Harry's first thought was "Oh, crap." He'd been so excited about starting the D.A. again that he'd completely forgotten about the scar.
"Nothing," he said dismissively, sticking his hand in his pocket as nonchalantly as he could. "Just a scratch." Hermione narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing him one bit.
"You've always been a terrible liar," she said bluntly, "but I'll give you a chance to correct yourself – what is on your hand?"
"Maya, it's-"
"So help me, Harry James Potter, if you say 'nothing' again I will hex you into the middle of next week! Now show me your damn hand!"
Harry sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. He glanced at Draco and Ginny, but their expressions were just as resolute as Hermione's, and with another sigh, he gave up.
"Alright, fine." He freed his hand from his pocket and held it out to Hermione, who grabbed it and immediately began examining the back of it. She hissed through her teeth when she realized just what she was seeing.
"Harry…this is absolutely not 'just a scratch' – who did this to you? And how?" She ran her index finger over each of the letters before fixing him with a hard stare.
"Erm…mind explaining what's got your knickers in a twist, Hermione?" George asked. Hermione glared at his choice of expression but didn't answer, instead thrusting Harry's fist forward so that everyone could see the message engraved into his skin. Blaise inhaled sharply, Ginny made a sound like an angry cat, and a number of others burst forth with declarations of their own.
"What the hell…"
"Who did that?"
"'I must not tell lies'?"
"What's going on?"
"Alright, everyone shut up and let him speak," Susan said. With a flick of her wand, she sent their cushions flying into a neat circle.
"Sit." The determined look on the normally friendly Hufflepuff's face left everyone scrambling to do as she said. Harry felt the indignant gazes of his friends as he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
"It started back in-" he began, but he was interrupted by the door.
"Sorry I'm late," Lee Jordan said as he stepped into the room and looked around for an empty cushion. "I just got out of detention – what'd I miss?"
"That," Ginny replied, pointing to Harry's hand. It was then that she noticed that one of Lee's own hands was wrapped in a towel, which was stained red in numerous places. Before Lee could act otherwise, Ginny grabbed his wrist and pulled the towel away, exposing a fist covered in blood.
"Ouch!" he cried. "What the hell was that for?" Ginny ignored his outburst and used a spell to siphon off the excess blood, her teeth clenching when she could properly see Lee's hand. As Lee's cuts were still bleeding, she couldn't make out the exact message, but it was crystal clear that the marks on his skin were letters.
"Godric, Rowena, and Salazar," she muttered, quickly cleaning the cloth before wrapping Lee's hand again. "What the hell is going on around here?"
"You said you came from detention, Lee?" Draco asked, having picked up on the seemingly insignificant detail. "What exactly were you doing that's got you bleeding all over the place?"
"He was writing lines," Harry said then. He'd given up on trying to keep the truth from his friends – they'd find out eventually.
"Writing lines," Ginny deadpanned, staring at Harry like he was crazy.
"Yes," he snapped. "Writing lines. It's from a blood quill, alright? It's Umbridge's."
"I should've known," Hermione hissed, her eyes narrowed to slits. "That evil, evil woman!"
"Are we going to let her get away with this?" Lisa Turpin asked.
"But what are we supposed to do?" Hannah Abbott countered. "She's got the backing of the entire Ministry, and everyone knows Harry hates her! It wouldn't do any good!"
"Hang on," Terry Boot interrupted. "Anthony, didn't Michael come back to the room bleeding a few times right before the holidays?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah, he did," Anthony said, looking pensive. "He wrote it off as a Herbology project gone wrong and went to bed, but I'm almost positive he'd had detention that night – and not with Sprout."
"So there could potentially be others in a similar situation?" Hermione pressed, seemingly interested in what the two Ravenclaws had to say. Terry shrugged.
"Yeah, I s'pose so."
"Well then, we have to find them," Hermione said resolutely. When several of the others gave her questioning looks, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Umbridge might have the Ministry behind her, but even the Ministry can't ignore something like this. The use of blood quills has been illegal for nearly two hundred years, and they've been forbidden at Hogwarts for even longer – Hogwarts, A History devotes nearly ten pages to the subject. If we can prove she's done something illegal, Fudge will be forced to act."
"And how are we going to do that?" Cho Chang wanted to know. "Do you really think the Wizengamot would take the word of a bunch of kids over that of one of their own? Umbridge has already proven herself a fantastic liar."
"Strength in numbers," Hermione replied instantly. "We already know of at least two definite victims of the quill, possibly three if Anthony and Terry's suspicions about Michael are right. Who's to say there aren't more? Our group alone represents all four houses and years four through seven – that should be a good enough start."
"What do we need to do?" Susan asked.
"Ask around. If you see someone with an odd mark on their hand and feel comfortable doing so, ask them about it; if not, maybe talk to their friends to see if they know anything. Umbridge hasn't exactly been conservative about handing out detentions, so it's very possible that far more people have these scars than we know."
"And after that?" Lee prodded.
"We get the word out," Hermione said simply. "Obviously everyone affected should write letters, to both the Ministry and their parents – although I honestly don't know why you haven't done that already," she added with a glare in Harry's direction. Harry had the decency to look sheepish – his mother would be absolutely furious when she found out, even more so when she learned that he'd kept this from her for quite a while.
"The letters will be a good start, but we need something more, something that will really get their attention. A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the Muggles say – Gin, how well do you know Colin Creevey?"
"Well enough," Ginny said with a grin, quickly picking up on her friend's intentions. "I have shared most of my classes with him for almost four years, after all."
"Perfect. Luna, your father runs a magazine, no?"
"Yes, Daddy's the editor of The Quibbler," Luna confirmed with a serene nod. Several people covered up snorts at the mention of the odd publication, but the blonde Ravenclaw ignored them.
"What's the circulation like?" Hermione questioned.
"Oh, it's nothing like the Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly," Luna said. "Daddy does it more for the satisfaction than the money…but it's still available in most Wizarding villages, plus Diagon Alley, of course."
"That's all we need," Hermione assured her. "If we can make this work, it'll be the fastest selling issue that magazine's ever had."
"Well, Daddy's been waiting for quite some time for a truly riveting piece about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, but I think I can convince him to push that back an issue if we get this done in time."
"Erm…right. Thanks," Hermione said awkwardly. She and Luna got along well enough, but the logic-minded Gryffindor still had a hard time swallowing some of the younger girl's eccentricities. She cleared her throat and brushed a few loose hairs back from her forehead.
"I think we should end the meeting for tonight," she said. "We really need to put all of our efforts into scoping things out this week." A number of the D.A. members grumbled but eventually nodded, all of them realizing just how important their latest undertaking was.
"Keep your coins handy, and spread the word about this project to anyone you can trust," Harry said. "I think Hermione's right – if we play our cards right, even Fudge himself can't ignore us."
Thanks to an unexpected surge in workloads and a nasty bout of flu that swept through the castle a week later, it was more than two weeks before the D.A. was able to meet again. As they gathered in the Room of Requirement, however, it quickly became apparent that those two weeks had been very productive – when all was said and done, they'd compiled a list of close to fifty victims of the blood quill. Granted, fifty was a fairly small number given Hogwarts' population of several hundred, but it was still a decent list, more than enough to enact the next stage of their plan. Colin Creevey, who was attending his very first D.A. meeting that night by personal invitation from Ginny, jumped at the chance to take photos of as many of the victims' scars as he could – as Hermione reminded him, "The more we have, the bigger the statement".
"What about the article itself, Maya?" Harry questioned.
"I've got it all sorted," Hermione replied. "I've set up a meeting with a seasoned reporter for the next Hogsmeade trip, and I've arranged for a private room at the Three Broomsticks for the interview. Anyone is welcome to come share their stories – the more, the better, so spread the word. We'll be there from noon until no later than three – it's Valentine's Day, so I don't want to keep anyone too long – and they should ask Madam Rosmerta for the room number."
"Who's the reporter?" George asked. At this, Hermione merely smiled.
"I'm keeping that a surprise," she said mischievously. "Don't worry, she'll make sure the word gets out." The other members of the D.A. immediately began peppering her with questions, but Hermione refused to answer.
"Just wait and see," she said. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, we were going to do something rather special tonight?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Harry, who nodded in confirmation.
"Mhmm. I thought we'd try a different sort of defensive charm tonight, take a break from the dueling-type stuff."
"What are we doing instead?" Neville asked. Harry grinned.
"The Patronus Charm."
A few people merely looked confused, but gasps and squeals came from those who'd heard of the charm before.
"Really?" Susan asked. "Can you produce one, then?"
"I can't," Harry said. "Not yet, anyway – but Draco can." All eyes turned to the blond Slytherin.
"I want to start by saying that the Patronus Charm is extremely difficult magic – beyond N.E.W.T. level, even, so don't get discouraged if you can't do it right off," Draco warned. "It took me months before I got mine right." He withdrew his wand, but before he could do anything else, there was a knock at the door. The D.A. was on their feet immediately, wands in hand. There were only a handful of people missing, and they shouldn't have been done with patrols or practice yet…and even if they were, they knew how to get in without knocking. Finally, Harry summoned his courage and opened the door, gasping when he saw who stood behind it.
"Greengrass?" he asked, sounding puzzled. "Pucey? What are you doing here?"
"Can we come in, please?" Daphne's soft voice replied. "There's a pair of Inquisitorial Squad members not too far from here…"
"But-"
"Let them in, Harry," Tracey interrupted. "It's alright – I invited them."
"You…what?"
"I invited them," Tracey repeated. She gestured for Daphne and Adrian to enter and summoned two extra cushions from the stack in the corner. "Draco was supposed to tell you, but I guess he forgot."
"Sorry, Trace," Draco said. "In my defense, I hadn't seen Harry today except in Potions, and you know there's no way for us to talk in that class." Tracey just rolled her eyes.
"Or you were just a typical male and forgot," she quipped. Draco stuck his tongue out at her in response.
"Real mature, Drake."
"Can we get back to the matter at hand, here?" Harry asked. "Not to be rude or anything, Greengrass, but why would you want to come here?"
"Firstly, please call me Daphne," the Slytherin girl said. "And second…well, I want in on what you're doing. I know you've been secretly working on Defense all year, and I know that you're plotting against Umbridge."
"How did you know?" Ron asked sharply. "Who told you?"
"I did, Ron," Tracey said impatiently. "Didn't I just say I invited them? Now why don't you listen to Daphne's story before you jump to conclusions?" Ron looked abashed for a moment but kept quiet.
"My family has always been neutral in the war," Daphne began. "My parents don't necessarily like the fact that Muggle-borns are allowed to attend Hogwarts, practice magic, and the like, but they certainly don't condone torture, and they've always encouraged my sister and me to form our own opinions on things, something very few pureblooded girls are allowed to do. I admit I'm still working out my own beliefs – I'm just a teenager and the whole thing can be so convoluted sometimes – but I know that I agree with my parents about the violence aspect. Anyone who thinks such horrible acts are acceptable should be in Azkaban." There was a hard gleam in Daphne's eyes, one that made Hermione pause.
"Something happened to you, didn't it?" she asked quietly.
"Not me, no," Daphne replied just as softly. "My sister." She tensed almost imperceptibly, and Adrian wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. Encouraged by her boyfriend's presence, Daphne took a deep breath and continued, "Astoria was severely injured during the attack on Kings Cross – a spell completely destroyed her left leg, so much so that even the Healers couldn't save it. She now wears a prosthetic from the knee down." Gasps flew around the circle as many of the girls clapped their hands to their mouths.
"That's terrible," Ginny said. "I'm so sorry." Daphne smiled sadly.
"It's not me who needs to hear that," she said. "Stori is beautiful, yes, popular and sweet and smart, but her one true love is dance – she's been taking lessons since she was three. It's remarkable how much progress she's made in learning to walk with the prosthetic, but she can still only do so with a severe limp, and there's a very real chance she'll never dance again. She was devastated when they told her." Daphne choked back a sob and held a hand to her mouth, breathing deeply.
"I would do anything – anything for my sister. She's two years younger and can drive me mental so easily, but she's also everything to me. To see that light gone from her eyes, to know that her passion's been taken from her…well, I want to do everything I can to make things right." There was a lengthy silence as the D.A. processed Daphne's tale.
"And what about you?" Harry finally asked Adrian. "What's your story?"
"I've seen firsthand what the Death Eaters do to families," the taller boy said. "My father's oldest brother was one – I remember them having a spectacular row when I was small, my uncle insisting that my father was a fool for not joining up. Less than a year later, my uncle was dead, brutally slaughtered by one of his own for failing to complete a mission satisfactorily. We've relocated twice since then, because we can't be sure my uncle didn't reveal anything personal about us, and my parents' views are much the same as the Greengrass'. Daphne and I are very lucky that we've been allowed to make our own decisions, and in light of the attack on the Express, we decided it was time to act. It was I who convinced Daphne to talk to Tracey."
"Why Tracey?" Ginny asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Tracey and I have always gotten along reasonably enough, and I knew she was dating Blaise and close with Draco – who, in turn, is close with you." Daphne gestured to Harry and Hermione. "What better way to go against the Dark than to seek out Harry Potter?"
"I think you've more than convinced me," Hermione said quietly. "All in favor of Daphne and Adrian joining?" Almost everyone raised their hands.
"Welcome to the D.A.," she said, tossing them each a charmed Galleon. "We're doing something a bit more light-hearted today, I hope you enjoy it."
"Thank you," Daphne said sincerely. "I'm sure whatever you have planned will be lovely."
"Draco?" Hermione nudged him gently, wordlessly prompting him to pick up where he'd left off.
"Right, then – the Patronus Charm. Like I said, it's extremely difficult stuff, but it is a bit easier to do when there aren't any Dementors around."
"What exactly is a Patronus?" Hannah asked.
"Good question," Draco replied. "It's like a guardian of sorts – mostly against Dementors, as they can't hurt one, but I can imagine it'd be nice to have one around in other situations as well."
"And there's a way to use them to send messages, although I don't know how it's done," Harry added. "My mum can do it, as can a bunch of her friends." He carefully avoided mentioning the Order, as most of the D.A. wasn't privy to the inner workings of the higher organization.
"Very true – we'll just stick to the charm for now," Draco said. "The incantation is Expecto Patronum."
"Expecto Patronum," the D.A. chorused.
"Exactly – except in this case, the words aren't enough. Conjuring a Patronus requires the caster to focus on a single happy memory – the stronger the memory, the stronger the charm. Like so." Draco closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then raised his wand and said, "Expecto Patronum!" The white wolf burst from his wand tip and trotted around the room to many 'ooohs' and 'aaaahs' from the assembled onlookers. When it reached Draco, the wolf sat just behind the blond, its expressive eyes surveying the room curiously.
"It stuck around this time," Hermione murmured with a smile. As if it had heard her, the wolf snuffed and flicked its tail before it bumped Draco's shoulder with its nose and vanished.
"That," Draco said, "is a corporeal Patronus – one that takes a definitive form. Usually when you start out, all you get is a silver mist, like a cloud, but since we don't have any Dementors in here, we might see more than that before we're done tonight."
"It's so pretty," Padma said admiringly.
"Why a wolf?" Susan asked.
"The form supposedly says something about the caster," Draco said with a shrug. "I'm happy with it, at any rate. Shall we get started?"
Without the presence of a Dementor, the D.A. members saw great success with the Patronus Charm. Almost everyone was able to produce at least the silvery mist Draco had described, and a number of animals frolicked around the room while their casters watched in awe. Ginny was very proud of the majestic horse that galloped around her in circles, and Luna smiled sweetly at her hare Patronus. Daphne had produced a sleek mountain cat of some sort, most likely a panther by the looks of it, and a large, fierce-looking bird flew circles around Anthony's head.
"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione cried. So far, she'd only managed the silver vapor, and she was getting more than a little frustrated. Another shapeless cloud burst from her wand, and she groaned.
"Lotte, I told you not to expect to get it right the first time," Draco said quietly as he approached her. He'd just come from talking to Harry and Neville – they'd both only produced clouds so far, although Harry's seemed to be taking a more definitive shape with each cast. He rested his hands on Hermione's shoulders and soothed her collarbone with his thumbs.
"I know," Hermione replied, sounding upset. "I just…I really want to know what my form is." Draco chuckled softly.
"Patience, my love – you'll get there soon enough," he said. "You're not at the top of our class for nothing." He dropped a soft kiss on Hermione's forehead even as she shoved his chest in mock exasperation.
"Give it another go." He stepped back and gestured for her to attempt the spell again. Hermione raised her wand and concentrated.
"Expecto Patronum!" Again, she managed only a cloud, and she had to refrain from throwing her wand across the room in disappointment.
"Again, Lotte. Don't give up – that's not like you." Hermione looked up at him, and the look in his eyes gave her the encouragement she needed.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The animal that leapt from her wand looked remarkably like Crookshanks, except with larger ears and a tufted tail.
"It's a Kneazle!" Hermione said in wonder, smiling widely as the curious cat moved forward to inspect her.
"Trust you to have a magical animal for a Patronus," Draco said with a slight laugh. "From what I understand, that's pretty rare."
"He's so cute," Hermione cooed, reaching her fingertips towards the Kneazle's nose. The Patronus sniffed, sneezed, and promptly disappeared, and Hermione giggled before turning her attention back to Draco.
"I told you you could do it," Draco said softly as he pulled her close and gave her a squeeze. "Now can you do it again?"
"Of course I can," Hermione said confidently. "Expecto Patronum!" Draco echoed the spell, and the Kneazle and wolf chased each other playfully around the room, eventually running circles around Harry, who had just produced his own Patronus.
"Ha!" he said triumphantly. Then he took a closer look at his animal and asked, "What is it?"
Hermione and Draco stepped forward to examine Harry's Patronus. It somewhat resembled a weasel or an otter, but neither of those seemed to make sense. Parvati, however, was close by and spoke up immediately.
"I know what that is – it's a mongoose," she said.
"A mongoose?" Harry asked, more than a little confused. "What's a mongoose?"
"That," Parvati said, gesturing towards the Patronus. "They're not found in Britain, of course, but my parents always told us stories of India – to keep our heritage alive, you know. There was one story my father told us about a mongoose, by a Muggle called Kipling."
"Oh, yes," Hermione nodded, immediately recognizing the name. "I think I know the story you're talking about."
"Obviously we don't need to tell the whole story now, but the mongoose really does suit you, Harry," Parvati continued. "They're bold defenders of the innocent, agile, fiercely protective, and their number one enemy…"
"What's their number one enemy?" Harry asked. Parvati smirked.
"The snake."
A/N: Lots of fun stuff in this chapter! I did quite a bit of research on the meanings of animals before I chose the Patronuses - some of the canon ones I kept (Ginny, Luna) & some I obviously didn't (Hermione, Harry). If anyone's curious as to the meaning behind any of the specific animals, I'm happy to share.
Thank you, as always, for the follows/faves/reviews, & for reading! Keep your thoughts coming, I love hearing (reading) them.
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)