We're Fighting to Stay Alive Chapter 18: All Alone, a harry potter fanfic

Dear readers, I am terribly sorry that this update is so late. I am trying to keep these consecutive, but it's getting harder with the amount of schoolwork that my professors insist on giving me. Sorry again but I hope you still love it nonetheless! Review!

(Monday, January 19th)

It took Daphne the weekend to decide on the offer that Aubrielle had laid out for her. Her options were slim at this point, either she join the Army or stay in the library, and she really had her back up against the wall. If she stayed in the library cove, she would be completely and utterly alone with no one on her side. If she were to join the D.A, she would at least be apart of something and have a purpose. Even more so, she would be sleeping in a concealed room, on a cot, and among fellow students. Thing is, she knew there were going to people in the Army that didn't approve of her being there and she would definitely be putting herself into an awkward situation. She had weighed both options in her head extensively and finally came to a conclusion. She spotted Aubrielle walking in the halls, heading to her next class, and quickly walked up behind her. Without the Ravenclaw knowing, Daphne pushed her into a small cove as soon as they both turned the corner. Aubrielle hit the bench with a thud and quickly whipped her wand out, not knowing what to expect. When she saw the Slytherin, she put her wand back and her face grew serious.

"I'm guessing you've made a decision."

"I have."

"Well?"

Daphne crossed her arms over her chest, "I want to join."

A wicked grin came over the seventh year's face, which frightened the Slytherin a tad. Aubrielle stood up and brushed off the invisible dirt on her Hogwarts robe.

"Meet me here, in this exact cove, at around 8 tonight. Bring your trunk and all your belongings."

The witch walked past Daphne and out of the cove, leaving the Slytherin wondering if she made the right choice or not.

o.O.o

"She said yes?"

"Yep."

"Great, great."

"How the Hell are you going to tell Ginny? The induction is tonight…"

"I'll figure something out."

"Do you want my help?"

"No, don't worry about it. Go tell Emolly the news."

"Alright. Whatever you say."

o.O.o

Emolly smiled wide as her best friend revealed the news to her. Even though the Slytherin had hated Daphne for the better part of her time at Hogwarts, Emolly couldn't stand to see the girl go through what she was going through. She was completely exiled in the school, even by her own sister. To make things worse, Pansy started spreading multiple rumors about Daphne, once of which said that she was hiding because she was pregnant with Blaise's child. Yeah, Pansy was that big of a bitch. Since she was so intimidating too, most everyone believed her. The Army members seemed to be the only ones who saw straight through the lies.

Sure, Emolly was still going to be very cautious around the witch, she had every right to be, but she also believed in giving people a fresh start, a second chance. She was going to do that exact thing for her fellow housemate and she didn't care if people thought she was being way too generous or kind; she felt it was ultimately the right thing to do.

o.O.o

Neville nervously rubbed his palms together as he walked towards the Gryffindor table. The Great Hall wasn't that busy, since the lunch hour had just passed, but the wizard could still spot the bright hair of his best friend. Ginny had her head down, scribbling away on a roll of parchment, as he sat down across from her. They hadn't talked since the library incident and he was terrified of her reaction. She perked her head up to see who it was, and instantly regretted doing so. She set back to her work, pretending that the seventh year wasn't even there. He cleared his throat, tired of her petty dramatics, and rolled his eyes when she didn't respond. He made a sigh and put his elbows on the table.

"We need to talk about something."

The witch stayed silent but lifted her head up to look at him. He took a second to pause before continuing.

"Aubrielle talked to Daphne and asked her if she would be willing to join the Army…and she said yes."

Ginny quickly rolled up her parchment and furiously shoved it into her bag. She packed up her things and excused herself from the table without any words. She bolted out of the Great Hall but Neville was following close behind. This was not going to be the end of this conversation. He needed a response from her and he was going to get it today. Hell, he was inducting Daphne at 8 tonight, whether Ginny liked it or not, so she needed to get over herself. She was heading towards the Room of Requirement but couldn't get the password out before Neville caught up to her.

"Would you say something? You're little dramatics are getting annoying."

The red head quickly spun around to face him. She was so full of anger that her face matched the color of her hair.

"Little dramatics? Do you realize what you are doing? You're letting Miss Bitch join the Ar-"

Neville quickly leapt forward and slammed his hand over her mouth to stop her from finishing her sentence. After all, they were in a hallway with a speckle of students about and they had tried so hard to keep the Army a secret. They weren't about to blow their cover now. He gave her a threatening look but didn't remove his hand. He got close to her face and talked in a whisper.

"Are you mad? Do you want the entire school to know that we're leading a secret organization? C'mon Gin, use your head."

He finally took his hand away and turned to look over his shoulder to make sure that no one was watching. As soon as the last student turned the corner, he quickly spat the password.

"We're fighting to stay alive."

The doors formed and Ginny made it a point to knock into Neville before opening the doors and running inside. She flung her bag onto her cot with full intention of continuing her rant.

"You went behind my back and recruited her! Even after I said that this was a bad idea…you still went ahead with it! How the Hell am I suppose to trust you!"

"You need to trust my judgment! We need more fighters! Period."

"What's all the shouting about?"

Neville turned to see Seamus and Dean walking towards him. The two wizards had concerned looks on their faces and Dean had his arms crossed over his broad chest. Looks like they were in the Room the entire time.

"Who'd you recruit Neville?"

"Daphne Greengrass."

There was a palpable shock that hung in the air. Seamus and Dean both stood there wide-eyed, as they took in the words. Really, neither of them could say anything that would change the situation. Ultimately, Neville was the leader and what he said was final. Ginny was supposed to have the same liberties at the wizard, Dean thought, so he understood why she would be so upset. He unfolded his arms and ran his fingers through his short hair.

"Are you sure this is a good idea mate? I know that she fought with you guys in the Great Hall but… I don't know. I'm kinda siding with Ginny here. Can we really trust her?"

"Thank you!" Ginny threw her hands up in frustration, at least happy that one person sided with her. Neville looked at Dean, shocked that he didn't see the bigger picture.

"Would you guys stop holding her to her past? She's different now and besides, we NEED more fighters."

"What makes you so sure that she's changed?"

Neville wanted to punch Dean. Why was he questioning him so much? Neville looked over at Ginny to see her smirking. She was obviously enjoying the fact that it was two against one right now. Seamus just observed, silent.

"Look, she's been exiled by her own friends and family. She's been sleeping in the library! She testified against Blaise and helped get him expelled from school. How much more proof do you need?" Neville looked around at the quiet faces, finally landing on Seamus. "And what about you? You haven't said a thing."

"I've been thinking."

"And?"

Seamus exhaled and let his arms fall to his sides. "I think we should let her in."

Ginny made a grunt of frustration and rolled her eyes.

"FINE! Fine! Induct the bitch, okay? But if she goes A wall and turns on us, don't come crying to me."

With that, the red grabbed her bag and stomped out of the Room.

o.O.o

Aubrielle walked towards the cove and saw Daphne sitting there with her trunk at her feet. She was nervously shaking her leg, unsure what to expect. She was extremely anxious about the whole thing, knowing that she was going to go into an environment with a lot of pent up hostility towards her. Anyone who wasn't a Slytherin hated her, well most everyone, and the one Slytherin that was in this secret Army she had picked on and bullied for years. 'Great. What have I gotten myself into?'

"Ready?"

The Slytherin nodded her head and stood up. She grabbed her trunk and wheeled it behind her as Aubrielle led her through the halls.

"We live in the Room of Requirement. It's protected by a password-encoded ward. To get in just say…" They had reached the blank wall and stopped. Daphne looked around in confusion.

"We're fighting to stay alive."

There was a sound of cement giving way and her jaw dropped as two large doors appeared before her eyes. 'The Room of Requirement. Holy shit.' Aubrielle opened the doors and led Daphne inside. The entire Army was in there, standing behind a glowing line. Aubrielle gently took Daphne's trunk and wheeled it off the side. The Slytherin felt herself lightly shaking. This was so intimidating. There were about 30 people standing in front of her, all staring, mostly likely judging her. Neville had a velvet pouch in his hands and was standing prominently at the head. Aubrielle situated the witch's trunk and bounced over on the other side of the line. At least someone was happy to see her there. Neville cleared his throat and began the ceremony.

"Hello Daphne, welcome to the Room of Requirement. Induction is fairly quick and shouldn't take long. First, everyone must recite the oath for Dumbledore's Army. Repeat after me… In Honor of THE Albus Dumbledore…"

Daphne finally found her voice and followed directions. There was a loud response as the entire Army said the oath.

"In honor of THE Albus Dumbledore…"

"I promise to fight for what is right and be strong against Dark Magic and its influences."

"By becoming a member of Dumbledore's Army…"

"I promise to swear to secrecy and I will not reveal anything that happens in this Room."

"And I promise to fight for my fellow members."

"Mischief managed."

The seventh year watched wide-eyed as every single student took out a gold coin and held it in the palm of their hand. Neville reached into the pouch and took an identical coin out.

"Daphne Greengrass."

Aubrielle smiled as the witch stepped forward. She stood in front of Neville and held out her sweating hand. She took the shiny coin and placed it in her palm. She turned it over with her fingers, looking at the detail work. On one side was the Hogwarts crest; complete with all four mascots, and on the other side was a large D.A. She looked up at the Gryffindor.

"Congratulations. You are now an official member of Dumbledore's Army. You can step over the line now."

The Slytherin took a single step over the glowing line and it was almost as if there were a force field surrounding her. As soon as she stepped forward, everyone stepped back. The only people who stayed put were Neville, Emolly, and Aubrielle. Even Nielah was cautious about the whole thing and that child never seemed to have a care in the world. As soon as the witch was officially a member and everything was said and done, the rest of the Army members dispersed to do their own things. Daphne stood there; still unsure of what had just happened. The ceremony was so simple, so quick, so painless, yet she knew that it meant so much to these students. Neville pulled out a rolled parchment from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Here. These are a list of spells that you need to be able to perform. If you have trouble with any of them, feel free to ask anyone for help."

She quickly scanned the list of enchantments, letting her eyes widen at the difficulty of some.

"I have to be able to produce a full body Patronus?"

"We aim for full body, but if you can only make a shield than that is fine as well."

"But I've never even tried to make one."

"Ask Emolly. She's the best witch I've ever seen when it comes to making a Patronus."

Daphne looked over at the blonde. She was talking to Aubrielle, most likely about her, while working on some school assignment. How should she even approach her? She had bullied her for years and while Daphne knew that the seventh year had forgiven her, she still felt extremely guilty about everything. She looked back at Neville and gave him a small smile of appreciation. He walked over to the duo and kissed Aubrielle on the forehead before joining them on the cot. The Slytherin stood there, still unsure of what to do, but spun around when someone cleared their throat behind her. Ginny Weasley was standing there with her arms stubbornly across her chest. Daphne raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um…yes?"

"Listen, some people may be fooled by your sudden act of kindness, but I'm not."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying…if you put one toe out of line or I feel like you are threatening any of the other Army members in anyway, I will not hold back. You made a pact to protect every student here and if you don't follow that, well, I won't follow the rules either. Understand?"

Daphne nervously shook her head, terrified of the red head. She had always found Ginny intimidating, but this only reinforced her fear. Daphne could say, in all honesty, that Ginny was the only witch that she feared at Hogwarts. Even worse now, the Gryffindor was watching her like a hawk. Ginny walked away and the Slytherin searched for her trunk. Not by coincidence, it was on the bed two down from Emolly. She walked over to her new sleeping quarters and wrapped herself in the blanket. This was all too surreal. She wished she were back in the Slytherin dungeons, still friends with Pansy and her sister, still crushing on Blaise, only this time; they weren't a bunch of pompous assholes. She curled into the fetal position and wanted nothing more than to become invisible. Maybe if she wished hard enough, she could turn back time and make it so none of this had happened. If only.

(Tuesday, January 20th)

It was bizarre waking up in the Room of Requirement, almost as if it were some kind of strange dream. Even more weird was waking up next to Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws. Daphne had never been in a situation like this one, ever. When she turned over she immediately saw Emolly sitting up in her bed. She was packing up her bag and noticed Daphne looking at her.

"Good morning. What to go get breakfast with me?"

Daphne subconsciously snorted. This was too good to be true. "Sure."

She climbed out of her cot and quickly changed into her gray, white, black, and emerald green school uniform. She quickly brushed through her hair, grateful that it didn't need much work in the mornings, and slung her bag over her shoulder. She smiled at the blonde before heading out of the large doors and towards the Great Hall. They walked in silence and sat at the end of the long Slytherin table. Goyle, Astoria, Crabbe, and Pansy were at the other end, shooting dangers with their eyes at the two witches. Daphne felt like shrinking in her seat. Emolly looked at her and gave a reassuring glance.

"Ignore them. Remember that you're the bigger person in this situation."

"Then how come I don't feel like it?"

"Because it's new to you."

Emolly stacked some eggs and toast on her plate while Daphne picked at a small pile of various fruits. She snuck a glance at the blonde when she wasn't looking. She was beautiful; Emolly, and Daphne could see why Blaise had obsessed over her for so long. Why would he want to hurt her though? Daphne had realized how smart, funny, and caring she was, so why would Blaise try and destroy that? She just couldn't wrap her head around it. She started cursing herself in her head. She had done that exact thing. Daphne had tried so hard to crack the witch because of what? Because she was having sex with the guy that she liked? No, she wasn't having sex; she was being raped. There's a difference. She suddenly spoke up, asking something that had bothering her ever since Ginny had confronted her the night prior.

"Emolly…not everyone wanted me to join the Army, right?"

The seventh year sighed. "No, not everyone was for it. Granted, not everyone knew about it. Ginny was the most adamant on keeping you out."

"I figured. She came up to me last night after my induction and said that if I stepped out of line, she would hurt me."

"That's Ginny for you."

There was a slight pause. Daphne hung her head and stared at her lap. "Emolly?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you forgive me so quickly?"

The blonde bit her lip, contemplating her answer. "Because you ultimately saved me from Blaise. You made the conscious decision to go against what you have known to do and did what you felt was right. Besides, I feel that everyone deserves a second chance in life, a clean slate. This is your fresh start with me Daphne."

She put a forkful of eggs in her mouth and that was that.

Hope you liked it! Review! :)