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I CAN'T I CAN'T I HAVE LOST TO ABILITY TO CAN

I MEAN WE GOT TO 200+ REVIEWS GUYS THIS IS FUCKING AMAZMING!

And yes, I realise that Riley's fuse is much shorter than it used to be, but if you remember far back, she has taken on some wolfish qualities due to the cursed scar, so there's the explanation as well as the fact she's just plain done with everything around about now.

"It's time to begin, isn't it?

I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit,

I'm just the same as I was,

Now don't you understand,

That I'm never changing who I am..."

–Imagine Dragons 'It's Time'

Chapter Forty-One:

The members dispersed among themselves; some disappearing into a burst of green flames and others exiting through the double doors back into the corridors of Hogwarts.

It was well past one in the morning – a far longer meeting than usual – and my hand was cramping from the rapid note-taking.

I explained most things as we went, but I could still see the confusion in his eyes, "So you're telling me you and James have been working on this since before Christmas?"

"Well, yeah, basically. We really only started sitting in on the meetings when I got back," I explained to him.

He gave me a strange expression that looked like some sort of cross between delight, surprise and irritation, "How come I'm only finding this all out know?"

"Because you followed me," I replied bluntly, mind too busy dealing with other more pressing matters than him at the current moment.

"You do realise that if we're found out, we will be expelled like that," he snapped his fingers.

I shrugged, "That's a risk I'm willing to take,"

"Well I don't think I can take that risk… it was hard enough for my parents to get me into school. There aren't many options for a werewolf, and I got a chance not many have… I just can't throw that away to chance," Moony tried to smile, but it faltered.

"I understand, Moony. It's okay," I clapped my hand on is shoulder and he grimaced.

"But what are you going to do about, you know, the most recent development," he spoke in a concerned tone.

I sighed looking down at my shoes, "I'll have to talk to James and Lily about it, but for now, I need to sleep,"

The next morning I was beyond exhausted, waking up just as tired as the night before. My eyes slowly crack open and are hit with the stinging morning light that peers through the window.

"You're going to be late for breakfast," Lily yawned, throwing a pillow at my head. I took it with a dull groan, too fatigued to argue.

Fighting the dominant urge to throw the dudette over my head again and sleep 'till noon, I slid out of bed, warm feet hitting the cold stone floor with a flinch.

Stretching my back and yawning loudly, I realised that Lily was in her uniform already standing by the door and all of the other girls were gone.

"Ah shit," I exclaimed, looking at my clock suddenly finding the energy to get up and off my ass.

"We tried to wake you. Three times," Lily sighed, shaking her head in distain.

I scowled as I ran wound the room, "Where's my fucking tie?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she laughed at my currently dishevelled state, "How late did you get in last night?" Lily asked me.

"Around one in the morning," I said slowly, but my voice was muffled as my head was buried deep within my trunk.

My words seemed to get her attention, "What? They never go that long…" she trailed off into deep thought with furrowed eyebrows and a concentrated expression.

"There have been… developments. Important developments," I said seriously, "That I'm not going to talk about here and now,"

Lily nodded in understanding as I pulled my singed tie out from the bottom of the trunk and without a word looped it around my neck.

Then as usual conduct follows; the two of us silently walked towards breakfast.

Terribly late with a half-eaten piece of toast hanging limp out of my mouth and papers flying in my wake, I rushed up the spiral staircase towards the Divination class room nestled high in the North Tower. Juggling my textbooks in one arm I managed to climb the ladder and burst through the trap door into the classroom as an array of head turned to look.

"Ah, see class, didn't I say Miss O'Conner would be right along?" beamed Professor Agatha Hickkle-Trasp in delight, "Come, come, have a seat, dear we've just began,"

I smiled slyly to myself – toast still hanging from my mouth – sometimes being the teacher's favourite sometimes really did have its perks. I took my seat with a grin, right across the table from Alice who was trying to mask her amusement and was failing rather wonderfully.

"Good thing old Hickkle loves you and that one prediction you made," she whispered with a giggle and I grinned, remembering that day only a few years ago. Alice was wrong of course, I had made two successful predictions in my time, although the second I kept hidden deep within my mind. Remus wouldn't like that dream to be revealed.

We turned our attentions back towards the professor who was explaining the correct procedure to follow while performing Cartomancy.

"Now students, on the tables are a set of Tarot Cards each. I would like you to open your books to the eighty-seventh page and follow the set instructions; we are beginning with the simplest Tarot reading form – the six card analysis," she smiled and clapped her hands together as the class groaned.

Alice looked to me, "You wana read first?"

I nodded with a shrug and began to shuffle the deck as the instructions told me to, then spread them out in my hands, "Okay point to six cards," I ordered.

As she picked them I placed them in a line face down on the table until all six were there, "Okay, so it says the first is how you feel about yourself now, the second what you most want at this moment, third is your fears, fourth what is going for you, next what is going against you and finally the last your outcome. Ready?" I asked and she nodded, curiously looking downcast at the facedown cards.

With nimble fingers I flipped them all over, as the book said that I shouldn't take every card individually but read them as a whole unit as they were to represent an entire person.

Flicking through the book to fin d the explanation to the first card, I explained, "Well, your first card seems pretty decent; the Wheel Of Fortune card basically means you feel lucky as something good has happened or come into your life,"

Taking a look at the next card and its example, I almost burst into laughter, "Uh, your next card is The Devil tarot… apparently you want something a bit of passion and… umm… deep excitement… So how is Fred going?" I joked while Alice's face went entirely red.

The third card I was slightly more hesitant to search up, but alas I did find it, "The Temperance card depicts that you are afraid this period of harmony in your life is not going to last,"

I looked up at her with questioning eyes but she simply nodded, "Okay, keep going, Riley,"

Next I found the next card easily on the next page, "The Tower is a tarot centred on change. It most likely means a sudden disruptive change is inevitable, and as painful as it may seem, you will either come through it a stronger and better person or not at all,"

The second last card was strange, contradicting the first, "The Star card depicts that this is a period of tension and frustrations, you feel pessimistic and fearful that your hopes will be dashed,"

"Well that's weird," she commented, "What's my last card mean?"

"The outcome of your life is the High Priestess tarot… she is the symbol of the subconscious and dreams. She boarders the day and the night… she is the prophecy of illusion and… insanity," I frowned at the page, "What a load of shit,"

Alice seemed to be lost in thought, "Hmmm I guess,"

I should've known better than to sit with Alice in Divination. She held uncountable belief in the art – much more so than myself, who was willing to believe its powers to a certain extent. Alice was clearly analysing the cards in her head, cross referencing every moment of her life to find where it's matches up.

"Interesting…" she mumbled to herself as she proceeded to take the deck away from me and begin to shuffle.

I crossed my arms across my chest and leaned against the bookshelf in our secret lair, ready to receive and answer any questions both James and Lily may have.

"Okay, so what are these new developments?" Lily asked me in a stern and serious tone.

James sat up a bit, eyes wide with curiosity, "There's been developments?"

I rolled my eyes, "There are always developments, Prongs, why do you think I called the emergency meeting?"

"I just thought it was a meeting. Didn't know about the emergency part," he laughed, but it trailed off as neither of us caught on. The seriousness of the situation too heavy for our usual light humour.

"So what is this big revelation?" Lily questioned, leaning forward in her seat with anticipation.

Well, I'd already made them wait a day, taking in a deep breath in, "They've got information that a small group of Death Eaters are hiding out in the basement of a bar in Knockturn Alley. Tomorrow night Kinsley and Arthur are going to stake it out and see what they can find out… what should we do?"

Three of us mused over the newest information silently, James was the first to break the quiet, "I say we follow them there and spy as we always do,"

"Hmm but we can't be caught, be it by either side," Lily pointed out, "We need to make sure we're safe before anything else, we're no use dead or expelled,"

I scowled at her words, "Screw safe. I know everything is suddenly becoming very real. It's easy to say we're making a difference safe within the walls of Hogwarts, gathering intel is one thing but acting upon it is entirely different. I don't know about you, but I want to make a fucking difference, that was the point of the whole thing!" I slammed my fist on the table, rattling the cups.

"Riley, we know, but we need a plan. We can't march into Knockturn Alley without a plan," Lily groaned in frustration.

James laughed.

"What the fuck, Prongs? This is serious! We need a way of not being caught and it doesn't seem as if you've had any bright ideas as of yet," Lily snapped. The sound of her swearing rang strange in my ears – it was a rarity indeed.

He shrugged leaning back on his chair unfazed – I guess he's been sworn at by her many times, "Invisibility cloak, duh,"

"It's not that simple, we need to be cautious or this whole thing is blown and we'll find ourselves out of the school faster than we can cast the killing curse!" Lily exclaimed, "Invisibility cloaks aren't that reliable,"

He sat up properly with a scowl, "This cloak has been in my family ever since I can remember, and it's never faltered,"

"That may be so, but we need a back-up," she frowned and the group sank back into thought filled silence before her eyes lightened up, "What about Polyjuice Potion for James and I?"

"We need the hair though, and it can't be someone at school," I said in thought, but the two of them continued to grin at me as if I didn't understand a blatant joke.

"No, but what about yours… if we were you, we could morph…" she grinned.

Shaking my head I explained, "I spent months working on how to shapeshift with accuracy; it's tomorrow night guys,"

James smiled smugly, "One, you were taught by a non-metamorphmagus. Two, you were eleven. Three, we only need to focus on one body,"

Biting my lip I answered, "We're going to need a lot on polyjuice potion for practise and for the actual thing,"

He continued to grin, "Oh don't worry about that – I have a plan,"

Lily moaned, sliding down in her chair, "This is going to be a long night,"

I REALLY DID TRY TO REASURCH ABOUT TAROT CARD READING BUT I DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND JACK SHIT OF IT SO I JUST KINDA MADE ALL THAT UP BASED ON WHAT I ALREADY KNOW YEAH SORRY.

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