"So tell me the objective one more time?"
"Stealing the Sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office."
"And why are we doing this again?"
"Because we need it," Ginny said simply as she and Neville walked past the Divination classroom's ladder the next day. "Or more specifically, Harry needs it."
"What do you mean?" Neville asked, still not following her train of thought.
"Think about it, Nev. Remember Dumbledore's will I told you about? How he left Harry the sword but the Minister wouldn't give it to him?"
"Yeah?" Neville hummed, still not quite following as he tapped his fingers against the sides of his legs.
Ginny sighed, trying to remain patient even though her mind was racing a mile per minute. "Dumbledore left Harry with a mission to complete and the items in his will are supposed to help him. The sword was left to Harry but Scrimgeour wouldn't give it to him because it's a Hogwarts artifact, so it's here in the castle instead of where it should be with Harry."
"And?"
"And the Potterwatch broadcast last night reminded me of it. Harry's on a quest, he wouldn't have taken that necklace from Umbridge if he didn't have a solid reason for doing so. It might be a stretch but I think it's one of the things that Dumbledore told him to find."
"A scavenger hunt?" Neville's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "So Harry, Ron, and Hermione are skipping seventh year for a scavenger hunt?"
Ginny slapped his chest. "Think bigger, Neville! Think scavenger hunt that will win the war!"
"Okay, okay, But why does he need the sword for this scavenger hunt that will win the war?"
"I still don't quite know for sure," Ginny admitted, ignoring Neville's small snort. "But I do have a theory. I did a good amount of research on the sword and apparently, its elements allow it to absorb the power of things that make it stronger. It's probably one of the most powerful weapons in the whole world! Who doesn't need something like that on their side?"
"Hang on," Neville said suddenly, scrunching up his face. "Doesn't the Sword of Gryffindor present itself to a worthy Gryffindor? That's what happened in the Chamber of Secrets five years ago, right?" Ginny hissed at the mention of the Chamber and he shot her an apologetic glance. "So why can't Harry just stick it out and wait for the sword to show up?"
"Wait for it to show up?" Ginny let out a short laugh, tossing him a look of antipathy. "Alright then, Nev, let's just sit back and let the sword go to Harry. Let fate do its job. We don't have much to lose, after all, only the future of the Wizarding World." She shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well when you put it that way," Neville grumbled, shaking his head.
Ginny smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, that was just such a Ron type of question. I haven't been able to bully him in months, I had to let it out. But we can't rely on the possibility of the sword presenting itself. Harry needs that sword now and we're going to get it to him. Got it?"
"I guess," Neville huffed slightly, mulling her words over in his head. "But why does he need this bloody sword? Sure it's powerful and all but he's not gonna go around stabbing people, is he?"
Ginny chuckled at the thought of a wild-eyed Harry wielding a sword around. "In one of my many sessions spying on Harry, Ron, and Hermione this summer, they mentioned how Dumbledore destroyed a ring with the Sword of Gryffindor. And I think that the ring had some connection to You-Know-Who."
"So he needs the sword to destroy that necklace," Neville said as he finally pieced things together. He then scowled at her. "Alright, now you're making some sense, why didn't you say it sooner? I'm totally on board."
"That's the spirit!" Ginny cheered, ignoring Neville's grumbling about how she could've saved a lot of time by getting to the point sooner. "Luna and I think we should go tonight, the sooner the better. We've already enlisted some help: Milo and Jack have been stealing ingredients for Terry and Mick, who are brewing a Sonata Sleeping Potion to knock out the Carrows, Snape, and the Slytherins. That way we'll be able to get into the office without any real trouble."
"How are you going to slip them the potion?" Neville wondered aloud.
"We're leaving that up to Terry and Mick to figure out, they're the masters. Marcus and Etta are working with them as well, I don't quite know what they have planned. Ritchie and Demelza are supposed to be spying on the Slytherins to figure out their patrol route for tonight and Emilia's learning what the whereabouts of Snape and the Carrows will be tonight."
"So I'm basically the last person you've come to with this plan?" Neville complained as he mentally counted the number of people Ginny had involved before coming to him.
"You," Ginny poked his chest, "ask too many questions. I simply told people that we were stealing the Sword of Gryffindor and they were on board, no questions were necessary. Well, except for the Ravenclaws, but that's inevitable." She suddenly squinted at Neville suspiciously. "Why aren't you telling me that this is a horrible idea to drug our professors and classmates?"
He held up his hands. "Hey, I promised to trust your instincts more so consider me doing that now and you've got a solid plan going right now. You lead, I follow."
Ginny grinned and rubbed her hands together. "That's music to my ears."
"Anything you want me to do in preparation for the mission?" Neville asked with a newfound eagerness, all his previous apprehension gone. "I want in."
"Not yet," she said somewhat sympathetically, causing him to stick out his bottom lip in a pout. "But I promise I'll let you know if anything comes up. Oh, this one's me." She stopped in front of the Transfiguration classroom and turned around to bid Neville farewell. "Thanks for the support, Longbottom, you're a peach." She flicked him on the nose affectionately before walking into the classroom.
"Oi! Find me a job, will you?" She heard him call out from the hallway.
Later in the day, Ginny was greeted with a, "Hey, Ginny?" as she left the Herbology greenhouse with Demelza and Emilia. She turned around at the sound of her name to see who had greeted her. A handsome boy with glossy curls and dark brown skin was walking towards her, fidgeting with the strap of his book bag.
"Hey, Mick, what's up?" She asked the Hufflepuff jauntily, in an especially good mood due to the fact that she currently had a free period. He gave her a close-lipped smile, his eyes darting towards the other Gryffindor girls. Ginny got the hint. "Mel, Mil, I'll catch you two later." Her friends bid her farewell in perfect unison and linked arms with each other as they trotted off towards the Great Hall. "Where are you headed to?"
"Ancient Runes," came the answer.
"I'll walk you there," Ginny tossed her head in the direction of the staircase and they began to walk. "Is this about the potion?
Mick McManus, one of the best potion brewers in the DA bobbed his head up and down. "Yeah, we've got a bit of a problem. My stash of basilisk fang powder has run out and it's the last ingredient we need. Terry checked too and he doesn't have any."
Ginny's brows furrowed and she chewed her lip. "Shoot, that is a problem. Did you check the ingredient cupboard in the potions classroom?"
He nodded as they began to climb the staircase. "Yeah, all out."
"Well, what about Slughorn's private collection? Anthony could lend us his cloak and-"
"I brought up basilisk fang powder to Slughorn in class today," Mick interrupted her. "He said that it was a rare ingredient that he wished he could get his hands on. Apparently there's a shortage of it in apothecaries across the UK."
"Damn!" Ginny cursed, grabbing the banister as the staircase they were on swung to the left, connecting with a new hallway. "Is there another potion we could brew with the same effect? What about the Dreamless Sleep Potion? Or just a regular Sleeping Draught?" They got off the staircase and turned down the hall that led to the Ancient Runes classroom.
"Unfortunately no," Mick shook his head. "Terry and I searched through our textbooks and couldn't find a good alternative that will have the same effect. It would take an enormous batch of regular Sleeping Draught and the Dreamless Sleep Potion only causes drowsiness and good dreams, not a deep sleep like you're looking for it to do. The Draught of Living Death takes days to brew and has risky side effects." They had finally come to a stop outside of Professor Babbling's classroom.
"It's okay, we'll figure it out. Thanks for telling me, Mick." Ginny nodded at the Hufflepuff but he only continued to stand and stare at her, making no move to enter the classroom. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"
Mick shoved his hands deep into his robe pockets and ducked his head bashfully. "I was just wondering if you had seen Lavender around today? We've been meeting up after meals a lot recently and walking to classes together-" He stopped suddenly and chuckled nervously. "-and you probably don't give a damn about all that mushy stuff, sorry. Point is, I haven't seen Lavender today and was getting a little worried."
Ginny opened her mouth to respond but stopped as she felt her pocket suddenly heat up. She pulled out her coin to see a private message sent by Neville: found me a job yet? She rolled her eyes slightly, for Neville was acting more and more like Ron by the hour. First his stupid comment about the Sword of Gryffindor and then mentioning the Chamber of Sec-oh.
"The Chamber," Ginny muttered under her breath, gazing down at the coin. Of course that's where they would find a basilisk fang, in the Chamber of Secrets. How ironic that their last ingredient was hiding right under their noses in the most hidden part of the school. The part of the school that Ginny still had nightmares about, she still refused to walk past the girls' bathroom on the second floor. She looked down at the coin and suddenly realized that she knew exactly what job to give Neville. Cursing under her breath, she pocketed the coin and looked back up at Mick. "Sorry, did you say something?" She asked, rubbing her forehead absent-mindedly.
"I was just asking if you wanted me and Terry to get rid of the potion?" Mick asked quickly. He had moved on from the subject of Lavender but he still looked embarrassed that he had even been asking about her.
"No!" She yelped, causing him to jump. "Sorry, it's just that I found a way to get you your last ingredient."
"Really?" Embarrassment was suddenly replaced with curiosity. "How?"
"I'll tell you later, come to the Room of Requirement the second you're done with classes, okay?"
Mick bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. "Yeah, sure!" He peered down at his watch and made a face. "I'd better go in there," he said, tossing his head towards the classroom door.
"Go," Ginny said as she shooed him inside. "Oh, and Mick?" The Hufflepuff turned around. "I'll try to find and talk to Lavender, okay?" He blushed and nodded before ducking inside the room.
Ginny closed the classroom door behind him and immediately spun on her heels. She breezed down the corridor with a fast pace as she rapidly typed a message out to Neville: where r u? She practically tumbled down the staircase as she attempted to remember Neville's schedule, what class had he just had? She squeezed her eyes shut as she rifled through her memory before finally deciding that he had been in Potions with Slughorn.
By happy coincidence, she ran into him and Ernie on a staircase that led down to the dungeons. "Whoa!" Ernie gasped, nearly falling backward as a breathless Ginny suddenly appeared in front of them. Ginny grabbed him by the tie and Neville held his shoulder as they rightened him back up into a standing position.
"Just the chap I was looking for!" Ginny beamed at Neville, still panting. He looked at her curiously. "I found a job for you, do you accept it?"
"Really?" Neville's eyes went wide and he grinned back. "Brilliant, yes! What is it?"
"Getafangfromthechamberofsecrets." Neville and Ernie blinked at her dumbly as the words spilled out of her mouth in one long, jumbled phrase.
"Come again?" Ernie asked, scratching his head.
"We need a Basilisk fang from the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny said more slowly. "And I've decided to assign this very important task to you. The fate of this entire mission rests on your shoulders, Longbottom. Good luck!" She raised a hand in farewell and turned to bolt back up the stairs. Neville and Ernie looked at each other and each grabbed one of her wrists, preventing her from escaping.
"You want me to go to the Chamber of Secrets?" Neville practically yelped as he turned her around by her shoulders so that she was facing them again.
Ginny winced slightly and nodded feebly. "Um, yes?"
"She's gone mental," Ernie concluded, staring at Ginny as if she had just sprouted a second head.
"Have not, Macmillan!" Ginny immediately protested before turning back to Neville. "A basilisk fang is the last ingredient of the sleeping draught, the plan will fail without it. Trust me, I'd go do it myself if I could but-"
"No need to explain," Neville said firmly. She let out a relieved sigh and nodded, for he knew how much the Chamber still scared her. "Do we really need that fang?"
"Yes," Ginny said, nodding promptly. "I lead, you follow, remember?"
"Oh I remember," Neville said with a sigh. "We'll do it, only I don't exactly know how to. Don't you need to be able to talk to snakes like Harry can to open the Chamber?"
"Actually," Ernie interrupted and the others turned to look at him. His eyes were bright and they could practically see the gears turning in his head. "I think I know exactly how we're going to do it."
"You want me to open it?" Sally-Anne Perks asked in horror, her blue eyes as round as saucers. After bidding Ginny farewell and tracking down the other Hufflepuff, Ernie had steered her and Neville into a private alcove near the Charms classroom entrance.
"Come on, Sal," Ernie coaxed, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He then lowered his voice. "You know you can do it."
"Being able to do something is much different than wanting to do it," she reminded him bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.
Neville looked back and forth between the two Hufflepuffs with a dumbstruck look on his face. "Sorry, am I missing something?"
"Don't say a word, Macmillan," Sally-Anne growled, shoving her index finger against Ernie's lips before he could speak. She looked back at Neville and sighed. "Promise you won't freak out, Longbottom?"
"Sure, yeah, I promise," Neville nodded dumbly, although he wasn't exactly sure what he was promising.
Sally-Anne took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "I'm a Parselmouth," she muttered, glaring down at her shoes.
Neville's eyes bugged out. "WHAT-" He was silenced as Ernie and Sally-Anne each slapped a hand over his mouth.
"I hate sharing that little fun fact," she grumbled, glaring around Neville at a sheepish Ernie. "I kept it a secret for a long time, especially with this one being such an arsehole to Harry Potter about his ability in second year," she nodded at Ernie, who ducked his head and blushed. "What did you say being a Parselmouth meant, Ern? Oh yeah, it meant that you were a dark wizard. You remember that, don't you?"
"That was a long time ago," Ernie protested meekly. "I was worried about Justin."
"Yeah, yeah," Sally-Anne waved her hand dismissively as the two of them finally let go of Neville.
"B-but how?" Neville stuttered as he wiped at his mouth. He looked at Sally-Anne with newfound fear. "You're a Hufflepuff, not a Slytherin."
"Blame the abundance of Slytherins on my Dad's side of the family." Sally-Anne crossed her arms over her chest.
"A Hufflepuff who can speak Parseltongue," Neville marveled, trying to make sense of the whole thing.
"Pretty crazy, huh?" Ernie bobbed his head then looked away as Sally-Anne sent a glare in his direction. "So what do you say, Sal? We'd be ever so grateful if you helped us out here. I might even write that History of Magic essay you've been complaining about for days now."
Sally-Anne eyed him quizzically. "All twenty-two inches of it?"
"Done."
"Okay," Sally-Anne said after mulling the offer over in her head. She gave him a prompt nod, "I'll do it. But only if you never speak of this to anyone and Lavender comes with me."
Neville hesitated slightly at the mention of the Gryffindor girl. "Are you sure that's the best idea?" Lavender had been acting like a ghost-version of herself all day, and it was really beginning to worry him.
"She needs a distraction right now," Sally-Anne said shortly and Neville knew that there would be no negotiating with the blonde. "Plus she's my house partner. If you get to bring yours then I get to bring mine."
"Fair enough," Neville caved and nodded. It seemed as though Lavender had talked to Sally-Anne last night and if Sally-Anne thought it was a good idea then he was sold. "Go find Lavender and meet us outside the girl's lavatory on the second floor. And make it quick."
"Don't tell me what to do," Sally-Anne responded automatically, but she heaved her book bag over her shoulder and trudged off to find Lavender.
Neville turned to Ernie, who was looking rather nervous. "Well, are you ready to see the inside of a girl's bathroom for the first time?"