A/N: A big thanks to stella8h8chang for beta-reading this chapter; there are a few parts that I changed after she got her revisions back to me, so hopefully, nothing's too off on those portions. She also contributed a couple of Ginny's thoughts in the middle section.
Rated T for mature themes and language. I own nothing, not the song lyrics nor Harry Potter. And two very special guest appearances in this one.
Chapter 25: New Allies
Daphne was walking down the hallway towards Slughorn's Advanced Potions class. She was quite surprised at her ability to block out Blaise Zabini as if he were a mere buzzing pest hovering around her head.
("I said maybe you're gonna be the one who saves me . . .")
"Greengrass," he said, cocking his eyebrow, "Michael Corner and Terry Boot have just asked me to participate in a ménage-à-trois and I accepted, and you . . . would not, er . . . hello? Anyone home?"
("And after all, you're my wonderwall—")
Blaise waved his hand in front of Daphne's face.
"I'm here, you idiot! I'm just ignoring you."
Blaise snorted, smirking at her still dreamy expression. "He's really gotten to you, hasn't he?"
Daphne smirked right back. "What if he has?"
To her surprise, Blaise's smirk melted into a smile — a true, genuine smile. "It's nice, isn't it?"
"What's nice?"
"To have someone in your life like that. To just be free, and . . . I don't know . . . happy."
Daphne cocked an eyebrow at him. "Truly happy, Blaise?"
He nodded, a lazy content smile still spread across his face. "Truly."
"So, has your 'happiness' been in touch with you lately?"
Blaise nodded, keeping his face mild, but Daphne noticed the spark in his eyes, always present whenever he thought about Eddie Carmichael. "Says there's a surprise, and I'll know by the end of the week. Says it might have something to do with his training as a Healer."
Daphne grinned. "A surprise, eh? Bet you're all tingly in your naughty areas!"
Blaise glared at her, even as he shoved a sealed parchment into Daphne's hands.
"Read this later. Preferably away from our other esteemed colleagues. Preferably also away from any Slytherin whose last name starts with 'P' and ends with '-arkinson"!"
"Or Malfoy too, I reckon?" she asked. Blaise shrugged and nodded again. Daphne looked at the scroll, a bit befuddled at what it could be. "Er . . ."
A Confundus Charm couldn't have confused Daphne more.
Blaise grunted and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's all a part of my new status as 'Double Agent' Zabini."
"Something happen, Blaise?"
"Well," Blaise looked to and fro, "let's just say it's starting."
"Oh, that's not ominous at all!"
"Read it bloody later, all right? I'll get more information for us as I can."
Daphne looked at the Slytherin wizard, impressed.
"What?"
"It's . . . well, you."
Blaise gave a little start. "Me?"
"You're taking this seriously, aren't you? What was asked of you when we voted to do more here at the school."
Daphne knew she had to be on the highest alert, and choose her words carefully, as she and Blaise roamed the halls. They had to constantly be on the lookout for anything involving the Carrows, Snape, or the other Slytherins, either inside the dungeons or anywhere around the castle. They had been keeping their eyes on the students who wanted to emulate the Carrows. But it was rather tricky; any indication that they were spying could land them in the worst sort of trouble with the other Slytherins . . . not to mention the Death Eaters.
Blaise concealed a grin by coughing into his hand. "Investigation's fun," he mumbled.
Daphne smirked. Just as she was about to tease him, a vicious sound stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Come here, you little – fucking – piece – of – SHIT!"
Daphne and Blaise looked at each other and readied their wands.
(Vincent Crabbe.)
Daphne was almost certain that he was indulging in his latest hobby — hexing the stuffing out of any students who had Muggles or Muggle-borns in their immediate family tree.
Daphne pressed against the wall and signaled with her head for Blaise to join her.
"No!" he mouthed. "I'm spying on him. I can't show myself now—"
She growled at him under breath, although she had to grudgingly admit that he had a point. "Coward," she whispered. Composing herself, Daphne readied her wand and stepped out into the corridor just in time to see Crabbe throwing another red curse at a Ravenclaw. The girl could have been no more than eleven or twelve years old.
"CRUCIO!"
She glared at him furiously, shocked that he could throw an Unforgivable at such a young, vulnerable witch. The Ravenclaw managed to duck it, but she was sobbing and trembling like a leaf in a storm.
"Crabbe!"
Daphne charged towards him, and yanked him as hard as she could. "Don't you dare use those spells against another student." She kept her wand pointed at his face, praying that her trembling wasn't obvious.
He sneered at her, eerily reminiscent of Amycus Carrow's awful expression whenever he was happy. "Think you scare me, slag?"
Daphne narrowed her eyes at his insult.
"Unforgivables aren't unforgivable now," he spat at her, "and Carrow's asked me to help him take care of any Mudbloods giving us trouble."
"And Snape's asked me to watch out for the students, so I'll listen to Head Death Eater Headmaster, which means I get to hex your plonker off, provided you were even born with one!"
Crabbe seemed to forget about the little girl as he turned his ire onto Daphne. He pointed his wand at her.
"Sectum—"
"Expelliarmus!" With a flick of her wand, Crabbe's flew out of his hand faster than he could complete his spell. He lunged to his right and scrambled after it.
She swished and jabbed her wand at him in two fluid motions. "Petrificus Totalus!"
Crabbe froze in mid-crawl and landed, stiff as a board, on his gut.
Daphne aimed her wand at him; she needed to make sure he was going to be thoroughly knocked out.
"Stupefy!"
Crabbe's eyelids didn't shut, but his eyeballs stopped moving.
She stepped over his stunned and petrified body and approached the girl who was still crying. Kneeling before the girl, Daphne put her hands just below her shoulders. She silently reminded herself to send messages to the prefects, warning them to look out for any increased student-on-student attacks.
"I'm Daphne Greengrass. What's your name?"
The witch sniffed. "I-Is-Isadore L-Lancaster."
"Isadore, I'll walk with you and take you back to your house. But I'll also need you to tell me what happened here. With Crabbe." She patted the girl on her shoulder.
The girl nodded and wiped her eyes. "H-He overh-heard me talking to my friends about my d-dad. He's a butcher in London."
Daphne grimaced.
(Also make sure to tell the prefects to keep talk about Muggle or Muggle-born parents confined to the dormitories.)
"A-and my friends r-ran, but he wouldn't stop taunting m-me . . ." Isadore started crying again. Daphne kept a hand on her shoulder, even as they gathered her book bag (torn from the skirmish with Crabbe) as she led the still-trembling girl onto the grand staircase.
"Did he hurt you with any spell?" Daphne asked in a calm, collected voice.
Isadore shook her head. "N-no. I . . . I . . . wannagohome!" She burst into tears. Daphne kept patting her on the back, trying to calm her down, but all she could manage were awkward splutters. There was no way to summon Padma or Anthony from here, so she kept trying to steer her over towards the direction of Ravenclaw Tower—
Several students ran past her and Isadore, nearly knocking Daphne off of the staircase. "Hey! Head Girl here, watch where yer—"
They paid no attention to her. "What did it say?" she heard one boy ask his friend.
"'Dumbledore's Army!' Somethin' somethin' . . . 'Carrow sucks!' Etcetera . . ."
A couple of girls laughed. "Wilma said there was some writing in the other classrooms too! 'Dumbledore's Army!' and 'We Support Harry!' Stuff like that."
A Hufflepuff boy grinned broadly. "Someone'd written 'We Remember You, Cedric Diggory!' in Muggle Studies. Alecto wasn't too happy about that."
Daphne ears perked up, and Isadore muffled a couple of sniffles, her curiosity slowly replacing her fright.
The group of witches and wizards bolted towards the second floor, and Daphne turned to her young companion. "Do you want to see what's going on?"
Isadore gave her a small smile and nodded. Daphne and she took the steps two-at-a-time. However, their progress was impeded by a large, buzzing group of students.
"Oh shite! Where's Carrow?"
"Dunno . . . but he is gonna AK whomever did this!"
"Y' think?!"
Daphne couldn't see what all the fuss was about, although she knew it had something to do with the D.A. Isadore broke away from her and walked over to another group of Ravenclaws that Daphne deduced were her friends. Then, she spotted a familiar face.
"Blaise? What's going on?"
He merely gestured at the wall. "What do you think?"
Daphne glared at the utterly unhelpful Slytherin wizard, so she tried jumping up and down to get a better look. As she was in the back and pathetically short, Daphne jumped up in short, little bursts, and her book bag kept slamming into her hip.
"Ow . . . Ouch! Son of a hippogriff's whore!"
Blaise snorted. "Need help, Short Stuff?"
Narrowing her eyes at her friend and fellow co-conspirator, Daphne allowed Blaise to pick her up to get as good a view of the wall as possible.
On a large Hogwarts bed sheet, written in huge black letters with Magical Morphing Ink, was the phrase:
DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY — THE REBELLION BEGINS!
LONG LIVE HARRY POTTER!
She grinned big and wide—
And then the writing on the wall wiggled and changed:
HEY DUNG-BREATH CARROW!
WE'VE GOT OUR EYES ON YOU!
Daphne shook her head, continuing to smile in earnest. "Those amazing bastards!"
"Oh, bollocks!"
Daphne grunted as Blaise dropped her abruptly. "Blaise! What the hell?"
Blaise muffled her with his hand and whispered harshly. "Carrow! He's coming!"
Daphne's eyes went wide, as she saw the Death Eater marching — no, stomping — towards the wall and the offensive banner. He pushed students away with no regard for whether he was harming them.
His face looked like he was ready to kill. But before he could start yelling for students' deaths, inspiration struck Daphne. She grinned. She could use this to her advantage.
(Showtime, Greengrass!)
"All of you! Out of my way!" Daphne shoved through the students, but as gently as possible while trying to make it appear she was being rough. She walked towards Carrow in big, long strides, ignoring his cruelly leering face and his stinking breath.
"Professor, sir," Daphne began assertively, almost aggressively, "I can only apologize for having this happen under my watch, but I can assure you, whoever sought to sully your walls will meet with swift punishment from me!" For emphasis, she brandished her wand in front of her face.
The anger in Carrow's face promptly melted and he sneered at Daphne. She could only reckon it was his version of an approving grin. "Well, Miss Greengrass. I am . . . pleased. You oppose this, do you?"
Daphne forced herself to smile and nod.
"If you can deal with these vandals, you will," he leaned forward to her, "have my gratitude,"
He leered at her in his awful way; Daphne wanted to retch.
She nodded again, and watched Carrow walk back into his office. She snapped her head toward the other students. "I need two volunteers! Older ones who know some cleaning spells. Preferably Ravenclaws."
"Over here, Greengrass!"
Daphne looked over at the direction of the very familiar voice, and once again, she tried to refrain from grinning, and hoped to all that was magical that she was not blushing. "Corner. Boot." She crossed her arms and smirked at the two boys. "You two volunteering? Think those thick Ravenclaw skulls of yours can ferret out a way to get this down?" She cocked an eyebrow at Michael and Terry, and pursed her lips together to hold back laughing.
Terry was the first to speak up. "Well, a wee one like you can't reach all the way up there." He held his arms in front of him, crooking them like they were claws. "Y'arms 're bloody useless!" He smirked at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
(Idiot!)
Michael rolled his eyes and refrained from smiling. "What do you need us to do for you?" He was trying his level best to not laugh.
"Take this bloody banner down! I don't care how you do it. Just get it done!"
(I'm sure they'll use a little extra elbow grease on it—)
(Yeah, to keep it stuck to the wall!)
Michael gave her mildly amused look. "We actually do have Potions with you in a few minutes."
Daphne realized she hadn't thought about that. "Oh . . . crap!" She thought about how she could get out of this little charade with Michael and Terry. She honestly couldn't see any way out of it, not without Carrow Cruciating one or the both of them for putting their classes ahead of cleaning up the corridor.
She girded herself and shouted at them. "The both of you volunteered your services to the school, so you'll stay here and do this or else I'll find you and hex your buttocks off!"
She watched as Michael and Terry both drew their lips in, stifling laughs — which allowed her to summon a good dollop of fake fury.
"And don't think I'm not going to be checking on your work! You had better take this seriously, or I'll whip you two to pieces!"
"P-promise?" Michael said, unable to resist a cheeky grin.
Daphne spun around because she knew she was about to lose it. She started heading towards the Potions classroom. But just before she disappeared around the corner, she composed herself.
"I'm sure somebody will explain to Slughorn about the nature of your absence in his class today." She then grinned mischievously "Whoever it is might also give you your assignments if you're good, obedient Ravenclaws."
She pivoted and started walking, having to duck behind a tapestry to muffle the steady stream of guffaws pouring out of her body.
"All right!" Neville shouted triumphantly. "Great work, everyone." He gave them all a smile as he wiped the sweat off of his brow. The rest of Dumbledore's Army clapped and cheered.
They were in good spirits tonight. Their dueling drills had been productive and the D.A. really felt their spell work and dueling and defense was improving. Tonight, they had practiced non-verbal Shield Charms, an idea born from an intrepid Anthony Goldstein. He had managed to locate a book in the library written by a former Auror that detailed several useful self-defense techniques as well as skills and spells that would be valuable in defending others.
"We've got to learn some sort of targeting charm," Anthony ran over to the book, The Magic of An Auror, by Thaddeus Thungren, Order of Merlin, Third Class. He flipped to the Table of Contents, searching frantically for any such charm. Lavender Brown shut the book on him, practically catching his nose.
"Anthony," she said with a smile; he blushed as she looked at him, "calm down . . . relax. You're going to need it when Ernie and Susan finish up and you and Padma take over for them tonight."
Ernie and Susan were currently patrolling the fifth, sixth and seventh floors. It had been Daphne's idea to keep at least one set of D.A.-affiliated prefects patrolling in shifts, to keep an eye out for any malfeasance on the part of the Carrows or their sympathizers and to run interference if necessary. Anthony and Padma were to take over patrolling duties once the two Hufflepuff prefects returned to the Room of Requirement after their shift was done.
He nodded, and shot a glare at Michael Corner and Terry Boot as they snickered behind his back. "Yeah, you're right Lavender." He held up the book with a sheepish grin. "I'll look it up later—"
Neville wiped at his brow as he watched Hannah talking to Luna. This was not lost on Ginny and Daphne, as the two of them coughed fairly loudly to get his attention.
He blushed as he jogged over to them. "H-hey," Neville coughed, "Ernie and Susan should be back anytime now, right?" he asked Daphne
"Probably in the next few minutes."
"Good. If they want to work on dueling, Ginny, would you want to pair up and work with them?"
She shrugged. "Yeah. I wouldn't mind the extra practice."
Daphne snorted. "Well, there's actually a shit-load of shit to do still even if Ernie and Susan didn't want to practice. They could charm more Galleons for us, Duplicate those pesky parchments from the library, look up more defensive spells, discuss some rather pressing matters—" She and Ginny looked at each other in a rather ominous manner.
"Ah! Yeah. Daphne, you might wanna show him.
"Show me what?"
The Slytherin girl pulled out a parchment and shoved it towards Neville, practically spearing him with it. "Blaise found out about this. It's bad news. About the D.A."
He scanned her face. "What is it?" Neville took the parchment and unrolled it, his eyes sweeping down the rather long document, growing bigger and bigger, until, finally, he hissed in anger.
"For Merlin's sake! This is for real?"
Daphne pressed her lips together and blinked. "According to Blaise. It's been going on for a week. Ever since the first pro-D.A. graffiti appeared."
"Well, it was to be expected, right?" Ginny sucked in some air through her teeth. "I'm just surprised that Carrow's entrusting 'information gathering' to a troll like Crabbe—"
"Goyle's involved too, which means what's in that parchment, as voluminous as it may appear, is more falsification that fact." Blaise Zabini approached them, his hands casually shoved into his pockets, looking every bit as arrogant as he was reputed to be.
"Now, I do expect Carrow to ask Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy to get involved, particularly when he realizes that, combined, Crabbe and Goyle have the mental capacity of an amoeba."
Neville winced as he looked up from the parchment. "And that's when we should really worry, right?"
Blaise nodded. "Pansy and Draco'll both be more than competent to spy and provide Carrow with far more accurate information."
Daphne, Ginny and Neville released a collective sigh; this was not a good sign.
"How were you able to get this?" Neville asked Blaise after a moment of silent thought.
"I got Crabbe talking about what he thinks the Carrows are going to do about this 'Dumbledore's Army' nonsense." Blaise smirked. "He started this revolting bragging — and you know it has to be bad when I'm the one saying it's bad — that Carrow asked him to compile this list here, of any and all suspected members of the original D.A." A smug smile grew on Blaise's face. "A couple of Memory Charms and one Confundus Charm later, and Crabbe now thinks he has to draw up a list of magical pests to give to Carrow for Dark Arts in a week."
Neville returned his attention to the parchment, which was at least four feet long. "There is a lot of information here about us—and Harry, Ron, Hermione, your brothers, Ginny . . ." He gaped at something. "What a load of shite!"
"Oh, you've gotten to one of Crabbe's more creative statements then?" Ginny smirked at Daphne.
"I'm personally shocked that Crabbe even has the imagination to make so much crap up! He even included names of students who weren't in the D.A. but who he and Goyle are targeting." Daphne shook her head. "You should see what he said about me. Bollocks that I ever let Marcus Flint into my knickers!"
Blaise snorted. "That bastard's completely bent! Came onto Eddie my fifth year." He rolled his eyes, and Ginny swore she saw Blaise's face grow a little red.
"Not Eddie's type, though," Daphne responded. "Right?"
This time, Blaise's blush was quite evident.
"Th- . . . those bastards!"
They looked at Neville whose face twisted from disbelief into anger and then into rage. He gritted his teeth. "Somebody's been talking to Bellatrix Lestrange about some of her past victims. The ones in St. Mungo's, who can't talk, who can't think, who don't even know what year it is, much less their own son—"
Ginny sucked in a breath as Daphne and Blaise looked at each other. "Nev, don't. It's lies, it's stupid . . . it's all crap." She put a hand on his arm. "We've got the parchment, and Blaise has managed to delay and distract Crabbe from his mission."
Neville shoved the parchment back towards the girls. "It's not going to last forever though, right?"
The three all nodded in agreement.
"Well," he looked at the others, "keep an eye on the usual suspects, and — Blaise, Daphne?"
The two Slytherins raised their eyebrows at the same time.
"If you hear about anyone spying for Carrow, get back to us straightaway."
Daphne nodded. "Got it, o' fearless leader!" She smirked at Neville, and he rolled his eyes. Ginny snickered at both of them and was about to say something, when suddenly the doors to the Room of Requirement burst wide open.
"Help! They got someone!" Ernie Macmillan's voice rang out. He and Susan Bones were holding up a little girl who was clutching her chest, close to passing out. Anthony and Lavender, the two closest to the doors, quickly shut them. The other members of Dumbledore's Army ran over to see what had happened.
"We need help over here!" Susan shouted to the Room at large.
Ginny and Daphne looked at the girl Susan had in her arms. Ginny noticed, with a sickening feeling growing in her stomach, that the entire front of her jumper was covered in blood.
"Crabbe and Goyle," Ernie panted, as he Conjured a soft mattress for the nearly-unconscious girl. "They got her as she was coming out of a sixth floor classroom."
Susan shook her head, frightened but calm. "I just wanted to get her somewhere where she could lie down. I thought we could summon Pomfrey from here."
"Oh Salazar!" Daphne kneeled on the other side of the girl. "Isadore? Oh no! Isadore? Isadore, can you hear us?" She picked up Isadore Lancaster's small hand. "Crabbe was taunting her a few days ago." She gave the girl several rapid pats on her face. "She's really cold."
Ginny shook her head. There was no time to wait. "Susan, I don't think Pomfrey would know exactly how to get inside this room."
"Well, someone needs to get her!" Susan said desperately.
Ginny froze. There was someonethat they could trust, someone who could Apparate and Disapparate within the castle's walls — and who was completely devoted to Harry Potter.
Ginny yelled, right before Neville and Anthony went to open the door to summon Pomfrey. "No, wait! I've got it!" She flung the doors wide open. Looking down both directions of the corridor, making sure no one was around, she opened her mouth. "DOBBY!"
Instantly, there were two pops instead of only one that she was expecting. Ginny looked down, her mouth gaping in shock.
There, standing below her, practically on top of her feet, was Dobby. But he was not alone. A much older, and very familiar-looking, house-elf stood next to him, clothed in a slightly smudged dishtowel bearing the Black family crest. The older elf seemed nervous and twitchy.
"Kreacher?" Ginny shouted. "Dobby, you were supposed to come alone! He's not welcome—"
Dobby bobbed his head up and down rapidly. "Dobby understands, Miss Wheezy, but Dobby has also been working with Kreacher lately! Kreacher has been keeping Dobby up-to-date about the great Harry Potter's whereabouts!" The house-elf spoke rapidly, but Ginny was able to piece together Dobby's last statement.
She felt her heart stop.
"Ha-Harry?" Ginny turned to the older house-elf, all suspicion and thought irrationally flying out of her head. "You know about Harry, Kreacher?"
The gnarled, wrinkly house-elf nodded, not directly looking at Ginny. She had a million questions flying back and forth in her head, and was just about to speak, when—
"Ginny! What's going on there?" Daphne's sharp voice interrupted.
Ginny jumped. "Bloody hell! Dobby, can you get Pomfrey and Apparate her right back here? I'll let you in. Tell her we've got a student who's lost a lot of blood. Unknown spell."
"Dobby will be quick about it, Miss Wheezy! Kreacher," Dobby said, "will stay here and listen to Miss Wheezy and her friends because they are friends of your Master Harry!" And with that, Dobby Disapparated.
She turned to the older house-elf. "Kreacher, get in here and sit down." She spoke in a stern, authoritative voice. Kreacher merely mumbled something under his breath and shuffled his feet slowly, walking inside the Room. Ginny stayed close to the door and observed the status of the scene inside. Dumbledore's Army stayed close to Isadore, with both Susan and Daphne whispering to her, trying to comfort her. Ginny watched as Susan smoothed back Isadora's hair off of her clammy forehead. Ernie paced back and forth, biting his thumbnail nervously.
And another POP tore through the air. All heads snapped around to see who had just Apparated.
Dobby had arrived, but he wasn't alone.
And he wasn't with Pomfrey.
Eddie Carmichael shook off the Side-Along Apparition, his handsome face flush, his dark, curly hair casually mussed. He was dressed in his white Healer robes with "Trainee" embroidered over his right breast just above a small red cross.
"Is there an injured girl here?"
Ginny stared at him with wide eyes. She nodded soundlessly, gaping.
(This was unexpected!)
Eddie nodded and walked past her, moving with strong, purposeful steps into the Room and over to Isadore Lancaster. He set down his supplies, ignoring the shocked gasps and whoops of glee and approving laughter igniting around him.
"Carmichael! What are you doing here?" Terry Boot asked him, a huge grin on his face for Ravenclaw's former Head Boy. Anthony, Michael and Padma, too, were all smiling broadly at their esteemed former House-mate. Luna Lovegood waved brightly at Eddie.
He merely held his hand up, and continued to wave his wand over Isadore's chest, uttering an incantation that Ginny thought sounded like a song. Eddie never looked up, and the room quieted down as they watched him work.
Ginny looked over at Daphne, who smiled — genuinely smiled at Eddie, warm and familiar as if they were old friends — which would've surprised the Gryffindor . . .
Had her eyes not happened to float over to Blaise Zabini.
He stared at Eddie, his mouth slightly open, his eyes growing wet. The corners of his mouth seemed to turn upwards slightly, shaking just so as if he was stopping himself from smiling.
The longer she watched Blaise, Ginny realized what she was seeing.
(He's . . . . Oh my Godric!)
(Blaise is in love with Eddie!)
(Wait. If Blaise is seeing somebody, and he's in love with Eddie . . . does that mean . . . ?)
(Eddie Carmichael's gay?! GAY?)
Ginny couldn't help but sigh with regret.
(But he's so handsome!)
She snorted.
(Figures all the handsome ones are gay, taken, or out trying to save the world!)
Eddie Carmichael had just finished patching up Isadore, and she was awake, telling him "Thank you so much," and squeezing his hand. As Eddie made sure she was going to be all right and put his supplies back into his bag, he looked up at the rest of the students.
"Sorry. I couldn't be interrupted while I Healed Isadore." Eddie grinned at them. "But yes, I'm back at Hogwarts. I'm helping out Pomfrey. She put in for another Healer, but St. Mungo's can only spare Trainees instead of fully qualified Heal—"
Eddie stopped talking. Ginny followed his eyes.
Blaise was already walking toward Eddie, as if in slow motion.
"How long have you been here? When in the world were you going to tell me? How long are you going to be here?"
It was quite clear that both Blaise and Eddie had completely forgotten that there were others in the room . And everyone, other than Daphne, looked completely confused.
"Okay," Eddie slowly stood up and held out his hands. "I actually started yesterday, but Pomfrey had me the entire time for orientation and reading up on the students' files. I was going to tell you today, and, well, now you know. And I'm here for as long as Pomfrey needs me, which she estimates might be as long as school remains in session."
Blaise stopped walking. He let his smile spread across his face.
And, to Ginny's shock, Blaise grabbed Eddie's head and kissed him, fully and intensely, on his lips.
In front of Dumbledore's Army.
Daphne shook her head in amused exasperation at the pair. Hannah, Lavender and Parvati smiled and squealed at them. The three Ravenclaw wizards stared at the two boys, gaping in astonishment.
"No – way!" Terry Boot practically blurted out, staring at Eddie Carmichael, former Head Boy, who was idolized by the entire male population of their House. Anthony nudged him to shut him up.
Eddie blushed violently as the kiss ended. "Um . . . Blaise?"
"They know. I told them." Blaise said, his eyes roaming all over his boyfriend's face and touching his cheek.
"O-oh-oh-kay?" Eddie laughed nervously, but he brought his hands up to the small of Blaise's back and embraced him with closed eyes and blissful countenance.
The other students had very different reactions to the clinch. Seamus Finnigan and Padma Patil both turned around, shaking their heads in disgust. Luna Lovegood's smile simply widened as she stared at them dreamily. Ernie Macmillan grinned but averted his eyes. And Neville regarded them with an amused, but very surprised, grin
Susan Bones merely looked at the two boys, and shook her head with a sad expression.
"Why does it always have to be the fit ones?"
"Kreacher," Ginny asked carefully, "how long was Harry at Grimmauld Place? And how were Ron and Hermione? You saw them too, right? They were with him?"
The old house-elf looked at his small audience of Daphne, Ginny, Neville and Luna. The rest of Dumbledore's Army had disbanded, with the Ravenclaws escorting Isadore back to their tower.
Now, the remaining four students sat around the newest member of Hogwarts' kitchen staff. Dobby had remained too, nudging Kreacher along.
"Kreacher has nothing to worry about with telling Miss Wheezy and her friends about Harry! Dobby will make sure Kreacher is safe! Dobby will make sure that Kreacher will not be harmed!"
"Ma-Master Harry P-Potter," the old house-elf croaked, "and his companions, the Weasley boy and the Mu- . . . er, G-Granger girl, stayed at Grimmauld Place from the first night of August to the first Monday of September."
"We're they all right?" Daphne asked now, her voice low and steady.
Kreacher nodded. "Kreacher took care of his new Master. Kreacher made them good and delicious meals and . . . and told them what happened with my old Master Regulus."
Ginny looked at the others, who shrugged. "Kreacher," she started, "what did Harry want to know about your old Master?"
But he wasn't listening to Ginny. Instead, he pulled on the tufts of white hair nestled in his ears, sobbing as he did so. "Kreacher did wrong by Master Harry! Kreacher does not deserve the kindness Master Harry and Master Harry's most wonderful friends have shown him!" And to Ginny's horror, Kreacher scurried over to the nearest wall and started bashing his head against it.
"Kreacher! Stop! Don't!" Ginny pleaded. To her relief, Neville came up behind the self-flagellating house-elf and held him back, restraining him from further injury.
Ginny was just about to say something more, but Luna Lovegood moved forward and sat next to her.
"Kreacher," Luna said in a dreamy voice, "you should be very proud of yourself! You took care of Harry, Ronald and Hermione. You cooked them meals, right?"
The house-elf nodded. "Kr-Kreacher gave them g-good f-f-foods." He spoke in a broken voice.
"And you kept the house clean for them?"
"Kreacher made sure that the house was spotless! Kreacher scrubbed and scrubbed until Kreacher's skin turned raw!"
"And have you told anyone other than Dobby or us that Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger stayed at Grimmauld Place?"
At this Kreacher growled. "Kreacher has done no such thing! Kreacher has kept Master Harry and Mister Wheezy and Miss Granger's secrets! But that does not mean that the bad men weren't able to come and enter Master Harry's house! They invaded and ransacked Grimmauld Place!" His head dropped. "Kreacher is a coward! Kreacher cannot go back until it is safe!"
"You shouldn't go back there," Luna said with a smile on her face. "You can help us and help Harry out if you stay here, and you'll also stay out of trouble!"
The house-elf looked at Luna. "Kreacher would like to stay at Hogwarts! Master Harry told Kreacher before he disappeared that if anything should happen, or if bad people come to the Noble House of Black, Kreacher must go to Hogwarts and find Dobby the house-elf! That Dobby could help Kreacher!"
Dobby nodded with pride. "The Great Harry Potter trusts Dobby! Dobby will do anything the most wonderful Harry Potter asks!"
"So here, Kreacher waits until Master Harry summons Kreacher. If Master Harry asked, Kreacher would go to him. But there is much to assist with here!" His face creaked apart, and Ginny watched as he attempted to smile. "Bad people are here at Hogwarts, and Master Harry would want Kreacher and Dobby to assist however possible!"
Ginny felt a lump in her throat. "I think he would. I know he's probably worried about the students here, especially under Snape's regime—"
"Kreacher saw Snape at Grimmauld Place once! At the beginning of the summer before Master Harry showed up!"
Ginny felt her pulse racing and her eyes bulge out of their sockets. "Did Snape try to harm you in any way? Did he try—"
"Snape saw Kreacher, but he shoved Kreacher out of his way and started looking through the rooms!"
Daphne leaned forward, struggling to understand what the house-elf had observed. "He didn't harm you?"
He shook his head. "But Kreacher saw Snape in Master Sirius' bed chambers. He was holding a letter in his hands. Kreacher thought—" he paused, creasing his small, elfin brow.
"What did you see?" Daphne asked slowly, trying to coax the answer out of him.
He took in a deep breath, and began talking again. "Kreacher saw Snape rip part of a letter off."
Ginny grasped Daphne's arm.
(The letter?)
"Snape was kneeling on the floor and Kreacher could see him holding the slip of paper from the letter. And Snape seemed . . . Kreacher thought that Snape was—"
"What?" Daphne asked breathlessly.
"W-was crying. . . . A-and he was muttering a name over and over to himself."
Ginny and Daphne both shut their eyes. They already knew what the name was, but they needed to hear it from the house-elf's mouth.
"What name, Kreacher?" Ginny and Daphne spoke together in unison.
And the old house-elf answered with only one word: "'Lily'."
