess to Evanna's father and allow the Dark Lord to punish those who would dare hurt his heir, but Evanna had begged the professor to keep the punishment to himself. It was best not to remind her father of why Evanna was in so many detentions now.

Ginny looked as though she was going to continue about something, when there was a burning against Evanna's thigh. Despite having effectively left the DA in January, despite Harry glaring at her every time he saw her in the hallway, despite that the DA had been completely disbanded, Evanna had kept the coin Granger had spelled in her pocket. As she looked around the room, she saw she was not the only one to have done so.

Evanna quickly pulled the coin out. Where the serial number should have been was the word "HELP-LIFE OR DEATH".

"What could those idiots be up to now?" Ginny said, voicing the thought everyone was thinking. Evanna did not quite trust herself to speak.

"Shall we go to the Room of Requirement to see?" Luna asked.

"We're in enough trouble because of Potter, aren't we?" Bridget demanded. "I don't like the sound of 'life or death'."

"No such thing as enough trouble, the twins would say," Ginny joked. "This school is shite now and we're all screwed no matter what we do this year-may as well try for a little adventure, and help somebody."

"I agree with Bridget," Evanna said softly. Ginny gaped at her.

"Oh, c'mon," Ginny said. "I know you and Harry-well, no, I don't really know what your problem has been this year-but you know that they wouldn't have sent out this message if the situation wasn't dire."

Evanna did know Harry Potter well enough to know that whatever it was he was calling them for was likely dangerous to the nth degree.

Likely it had to do with her father.

After their last conversation, Evanna could not help but feel she would just be making things worse for herself and for Harry. "Things are just different this year."

"We all know your dad is dead now, Evanna," she said angrily. "There is no reason you can't come with us-others have gotten away-all you have to do is come to my house over the summer-"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Ginevra," Bridget said forcefully. Ginny glared at her. "Leave it."

"Fine, you two stay here hiding, prove everyone out there right about your families. But I'm going to help Harry," Ginny said. "Are you coming, Luna?"

Luna looked sadly at Evanna and Bridget before walking over to Ginny. Evanna could not help but think that this moment was the start of some great divide in her world.

"Have fun following your fathers' footsteps," Ginny sniped in an ugly tone.

"You-"

Evanna held Bridget back, feeling a great weight settle on her as Luna drug Ginny from the room. She wondered if this was how the founders felt-a dozen and one large secrets kept but always creeping closer and closer to sudden explosion.

"She knows things aren't the same for us-she forced you into a big enough risk bringing you to the DA meeting-she-"

Bridget was seething mad on Evanna's behalf, it seemed. It was a strange feeling.

"She doesn't know everything at stake, B," Evanna said softly. "Maybe if I told her-"

"You will not tell Ginny bloody Weasley who your father is," Bridget said forcefully. "Do you want a repeat of what happened with Potter?"

"Ginny isn't Harry. She-"

"Was bloody possessed by your father and nearly killed by him first year!" Bridget exclaimed. "And just now, she all but accused us of becoming Death Eaters!"

"I am not a Death E-"

"Save me the pretentious bull, Evanna," Bridget said. "You're trying to play both sides and it's going to get someone killed."

Evanna shook her head, not so much denying what her friend was saying as she was trying to find a way around it.

"Whatever is going on… It can't be too bad can it?" Evanna asked Bridget. The Hufflepuff gave her a look that clearly said she thought Evanna was stupid, but did not say as much. Nothing involving Harry Potter could be deemed as anything less than 'bad'.

"If that keeps you from doing something incredibly stupid, then no, it is probably just blowing off steam against Umbridge after taking his OWLs."

Evanna nodded, pacing a bit.

"You still have your Transfiguration exam, remember? So why don't you sit down and study," Bridget pressed, obviously doing her best to keep an eye on Evanna until she was sure the other girl would not do something stupid.

In all fairness, Evanna tried to focus on her Transfiguration text. But the words kept blurring as she thought about what might be happening to Luna and Ginny and Harry. Had her father found the prophecy? Or was he luring Harry out to do his dirty work for him? And once he knew exactly what the prophecy said, how long before he succeeded in killing Harry? And if Ginny or Luna were with him, what would he do to them?

"I think I'm going to go talk to Professor Snape," she said. "It's best an adult knows when Harry Potter is up to something."

"Evann-"

But she was gone.

Draco POV

Draco liked to hold his girlfriend. She was warm-not surprising, given the fiery temper he liked to poke for fun-but also surprisingly soft given her stubborn nature. When they were alone, he liked to sometimes run his fingers up her sides, making her shriek in laughter and indignation.

They were not alone though.

Instead, he was holding her arms behind her back in Professor Umbridge's office as she tried to cajole Potter into telling her where exactly Sirius Black was located.

"Any chance of you letting me go?" Ginny hissed.

"Why would I want to do that?" Draco breathed in her ear, something like pride welling up in his chest when she shuddered slightly against him.

"You're the one leaving the country," she hissed back. Draco's grip tightened slightly. "We are trying to save an innocent man!"

"Do you Gryffindors ever learn-"

He was cut off by the entrance of his Head of House. Professor Snape's fathomless black eyes locked on Draco. Draco gripped Ginny even tighter.

"Ow, Dra-Malfoy."

"Sorry."

"-the last of my Veritaserum supply on Ms. Edgecombe," Professor Snape was saying.

Draco couldn't help but raise his eyebrows-they had been using Veritaserum on students? To use such substances on a witch or wizard before the age of majority was strictly prohibited. And yet, here they were, about to use it on the Boy-Who-Lived himself. If Draco had not already been wanting to leave the country, he did now.

Ginny twisted in his arms as Potter turned to shout something unintelligible after Professor Snape. Something in his chest ached; he would be leaving her. Ginny Weasley was a fighter, and he knew she would be ok the front lines of this war. Could he really bring himself to leave her?

"I suppose, Mr. Potter, that if you won't tell me yourself, I will have to resort to desperate measures," Umbridge was saying as she lifted her stubby wand from the desk gingerly. "The Cruciatus Curse should loosen your tongue."

It felt as though someone had poured icy water down Draco's spine. He had never liked Potter, but the Cruciatus?

"Do something, please!" Ginny hissed in his arms.

But Draco had no idea what to do. How could he stop any of this? He hadn't been able to stop his mother being hurt, his father being killed, whatever the hell had happened to his sister-cousin-what could he possibly hope to do to stop Harry Potter from being hurt?

"No! Just tell her, Harry!" Granger suddenly sobbed. The muggleborn quickly weaved a tale about a weapon the Headmaster left for them that left Draco's mind spinning. Draco might have believed her if the looks the Gryffindors were exchanging had not been so obvious.

Apparently, Umbridge had not paid any attention to the rest of the room.

"Well?" Umbridge demanded. "Lead the way!"

Draco could hardly believe it as Potter, Granger, and Umbridge all marched out the office in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. Silence reigned as they made their way down the hall. However, Draco felt his girlfriend's muscles all tense.

"Who knows about the summer?" she muttered.

"What? No one-"

"Sorry about this then."

Before Draco could say anything, Ginny had shouted "NOW!" and dug her sharp elbow in the gut as she yanked her wand from his grasp, Bat-Bogey Hexes flying as the other members of the DA freed themselves as well. The Inquisitorial Squad were half on the floor, trying to fight the barrage of hexes they had been served but having little luck in ridding themselves of the spells. As he wheezed, he could not help but admire the way her body twisted and her bright red hair shone.

She turned back to him with a self-satisfied smirk that had him in need of a cold shower. He almost wanted to smile back her, as she blew him a kiss.

Then she pointed her wand at him.

"Don't you da-"

Great, green mucus-filled bats began flapping at his face, scratching him with dripping claws. He frantically tried to smack them off of himself but to no avail. From a great distance, he heard several Stunning Spells being fired. Then, closer, Ginny's voice.

"Sorry, love. Had to make it believable," she whispered. "Stupefy!"

Then, the world went dark.