Chapter Fifteen: Twyla's Leap

January passed in a haze of snow and sleet. The teachers assigned so much homework that the group nearly forgot about Albany. But they remembered her every time another seat became vacant in their classrooms.

Hope continued to be chilly and closed off, not speaking much of what had happened over Christmas break. Rose decided to drop the issue and threw herself into finding out all she could from her spies. Unfortunately, information seemed to have dried up and, as a result, tension in the group was running high.

"We need to do something. We aren't learning anything new and we need to figure out what Albany is going to do. She's been recruiting people for a semester. She has a plan and we need to find out what it is," Rose told her friends in February as they all sat around the table at the library.

"What do you suggest?" Al replied.

"Ferna and Twyla are doing their best!" SS protested, ignoring Al.

"I'm aware of that but they aren't learning anything new. No one trusts them, except for Luff, and that's only because he has a crush on Ferna," Rose groaned.

"What do you suggest?" Al repeated, trying to gain attention.

"Do you want them to insult us in public? Will that gain the enemies trust?" SS declared, standing up in his anger. He knew Ferna was risking the wrath of Albany and he was fearful for her safety. Rose was blaming the lack of information on her inability to gain the confidence of the others, all because Ferna was the first person who was nice to him in Gryffindor.

"SS, would you relax. I'm not going to have your girlfriend turn against you," Rose sneered, lips curled.

"She's not my girlfriend," SS snapped and Rose laughed shortly.

"Perhaps we should talk to Ferna and Twyla. Their opinions should matter," Al suggested, trying to be heard. Rose snapped her head to him, expression fierce.

"We can do that. They may have new information," Rose agreed and looked towards Hope. Worry began to fill her gut when she looked at her friend. Hope had bags under her eyes and had grown so thin, she looked like a stick figure.

Hope didn't tell her friends that she had been too depressed to eat, sustaining herself on the sweets that Al shared with her. She had been kept up all night with nightmares about Voldemort, rushing towards her and telling her she was him. His cold white hands would wrap around her wrist and try to drag her towards him. He would hold up his wand and brand her with the dark mark. Her friends would run in fear, screaming. Hope always awoke in a cold sweat of fear.

"Hope, could you go find Twyla?" Rose asked her friend in a soft voice, trying to be comforting. She could see she was hurting but Hope was sealed tighter than a clam. The best thing Rose could do was just be there.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Hope mumbled and stood, off to find her Slytherin friend.

"Do you know what's bothering her?" Al whispered, worry tainting his voice. Rose shook her head, sighed, and turned to SS.

"Can you find Ferna?" she inquired. SS nodded and left the library, still a little angry. Rose turned to Al. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to do our best. We'll do what is needed and we'll stick together because that's what needed," Al assured her and gave her a hug. Rose sank into the embrace for a moment. Then she saw SS and Hope returning with their spies, and she pulled away.

"What's going on?" Ferna asked as she took a seat next to SS. Twyla slumped in her chair next to Hope who was staring into space again.

"Do you have any new information?" Rose demanded. Twyla groaned in annoyance while Ferna shook her head.

"All Luff is talking about is how badly he wishes he could leave and how much glory he'll get when he completes his mission. I can't get anything new out of him," Ferna sighed. Rose pursed her lips and glared at Ferna for a moment before she turned to Twyla.

"What about you?" Rose inquired.

"She just keeps asking me to join her. I'm making her think I'm on the fence," Twyla muttered.

"What do mean? How is Albany communicating to you?" Al wondered.

"Dreams," Twyla replied shortly, looking up at the ceiling. Her dark hands were pressed firmly against the wooden table.

"I'm still confused," Al admitted. Twyla rolled her eyes.

"Albany is speaking to students in their dreams. If you show potential, a small desire to join her, then she tries to persuade you, night after night. She only reveals the location of the school if your committed. I've told her I'm on the fence," Twyla explained.

"That's some serious magic, being able to fool Albany. Very impressive," Rose replied. "The problem is we need more information if we're going to stop her."

"What can we do? Why don't you take what you know to the Ministry and let them handle it?" Ferna complained as she played with a quill she had found on the floor. Rose, SS, and Al exchanged uneasy glances. Hope wasn't listening. She was too distracted by her thoughts.

"I can tell you guys aren't telling us something," Twyla began.

"No-" Al interrupted.

"And I respect you for that," Twyla continued, ignoring Al. "I know that this is important to you and that you probably can't go to the Ministry for help. So, I'm ready to do what is necessary."

"Like what?" SS wondered. Twyla took a deep breath, as if preparing to jump off a cliff.

"Like accepting Albany's offer and going to her school," Twyla said. Everyone gasped and jumped in shock. Their gasps drew Hope's attention.

"Twyla, you can't!" Rose protested.

"I can. We can't learn anything else from where we are. You need someone inside, someone who can play evil and let you know what's going on," Twyla insisted.

"Like Severus Snape," Al muttered, remembering all the stories his father had told him about the amazingly brave Slytherin. "I think we should let her do what she needs to do. Twyla knows the risks."

"Are you sure?" Hope asked her friend, holding her hand, as she realized what Twyla was offering to do.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll tell Albany tonight. I'll be gone by sunrise," Twyla responded and stood up.

"How will we communicate with you?" SS pointed out. Rose sighed and pulled out a golden galleon from her bag.

"These," Rose suggested. "My mother kept hers and father's coins from the D.A. I sensed something like this might need to happen so I took them. We'll have a secret code and if Twyla needs to tell us something she changes the serial code on the coin. Mine will change to match and I'll see the message. Albany will never know."

"Thank you," Twyla told her and placed the coin in her pocket. She turned to leave.

"Good luck," Al called after her.

"Luck won't help me," Twyla replied and left. Although this mission was vital to her friends, there was another reason she was doing this. She wanted to see her friend, Rachel, again. She wanted to try and convince her to come back. But she didn't want to tell the others and have them shoot down her fragile hope.

When Hope woke up the next day, leaving her world of nightmares behind, the first thing she did was glance over at Twyla's bed. Empty. The sheets were smooth, the pillow fluffed. It looked cold and uninviting, not slept in. Twyla's trunk was gone and when Hope got to Care of Magical Creatures she heard Hagrid complain that his favorite Hippogriff was missing. Twyla was gone. She had thrown herself to the wolves to help Hope and her friends spy on Albany.

Please review!