A/N: A hearty round of "Merci beaucoup!" to respitechristopher for looking this chapter over and offering his reassurances and suggestions. I followed them, and I do think this version's better than the one you would've gotten. Although I'm expecting some strong opinions about this first part.
I had this chapter plotted out some time before I heard about the wonderful tale authored by one of my favorites, Thanfiction: Dumbledore's Army and the Year of Darkness. Going back and looking at a couple of the details that he had plotted out in his version of the Fidelius Charm, I realize some of my spell ended up having some similarities to his, although this was entirely unintentional. I had striven to make it seem as original as I could, but alas! I've spoken with him about it, and he's fine so long as I don't lift entire passages from his work, which I would never, ever do! But definitely go and check out his work. He's brilliant!
Alas, Harry Potter and these characters are not mine, no matter how much I want my own Michael, Terry or Anthony.
Chapter 37: Fidelius
It was the last full week of the term.
Amid the increasing violence the Carrows were wrecking within the school, the only thing the students could talk about were their plans for Christmas holiday.
Ginny and Daphne were downplaying theirs, not wanting to put a spotlight on Daphne's relationship with the Weasleys. Usually, the Slytherin would defer saying anything specific, but when pressed, she would simply state, "Probably spend it with Blaise." She knew Blaise would confirm it without even needing to ask him. Recently, he had been telling others that he was "studying" with her whenever he'd be out late at night.
Or whenever he didn't come back to the dormitory at all.
"So, my One True Beard, is Boyfriend okay that you're 'seeing' me on the side?" He crooked his fingers, mimicking quotation marks.
Daphne glared at him as she took the cup of hot chocolate from Eddie Carmichael. Her arm reached out to shut the door behind him since his hands were full. "Boyfriend has a name. Michael. And he doesn't know." She dropped her voice as she brought the mug to her lips.
They were sitting in Eddie's room, a tiny annex off of the Hospital Wing. It was rather small for one and it practically burst apart at the seams to contain all three individuals. Daphne sat on the end of Eddie's bed closest to the door, while the two lovebirds leaned against Eddie's pillows at the head of the bed.
"Michael doesn't know that you're Blaise's alibi?" Eddie asked dubiously. "That's something he might want to be made aware of."
Daphne shrugged. "Why? He knows Blaise's gay, and if it's brought up to him, he'll know the truth like that!" She snapped her fingers.
"Mm-hm. And did you tell him about your secret admirer?"
She creased her brow, confused. "What secret admirer?"
"Oh, right!" Blaise gave her an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Don't tell me I didn't tell you." He lifted his eyebrow at her and bit his lip, trying to hold back a horribly cocky smile.
"Just spit it out, Zabini."
He hummed, his lips pressed together in a smug grin. "I know someone who's become quite the smitten kitten over you, Miss Greengrass."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "In English!"
"Mind you, this was in the course of my investigation about Baddock and Pritchard. I had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of MacGillicuddy's with my dorm-mates a few nights ago. And I found out some very interesting information."
"Like?"
Blaise held up a finger, and reached across Eddie, to the nightstand for a small flask that he had brought with him. He screwed off the cap and Daphne's eyes widened as a small burst of flame shot out of it. Blaise blew on it, leaving a puff of smoke coming from the container.
"That's how you know the firewhiskey's just right." He poured a couple of shots into Daphne's chocolate.
"Blaise, you want to take it easy there," Eddie warned him. "I'm not going to be responsible for cleaning up if that stuff hits either of you wrong."
He tapped his wand on the surface of the drink, stirring it for her. "She's going to need some heavy-hitting drink after I'm done with her."
"Blaise, for the love of Merlin! Who is it?"
He licked his lips and sealed the flask back up. "I managed to knock everyone out with a nice little sleeping draught and I stayed up all night long listening to the dulcet tones of your potential sweetheart. Now," he said with a devilish glint in his eyes, "take a drink."
She glared at him, but brought the cup up to her mouth.
"Go on. Be a good wittle snake and dwink for your Blaisey-poo." He winked at her.
It was all she could do to not throw her mug at his head. She took a large gulp, tasting the firewhiskey as it mixed decadently with the chocolate—
"It's Draco."
She spat the cocoa out violently all over Blaise and Eddie. They held up their hands in a feeble attempt to shield the onslaught, but they managed to get drenched. Daphne would've been elated at having gotten both wizards so thoroughly . . . if she wasn't in complete shock at the revelation.
"D-Dr- . . . Draco?" she asked, spluttering.
Blaise nodded. Eddie unsuccessfully suppressed his laughter as he used his wand to Scourgify the drink off of both of them.
"Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?!"
He flashed her his biggest shit-eating grin and raised his mug. "Cheers."
"Blaise, that can't be! He hates me. He threatened me after that prefect's meeting with Baddock and Pritchard!"
He cupped his hands around his mouth. "He was warning you, idiot! Yeah, it was in his odd Malfoyish way, but it was a warning."
"That doesn't prove anything! We've hated each other since first year. Why now? Why in the world would he be the least bit concerned about what I do? Especially since we're both on opposite sides."
Eddie looked at Blaise and then at Daphne. "Maybe one day he woke up and saw you in a whole new light?" Eddie paused and then promptly dissolved into a fit of laughter. He and Blaise slapped each other's hands.
"Her luminously greasy hair!"
"Not to mention her little dark eyes. Twinkling like tiny black diamonds!"
Blaise smirked at Eddie. "I knew there was a reason we stay together." Eddie responded with a quick kiss on his lips.
Daphne was not amused. "This isn't funny! This is really, really awful."
"Nah. This is hysterical." Blaise said, nudging Eddie in the arms. The couple watched Daphne flail and gasp, trying to make sense of Draco's bizarre attraction to her.
"I don't get this. Why? Why now?"
Blaise finally composed himself. "Well, when I pressed him a little further, I got the impression that he's not happy."
"With what?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Life? The universe? Everything? Maybe being a Death Eater isn't all fun and games."
Daphne snorted. "Really? A little torture and murder tends to put a damper on one's day? I couldn't have guessed."
"Maybe he likes you because you are closely aligned with the other side, with Harry, Hermione and Ron," Eddie offered. "Even if you don't talk about it, he still thinks you have a relationship with them. Maybe it's some sort of flirtation with the good guys."
She stared at him. "You mean, he thinks that liking me somehow makes him good?"
Eddie nodded.
"Don't girls dream about this opportunity? A chance to convert the 'dark wizard of their dreams'? Make him their one and only Chosen One?"
"Eurgh!" Daphne made a gagging motion and glared at Blaise. "Not all of us dream about this. And we definitely don't dream about The Chosen Ferret!"
"Well, what I do know is that Malfoy's disgusted with himself. It took some persuasion — and a rather copious amount of beverage — to get to the bottom of what he's feeling."
"But why did he tell you? Doesn't he think we're together?"
Blaise scrunched up the right side of his face. "He may, or may not, have been led to believe that we're just shagging. And not much else."
"Fantastic." Apparently, the Slytherin boys currently thought that she and Blaise had nothing but a sexual relationship, making her a sex-loving slag—
(Again!)
And now, the blond rat was pining away for her.
Daphne shook her head. "He's not happy," she repeated. "Not surprising,"
"And whatever pull you might have on him disgusts him too."
"Well, he's not the only one." She shivered, taking another gulp of her alcohol-laced beverage. "Aren't we forgetting Pansy? What about her and Draco?"
"He hasn't been with Pansy since last year, since all that crap happened with Dumbledore. And he hasn't pursued anything with Pansy recently because he's been fixated on you since the second week of term."
Her mouth dropped open. "What the hell did I do at the beginning of term to get him all hot and bothered?"
"It was seeing you react when Carrow tortured Longbottom."
Daphne was about to speak but she stopped herself when she realized what he had just said. "Oh."
"Yes."
"Did he say why?"
"Not specifically, but he mentioned watching you cry for Longbottom when he collapsed, watching you defend him and asking to take him to Pomfrey." Blaise peered at her. "He kept talking about it like he was disgusted. Once everyone had gone bye-bye, and once I plied him with enough firewhiskey to kill a stoat, he said—"
Blaise took a swig of his chocolate.
"Said what?"
"That he hadn't been able to get you out of his mind since then. He didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about you, but he tried. He reckoned you were a good person. He thought perhaps 'good' was in short supply these days in his life. Draco did look really pathetic whenever he said it too."
"Is that supposed to excuse all the bad shit he's done? He tried to kill Dumbledore. He has The Mark! Am I supposed to like him because he had a brief moment of clarity whilst drunk as a skunk?"
Blaise shook his head. "I don't know what you choose to do with the information, nor do I care. But you asked, and I bestowed."
Daphne stared at him annoyed but quiet. She had forgotten about that day in Dark Arts. Not that Carrow had tortured Neville, but that she had fallen apart as she had witnessed it.
(And Malfoy fixated on me because of that?)
She cringed. The idea that Draco Malfoy was attracted to her because he thought she was good, and because the things he did as a little Death Eater-in-training made him feel bad, felt unhealthy. Odd. It was like she was some sort of thing to Draco — not quite a person, but a concept. Something that a part of him wanted because she wasn't in his world, she wasn't a Death Eater, and she wasn't one of the pure-blood true believers.
There must have been some part of Draco Malfoy that hadn't been totally taken over by You-Know-Who's army from hell. And that was good to know. But despite whatever redemptive bits and pieces might be floating around Malfoy's soul, the thought that he had feelings for her, for any reason, was just—
"Way too gross!" She shuddered and reached for the flask. Another flame shot out of the lip.
"Hey! Watch how much you drink of that." Blaise glared at her as she downed a large gulp of his firewhiskey. She wiped the back of her mouth, and handed it back to him.
"I don't think you brought nearly enough." Her shoulders sagged as she mulled over how to exterminate her little rodent problem as soon as possible.
Dumbledore's Army met in the Room of Requirement the next evening. Terry was the only member not present.
"All right. The Fidelius. We've figured out how to do the charm, but we need to make a decision," Neville declared; Ginny couldn't help but notice how fatigued he looked. He had been spending the last week preparing to cast the charm, memorizing the wand movements, the order of the incantation, which was in multiple parts.
Neville had insisted that it was important for him to cast it, despite getting offers of help from the Ravenclaws.
"Ginny, I've not been much of a leader the last few weeks—"
"Well, a lot's happened."
He had shaken his head. "Regardless. I need to do this, and get it right. I'm in Advanced Charms, so I should be able to do it. But I need to show everyone I'm capable of casting this spell."
Ginny had said nothing; in her mind, the others thought Neville a good wizard and leader. They seemed to automatically defer to him. Starting the D.A. had been his idea after all. She had seen him working harder than ever before in his classes. She had suspected that it was more for himself that he needed to prove he could cast something as big as the Fidelius.
Now that time had come. She joined the rest of the D.A., nodding at Neville in agreement.
"I think we need to do it in twice," he continued. "Have one Secret-Keeper for the D.A., and one for The Sedition Act."
"They still have no clue that Daphne's the one who's been writing them," Luna Lovegood chirped brightly. "I did receive word from my father." She handed the letter to Ginny and Neville, whose eyes flew over it. "The Ministry's shut down The Quibbler."
Ginny gave Luna an odd look. "Um, Luna, all this letter states is that a Nargle infiltration and their mating season have shut down his office. How do you know it's the Ministry?"
The Ravenclaw beamed. "Simple really! My father's an expert on Nargle mating habits. They start mating in December. However, they're very scarce during that period, being notoriously shy when they copulate."
The room alighted with snickers.
"What? That's not the type of thing we would do in public, so why should a Nargle? Well," she pondered, "most of us wouldn't. But I digress. My father was speaking in code. And since I know he knows the breeding and mating behaviours of the Nargle like the back of his hand, he was telling me that he was forced to shut down his office. And that can mean only one thing."
"The Ministry got to him."
"They did indeed, Daphne. But they haven't been able to figure out who's been providing the sources for some of his articles." She beamed at the Slytherin, who sighed in relief.
"All right then. Two Secret-Keepers. Two Fidelius Charms. Any problems?" Neville asked. When no one disagreed, he turned his attention to Ernie, Susan and Hannah and then to Luna, Padma, Michael and Anthony. "I think the Secret-Keeper should be a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw," he said after a few moments. "Gryffindors are out of the running. Carrows and Snape have been fixated on us since the beginning of term."
He looked at Daphne and Blaise. "And although I do trust the both of you, Slytherin is too close to the Carrows and Snape. If someone even remotely suspects either of you—"
"It could be potentially devastating." Blaise drawled.
"Pretty much." Neville responded with a nod.
"So, it's either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw." Ginny finished. "Maybe we should reconsider Ravenclaw, after the stunt Terry pulled with that banner in the Great Hall."
"Don't forget that Luna's dad runs The Quibbler." Anthony piped up.
Neville looked among the members of both Houses. He shut his eyes, as if making a decision.
"Can I suggest someone?"
Neville looked at Hannah Abbott. "Go ahead."
"If you're going to go with any Hufflepuff, it should be Susan."
"What?" Susan looked at her incredulously.
"Look. You've got the most unassuming, calm demeanour of all of us—"
"So I'm boring?"
"No!" Hannah sounded horrified. "You're like a sister to me, but I've seen you when you're under pressure in classes, or when we're duelling. You keep your cool and you remain steady, calm, and collected." Hannah smiled at Neville. "She's it."
"Hear, hear! I couldn't agree more."
Susan gasped. "Ernie? Really?"
He smiled at her. "You keep acting surprised that we're mentioning you for this, and it's not really proving our point about you." She glared at him, but he kept going. "Susan should be the Secret-Keeper. She won't get frazzled . . . well," Ernie said, rolling his eyes. "This is the most frazzled I've seen her."
She swatted him.
"Susan," Neville said. "Do you understand what's being asked of you? You are being entrusted to Keep the identities of Dumbledore's Army magically charmed inside of you. Once we complete the spell, we won't be able to utter a word about who is in the D.A. or where the D.A. meets. For the rest of us, the Fidelius Charm overrules all other truth spells or serums. Even the Imperius Curse."
Susan stared at Neville, her eyes wide. But she nodded.
"The only way to break the spell is if you choose to reveal or your forced to reveal the information yourself." Neville said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Barring that, you shall remain Secret-Keeper—"
"Until I die, right?"
"Yeah. Do you agree?"
Susan looked him squarely in the eyes. "Yes. I'll do this."
Neville readied his wand. "I'm going to say the incantation. The first part creates the Fidelius Orb. The secret will be magically contained inside of it. The second part is the magical contract that you make to be the Secret-Keeper. Then, I'll aim the orb directly into the centre of your body and if all goes well, you'll be surrounded by a pure, white light which means the charm should have taken effect."
"You've never done this before, though. Have you?"
He winced. "Well, I've never needed to before. The Fidelius Charm is a complex spell. The good news is that it won't hurt you if we mess it up; we'll just have to try again. And we'll be able to test it right away after we've cast the spell."
"All right." She sucked in a breath. "I'm ready when you are."
Neville aimed his wand at her. "Stay perfectly still until each part has been cast."
"No worries there."
Neville flashed her a smile and began by swirling her wand in the shape of a circle. He kept the motion going and chanted the first part of the incantation.
"Fidelius Sona Specialis!"
A bright line shone in the air between Susan and Neville, creating the outline of a circle no more than twelve centimetres in diameter. The light in the room dimmed; the main illumination came from the enchanted circle, the air between them warming up and crackling with magic. Neville continued with the incantation as Susan's eyes grew wider and wider.
"Dumbledore's Army consists of Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini. We meet in the Room of Requirement, also known as the Come-and-Go Room. Dobby the House-Elf and Kreacher the House-Elf are allies of Dumbledore's Army, and Professors Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Rubeus Hagrid are the teachers that assist Dumbledore's Army and sympathize with our cause."
The students in the room watched as the circle grew more and more corporeal with each word that Neville chanted. By the time he reached the end, the sphere was pulsing, glowing like a large pearl, incandescent in the low light of the room.
"Fidelius Servo Specialis Susan Bones—"
The same bright light that pulsed from the Fidelius Orb expanded and engulfed Susan.
"Susan Bones, you must agree to be the Secret-Keeper of Dumbledore's Army. Inside of you shall be the identities of Dumbledore's Army and its friends and the location where Dumbledore's Army meets. Inside of you, these secrets shall remain. Should you choose to reveal the identities, the Fidelius Charm shall be lifted and Dumbledore's Army will be revealed. Your response is 'I agree to be the Secret-Keeper.' "
Susan spoke slowly and clearly. "I agree to be the Secret-Keeper."
"Fidelius Requiro Custodis!"
The Fidelius Orb gave one last great pulse and with an audible swoosh, it flew into Susan's chest. The movement released a burst of energy around the room that caused the other students to stumble backwards.
The light around Susan grew bright, as if she was illuminating from the inside out. Wisps of her hair flew around her and her eyes shined, the light coming from them increasing and growing stronger and stronger until her pupils became completely invisible.
"Whoa!" Neville whispered under his breath—
—And just as suddenly, the light died down, and Susan exhaled, panting. She dropped to the ground, clutching her head in her hands. The Ravenclaws leaned forward, watching her carefully, and the other members of the D.A. ran over to see if she was okay.
"Susan?" Both Ernie and Hannah came up besides her. Ernie threw his arm around her, his eyes roaming over her body, making sure she was okay.
"Thank Helga's Mighty Shield you're still in one piece!"
"That was intense!" She looked at them, blushing as she spied the concern on Ernie's face. "Well, s-someone say something about us. Let's see if that worked."
Neville spoke up. "Dumbledore's Army . . . er, Dumbledore's Army are . . . ." He creased his brow. "The members of the D.A. are as follows—" He shrugged and smiled.
Others tried it, but no one could say the names of the members of the D.A.
"I'd say the spell was a success!" Susan said with a grin.
"All right. We've still got one more. The Sedition Act and keeping Daphne's involvement a secret, as well as Dumbeldore's Army's involvement with it a secret—"
Before Neville could finish, Michael Corner stepped forward. "I'll do it. It should be me, since," he gestured between him and Daphne, "well, since Daphne and I are together and all."
Daphne smiled, but mocked annoyance at Michael. "So bloody chivalrous!" He turned as red as an apple.
"Mike, I respectfully disagree."
Michael stared at Anthony, who continued talking. "I think because you two are together that someone else should be the Secret-Keeper for this one."
He gaped at them. "B-but . . . no! I should do this," he turned towards Daphne and took her hands. "It's for Daphne after all!"
"It's precisely because of your relationship, even if it's supposed to be a secret outside of this room, that you shouldn't be the Secret-Keeper for The Sedition Act." Anthony slapped him on the shoulder. "Mike, if Daphne's suspected of anything at all, they'll go after three people specifically." He ticked off each person with his fingers. "Ginny, Blaise, and you."
Michael opened his mouth to protest, but he paused. He shut his mouth and exhaled through his nose. "Well, who would you suggest then?"
"Well, it shouldn't be Luna or anyone from Gryffindor, that's for sure."
"What about Ernie or Hannah?" Neville asked.
Ernie shrugged. "It would work. We don't have any connections to you, Daphne."
She nodded. "Yeah. That's true—"
"Or if we don't want all the Secret-Keepers in one House, it could be someone from Ravenclaw. But someone who wasn't associated with Luna." Anthony looked at Michael, who raised his eyebrow.
"Go on."
"Look, I've made it no secret in my House that I haven't liked Daphne in the past, right?"
Daphne narrowed her eyes at Anthony; his hands flew up.
"That was in the past. But not everyone knows that. The only connection I have with Luna is the fact that we share the same house. That's it. We don't ever hang out together, really."
Luna nodded vigorously. "Yes! That's true Anthony. I also think you've called me batty a few times."
He cringed. "Er, sorry."
"I'll admit it hurt my feelings back then, but I'm much better now. So it's all right. I forgive you."
Anthony smiled at her awkwardly.
"But you're a friend of mine. Who's to say if they get wind of Daphne's involvement with The Sedition Act, that they won't go after me, you or Terry?"
"I think at that point, it becomes a question about associations, and me knowing anything about what Daphne's up to may or may not be something that they think of directly. There's a risk, but I think it's minimal," Anthony said. "What do you say? I'll be Daphne's Secret-Keeper."
Michael bit his lip and shook his head. He didn't say anything for a few moments.
However, Daphne did. "I trust you Anthony. You'd make a great Secret-Keeper." She spoke to Michael. "He's right. You told me at King's Cross that I could trust him. You trust him, right?"
"That goes without saying! It's Tony. He's like a brother to me, but—"
"But what?"
Michael blushed again, but a far deeper crimson than before. "I'm supposed to protect you."
He spoke so softly, and to Daphne alone, that she almost had to have him repeat it. But she figured out what he had said and she took hold of his tie. She pulled him down and kissed him on the lips.
"You do, and you will, okay?"
Michael looked at her, resigned to an outcome that seemed beyond his control, and nodded at his best friend. "Okay, Tony. Do it."
The D.A. completed the final Fidelius Charm and got down to business.
"Drills today! Let's not let up on defence," Neville boomed.
The other students smiled as they, once again, deferred to their leader. "Yes sir!" Seamus said, emphatically saluting him. Neville shot him a glare tinged with a smirk.
For the next hour, they practiced defensive spells and wand work in pairs, and as teams. They had been running these same drills over and over again since October, learning how to cast shields that covered other people, in case any of them ever encountered a younger student under attack.
After a few rounds, his eyes scanning the sweaty, panting faces of the students, Neville turned to Ginny and Luna. "I think we might need to do more."
Ginny wiped the perspiration off of her brow. "What do you mean more? More of these drills? More of this same—?"
Neville shook his head and looked at Luna. "I think we need to learn some of the darker stuff." He leaned closer to both of them. "I think we need to learn how to defend against the Cruciatus."
"What?" Her voice was low and dangerous in tone. Luna stared at Neville, her eyes wide. "But that means we'll have to actually cast the Cruciatus."
"If you can think of a better way to learn how to fend off that curse, tell me."
Ginny glared at him. "How can you of all people suggest that?"
"Look, those who cast the Cruciatus can cast it with as little power or force as they want. And we'll keep the casting short. What I want us to do is learn how to tolerate it and not freeze up any time that it's used against us. We're not going to be just sitting ducks when we encounter it out there. Because we will. Hell, we already have."
"Unfortunately, Neville, you do have a point."
Ginny gaped at Luna. "How can you possibly agree with this?"
"Look at what happened during the first raid. I learned this the hard way. If we can learn to control the spell when we're forced to cast it, and if we prepare ourselves to defend against it, to not freeze as soon as it's uttered, I think we'll not only be able to protect ourselves. We might be able to protect others."
Ginny shook her head. "Neville, you're the leader of the group. I don't like this one bit, but—
The sound of the door to the Room opening interrupted her.
There was a collective gasp as a new person entered the Room.
"Um, hi," came a soft voice.
Michael and Anthony both broke away from Daphne, staring and smiling at Terry Boot, who walked towards them, his book bag slung over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Sorry I haven't been around much." A smile flittered briefly across his face. He stopped walking and stood in front of Michael and Anthony.
"Hey."
They nodded right back. "Hey." Both wizards were trying desperately to maintain their calm.
"Mike, uh," Terry said, scratching his nose, "I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't have punched you. I shouldn't have blamed you for . . ." He shut his eyes and inhaled shakily. "F-for what happened with my . . . f-family."
Michael stared at him, clearly not believing what he was hearing. "You're apologizing?"
He shook his head and patted his best friend on the shoulder. Terry gave him a small grin and the two wizards embraced, with smiles growing on their faces.
The D.A. cheered the reunion.
"Mate, don't ever apologize." Michael shouted amid the clapping and hollering. "We're here for you, y'know that? All of us."
"Thanks." Terry furrowed his brow. "Er, Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"How much longer do we hug before it becomes weird?"
"Huh? Oh!" Michael chuckled and pulled away, patting Terry's back as Anthony shook his hand and gave him a slightly more masculine one-armed embrace. And the other students, witches and wizards alike, followed suit.
"Neville?" Ginny asked after they greeted Terry.
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to tell them about your plan? With the Cruciatus and darker magic?"
Neville looked at the D.A., alight with Terry's presence. He watched Terry, more subdued than normal, but still talking, smiling, accepting a kiss on his cheek from Parvati. He heard him say softly to her, "I got all your messages. Thanks."
He shook his head. "No. It can wait until after the holidays."
Eddie Carmichael pressed the heel of his hand on the front of Margaret Brewer's shoulder. He placed his other hand behind her.
"You finished that vial of Pain-free Potion?"
Margaret nodded, her bruised and bloodied face trembling. "Y-yeah."
"All right. Then this shouldn't hurt you as much as it might've, but you will feel an odd snap once the joint is relocated back into your shoulder." Eddie smiled. "If there was a magical way to do this, I would do it in an instant. But just pushing it back in is the best way to reset a dislocated joint, particularly your shoulder."
She nodded, sweating and growing more and more pale by the moment. Eddie nodded to Padma Patil. She took the fifth year Ravenclaw girl's hand and held it snugly in her own.
Daphne stood next to Anthony, biting her thumb and hoping that Margaret's injuries looked far worse than they actually were.
"On three," Eddie said in his deep voice. He maintained a kind smile and calm demeanour for Margaret's benefit. "Ready?"
She nodded.
"One . . . two . . . three!"
He pushed hard on her shoulder, throwing his body into it. Margaret sucked in a breath, as did Padma. The younger Ravenclaw's knuckles turned white as she clung to the prefect's hands.
There was an audible snap! Margaret flinched and let out a breath. Eddie gingerly took her arm. He moved it gently at first, and then rotated it to make sure the joint was back in the right place.
"See there? Good as new."
Margaret let out a breath, as did the other Ravenclaws and Daphne. The Head Girl walked out from behind the curtain, followed closely by Anthony and Padma, allowing Eddie to examine the girl privately.
Looking around the Hospital Wing, Daphne gulped, forcing a lump back down her throat. Most of the beds were filled. About half had screens around them, with Eddie and Pomfrey darting around, checking each patient, making room for new ones that streamed in.
Around them, the students were moaning or shouting for more potions and solutions to dull their discomfort.
"This is insane," Padma whispered. "I've never seen so many students in here at once. And it looks like they've all been through hell and back."
Anthony glared furiously back at Margaret's bed, now hidden behind screens. Turning to the two girls, he leaned forwards, jabbing his finger angrily. "If I catch Clay Flint any time in the future, I'll do worse than dislocate his shoulder. I'll tear his arms out of his sockets!"
"Anthony!"
"Padma, after what that bastard did to Margaret, just because she broke up with him last year, he deserves it! He beat her, Bludgeoned her, and he very nearly broke her arms! That's domestic violence!"
"I know!" She put her hands on his chest. "But why don't we plot our little revenge scheme against Flint in the Ravenclaw dormitory? It'll do no good to plan it out in the open like this."
Daphne watched as Anthony slowly calmed down.
"Use that big brain of yours, Tony."
He patted her hands as they rested on his chest. Daphne didn't miss Padma's skin colouring as he smiled at her.
"Right. You're right, Paddy."
"I hate it when you call me that," she said softly.
Anthony chuckled, for what must've been the first time that night. "I know you do."
She cleared her throat, letting her hand linger on Anthony's chest for just a few more moments. It didn't escape the Slytherin's notice.
"Well, one thing's for sure. It's getting worse." Daphne said as she looked around the Hospital. "It's like the Carrows decided to give the whole student body massive injuries and bloodletting for a lovely Christmas present."
"That's an understatement."
All three students turned and saw Eddie emerge from behind the screen, wiping his hands on a towel. "Pomfrey says it's the worst she's ever seen. The injuries like the ones Margaret here suffered are the hardest ones to take. To think someone she cared about turned so viciously on her."
He rubbed his tired eyes. "It's a mess. And the worst part about it is that Flint's going to get away with it. Neither Carrow'll do a damn thing to punish him. They'll probably throw him a party."
Daphne noticed there were thick bags under Eddie's eyes. He had lost weight too, his Trainee robes practically hanging off of him; it was something she hadn't observed prior to this evening despite the conversations she'd have with Blaise and Eddie in his little bedroom.
He looked like hell.
Eddie blinked and shook his head rapidly. "Excuse me. It looks like we have more coming in. Madam Pomfrey!" He tossed his towel over his shoulder and jogged towards the door as Neville and Parvati Levitated two younger Gryffindors in front of them. They were unconscious, but Daphne could feel her guts roil as she looked at the wounds all over their faces. Pomfrey flew out from behind another screen and gasped as she regarded the two new patients. She and Eddie readied two more beds for the injured.
Neville approached Daphne with a grim expression. "Crabbe, Goyle, and two other Slytherins got Lisle and Tommy, a couple of our third years. And they got them bad."
"Let me guess who the other two were," Daphne said. "Skinny bloke who looks like he could be charming if he wasn't trying to violate half our student body and another one that looks like he's half ape?"
Parvati nodded. "You know who we're talking about?"
"Pritchard and Baddock. They're as horrible as Crabbe and Goyle. They're also several times more intelligent than either of them put together, so they might actually be worse."
"This will get better, right? At some point all of this has to stop. At some point, won't the Carrows and Snape run out of students to torture and hurt and main."
Neville looked at Parvati, at her nervous, moistening eyes. Daphne watched him chew his cheeks as he mulled over an answer.
"A friend of mine once said, 'The brightest beam of sunlight can break through any cloud that's filled with rain.' So there's still hope. They haven't found Harry, Ron or Hermione. They haven't changed our minds that they're sadistic, murderous bastards, that they're dead wrong about everything. And when we come back from the holiday, we'll show them what the D.A.'s really made of."
Daphne cocked her eyebrow at Neville.
Padma smiled. "The 'brightest beam of light'?" She gave him a playful punch on his arm. "You sound like Luna, Nev."
He grinned at her. "Well then. That's a start."
