They treaded the hallway quietly. Apart from Greyback, it appeared that all unwanted company had vanished for the moment. Hermione and Ron led the way, fingers laced together in both a protective and affectionate manner. Attempting to remain unseen, the Gryffindors vanished all wand light and continued forward at a deliberate but heedful pace. Seamus itched with anticipation.
"There! Did you hear that?" Neville's hushed tone of urgency broke the pattern of their footsteps. The group fell silent, all coming to a solid halt as Neville gestured ahead blindly. "I heard steps! On the right, there up ahead."
The group turned their attention in the general direction he spoke of, attempting to focus in an infinite sea of darkness. Wands were drawn forward, preparing stealthily for another Werewolf or Death Eater or whatever dark forces were ahead. The anticipation was tangible; Hermione's breath caught in her throat with a scratch while Neville's wand trembled. The seconds dragged on in an eternal scrutiny as the boy questioned his own sanity. Had, amongst everything, his own senses betrayed him?
Ron squinted, attempting to make out shapes in the opaque obscurity that was surrounding them. At first, he saw colors, reds and greens dancing across his vision wildly. He snapped his head back and forth suddenly, shaking the mirages from sight as another shape appeared before them. This time, there were no colors, only shadows and vague outlines of what appeared to be two figures northeast of them. Ron released a shallow breath, reluctant to move. He questioned his senses, but his instinct didn't move. Someone, no somebodies were ahead. He stepped protectively in front of Hermione.
"OOF!" The sound was quiet but audible and almost caused an array of curses to be thrown toward the shadows. Wands lurched forward, mouths opened to speak. And, somehow quite rapidly, Hermione stopped them: "Wait!"
They froze at her command, and she inched forward toward the cry. Ron possessively grabbed her hand; she gave it a reassuring squeeze before pressing onward. She didn't have to travel much farther before she could easily eavesdrop on the whispered hushes of the two familiars before them.
"Luna, you have got to stop stepping on my heels!" An irritated Cho Chang spat from the void.
"I'm sorry, but the problem is that I can't see!" The airy retort wrenched a sigh of relief from Hermione.
"Lumos," she whispered before almost colliding with the girls before her. As soon as the burst of light emanated from the tip of her wand, the shocked and surprised Ravenclaws let out a muffled squeak. Cho's hand immediately found her heart as she heaved in her startled state.
"Hermione!" Luna was already smiling, as if she was expecting her all along. "You haven't happened to have seen my Ginny, have you?"
Hermione paused, evaluating what had just been said to her. "No, I haven't, Luna. We need to find her." On second thought, she'd file that piece of information away in favor for more pressing matters at hand.
"What about Harry? And the others?" Cho asked innocently. Hermione gestured behind her as the others approached the light.
"Goddamn, it's good to see you two," Seamus commented. "We thought for sure you were Death Eaters." Dean nodded, relaxing. Neville stiffened next to them.
"And Hannah? Has anyone seen Hannah?"
Cho shook her head remorsefully.
"Harry and Malf- Draco went with Dumbledore before the students were rounded." Ron answered, informing the Ravenclaws and Hermione of what little news he had to give.
They nodded, and Luna slipped cheerfully behind Hermione to join the group. "I'm ready to fight some more Death Eaters, gang!"
"More!?" Ron asked, turned to face her with a look of blatant disbelief costing his expression.
"Luna was amazing!" Cho spoke up. "A large man, he had his mask on, came up from behind us. He had me at wand point. Luna completely saved my tail!"
Luna shrugged. "All I did was convince nice old Mr. Peeves to cause some chaos. It gave us enough time to get away. It is odd that he was up on this floor, though." A look of thought crossed her face.
"Don't forget that you left him tied up with your incarcerous!" Cho added excitedly, her nervousness morphing to confidence at their previous encounter.
"Ah, Yes. He should be down for a while." Luna's lips quirked into her most proud yet humble smile; the one Ginny would have kissed right off her face had she been there.
"Great work, guys." Dean complimented, shuffling forward. "Let's keep moving."
"Do you remember that secret passageway we found while having our annual scavenger hunt?" Susan Bones spoke as they followed the dimly lit corridor.
Hannah stopped suddenly, turning to face her house mate. "Oh my goodness, yes! Susan, how could we not have thought of that sooner?! It leads to each of the floors! And it shouldn't be much farther ahead!" Susan matched her grin, an air of exuberance resonating between them. Ginny turned to face them, still in the lead, and Ernie listened intently from behind.
"Okay, Okay, hold on. Scavenger hunt?" Ginny questioned skeptically.
Hannah smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "It's a Hufflepuff thing. Girls vs. boys. We're particularly good finders, you know." She winked, and Ginny shook her head while drinking in the excitement.
"I had no idea Hufflepuffs were so adventurous. I always thought secret passages were more of a Gryffindor thing."
"Hey, Hey, we do know how to have fun. Even if that means adventure." Macmillan crossed his arms and smirked at the redhead facetiously. With a light chuckle, Ginny mirrored his stance and Hannah, hand in hand with Susan, rushed past them. "This way, guys!"
Ginny let out a sarcastic puff of air. "Led by the Hufflepuffs. Ready?"
Macmillan grinned, accepting Ginny's flippancy with grace as their friendship seemed to bloom subtly. "I mean, they are good finders. They won the scavenger hunt." Ginny let out a hushed guffaw as they moved forward.
Blaise Zabini's back was aligned flawlessly perpendicular to the wall of the 7th floor. He wasn't sure exactly what had brought him here; all he knew was that his gut had told him to follow through with his suspicion.
Earlier that evening, he'd overhead Pansy bragging about how things were about to change at Hogwarts. Her voice coated with arrogance, she flamboyantly stalked about the Slytherin common room with talks of justice for the pure bloods.
"There will be no more traitors to our kind," she stated vindictively, "The Dark Lord is upon us. And his work is going to be done without mercy."
"Okay, Pans. We all know he's upon us. What in the bloody fuck are you on about Hogwarts, though?" Nott spoke sourly, among the others crowded around the common room fireplace. Even a few first and second years had turned their heads to eavesdrop on the Slytherin princess.
"You'll see." She giggled, and Blaise looked up from the Prophet curiously. Meeting his skeptical and faintly annoyed expression, she rolled her eyes before continuing.
"Don't you believe in justice for what is right, my dear Blaise?" Pansy had a way of faking, of dripping her entire demeanor with an act that was sweet as honey. Her head tilted sideways affectionately, eyelashes batted innocently, and steps swayed seductively. Most of the boys in school were prone to Pansy's trap, falling head first into her hive. In fact, it seemed that Blaise and Draco were two of the very few that were immune to her tactics and charms.
"Of course, beautiful." He flashed a grin in her direction, followed by a wink. The only way to fight Pansy was with fire.
Her face softened considerably. With a slight quirk of her lips, she stepped across the circle to the chase where he resided. She then leaned over him flirtatiously, and he wondered what she was getting at. It's not as if he was a certain blonde; what was she wasting her time for?
"Meet me in the Room of Hidden Things. Tonight. You can help me serve such justice." Her voice was a soft whisper against his ear lobe. Blaise rewarded her with a curious expression before she skipped off. He contemplated.
Now that he was almost to the Room, he approached it with his wand drawn. Before he was given the chance to make a requesting thought, a large wooden set of doors appeared. One of them creaked open slightly to reveal a smug Pansy, who grabbed Blaise and yanked him inside.
"Pansy!" He scolded, straightening his robes from the sudden dishevelment. "What in the fuck is going on?"
"I'm sorry, love," she peered out once more to ensure his solitude before shutting the doors. Turning to face him, she clasped her hands into a giddy gesture. "I'm doing it, Blaise. Are you with me?"
He glanced around the room. It looked just as it had the last time he was here hiding some elvish "contraband" from Snape. Piles of dusty books and items long lost towered over them in several directions. There were brooms, balls, gadgets, and even empty alcohol bottles littering the area where history's students galore had come to hide them.
"What exactly are you going to do, Pans?" He questioned cautiously, choosing to keep his wand out as he followed her dainty steps to a large cherry wood cabinet. She gazed upward at the intricacies of the woodwork, an awestruck expression plastered beneath glassy eyes. She then pivoted to Blaise, pupils dilated wildly.
"I'm doing the Dark Lord's work." Her lips pulled into a malicious grin, and Blaise wondered exactly when the poor girl had lost her sanity. "I'm going to let them in. The Death Eaters. You see, Blaise..." she moved one foot forward, stepping toward him. Her body was rigid, almost robotic in nature, mind psychotic, eyes still crazily widened with anticipation.
"Draco was supposed to do this. What I'm doing. He was the Chosen One. But he failed." She cocked her head, a morose emotion creeping down her cheeks. "I loved him, Blaise. And he betrayed my family. His family. Your family."
Blaise stiffened. "Pansy, if this is about Draco's crush on Potter..."
Her mouth dropped. "He told you!?"
"No, of course not. But I'm not daft. He's been pining after his arse for years." Blaise lowered his wand, recognizing Pansy for the broken girl that she was. She was hurting.
"I predicted it, Blaise! He was supposed to be with me!" Zabini was silent, and Pansy's attitude transformed to something else entirely: motivation.
"But the joke's on him. Because I had another prediction." She pointed her finger, spitting her point frantically. "When the Dark Mark is viewed high above the castle's tallest point, someone will die. And that, my dearest Blaise, is tonight." She marched back to the cabinet before stopping suddenly.
"You are going to help me, aren't you, love?" Her stare was scrutinizing from beyond her shoulder.
"Help you do what, Pansy? Open a cabinet?" His wand was still in hand, ready to fire if need be.
"No, silly. Help our Dark Lord to infiltrate the school." Her face had formed a wicked sort of grimace that caused even Blaise's thick skin to crawl.
Blaise's eyes were hard, stance unwavering. "No."
The word was solid, made of a concrete promise that Pansy had not expected.
"I'm sorry?" She asked, brow furrowed in accusation.
"You heard me. If you think for one second that I'm turning my back on my own beliefs. You're wrong." He raised his wand as Pansy grabbed for hers, tucked in the confines of black robes.
"Your beliefs!? You believe what I believe! What our whole families believe!" She was hysterical, hot and angry tears staining rosy cheeks.
"You're wrong, Pansy. The muggle borns dont deserve this. Draco doesn't deserve this. Hell, YOU don't deserve this." Pansy lowered her wand and glanced back and forth repeatedly, allowing Zabini's words to take hold.
"There's still time, Pansy. We can get Dumbledore. We can stop them!"
The seconds ticked by in agonizing succession. Blaise's wand was held high as tears continued to pour down Pansy's reddened cheeks. Her eyes pierced him, saw directly through him and seemed to penetrate his soul. Her face twisted once more.
"You ALL LIED TO ME!"
Her shriek was ravenous, hungry for revenge. In a moment, her wand was raised and pointed directly at Blaise's chest.
"Potrificus totalus!" She cried freakishly to an unexpectant Blaise who fell back, immediately frozen. The sight of her motionless friend on the ground before her caused something else inside of her to wrench. Had she Just done that? Had she hexed the boy she'd played with as a toddler? Heart snapping, Pansy let out a scream that filled the Room in echoes and waves. Her fists were balled; she was shaking profusely as her pulse matched the heady breaths that escaped her lips. Tears were matched by beads of sweat that formed on her brow as she allowed the anger to consume her. The next thing she remembered was the world turning red as she proceeded to unhinge the Vanishing Cabinet.
"That's it! Up ahead!" Ginny and Ernie followed Susan's whispers down a deserted corridor. Hannah paused once they'd reached their destination at a window on the far right. The others glanced about puzzled as she felt along the crimson rug that lined the castle floor, searching eagerly for her prize. Lifting the rug, her lips pulled into a satisfied smile when she revealed a trap door with an iron handle beneath her palm. She shared an excited moment with Susan, who'd obviously been hoping to see the secret passage again. "You ready guys?"
One by one, they each dropped into the hidden subfloor.
The passage was tunnel-like, and much smaller than the Puffs had remembered it. That, or maybe their memories were tainted at the lack of 4 humans in the condensed space. Either way, a scoffed "Jesus Christ, Hannah, must you elbow me!?" rang throughout the group as they huddled in utter darkness.
"Lumos." Ginny lit her wand and searched their surroundings. They appeared to inhabit some sort of cavelike architecture, the walls of which were a cool gray stone. The floors were dirt, and Hannah coughed at the dust fuming what air was left between them. They were in the center of a long corridor, and Ginny turned to the Puff girls for direction.
"There's a staircase... it should be that way." Susan pointed ahead, and Ginny took off in a sprint with the others jogging behind.
In the distance was a rusty set of iron steps that had corroded and worn with time. They ascended these, and another, and another, until they were forced down an additional corridor that led them to the final steps onto the 7th floor.
Ginny, in all of her haste, immediately placed a weight bearing foot on the first of these steps only to find herself collapsed as it broke beneath her. She let out a soft yelp as Hannah helped her up.
"I just twisted my ankle. That's all. Let's keep going." Hannah's concerned expression would never beat Ginny's ferociousness, so the group continued onward. At the top of this final staircase was another trap door, similar to the first.
Ginny was the first to peek her head slightly above ground, with Hannah popping up immediately behind her. An audible gasp escaped the Weasley's throat as Hannah's hand clasped her open mouth. As quick as they'd resurfaced, they vanished beneath the floor.
"Professor, where are we going?" Draco trailed along Dumbledore with Harry and Narcissa.
"To the 7th floor, of course. We must stand our ground." They hastily shuffled along the empty corridor, passing several vacant suits of armor and tapestries that Harry had always known to adorn the castle. It was odd thinking about what was really happening.
They followed in silence, Narcissa standing close to Draco with each stride. Upcoming on the right was an opening in the castle wall, a lovely window that bore a seat for good reading. Harry had nestled there several times the previous year; feeling isolated and alone, he'd found solace in the view. You could see the astronomy tower from that spot; hell, you could see most of the castle and the Forbidden Forest. Harry reveled in how much Hogwarts had become his home. Something inside him wanted to reach for Draco, but he missed his opportunity when everything seemed to slow before his eyes.
He could hear Dumbledore's foot clash against the stone floor in the conclusion of a hurried step; Draco's breath unhinged softly beside him. Narcissa Malloy's black dress was ruffling against the fabric of her petticoat. And then... it was dark.
They came to an immediate freeze, stopping in front of Harry's window.
"They're here." The whispered words of Mrs. Malfoy shattered the unforgiving silence. Draco inspired sharply. Harry glanced outside, the moonlight a sole illuminant. It washed the castle a blurry white, enhancing each darkened window and entrance. It appeared that all candle light had been vanquished.
"Can you re-light the candles, sir?" Draco asked innocently, never having been a fan of dark spaces.
"No," he replied thoughtfully, "this is dark magic. It would take time we do not have to reverse." He began to step forward with the intention of picking up the pace to the 7th floor before Harry intervened.
"Sir," he lifted a finger to point out at the vastness of the castle's landscape. "There. Above the Astronomy tower."
The others crowded around Harry, all venturing to see what had the boy's attention.
A knot settled within Draco's gut at the sight before him. There, hovering in a cloud of coal colored smoke above the tallest tower... was the Dark Mark.
The snake protruded hazily from the open mouth of the skull, mocking him. Calling specifically to Draco. "See? I've won. I'm here, and you're cowering in the dark."
His brow narrowed as he dug deep to find the determination. He didn't have to wonder or ask who had cast the Mark. He knew far within the depths of his bones that Lucius Malfoy had arrived.
"Draco, Harry. Head to the 7th floor. Take out as many of them as you can. And then meet us in the Tower."
The command was stout and unwavering. The boys nodded at the Professor before he launched himself ahead. Narcissa placed her lips to Draco's forehead, communicating without words her desire to not let him go. Draco found himself fuzzy, eyelids fluttering shut and taking him back to sips of frothy hot cocoa.
And then she was gone, and they were alone.
"You ready?" Harry's expression was serious, hand outstretched. Opening his eyes, Draco found the determination he needed to press onward. To face his father.
He placed his hand lovingly in Potter's, and together they departed.
