A/N: I am so sorry about the hiatus! I have been so busy with classes and auditions! Here is a new update! Review if ya want. :)

January rolled into February like a slug. The winter months were gray, dull, and gloomy, and it affected nearly everyone's mood. The only people enjoying the dreary weather seemed to be the Carrow siblings. Go figure. The Army was progressing nicely, even with their small numbers. Every day the members practiced their skills and it was definitely showing. Oliver and Cho were also bringing a great deal to the Army, showing spells that Neville had never even heard of; spells that were not allowed inside the walls of the castle. Aberforth slowly became a grandfather figure for the students as well. He was dropping by frequently, having conversations with Neville or just watching the lessons. He was becoming a regular with the students and gave them a sense of hope.

Having Ginny back was wonderful for Neville. His workload for the Army was literally cut in half now that she was back as a leader again and he couldn't be happier about that. He was able to finally get some decent rest as well, which just improved his attitude in general. He was able to give Aubrielle some more attention, much to her pleasure, and it seemed like, for once, the school year was going all right. Neville knew, however, that the euphoria wouldn't last long. It never did at Hogwarts.

(Thursday, February 19th)

It was in the black of the night and everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Emolly was still awake with terrible pains in her abdomen. For the last week, she had been noticing sharp pains in her side and terrible aches in her stomach. She really didn't think anything of it, but now the stings were to the point where she couldn't sleep, at all. They were actually becoming more agonizing by the second and Emolly arched her back out of discomfort. What the Hell was happening? She was trying to stay quiet and not wake anyone, but she felt like someone was tacking an ice pick to her ribs. She let out a high-pitched whine, unable to keep it in any longer, and hugged her side. She was in a cold sweat now, trying to fight against the pain, as she fidgeted and squirmed in her bed. She was tangled in her sheets now and her hair was sticking to the sides of her face. She moaned again and tried to sit up in her bed, but it just got worse as an excruciating pain rocketed through her entire being. This time, she full out screamed. There was the immediate noise of students waking up and pulling out their wands. To them, it sounded as if someone was getting hurt. She had her eyes squeezed shut, but the blonde could still make out the light at the tips of peoples' wands through her closed lids. She was moaning and twisting as a familiar hand reached for her face and tried to calm her down.

"Em? Em what's going on? What's wrong?" Aubrielle was frantically scanning over her best friend, trying to decipher her movements and noises. She saw her clutching her side and went into panic mode. It was the same side that Blaise had injured back when they had fought in the Great Hall and it was the same side that had had cracked ribs and internal bleeding. This had to be serious.

Emolly kept screaming and Aubrielle went to untangle the sheets that were wrapped around her. Neville was confused as Hell as to what was happening but Aubrielle was frantically explaining the situation as she tried to wriggle the Slytherin free.

"She's clutching her side! The same one that Blaise had hurt…she had internal bleeding…cracked ribs….SHIT! Emolly try to stop moving love. I need to get you out from the sheets. I know it hurts. We'll take you to Madame Pomfrey but we can only do that if you stop twisting and turning. Please Emolly."

The seventh year stopped moving and the pain was unbearable. The tears were streaming through her closed lids and the cries were absolutely piercing. Aubrielle was almost done with the sheets before yelling at her boyfriend.

"Neville go! Go wake Madame Pomfrey. Tell her it's an emergency! I can handle Em."

"O-Okay."

He bolted out of the Room and sprinted to the medical wing. He knew that the best thing to do was follow his girlfriend's orders. This was not his area of expertise.

The Ravenclaw finally had the bed stripped and Emolly instinctively curled into a tight ball. Without even asking, someone gently moved Aubrielle to the side and reached for the witch. Aubrielle raised an eyebrow as Dean Thomas took Emolly protectively in his arms. He cradled her into his chest bridal style and she responded by leaning her head into the crook of his neck. She didn't actually know who was holding her; she just wanted to get to the medical wing as soon as possible so this terrible pain would go away. Dean headed out the door with Aubrielle close behind while Ginny handled the rest of the Army. She sent them off to bed, telling them that there was nothing they could do to help but stay away from the situation. They all did as they were told.

Dean rushed to the wing with Emolly crying and screaming the entire way. Aubrielle ran in front of him and busted the doors open to find not only Neville and Madame Pomfrey, but Professor McGonagall as well. They already had a cot dressed and ready for the seventh year. Professor McGonagall rushed foreword and pointed towards the bed.

"Over here Mr. Thomas. Set her down gently now. Shh shh…there there Ms. Goldster. You're all right. We're going to get you help." The Head of Gryffindor turned and looked at Aubrielle, who was on the verge of crying. It was so heartbreaking to see her best friend in this sort of pain.

"Ms. Song, I need you to tell me what's wrong."

"I-I'm not exactly sure. She's been holding her side, the side that Blaise had damaged badly. Last time she had cracked ribs and internal bleeding. I think her wounds have opened."

The elder witch turned toward the healer with a frightened look in her eyes. It was almost impossible for magically healed wounds to open themselves again. The only way they could do so was if they were drastically severe or effected by the use of magic. This was not good. No, no, no.

The Healer whipped out her wand and muttered some sort of hex to herself, letting blue threads whisk out the tip of her wand and wash over Emolly's face. In an instant the witch was knocked out, unconscious, and her screams stopped. Dean, Neville, and Aubrielle watched the scene with wonder and horror. Madame Pomfrey looked seriously at McGonagall.

"She needs to go to St. Mungo's…right now. This is far beyond my healing abilities. Better wake the headmaster and tell him that we need to contact them immediately. If we don't get her the proper care in a couple of hours, she'll die."

Minerva's eyes widened to the size of saucers and without another word, the old witch was running towards Snape's office. Aubrielle just leaned into Neville, covered her face with her hands, and broke down. 'Please no. This can't be happening! No!' Even Dean Thomas, who never cried, let a single tear streak his cheek.

o.O.o

The emergency healers were in the castle within a minute. Since Emolly was in such bad shape, they flooed their equipment into Hogwarts via Snape's personal fireplace and turned the medical wing into a makeshift hospital. Everyone was pushed out so the healers could do their work in peace and without the distraction of students, professors, and Aubrielle's hysterical sobbing. The stress was only just beginning, however, when Snape called the three seventh years into his office with Professor McGonagall. They wearily climbed the steps leading up to the Headmaster's office, unsure of what to expect. Aubrielle simply figured that he wanted to know what was wrong with her. Then it hit her like a bag of bricks…

"How did you know she was in pain, Ms. Song?"

"Uhh…"

Snape had his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed over his chest. They hadn't thought about that. They should have had Daphne take her. She was the only other Slytherin and…

"I find it…interesting that two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw brought a Slytherin to the wing this late at night. How did you know she was in pain? Unless…you're not sleeping in your dorms-"

"We are sleeping in our dorms!" Neville spit it out without thinking. No, they were not about to reveal the Army and the Room of Requirement. They had gotten this far into the school year without messing it up and they weren't about to let it all go now. No way in Hell. "You see, Headmaster…"

"I was with her."

Everyone turned to look at Dean Thomas, who was standing off to the side. Dean was always one to follow the rules and he generally stayed out of trouble. Aubrielle knit her forehead in confusion. What was he doing?

"What, Mr. Thomas?"

"I was with her. In her dorm."

Aubrielle's jaw dropped but she quickly shut it before Snape could see her surprised reaction.

"And what were you doing in her dorm, Mr. Thomas, this late at night?"

"We were just sleeping. I swear."

The Headmaster stood up and walked over to the wizard. Dean stood there, still as a statue, and didn't show any emotion. Suddenly the door burst open and Amycus Carrow came strutting in, smiling.

"Heard there are some students to punish, Headmaster."

"There are Amycus; thank you for coming this late at night."

"Anything to help enforce the rules, Headmaster."

Aubrielle gulped. They were all in deep shit. Knowing Carrow, they would most likely end up in the medical wing right next to Emolly. Dean just stood still as Snape continued to question him.

"So Mr. Thomas, if what you're telling me is correct, you were sleeping in Emolly's dorm room."

"Yes sir, I just told you that-"

"AND why were you sleeping in her dorm?"

"We've been secretly seeing each other, sir."

Aubrielle's eyes widened. Dean's lying was so convincing that it almost seemed real…

"Well, Mr. Thomas, you understand the severity of your actions, don't you?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"And how did Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Song over here get involved?"

Dean pivoted towards his two friends and looked at them before answering the wizard.

"Uh, well, Headmaster-"

"We heard Emolly screaming!"

Aubrielle's hand went to cover her mouth but she resisted the urge. They were all in this together. There was no way that any of them could get of this punishment free.

"Neville and I are dating. You knew that Headmaster, whether you wanted to admit it or not. You've always known."

Snape walked over to the Ravenclaw, standing over her.

"As a matter of fact I have known."

"Exactly. Well..." She turned to look at her boyfriend. "Neville and I snuck out to have some alone time. You know, since we can't do it during the day… And we heard Emolly screaming. All of the sudden Dean came around the corner, carrying her, and we wanted to help." Now Aubrielle was getting her courage. Hell, she knew that she was going to be thoroughly punished for this; might as well go down swinging. "Even though you try to prevent outer house communication, Headmaster, she's still a classmate. I have known Emolly for years and she is my best friend. I'm going to aid her when she is in pain or trouble, rules be damned!" She was red in the face and she didn't even realize that she had her fists balled until Neville reached out to squeeze her hand. She quickly relaxed and intertwined her fingers with his, defiantly breaking a rule right in front of Snape and Carrow. Professor McGonagall could help but smile at her students and their bravery. Snape took a step back and looked at the seventh years.

"Very well. All three of you will be punished accordingly. I would punish Ms. Goldster as well but, given the circumstances, she is being punished enough. Two weeks detention, all of you, starting tomorrow."

There was a collective groan from the Army members.

"Now, go back to your dorms and get some sleep. You're all going to have a long day tomorrow."

(Friday, February 20th)

The following day, when Emolly's injuries were fully diagnosed, Dean, Neville, and Aubrielle were called back into Snape's office. The healers from St. Mungo's told Madame Pomfrey that her wounds should not have opened up again and the only reason they did was because Emolly was performing extremely powerful curses that took a toll on her body. A witch or wizard's magic comes from within their being, and their insides are affected every time they cast a curse or hex. Now, most of the time, their body is able to adjust and regulate back to normalcy in a matter of seconds. However, since Emolly had such severe wounds that hadn't fully healed yet, the powerful magic coursing through her every time she did a Patronus or one of the spells Oliver had taught, slowly started to re-open her injuries. Upon hearing this, Snape was immediately angered. Students were not allowed to perform magic like that at school and he certainly knew that Carrow was not teaching them how to produce a Patronus in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had a gut feeling that these students were doing the same they did in fifth year and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

The three seventh years stood in his office once more, but a little bit more confident this time. They had talked to each other, of course, and created a pretty convincing story that would line up between them. Neville knew the second he heard Emolly's diagnosis that Snape would be suspicious and he already was thinking 5 steps ahead. 'Bring it, Headmaster.' Snape was sitting behind his desk, comfortably leaning back in his chair. He sat straight up and motioned for the students to sit in the chairs across from him. They did as they were told.

"Can I assume that you all know about Ms. Goldster's condition?"

"You can." Aubrielle folded her arms over her chest.

"Then I'll get right to it. Why was Ms. Goldster performing magic well above the regulated power limit?"

All three of them were silent, defiantly looking at their Headmaster. They could see his patience slipping through his fingers, and they loved it. They wanted to get him on the verge of a breakdown before they said anything.

"Well? Would anyone care to inform me why she has been casting the Patronus Charm and other spells that are forbidden in this castle on a daily basis?"

Again, nothing. Snape furiously stood up and walked to Neville. He was inches away from the Gryffindor, who was smirking.

"You're up to it again, aren't you? Your bloody little Army that you were in during fifth year? I know that those spells wouldn't be practiced anywhere else!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Headmaster. Do you really think we would have time to manage something like that with the ridiculous amounts of school work we are assigned every…single…day?"

Neville sat back in his chair, showing that he was done discussing the matter. Snape moved over to Dean and tried to control himself.

"Tell me, Mr. Thomas, have you ever seen Ms. Goldster perform these advanced spells?"

"Yes."

Snape smirked, "And where did she cast them at?"

"Her bedroom."

"And you were with her, in her bedroom?"

"I thought I made that clear last night, Headmaster."

Snape clenched his fists and Aubrielle let out a snicker. The Headmaster ignored it.

"Why is Ms. Goldster practicing spells of that caliber, Mr. Thomas?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe so she can defend herself from her abusive and psychotic ex-boyfriend?"

Aubrielle giggled to herself but quickly put her hand over her mouth. It was so funny to her, the way everyone was being so damn sarcastic. She was having quite a good time with it, really. Snape stood back and looked at the three students with disgust.

"You think you're smarter than me, don't you? All I have to say is this; do not underestimate me. You are in my school, after all."

"Say what you want Headmaster, but we are in Dumbledore's school."

With that, Neville stood up and walked out the door. Dean and Aubrielle did the same right after him, leaving Snape with about a dozen unanswered questions flying through his head. 'Perfect,' thought Aubrielle, 'he's right where we want him.'

o.O.o.O.o

Emolly could not sleep at all. The healers had left around midnight but promised to be back first thing in the morning. Turns out her injuries needed daily observation for about a week and she wasn't allowed to do any kind of magic whatsoever. Great. She was stuck in this depressing medical wing, without any friends, for an entire week. Even more, she wasn't even allowed to keep up with her charms or schoolwork. This was going to be Hell, in short. It was around two in the morning right now and the witch's problems were keeping her up. Her mind could not stop racing and it wasn't letting her get the rest that she needed. There was the uncomforting sound of a doorknob clicking and Emolly sprang up in her cot, only to regret it. A sharp pain shot up her side and she instinctively clutched it, moaning loudly. Not only was she now in terrible pain, but she didn't have her wand and wasn't allowed to defend herself anyway, since she was banned from using magic. Whoever this was, she just prayed it was a friend.

"Shit."

"Shh. Do you want to wake one of the elves?"

Emolly turned to her side to face the door. It was pitch black and she just barely recognized the voice.

"W-who is it?"

"Dean."

The tall seventh year came into view and sat in the chair next to her bed. He was still dressed in his school uniform. Emolly raised an eyebrow at him but he seemed to think that the secret meeting was normal. He looked at Emolly and saw how the moonlight caught the shimmer in her amber eyes and flooded over her blonde hair. He could almost count the freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks…

"Why are you here?"

Her voice brought him back to reality and he took in the curious tone of her question.

"I carried you here. You know that, right?"

"Madame Pomfrey told me, yeah. Thank you for that, by the way."

"No problem."

There was an awkward silence and Emolly tried to sit up again, this time much, much slower. She was finally able to prop herself up and lean her back on the cot's iron headrest. Dean turned his chair so he could look at her. This was about to get even more awkward.

"So, err, we all had to talk to Snape. Well, Neville, Aubrielle, and I. He wanted answers and he wanted to know why two Gryffindors and a Ravenclaw brought you here. You know, since we aren't allowed to talk to people outside of our house."

"Oh…OH! I didn't even think about that!"

"Yeah. We all really had to think on our feet. I was really put under fire since I'm the one who was actually carrying you…"

"I'm so sorry Dean. I didn't want any of you to get in trouble because of me."

"What were we suppose to do? Let you squirm on the cot in pain?"

She sighed. That was true. She would have most likely died too. She still felt bad though, knowing her friends were suffering because of her.

"Anyway…well, Snape wanted answers and I just kind of…spit something out and you should know so that if he comes here and asks you things, our stories will add up."

"Right. Good idea! Well, what did you tell him?"

"The reason I knew you were in pain was because I was in your dorm with you."

"In the middle of night?"

"Yeah…I also told him we were secretly dating."

"Oh."

The awkwardness hung in the air like a thick fog and Emolly could swear that it was palpable. Feeling exposed in some way, Emolly pulled the blanket up around her waist. Dean was looking down at his shoes, letting his leg jiggle up and down. Emolly opened her mouth to say something, decided not to, and shut it again. Dean said something but it was too muffled and quiet for the Slytherin to hear.

"Pardon?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Making this the most awkward thing…ever."

Emolly let out a strained chuckle, which made the Gryffindor lift his head. She could tell that he thought he was somehow out of line. Maybe he felt it was too ludicrous an idea, them dating, or maybe he needed more self-confidence with girls. If her memory served her right, he was pretty crushed by his break up with Ginny and he hadn't dated anyone since. "It's fine, really. You did what you had to do to protect the Army. It was smart on your part."

"Ha. Thanks. So…err…yeah. Now you know. You know, just in case Snape comes snooping."

"Yeah, yeah, thanks for giving me the heads up."

"It's the least I could do."

The wizard stood up and nodded at Emolly before heading for the door.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" The seventh year turned back around to look at the blonde.

"You're a really great guy. Just thought I'd let him know."

Dean was thankful that it was nearly pitch black in the room because he could feel the intense blush in his cheeks.

"Thanks Emolly. You're a pretty cool girl yourself."

She flashed her pearly white teeth at him before he turned to walk out of the room and closed the door behind him.

So, uh, review?