Chapter 30
Snape's Sacking
I gasped as Harry dropped to his knees, biting his lip to keep from screaming from the pain in his scar.
I blanked away from Carrow, hearing Voldemort hiss triumphantly "THEY HAVE THE TWINS!"
"YOU!" I said, drawing my wand and pointing it at her shakily. "You told the entire school I was dead!"
"No one missed you, you pathetic half blood." Alecto said with a grin. "No one will miss you when I finish you off, either!"
"Stupefy!" I heard Luna whisper next to me.
All of a sudden, there was a loud BANG and Alecto fell forwards, falling with such a loud crash that the glasses in the bookcases tinkles.
"Good thinking, Luna." I said, clapping her on the back.
"I never Stunned anyone except in our DA lessons." Luna said as Harry stood up. "It was noisier than I thought it would be."
I laughed, clapping Luna across the back again with a grin as there was sounds from above. The noise roused the sleeping Ravenclaws above.
"Quick, both of you, in the Cloak!" Harry said, grabbing me and getting me under the Cloak as Ravenclaws poured down, surrounding Alecto as if she was a sleeping beast going to attack them any second. Suddenly, one brave little first year darted over and prodded her ass with his big toe.
"I think she's dead!" he said excitedly.
The Ravenclaws surrounded her even more, murmuring excitedly.
"Oh, look, Hannah," Luna said, beaming at me. "They're pleased!"
"Only because of you!" I whispered, clapping her on the back. "Good on you, Luna."
Suddenly, there was a panicked rapping on the door, making every Ravenclaw (and me and Harry) freeze as we heard the musical voice from the eagle doorknocker.
"Where do vanished objects go?"
"I dunno, do I? Shut it!" said the uncouth voice of the Carrow brother, Amycus. "Alecto? Alecto? Are you in there? Have you got them? Open the door!"
The Ravenclaws muttered to themselves terrified as without warning, there were bangs echoing through the room as though a gun was being fired.
"ALECTO! If he comes and we haven't got either Potter or Harley Quinn…do you want to go the same as Lucius Malfoy…ANSWER ME!"
The Ravenclaws scarpered up to their rooms as Carrow started shaking the door, to no avail. Before Harry and I could blast the door open and Stun Amycus, a second, most familiar voice rang through the room.
"May I ask what you are doing, Professor Carrow?"
"Trying to get through this damned door!" Carrow shouted. "Go and get Flitwick! Get him to open it, now!"
"But isn't your sister in there?" asked Professor Minerva McGonagall, Head of Harry's house. "Didn't Professor Flitwick let her in earlier this evening at your urgent request? Perhaps she could open the door for you. Then you needn't wake half the castle. It is almost as if Harley Quinn is in the room with her."
"She ain't answering, you old besom, so for all you know she is! You open it then! Garn! Do it now!"
"Certainly, if you wish it." McGonagall said with awful coldness as she rapped on the door.
"Where do vanished objects go?" the doorknocker said.
"Into non-being, which is to say, everything." McGonagall said.
"Nicely phrased." the doorknocker said, opening the door.
There stood stumpy Amycus Carrow, who's tiny eyes locked on the sight of Alecto motionless on the floor. He let out a roar of rage and fear
"What've they done, the little whelps!?" he screamed. "I'll Cruciate the lot of them until they tell me who did it! And what's the Dark Lord going to say?" he asked, standing over Alecto and smacking his forehead with his fist. "We haven't got any of them, and they've gorn and killed her!"
"She's only Stunned." McGonagall said, standing from checking Alecto. "She'll be perfectly fine."
"No, she bludgering well won't!" Amycus shouted. "Not after the Dark Lord gets a hold of her! She's gorn and sent for him! I felt me Mark burn, and he thinks we have either the Potters or Harley Quinn!"
"The Potters?" McGonagall said. "Didn't you tell the entire school a week into this term that Miss Hannah Potter had been killed?"
"We lied!" Amycus said. "We lied to break the Malfoy boy! Telling him his only lover was dead was all his Father could think of to get his son to work on the Dark side! But now he's gorn and fallen in love with Harley Quinn!"
"What did you mean when you said 'Got Potters or Harley Quinn?'" McGonagall asked, looking shocked and confused.
"He told us they might try to get into Ravenclaw Tower, and to send for him if we caught them!"
"Why would Mr Potter try to get into Ravenclaw Tower? Potter belongs in my house!" McGonagall said, a small ounce of pride shining through her annoyed tone. Harry felt admiration for her.
"We was told he might come in here! I don't know why, do I?" Carrow said.
McGonagall stood, her beady eyes roaming to room, twice they passed over where Harry, Luna and I stood.
"We can pass this off on the kids." Amycus said, his piggy face suddenly crafty. "Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids…them kids up there." his eyes went up to where the sleeping Ravenclaws were. "And we'll say they forced her to press her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm…he can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"
I tied my mask on, stepping out as Harry failed to stop me. "The only difference between truth and lies, courage and cowardice." I said as Professor McGonagall turned pale at the sight of me. "A difference that you Snake Faced Little Shits; pardon the language, Professor," I added to Professor McGonagall. "that you cannot appreciate."
"Allow me to make one thing clear, before Miss Quinn finishes her speech." McGonagall said with a nod to me. "You are not going to pass off your…your…"
"Idiocy." I said.
"Thank you, Miss Quinn." McGonagall said. "your idiocy on the students of Hogwarts. I will not allow it."
"And I won't permit you to get away with it with your lives." I said with a sneer.
"Excuse me?" Amycus said, moving towards me and McGonagall. "It isn't a case of what you'll permit, Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me up or pay the price. And you," he said, turning to me. "you call me an idiot for trying to pin something on some stupid kids, but you're the idiot for coming into a school where you are public enemy number one. The only ones who know that you didn't kill Hannah Potter are my sister, myself and this pathetic excuse for a teacher. No one will even care when I kill you."
Before I could even protest, Amycus grabbed me, spitting in McGonagall's face as Harry whipped his Cloak off, revealing himself and Luna.
"You shouldn't have done that!" he snarled, drawing his wand. "Crucio!"
"HARRY, NO!" I screamed before Amycus put me in front of the curse, causing Harry to retract as I fell to my back.
"Mei-Mei!" Harry shouted, lifting me up and putting me behind him, casting the curse on Amycus again
Amycus rose up, writhing around like a drowning man, howling in pain until he smashed into a bookcase with a crunch and a shower of glass, getting me in the arms and breaking skin when he crumpled, insensible to the floor.
Harry looked at his wand. "Wow, Bellatrix was right." he said. "You really have to mean it!"
"Potter!" McGonagall gasped, clutching her heart. "Potter! - You're here! What -? How - ?" McGonagall managed to pull herself together and glared at Harry. "Potter, that was foolish!"
"He spat at you and tried to kill my sister." Harry said.
"Sister!?" McGonagall said. "There's only you and Miss…"
I took my mask off. "Hello, Professor." I said.
"Miss Potter!" McGonagall said. "You're Harley Quinn?"
I nodded. "It really is quite an exciting thrill, surviving every day as if a Snake Faced Little Shit's gonna come at you." I said.
McGonagall rubbed her temples. "I should have known it was you." she said. "You always were a magnet for trouble from the minute you set foot in this school."
"Please, Professor." I said, rolling my eyes. "I've been a magnet for trouble from the moment I set foot out of my mother's womb."
McGonagall shook her head, turning to my brother. "Potter, that was very…very gallant of you. But don't either of you realize…?"
"Yes, yes, Professor, we get it, there's danger coming out the shit hole here, but listen, Voldemort's on the way." I said.
"Oh, are we allowed to say the name now?" Luna said, taking the Cloak off.
McGonagall collapsed into a chair at this new outlaw as I said. "It doesn't matter what we call him now, Luna, he already knows where we are." Harry said.
"Fuck!" I said.
"Hannah, alert the coven." Harry said, giving me the Marauders Map. "Tell Kairi to evacuate the underage coven."
I nodded, sprinting back to the Room of Requirement and running into someone as I finished tying my mask back on.
I gasped. It was Snape!
"Ah, Harley Quinn." Snape said, forcing me to my feet and dragging me around. "I had a feeling that you were here."
I gasped, looking to Snape's left arm. Harry had told me Snape was a Death Eater. That was how he knew I was here!
"Miss Potter, there's no need to be afraid, I'm not going to turn you in." Snape said.
My eyes widened. "How'd you know it was me?" I asked.
Snape smirked. "I have my ways, you have yours, Potter." he said, tucking me behind a suit of armour and hiding behind the one next to the one he hid me under as McGonagall and Harry came down the corridor.
"Harry!" I said.
"Hannah? I thought you went to alert the coven!" Harry said from under the Cloak.
"I know, but I got caught by -"
"Who's there?" McGonagall said.
"It is I." Snape said, stepping out from behind some armour.
"Him." I said, jerking a thumb to Snape, who had his wand out, ready for a fight.
"Where are the Carrows?" Snape asked.
"Where you wanted them to be, I expect." I said coldly.
"Be silent!" Snape ordered.
"Be silent." I mocked.
"I believe Miss Quinn is accurate, Severus." McGonagall said.
"I was under the impression that Alecto had apprehended an intruder."
"Yeah, Death Eaters have their own ways of communication." I said before paling. "Draco!" I said, sprinting off towards the Room of Requirement and running into someone under either a Disillusionment Charm or an Invisibility Cloak
I gasped, taking a step back when my arm was grabbed. I went completely white, half expecting it to be a Death Eater…a real one!
"What, Spitfire, suddenly frightened of me?" Draco asked, drawing me into my Cloak.
I sighed in relief. "Well, if I can't see you!" I whispered. "Your arm ok?" I asked.
Draco shook his head. "Some pain I can take, others I can't." Draco said. "And the Dark Mark burning is not one of those pains. It still hurts like a fucking bitch."
"Here, let me see." I said, grabbing the dittany out of my pocket as Draco pulled his sleeve up.
The skin around it was red and painful. I hissed, grabbing a cloth and focusing to get it wet. "How's Mel?" I asked.
"With Blaise." Draco said. "She's fine, she knows I went looking for you and-" Draco cut himself off with a groan as I wrapped his arm in the cloth, wetting it some more.
I bit my lip. "Sorry, sorry." I said.
"Don't be." Draco sighed. "Fuck, that's so much better."
"Draco, we need to wake the houses." I said. "He's coming now."
"No shit, Hannah, I think I felt my Mark burn fast enough." Draco whispered.
"No, he's on his way. He just found out that the locket is gone and he is going to burst through the Entrance Hall at any minute to try and kill me and my brother and I'm completely scared and nervous and-" I rambled, completely terrified to the point that tears were stinging the corners of my eyes.
Draco kissed me gently, calming me down. "Hannah, breathe, relax, We'll be fine." Draco whispered as a sudden bang sounded through the corridors.
Draco grabbed me and we ran through the corridors to find that Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout and Professor Slughorn.
"No!" Flitwick shouted, casting a spell on the suit of armour, crushing Snape. "You will do no more murder at Hogwarts!"
Snape broke from the armour, tossing it in Draco's and my direction, causing Draco to grab me and dive out of the way as it hit the wall behind us and shattered as Snape made a break for it.
I panted as Draco picked me up, taking my arm that wasn't bleeding and following after Snape as everyone else followed suit.
We hurtled into a classroom door after Snape and took the Cloak off.
"Severus." Draco snarled, making me gap at him. Draco had never called Snape Severus before!
"Draco." Snape said, looking to me, then back to Draco. "I'd keep her close." he said before jumping out the window.
"NO!" I shouted, starting to take a step towards the window when Draco drew me back, shouting. "COWARD! COWARD!"
Everyone ran in, the Professors gasping at Draco and I.
"What's happened? What's happened?" Luna asked.
"He jumped!" Draco and I said together.
"You mean he's dead!?" Harry asked, whipping his Cloak off amongst gasps from the Professors.
"No, he isn't." I said, looking out the window, Draco holding me protectively. "He learned some tips and tricks from his master, I believe. Yeah, look!" I said, pointing downward. "There's no body!"
Everyone looked down, gasping. I was right.
"Why is it that no one believes me when I say something irrelevant to the situation?" I asked Harry. "I say Snape jumps, you all believe me. I say Jeff Skinner kicks total ass, which is totally true, you say 'Shut up, Hannah.'"
"Shut up, Hannah!" Harry said.
"SEE!?" I said to the Professors and Draco.
"Han, I don't think now's a good time for this." Harry said as the Professors planned. "Professor, he's coming now!"
The professors instantly started muttering to themselves.
"All right, Professor Slughorn will represent Slytherin and rouse the students. If you wish to leave, we won't stop you, if you try to thwart us, we duel to kill." Professor McGonagall said.
"Minerva!" Professor Slughorn gasped.
"The time has come for Slytherin house to decide upon its loyalties like I have." I said, Draco nodding.
"She just chooses my path so…" Draco said.
"We'll wake the Slytherins!" I said.
"That is a stupid plan!" Harry said angrily to me as the Professors scattered.
"Hey!" Draco said as I tied my mask on. "That is far from stupid!"
"IT'S PLENTY STUPID!" Harry bellowed. "DO YOU REALIZE THAT THE SLYTHERINS WILL WANT TO SLAUGHTER YOU FOR BEING HARLEY QUINN!?" Harry shouted. "The Slytherins will think you're public enemy number one because you killed their Princess, which is YOU! NO!"
I huffed. "Just watch me." I said, grabbing Draco and starting to the dungeons.
"HANNAH! HANNAH, NO! I ORDER YOU TO COME BACK HERE!" Harry shouted.
I ignored him, reading Pansy Parkinson's mind for the password as we got to the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
"Welcome home." I whispered. "Dark Lord."
The door opened and we ran in, the door shutting behind us as we ran down the steps to the crackling fire.
"Ok, how do we get them up?" Draco whispered as I tied his mask on him, him tying my mask on me.
"Scream and play loud ass music, it's never not worked." I said in a panic, grabbing my MP3 and unplugging the headphones and blaring Adam Lambert's Strut as loud as it could go and screaming.
"EVERYONE WAKE UP!" I screamed as Draco did the same. "EVERYONE UP! UP AND IN THE COMMON ROOM, RIGHT NOW!"
And slowly, ever so slowly, the Slytherins came trudging down from their dormitories, gasping at the sight of me and drawing their wands, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe grabbing me.
"YOU!" Rose Yaxley shouted, her wand pointed to my face as Goyle grabbed my throat and throttling me. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HANNAH!"
"Rose, please, Goyle! Let me explain!" I said in a strangled scream. "I'm one of you lot!" I said.
"YOU ARE NOT ONE OF US!" Amelia Finch shouted. "WE WOULD NEVER BE ASSOCIATED WITH A MURDERER!"
"ESPECIALLY NOT ONE THAT KILLED OUR BEST FRIEND!" Lexi McMaster screamed.
"Please, if you'll let me explain!" I said.
"NO!" Millicent Bulstrode said. "YOU KILLED HER! YOU DON'T GET YOUR EXPLAINATION!"
"If Goyle doesn't let go of her, you really will lose her!" Draco shouted.
The screaming stopped, Goyle dropping me as Draco grabbed me as I rubbed my throat, coughing and spluttering for air.
"What are you talking about?" Astoria and Daphne Greengrass asked together.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" I asked.
"No." the first years I had guided over the years said.
"Cato, let me go." I said. "It's time they knew the truth."
Draco nodded, releasing me as I untied my mask.
"I really am one of you." I said, whipping my mask off and fixing my hair.
Everyone gasped at the sight of me as Draco took his mask off. Goyle even fainted against Crabbe's chest.
"Hannah?" Rose whispered, tears in her eyes as she took a step forward.
"Hold on a minute!" Pansy said, grabbing Rose by the neck. "How do we know that you're the real McCoy?" she asked.
"Because only the real Hannah would know that Rose has a massive crush on Kitchener Rangers German import Tobias Rieder." I said. "Only Hannah would know that Pansy tried to rip my hair out in third year for sleeping with her man, Amelia is amazing with her hands and gave me a hand made jewellery box for Christmas in first year, Millicent's cat's name is Midnight and my nicknames for Crabbe and Goyle are Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Idiot!" I said in one breath.
Pansy took a step back as Rose took one forward, tears in her eyes.
"Hannah!" Rose said again.
I smiled.
"Get the fuck out of my way!" Pansy shouted, throwing Rose aside to hug me, sobbing. "They told us you were dead!" she wailed.
I hugged Pansy back. "I missed you too, Pancake." I said as Rose threw her arms around me, my dorm mates slowly getting accustomed to me and jumping on me so quickly and with so much force I fell onto my back.
"I always get dog piled by you lot." I said, rolling my eyes. "Can I come up now, please?"
The girls shot up, teary eyed as I smiled. "Ok, we need to get out of here. The underage have to leave. Voldemort's coming. We're fighting."
Everyone gasped. "W-We can't fight!" Goyle gasped.
"Yeah!" Crabbe added. "Those are our parents out there, working with him, Potter!"
"Guys!" I said, Draco helping me onto the table. "The time has come for Slytherin house to decide on its loyalties! I had my loyalties chosen since I was fifteen, Draco chose his path when he rescued me from his father. Guys, just because we were put in the house Voldemort…oh, get a grip, people!" I shouted as everyone gasped and shuddered. "Just because we are in the house Voldemort was in, doesn't mean we have to be vile and evil like him!" I said. "Look at me, I was put in this house and I've been fighting Death Eaters since I was fourteen years old! Draco's father is as evil as they come, but Draco's on the Light side! Come on, whatever happened to the Slytherin creed? Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends, those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends! I need help! After Voldemort dies, we can live without fear of being Death Eaters or being killed by them. I can fight him, but we need help! I can't do it alone. So who's with me?"
There was silence before Rose shot her hand up. "I AM!" she shouted, standing up on the table with me. "Anything for my Rangers girlfriend!"
"I am, too!" Pansy added, hopping up with me.
"US TOO!" Amelia, Daphne, Millicent, Lexi and Astoria said together.
"We're in!" my old charges shouted together.
In a short amount of time, we had gathered a small army of Slytherins that were of age. (I had to force my old charges to evacuate)
"All right, we need to go now." I said. "To the Great Hall!"
Our army got up and every Slytherin followed the army into the Great Hall amongst the roars from Dumbledore's Army.
"PERCY!?" I shouted, finding Percy Weasley standing with the Weasley twins as floods of former Hogwarts students flowed in through the Room of Requirement.
"I was a fool!" Percy said. "I was a git, I was a pompous prat, I was a…a…"
"Ministry loving-" I said.
"Family disowning-" Fred asked.
"Power hungry moron?" Fred and I asked together.
"Yes, I was!" Percy said.
"Remus!" I said happily. "How's Teddy?"
"Fabulous, thank you." Remus said. "I have a picture, if you want to see him."
"Yes, please!" I said as Remus handed me a picture of little Teddy Lupin.
He was a tiny baby, with an adorable baby's face with a tuft of bright turquoise hair, waving chubby fists at the camera.
"AWWWWW!" I squealed as I tied my mask on. "He's so cute! Oh, I'm just in love with him!" I cooed.
"Hey!" Draco said. "Uh, you have seventeen years over this baby." Draco said.
"Not that sort of love, Draco." I said, rolling my eyes as the Weasleys embraced. "But now isn't the time for this sappy jealous crap, where's Kairi?"
"Right here." Kairi said with Melody, Willow and Katherine.
"Get them out of here!" I ordered. "We're making a fight of this shit! Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Right here!" Emily shouted, the coven behind her as everyone crowded over to the Great Hall.
"Where's Marvel, Madge and Gale?" I asked.
"Ron and Hermione went somewhere with the Cup." Emily said.
"And Alvaro?" I asked.
"He disappeared shortly after you, Luna and Haymitch left." Raven said. "Never saw hide or hair of him afterwards."
"Coward probably ran off when we heard we were gonna be fighting!" Blaise said.
Mel started crying as Kairi tried to take her away, reaching for Draco.
"No, No!" Mel sobbed. "I'm not going anywhere without Draco!"
Draco picked her up. "Mel, you have to go with Maysilee." he told her.
"But I don't want to!" Mel cried, clinging to Draco.
"Mel, I'll be fine. You're too young for this fight, you need to go."
Mel's lip quivered. "I love you." she whispered, hugging him.
"I love you, too, Mel Bell, now go!" Draco said, setting her down and letting Kairi take her, Willow and Katherine away.
I smiled, eyes watering.
"What is it?" Draco asked.
"You're gonna make a really good father." I said as we went into the Hall.
