I do not own Harry Potter or gain anything from writing this other than the opportunity of expanding on an already brilliant universe for my own entertainment, and hopefully yours.

Elevated Threat

'So … wanna talk about it?' Daphne asked, being very careful to keep the smile off her face.

'No,' Ginny said from her place lying on a sofa, staring up at the ceiling of the secret room.

'Thought you called me here 'cause you wanted to talk about it,' Daphne said patiently.

'You thought wrong,' Ginny mumbled.

'I don't think I did.'

'It's complicated.'

'That's why you need to talk about it.'

'That's why I don't want to talk about it.'

Daphne let the silence hang, knowing Ginny will show some of that Gryffindor courage and open up when she's ready. In a rare turn of events, Daphne was sitting in the secret room on a Saturday morning. It wasn't planned, but on her way to the library after breakfast she caught Ginny standing alone in the corridors, looking lost. The inside the head kind of lost, not the outside the head kind. They ignored each other as they normally would in public, but then Ginny locked eyes with her, then gestured her head up the stairs. So Daphne followed from a distance until they arrived at the secret room, finding a single sofa and a cushioned chair and no one else there with them.

'Harry broke up with me after Dumbledore's funeral,' she finally said, and Daphne settled in for a long story. 'He didn't do it 'cause he wanted to though, he did it 'cause … you know … Dumbledore was dead, and You-Know-Who wants Harry dead and he was going off to do whatever it is he's doing this year. And he wanted me to be safe.'

There was the question of whether You-Know-Who was even aware of the break up or the relationship beforehand, but Daphne didn't voice it, just stayed quiet and listened. She understood why Potter did it, his hope was probably for Ginny to keep a low profile. Which she really wasn't, at all.

'Then he came over to my house in the summer before he turned seventeen. They tried to get him when he left his house because the protections were … anyway, he came to my house. And even though he broke up with me, on his birthday, I kind of kissed him. And he kissed me back. So I don't know if we really are broken up or if it's like a temporary thing until we win the war, or if he's afraid he'll … If he's afraid he won't …'

Tears seemed a certainty, but with a deep breath and an iron will, she settled her emotions and trudged on.

'So anyway, during my brother's wedding, the Death Eaters attacked, and he had to run. That's the last time I saw him, and I haven't heard anything about him in a very long time. School's been too distracting for me to worry about whether he's OK or not, I just kind of have to trust he is. So while he's been out of my mind and not here, Neville's taken control of everything. And … he's been so brilliant at it. It's been me and Luna and Neville from the time we got on the train until they took Luna away, and even when they were taking her, Neville tried to fight them off. In all honesty it was stupid, Luna was shouting him off because there were way too many of them, but he tried anyway.

'I know he fancies me, you know. He's fancied me since the Yule Ball. We went together and it was wonderful. But I didn't think I fancied him … but … I really, really do.'

She sat up suddenly and looked at Daphne desperately.

'But I fancy Harry too! I fancied him before I even met him, but I was so nervous every time I saw him I just made a fool of myself! Then he saved my life from the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk and the diary and I knew he was the one for me! But I was even more nervous after that. So Hermione said to try dating some other boys because he was never going to even look at me because I was just a fumbling idiot around him.

'Well, while I was dating Dean, in the summer after Sirius died, he started to notice me, because I was actually being myself around him. He told me after, when we got together last year, he said he was a little obsessed with me but I was with Dean so he couldn't do anything about it. Then when he took the Felix Felicis he bumped into me and Dean and I broke up with him because of it, and I didn't even know it! But that was good luck for him, right? Then he kissed me. And it's still my patronus memory. And then I kissed Neville and I … I'm so confused!'

There was quite a bit to sort through there and honestly quite a bit Ginny probably didn't intend to share. Such as certain things about the Chamber of Secrets with Basilisks and a Sirius that … possibly meant Sirius Black? She spoke about him with such familiarity though, so maybe it's another Sirius? But really, how many people named Sirius are there? Most parents aren't that stupid.

'Do you still fancy Harry?' Daphne asked, deciding to ignore the extra bits and just focus on helping Ginny.

'Yes,' Ginny said with certainty, lying back on the sofa.

'And you fancy Neville?'

'Yes.' There was no less certainty in her voice.

'And they both fancy you?'

She faltered, a bit of insecurity showing on her face.

'I know Neville does,' she eventually mumbled.

'Well from what you're saying I bet Potter still does too,' Daphne said dismissively. 'Maybe you can have them both at the same time, think they'd go for that?'

The incredulous look was certainly worth the joke, though Ginny definitely didn't appreciate being laughed at after pouring her heart out.

'Listen, Ginny,' Daphne said, holding the girl back as she was trying to leave. 'Right now there are far bigger problems than which boy you fancy more. Just … take your time. Talk to Neville and tell him you want to sort all this out later. He'll understand. Harry's his friend too, right?'

After a bit more time spent talking it out, Ginny agreed that was the best way to go about it. Talking to Neville was especially important as he certainly has no idea where they stand. What with the kiss, her running away, and not knowing how Potter will react to it all. But as Daphne said, boy troubles were the least of their concerns right now. Leaving out the Dark forces for a moment, Daphne had a problem of her own that needed to be dealt with. So once Ginny was done sharing her problems, Daphne took her turn.

Astoria and Tracey couldn't leave well enough alone. They gave up trying to find out what Daphne was hiding when still at home, but once they were back at Hogwarts their efforts were increased. Daphne warned Madam Pomfrey about this and was glad she had, because one night when she returned from healing members of the DA in the secret room, the two of them were both in the hospital wing demanding to see Daphne. She was lucky to have returned that night relatively early or else their suspicions might have been realised, but thankfully Daphne was able to come out from the back room and send them away. It wasn't the end of the world if she was caught not in the hospital wing when she wasn't supposed to be, but if Astoria and Tracey weren't careful they could accidentally raise suspicion from the Carrows.

'Would they keep it to themselves if you asked them to?' Ginny questioned. 'If you told them the truth, I mean.'

'Probably,' Daphne sighed, 'but I'm worried they'll blame your lot for putting me in danger.'

'Do you want me to talk to them?' Ginny inquired. 'That way you won't be breaking your promise to keep quiet about us.'

While Daphne appreciated the offer, she knew it wasn't really a good idea to bring Tracey and Astoria here in case they decided to go to the Carrows despite Daphne demanding they don't. She was trying to think of it from the reverse perspective. If, before she started healing these people, Daphne found out either Tracey or Astoria joined the DA to fight back against their oppressors, she'd be livid with them. Livid and frightened to the point she might do something stupid to try and cripple the group so there was no group to fight with anymore. So they had no opportunity to put themselves in danger. She cared about her sister and best friend more than anyone else in the world, just like they cared about her more than anyone else in the world.

As Daphne was thanking Ginny but saying she'd manage, Ginny said, 'I could show you another slightly less secret room to meet them. Have you ever been to the kitchens?'

So it was that two nights later a very nervous Daphne waited in the kitchens with her sister and best friend, who were too busy being in awe of the eager to please house elves to notice how nervous Daphne was.

'Stephen and I can have a romantic dinner here!' Tracey said excitedly.

'Yes, very romantic,' Astoria smirked. 'Just you and him and about fifty house elves.'

And also Ginny Weasley, Daphne thought as the portrait door opened and the red-haired girl stepped inside.

Astoria and Tracey stiffened at her entrance, then their hands shifted subtly to their wands when she approached. Daphne's wand was already out, but it was obviously not out of some kind of defensive instinct, it was because of the nasty cut over Ginny's eye. Before anyone said a word in explanation Daphne was already healing her, a fond smile being forced onto Ginny's face as she was fussed over.

'Daphne!' Astoria hissed. 'You really are healing them in secret?!'

'She is,' Ginny answered before Daphne had a chance, 'but we're being very careful to keep it hidden.'

'You're going to get yourself hurt!' Tracey was eyeing the busy house elves as they approached to learn if the newcomers would like something to eat.

Ginny already told Daphne that the house-elves didn't report to the Headmaster, so she wasn't worried. To them, McGonagall was their master, as she was the one who became Headmistress when Dumbledore died. It was only by the Dark Lord's meddling that Snape found his way to the position he was in. Daphne felt safer than she had before, safer even to heal Ginny outside the secret room. Even the paranoia that Daphne could be given up by someone in the DA wasn't as much of a concern anymore, and not just because she was one of them now. The Carrows weren't even aware that someone was healing the banned students behind their backs. If someone from the DA had the brilliant idea to snitch on her, a Slytherin, it would be pretty simple to turn it around on them. As long as Daphne didn't get caught red handed she should be fine.

'Daphne isn't helping us in any way other than healing,' Ginny was explaining to Astoria and Tracey as Daphne transfigured Ginny's face. 'We're being very sneaky about it. No one suspects anything is wrong, and no one can get into our secret room unless none of us are there. She's not going to get caught.'

'You can't guarantee that,' Astoria argued haughtily.

'Even if you don't get caught, why are you doing this in the first place?' Tracey didn't seem angry, it was more like she was just scared. And despite her question, Daphne knew she had a good idea of the answer already.

'At first it started because I just couldn't stand seeing them hurt without being able to get help,' Daphne explained, Tracey letting out a groan when her suspicions were confirmed, 'but now it's because they're my friends. And I won't abandon them.'

The conversation progressed to Astoria and Tracey attempting to have Daphne see reason, but she would not see what they called reason. She had her own reason that she saw, and she in turn tried to get them to see that. Not much came of their attempts, but at least Astoria and Tracey (very grudgingly mind) agreed to not do anything that could call attention to Daphne's sneaking around. They also came to admit that Ginny seemed an alright sort. And Ginny admitted afterward that she thought Daphne might've been the only exception to the rule that all Slytherins were evil tossers, but saw there was more to the house of snakes than what it appears from the outside.

A great deal of time passed with everything going relatively smoothly, though with some bumps along the way. First of all, they did seem to have reached their limit for members being recruited to Dumbledore's Army. That's why they started doing things that Ginny said the DA was created for. Learning how to fight. The original DA members became instructors of sorts as they had the highest level of duelling knowledge, passing on some of the lessons Potter taught them back in fifth year.

Daphne could honestly say she was pleasantly surprised with how effective the tutoring ended up becoming for her. She'd frequent the secret room more often than they needed healing just so she could pick the brain of one of the more knowledgeable DA members. Her proudest achievement was when she managed a corporeal patronus under Ginny's guidance. It took the form of a hawk.

Worse than a lack of new members was that Neville's premonition about being followed was correct, and soon the Carrows began keeping close watch on the seventh floor corridor that was the entrance to the secret room. Ginny was accurate in her claims that no one they didn't want would be able to get in. The Carrows even had Pansy try, the big mouthed girl probably telling them she's used the room before, but she had no luck.

The fact that Daphne never learned exactly what the secret room was was because Neville was a bit of a prick. He said that things were working with her not knowing, so he didn't think it made sense to tell her more. She didn't think it came from a place of distrust, but it was rather annoying that the only Slytherin of their group was the only one not privy to the knowledge. Everyone else agreed to keep the secret from Daphne, claiming Neville's the boss, even if their claim was half in jest.

Even without being told things like how to access the room herself, it didn't stop her observing the space. The room was more than what she imagined it was, and she was incredibly curious about it. Since the seventh floor corridor was being guarded, Neville decided it was time to change where it exited, which was apparently possible. So he moved the room to a second floor corridor, where it lasted a while before it was located by the Carrows again and Neville moved it once more. The frustration of the Carrows eventually got to a boiling point and they decided it was finally time to take care of their primary source of frustration; Neville Longbottom.

Well Neville was ready, and he managed to slip out of their grasp and make the room his permanent hiding place. This was right about the time of Easter holiday, and while Neville was locked away of his own volition, everyone else went home. He insisted he would be fine though, and everyone knew he could handle himself so no one was too worried. Apparently his grandmother was attacked by Death Eaters in an attempt to get to him anyway, but the old woman was too much for them to handle and was now on the run and immensely proud of her grandson.

No one was taken from the train this time, thankfully, but not all of them made it back from the holiday. To Daphne's shame, she didn't even notice that Ginny hadn't returned to school until the first time she was called to the secret room. The only explanation they got was a letter Neville received, and some messages using a method that was never really clear, something about galleons. There was some horrifying news mixed in there but it managed to end happily.

Harry Potter was captured. That statement alone was enough to send the entire DA that was listening to Neville's second hand story into a panic, but he silenced them to continue the tale. Potter and Weasley and Granger were taken to Malfoy Manor, but Potter was somewhat disguised magically so they weren't sure it was him. The specifics of what happened from there were unclear, but apparently Granger was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and Potter and Weasley managed to wrestle a wand from a Death Eater. They sprung Granger and escaped, but on top of that they also rescued Luna and Dean Thomas in the process, who were both also prisoners at Malfoy Manor.

There were times when Daphne was at school when stories of Harry Potter were thrown around, but most of them seemed broken stories, only pieces of the truth with potentially a great deal of exaggeration mixed in for good measure. Ginny has hinted at some of the true tales, but never went into much detail other than the Chamber of Secrets incident, which still seemed impossible. But Ginny was there and saw the evidence, and Daphne knew she wouldn't just make that up.

This though, this she knew must be true. It seemed so unreal and amazing that Daphne was surprised she did believe it. She believed every word. And even if she didn't, seeing the state Draco Malfoy was in would have been proof enough for her. It was unclear who's wrath he was forced to suffer. He didn't look unlike Neville so frequently looked after being on the receiving end of the Carrows' displeasure. Though Draco was certainly as bad as Neville has been at his worst. It felt strange patching him up in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey, like she was helping an enemy, but she just needed to remind herself that it was all part of blending in and not raising suspicions.

Despite Draco being relatively untouched all year, it hasn't seemed like he was having a good one. He was a Death Eater, so the Carrows didn't bother him at all and he in turn elected to stay away from them. He's never been to a single mandatory Muggle Studies class, and he's an infrequent participant in Dark Arts. It wouldn't be a stretch to guess that he wanted out of this war just as much as everyone else. And beyond that, he probably wished his left arm did not have a tattoo on it.

She felt pity for him, sure, but his crimes were still unforgivable in her mind. Just because he regrets going too deep, doesn't mean he didn't go there in the first place.

'I'm surprised you're still in the country,' Draco said in a hoarse voice.

Because of the severity of his injuries, Madam Pomfrey was forcing him to stay the night, and he didn't put up much of a fight anyway. Daphne was just finishing up for the night, doing some tidying around the hospital wing at Madam Pomfrey's request, and apparently Draco was looking for a chat. They don't talk much, but in the past they've had an amicable conversation on occasion. Draco wasn't so bad while they were just talking. It was when he was released into the world and came into contact with "mudbloods" and Harry Potter that he became a complete tosser. Then when he served his master he skirted with the word evil.

'I decided to finish my final year,' Daphne said as she was changing the sheets on one of the beds. 'You might do well to think of leaving yourself.'

He let out a weak chuckle, a look of complete defeat on his face.

'Can't,' he mumbled, raising his left hand. 'Tethered.'

It was tempting to ask him about the story of Malfoy Manor, but she didn't want to make him suspicious. She shouldn't know anything about that. It wasn't impossible for her to be sneaky though.

'Who used the Cruciatus on you anyway? I wouldn't believe you'd get it from the Carrows.'

He scoffed incredulously, as if a Cruciatus from the Carrows was nothing compared to what he went through. Which, based on her assumption, it's probably an appropriate reaction.

'I displeased my master,' he grumbled petulantly.

'And how'd you do that?'

'Let Potter get the better of me again.' To her surprise he had a huge smile on his face as he said it. But then it broke into a frown. 'Bastard took my wand from me.'

'You actually saw Potter?' Daphne asked convincingly.

'He came and went,' he shrugged. 'Granger got the worst of it. Not that it's any of your business.'

'Well you're telling the story,' she replied. 'What do you think of all this Chosen One stuff anyway? You know, the stories before the Prophet started being told what to say.'

He let out another chuckle. It seems he found it amusing how transparent his master was with his control of wizarding Britain.

'Well he's not dead yet,' Draco said, 'so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.'

After his words he settled himself down on the bed and shut his eyes, so Daphne took it as a dismissal. She didn't want to push him for too much information lest she give the game away, so decided to play it safe.

'And Daphne?' he called as she was heading out the door. 'You really should try to be more careful. You're not being as sneaky as you think.'

Daphne froze with the door open, being careful not to react too much as she turned to look back at him. He still had his eyes closed though, but was also wearing a cocky smirk.

'Not sure what you mean, Draco,' Daphne said evenly.

'Sure, sure,' Draco said, waving his hand in dismissal. 'I'll just pretend I didn't see anything.'

She watched him for another minute from the doorway, but he didn't do anything, just lay there. So she left, her heart pounding frantically at what Draco Malfoy could have possibly seen, at where she could have slipped up. She always wore the Invisibility Cloak from the back room of the hospital wing to inside the secret room. There was only once or twice where she'd forgone the cloak just out of convenience, but perhaps that was a mistake. That hasn't been for a long while though. Is it possible he was just guessing? Or maybe he noticed something off with her transfigurations and put two and two together since she's Pomfrey's apprentice?

Whatever he knew, and however he knew it, he didn't do anything about it. About a month passed and nothing happened, at least not to Daphne as a consequence of anything Draco did. He was either bluffing or didn't care enough to do anything about what he saw or noticed. His little cryptic message did give her a mini panic attack though.

During that time the Carrows were becoming more and more aggressive from their frustration, and soon Neville wasn't alone in hiding in the secret room. A handful more were forced there and others joined them just to avoid dealing with the Carrows. The school was getting more empty every day. The NEWT classes in particular saw very few students who were not in Slytherin. Food wasn't an issue for those in the room, as Neville once again demonstrated its brilliance by somehow creating a passage to the Hogshead, where Aberforth Dumbledore began providing them with sustenance.

The question of where this was all headed started being asked more frequently in the DA. They were getting antsy to act while shut inside the room, to take out the Carrows and Snape for good so the school could be out of You-Know-Who's control.

Little did they know that everything was about to come to a head, and they were going to get far more than they bargained for. It began on May 1st, when an Evening Prophet arrived with an image on the cover of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger riding on the back of a dragon, breaking free from Gringotts Bank after robbing the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange.