Terry and Mick knelt in the center of a small crowd that had gathered in the Room of Requirement, hovering over a cauldron. The crowd held their breaths as Terry carefully poured the contents of the cauldron into an apple-sized jar that Mick was holding. A small stream of purple liquid came out, barely filling a couple inches of the jar. The two boys stood up, looking pleased as Mick screwed the lid on and proudly held it up for everybody to see. The other DA members stared blankly at the container and the room fell silent.
"That's it?" Seamus finally asked, voicing the thoughts of the rest of the room.
Terry's smile dropped and he scowled at the Gryffindor. His eyes scanned the apprehensive faces around him and his frown deepened. "I feel highly underappreciated, don't you, Mick?"
"Very much so, Terry," Mick responded and the two of them crossed their arms over their chests defensively.
"It's not that we don't appreciate all your hard work," Ginny hastily began, cocking her head to the side in confusion as other people began to hurriedly mutter amongst themselves. "It's just…that's a tiny amount of potion. Are you sure it'll be enough?"
"Let's give them the benefit of the doubt," Michael objected while Ernie and Neville nodded, and Ginny couldn't help but think that pair were acting like newlyweds since they returned from the Chamber of Secrets with grins on their faces and their Unbreakable Vow finally completed.
Apparently Sally-Anne was thinking the same thing as Michael. "You mean we went into the Chamber of Secrets for that?" She growled as she glowered at the jar. "I'm actually going to murder you, Boot!" She rolled up her sleeves, getting ready to pummel Terry, but Megan held her back. Despite both of the witches being relatively petite, Megan was stronger so Sally-Anne was unsuccessful.
"Hang on, it's not completely finished yet!" Terry yelped, jumping behind Mick.
"For maximum effect, we chose a special type of sleeping potion," Mick explained as everybody relaxed slightly. "A Sonata Sleeping Potion differs from your regular Sleeping Draught because of its small yet powerful quantity. If you keep it hot enough, it'll emit a gas that has the same immediate effects a Sleeping Draught does. That way you don't need to worry about slipping it into the Slytherins' food. It's more time-sensitive too, seeing as they'll be the only ones out in the halls after nine o'clock. "
"We'll gas them so they can't trace it back to us," Ginny said in wonder as her eyes lit up, finally catching on. "Brilliant work, boys. And what did you two find out about the Slytherin patrols for tonight?" She asked, turning to Demelza and Ritchie.
"They're going to be everywhere," Ritchie admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mel and I overheard some sixth year in the Library today, apparently the Carrows have upped the patrols because of all the chaos this past week."
"We think that just on the safe side, we should cover most of the floors," Demelza added.
"Wait a second," Parvati suddenly interrupted, her voice laced with skepticism. "How are we going to spread the gas all over the school? We can't very well release it in the vents, then everyone would get knocked out."
"Marcus and I charmed some vials with a heating spell," Etta McKinnon chimed in as she stepped forward. "It'll keep the Sonata Sleeping Potion hot enough to continue producing gas even in an enclosed container. Just smash it in whatever hall you're and it'll break, releasing the gas. It'll stay in the hallway but won't spread to, say, a common room."
Ginny gave her a nod of approval and continued on with the plan. "Since Mel and Ritchie think that there'll be Slytherins everywhere, we'll also need to be everywhere with those vials of the potion. Ritchie and Anthony, you'll be in the basement, watching over the Slytherin Common Room entrance. Warn the rest of us if anyone leaves. Marcus, Oliver, you two will be stationed on the ground floor. Etta, Aggie, Emilia, and Morag will be on the first floor. You four have a special job, I'll get to that in a bit. Lavender and Sally-Anne, you're on the second floor. Terry and Seamus, third floor. Hannah and Demelza, fourth floor. Su and Susan, fifth floor. Milo and Mick, sixth floor. Do as Etta says, if you see any Slytherins, smash the glass and release the gas. Come to think of it, we'll need someone by the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor to keep watch so I'll assign Padma and Lydia to that. And we'll need to keep an eye on Filch, so that job goes to Wayne and Andrew. Parvati, Megan, and Ernie are going to patrol the staircases and will be on-call for anyone who needs any extra assistance. Neville will keep watch of Snape's office door while Luna, and I get the sword." Ginny finished decidedly.
"And the Carrows and Snape? What about them?" Wayne Hopkins spoke up.
"The Carrows invited Snape to join them for tea in Alecto's office tonight at quarter past nine," Emilia Insley quickly said when Ginny looked to her for an answer.
"Good job, Mil. You, Etta, Aggie, and Morag will carry out the plan of spiking Snape and the Carrows' evening tea." Ginny hesitated slightly as she looked at Aggie Burton, who was Etta's partner and only a fifth year. But the sweet-faced Hufflepuff looked determined as she nodded enthusiastically, prompting Ginny to continue. "Etta and Aggie, you two are going to sneak down to the kitchens with Anthony's cloak and spike the teapot before the house elf brings it upstairs. Once you've completed that task, go up to the first floor and find the second empty classroom to your right. There you'll give the cloak to Emilia and Morag, who will slip into Alecto's office and make sure the three of them drink the tea and fall asleep. Once they're knocked out, send a message on your coin to the rest of us so we know when to strike."
"And what'll we do to protect ourselves from the effects of the gas?" Susan put her hands on her hips.
"Ah! And that's where I come in," Luna hummed in a cheerful voice, rummaging around in her pocket before pulling out what appeared to be a small piece of pink plastic. She set it across the bridge of her nose and tapped it with her wand. Immediately a pale pink bubble burst from the plastic and covered her mouth and nose. "Daddy and I use these Bubble Barriers when we're weeding our Dirigible Plum bushes, they release quite a foul odor," she said, her voice sounding echoey inside the bubble. "These should work quite nicely for our purposes, I believe Etta and I managed to whip up enough for everybody to use."
"Good thinking, Luna!" Ginny beamed. "I honestly think this just might work out."
"Wait just a second, what about us?" Michael gestured to himself and Jack, clearly appalled that their names hadn't come up in the conversation.
Ginny smirked at him. "Thought I forgot about you, did you? No, you two have a very important assignment, have you got your brooms on hand?"
"Yes?" Michael said suspiciously.
"I'm sure that some of the Slytherins will manage to escape the gas. Therefore, you two will be flying around with dungbombs and as many of my brothers' products as your book bags can hold."
Jack's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean like an aerial attack?"
"Yes," Ginny nodded and he stared at her so intensely that she began to fidget. "What?" She asked with a scowl.
"Are you sure you want to wait for Potter? Because I think I've just fallen in love with you. Run away with me, Weasley," Jack said, clasping his hands over his heart.
"Only in your dreams, Sloper," Ginny snorted, reaching down to ruffle up his hair.
"Oi, not the hair! I take it back, our plan to elope is canceled!"
"Pity," Ginny sighed.
"And what about the rest of us?" Romilda demanded, hands on her hips. Sure enough, the remaining fifth years and all of the fourth years looked slightly crestfallen at the fact that their names had not been mentioned during Ginny and Luna's elaborate plan.
"You can either stay in the Room of Requirement or go back to your dorms," Ginny said simply. "This mission is for sixth years and up, sorry."
"No fair!" Romilda gasped, her jaw dropping open. "Then why is Andrew going? And Lydia? And Aggie?"
"Because they're paired up with older, more qualified students," Ginny said firmly. "Don't argue with me, Romilda, it's already been decided." Out the corner of her eye, she noticed Savannah staring at her with big, pleading brown eyes. "Don't even think about it Baby Spinnet. Now, does anyone have any questions?"
"That's a complicated plan," Su Li began apprehensively.
"With plenty of room for error," Anthony added, shuffling from foot to foot.
"It is," Ginny gave a curt nod. "So? Are you in?" She grinned as she was met with determined nods.
It was nine-thirty and things were already going wrong. Inside the Room of Requirement with some of the younger students, Megan, Ginny, Neville, Ernie, Luna, and Parvati, all felt their galleons heat up. They scrambled to retrieve their coins but it was Parvati who got to hers first. "Snape not here -MM," she read Morag's message aloud to the group. Her pretty face crumpled into a frown. "He's not in Alecto's office? That's not good, not good at all."
"Does that mean he's in his office? Because that could ruin everything," Ernie swore under his breath.
"No, no, no!" Ginny fretted, running a hand through her long hair.
Romilda, who was lounging on a nearby rug with Magdalene, Savannah, and Maxine O'Flaherty, rolled over on her stomach to look at the group. "You know I always could-"
"Romilda," Parvati and Ginny said in unison, giving her warning glances. She rolled her eyes but left the conversation alone and turned her attention back to her friends. Jimmy Peakes and Joel Cresswell, who had also jumped to attention, slouched away to return to their game of Exploding Snap.
Luna typed out a message that they all suddenly received. Neville glanced down at his coin and read, MC and JS, search castle for Snape. He looked up and met her eyes. "They've got their brooms, they'll be able to cover more ground," she explained.
"Do we still risk it, then?" Parvati asked as she ran her fingers nervously up and down the dark wood of her wand.
"It's now or never," Ginny nodded her head. "We can't wait even a single extra day."
"Then let's go," Megan spoke up suddenly, surprising everyone with her determined voice. "For all we know, Snape is away on business outside of Hogwarts. We've got nearly twenty people on backup, this is going to work."
"I think I've been rubbing off on you Meggie, that's the spirit!" Ginny beamed at her house partner, who returned the smile. "Now let's go get that sword!" She was met with cheers and grumbles that came from Romilda's general direction.
While her friends prepared to leave, Ginny made her way to the Room of Requirement's door and stuck her head out into the hallway. "How's it looking out here, Padma?" She called out to the Ravenclaw, who was stationed ten feet to the left of the door, in a loud whisper. Looking the other way down the hall, she waved to Lydia Cooden, who returned the gesture.
"All clear up here," Padma said with a nod. "Sounds like Milo and Mick ran into some Slytherins a floor down so I'd be careful."
"Good to know, thanks," Ginny gave her an appreciative smile. She looked down at her coin and saw a message from Emilia that gave her more confidence. Carrows asleep - EI. She turned back so she was looking into the Room of Requirement once again. Neville, Luna, Parvati, Ernie, and Megan stood staring back at her, each with a different colored bubble covering their nose. "Alright, you lot, let's get going."
In a single-file line, the six of them exited the Room of Requirement and beelined towards the staircase heading downstairs. Like Padma had warned Ginny, an array of shouts came floating up the staircase from the sixth floor. They would have stopped by to help if it had been necessary but Milo Erickson's unmistakable cackle indicated that it was the Slytherins who were the ones in need of the help. So the group continued on, sinking lower into crouching positions as they maneuvered down the staircase.
Ginny, at the front of the group, held up a hand and stopped abruptly. The rest of them nearly crashed into her, grumbling slightly. She silently pointed at a figure up ahead who had stumbled out of a hallway and onto the staircase, breathing heavily. He hadn't seen them yet and the emerald lining of his robes told them exactly who he was. The rogue Slytherin was hit from behind by Megan's curse, causing him to let out a surprised yelp as his eyes swelled up. He rubbed furiously at them as he spun around, unable to see anything. The six of them easily slipped past him unnoticed as he called out, "Who's there?"
As they snuck further down the staircase, a high-pitched scream came from one of the hallways, and Megan and Ernie immediately tensed. "That sounded like Hannah. She might be in trouble." Neville froze on his step and looked back at them with wide eyes. Ernie looked slightly confused at Neville's fearful expression but Megan's face slackened in understanding. "We'll go see if she's alright then meet up with you on the third floor," she promised the group, speaking mostly to Neville. Neville barely had time to respond before the pair took a sharp left turn and sprinted down the entrance of a hallway from where the scream had come from.
"Let's keep going," Ginny urged the remaining four. Parvati and Luna trudged after her and Neville glanced one last time towards the hall before bringing up the rear.
Several other floors had commotions coming from them as they made their way down to the Headmaster's office on the third floor. As the staircase began to shift, Ginny directed them off the one trembling below their feet and onto another one that immediately swung to their left and connected to a hallway. They leaped off the staircase and hung in the doorway, listening quietly. From down the hall, they could hear several voices shouting in the distance, causing Parvati and Luna to freeze.
"Snape's office is just a little way more down the hall, let's go," Ginny muttered as the voices grew fainter. They tiptoed past several closed-door rooms before suddenly finding themselves staring up at a massive, stone gargoyle.
"What's the password?" Ginny hissed as she inspected the gargoyle's wings that were blocking the spiral staircase.
"Well this is Snape's office so perhaps it would be something relating to potions?" Luna suggested helpfully, tapping her chin. "If I were him, I would choose a new ingredient each week, just to switch it up."
"You're the best at potions out of all of us, Parvati, any ideas?"
Parvati looked surprised at the fact she had been asked before shaking it off and tapping her chin. "Hmm, let's see. Crushed moonstone? Scarab beetles? Asphodel?"
"It's not working," Ginny cursed, staring at the unmoving gargoyle. "Quick, Neville! List out some plants that are used as potions ingredients."
"Nettles," Neville immediately began, "Wiggentree bark, daffodil roots, sage, lilypad-" he stopped as the gargoyle suddenly sprang to life and leaped aside.
"Lilypad?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Of all things he chose lilypad?"
"How mysterious," Parvati hummed.
"Who cares? You two better get up there, the sooner the better," Neville said somewhat nervously as his eyes darted around, surveying their surroundings.
Parvati caught Luna and Ginny by the sleeves of their cloaks as they made their way towards the staircase. "Get out of there if you see Snape," she said sternly. "Your safety is more important than some silly sword."
Ginny opened her mouth to object but was nudged by Luna. She simply nodded at Parvati and began to climb up the spiral staircase, Luna right on their heels.
"You don't suppose Snape's in there waiting for them, do you?" Parvati asked Neville, her eyebrows knit together in concern as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared apprehensively at the gargoyle.
"No," Neville said after a second of hesitation. "At least I hope not." He heard no screams or sounds of struggle and his heart skipped a beat. "It sounds alright up there."
"But not out here," Parvati gulped as she and Neville froze at the sound of several unknown voices echoing down a hallway to their right.
"I'll be back in a minute, make sure nobody gets in." Neville brandished his wand and trudged away before Parvati could protest.
He pressed himself to the wall as he slowly inched down the dark hall, careful to make no noise. He held his wand out in front of him and rounded a corner, heading right towards the source of the noise. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was and lowered his wand. "This wasn't part of the plan, was it?"
Sally-Anne and Terry stopped bickering long enough to look down at him. They were frozen to the wall, their bodies encased in ice so that only their heads popped out. "We ran into a little bit of a problem as you can see," Terry said sheepishly.
"This idiot tried convincing some fifth-year Slytherins that he was Anthony Goldstein, the seventh year Ravenclaw prefect," Sally-Anne scowled, her cheeks flushed red in anger.
"Oi! I almost had them convinced," Terry immediately protested, his teeth chattering slightly.
"Goldstein is half Chinese!"
"Well they probably didn't know that!"
"Why are you two even here together? Aren't you supposed to be with Lavender and Seamus?" Neville inquired, his head already throbbing at the sound of them arguing.
"Lavender and I got separated so I came up a floor and ran into Boot and Finnegan, yay me. Finnegan freaked out that Lav was missing so he ran off with the sleeping gas and I got stuck here with Boot. Then those pesky Slytherins came along and now here we are," Sally-Anne finished in a deadpanned voice.
"So you didn't stick to the plan," Neville surmised, bobbing his head up and down.
"Get us down!" She screeched, furiously wiggling around in the ice.
"Hmm, I dunno." Neville tapped his wand to his chin and smirked slightly. "Maybe this is just what you two need, intimate bonding time."
If possible, Sally-Anne turned a deeper shade of red. "Aren't you supposed to be guarding a door or something? Those Slytherin prefects could be heading over there right now."
Neville's smile dropped and his thoughts drifted to Luna, Ginny, and Parvati. " Right you are, Sally-Anne. Incendio!" He pointed his wand at the floor below them and a short wall of fire ignited below the ice casing. "Gotta blast, give a holler if you haven't melted in fifteen minutes," he called over his shoulder as he raced down the hall he had come from. He could hear their protests but ignored them as he silently prayed nothing bad had happened.
Neville got back to the gargoyle right in time to see Parvati running off in the opposite direction, hot on the tail of a Slytherin prefect he didn't know. He called out to her but she was too far away to hear him. She and the Slytherin disappeared into the darkness ahead.
Reassuring himself that Parvati was perfectly capable of handling herself, Neville stationed himself directly in front of the gargoyle. He stared at it for what seemed like hours, waiting anxiously for Luna and Ginny to come tumbling down the spiral staircase.
"And what do you think you're doing?" An all-too-familiar voice suddenly droned in his ear.
Without turning around, Neville choked out, "Good evening, Headmaster."