There are days when I have no idea what to put here...suggestions?

Harry's heart was beating incredibly hard as he waited at the entrance to the library for Luna. It was taking too long for her to arrive and he had begun to panic, worried something may have happened to her. His Polyjuice Potion had worn off and he was nervous to use more as they were already running low on it. (Theodore planned to nick some from the Potions Classroom.) Then he saw her, but she didn't stop at the library, instead continuing to walk quickly. He started to rush after her, trying very hard not to make too much noise as he moved. She stopped momentarily at a spiral staircase as if to let him catch up in case he wasn't behind her.

Then it happened.

"What are you doing?" The shrill voice caused Harry to jump and he spun around to stare at a woman he would have recognized instantly in any situation: Alecto Carrow, one of the Death Eaters who had been at the top of the Astronomy Tower when Dumbledore had been killed. Harry raised his wand.

"I was heading up to my Common Room." Luna told her in a light voice, but there was a nervous strain.

"Students don't wander alone, stupid girl." Alecto hissed as she approached slowly, eyes flicking around the girl as if she expected someone to be with her.

"I forgot." Luna gave a shudder as the woman's eyes now rested again on her. Harry had never seen Luna scared like this before and his heart started to beat faster.

"You won't be likely to forget again." Alecto gave a little giggle. "Tell me, girl, what year are you in?"

"Sixth..." Luna murmured, the lightness gone and now her voice was full of tension.

"You don't have a class?"

"No..."

"Than you are supposed to be in the library!" Alecto gave a squeal that was almost a shriek and caused both Luna and Harry to jump. "Why aren't you in the library?"

"I-I...w-was going t-to my Common Room..." Luna was fighting very hard to keep her voice steady. "I d-don't much like the library. It smells funny. L-like a Gulping Plimpy that's been left in the s-sun t-too long."

Alecto stared at the girl as if Luna was mental and then she gave an elated laugh. "Don't think I don't know who you are, little girl! Daughter of that filthy editor of The Quibbler!"

"M-my f-father isn't filthy." Luna told her and Harry felt his heart sore at her stupid bravery. "He bathes e-every day."

"Crucio!" Alecto screamed before either Luna or Harry could react.

With a yelp, Luna fell on the ground, her books scattering around her. The spell was short-lived, but enough to leave Luna winded.

"Don't you talk back to me, blood-traitor!" Alecto reached down and grabbed Luna's hair to give her head a good shake. "Grab your books and head straight to the library. You will not break the code again, brat, or things will really get nasty for you."

Whimpering as tears filled her eyes, Luna began to gather up her books, murmuring a weak "Sorry..." that Harry knew was aimed at him. He wanted to tell her it was his fault, that he shouldn't have let her do this, that she shouldn't have gotten in trouble because of him. He watched her and Alecto leave before making his own way back towards the Room of Requirement. If he could have just found the Ravenclaw Common Room and learned the password...he wondered why Luna hadn't just told him how to get there and what to do...but decided there was no point in dwelling on this fact.

He was lost in thought and ignorant of where he was or where he was going...and walked straight into someone. He felt himself stumble and he grabbed for the nearest possible thing (a suit of armor) and then he, the suit of armor, and the person he'd ran into all fell down onto the ground in the loudest crash Harry had ever heard in his entire life spent at the castle. It reverberated through ever wall and down every corridor.

He was pulling himself to his feet before he'd even realized what had happened, but felt the cloak slip off of him, caught beneath the nose of the suit of armor's pointed helmet. He yanked on it, swore he heard it tear, and caught sight of who he'd run into, trapped beneath the hulk of the armor: Amycus Carrow, Alecto's brother and another of those who had witnessed Dumbledore's death atop the tower.

"HARRY POTTER!" Amycus was bellowing as loudly as he could. "HARRY POTTER IS HERE! AT HOGWARTS! AT HOGWARTS!"

He was struggling to get his left arm loose, no doubt to summon the Dark Lord.

Harry was running down the corridor as fast as he could, trying to pull on his cloak at the same time. People were rushing out of classrooms by the time he was nearing the end of the corridor and he was flying down the steps three at a time and through a secret passage between two corridors. He needed to get to the Room of Requirement.

He accidentally ran into a scrawny first year boy who had rushed into his path.

"Harry!" The boy hissed and Harry skidded to a stop, realizing who it was.

A chubby boy was beside the scrawny one.

"We need to get down to Hagrid's! And into the Forest!" The scrawny boy insisted. "Come on!"

They were running through the castle as fast as they could, ignoring the weird looks the two first years were cast. They were met at the doorway by Dementors, but Theo quickly cast his Patronus, which chased them away in its silverwinged flight.

"HE'S AT THE GATES!" A person screamed, but Harry had no idea who. He was already past the greenhouses, already could see Hagrid's form as he lumbered out of his Hut, looking as perplexed and bewildered as he ever could.

Spells were chasing them. Theo and Cedric were doing their best to toss back their own incantations, but it was clear their blind attempts were missing. Hagrid was yelling now, running forward, arms waving frantically at the spell casters, who he no doubt saw as trying to injure innocent students. The shadow of the forest was rising before them. They passed Hagrid, who seemed startled they weren't skidding to stops behind him, and continued into the Forest as his hollers of warnings followed them. The trees blacked out the sun. The moistness of the ground rose up to greet them. Darkness closed in around them like night.

"DON'T STOP!" Theodore shouted as they stumbled over roots and slipped through mud and loose soil. Harry had pulled off his Invisibility Cloak, finding it too difficult to keep running while wearing it. Weaving between trees, they could hear the spells behind them narrowly missing them. Bark blasted from trunks, ropes lassoed saplings, fire caught ablaze upon the leaves of bushes, and lights flashed as everywhere things collapsed. Then they saw them: the herd of Thestrals stood not too far ahead in a dip in the forest and they raised their heads to stare at them.

"HELP US!" Harry screamed at them and he was startled when the creatures started to gallop forward, rushing at their pursuers and attacking them in shrieks and loud flapping wings.

"ALMOST!" Theo yelled as he ducked beneath a branch that clawed at his face. Then, "SLEIPNER! NUCKEL!"

The Burok appeared out of nowhere, rushing towards them. Theodore was upon Sleipner in moments and Harry had jumped up behind him without even thinking about it. Cedric on the other hand hesitated.

"Their bad luck!" He yelled as Nuckel tossed his head vigorously as he presented his side towards the young man.

"You will die if you do not get on him!" Theo hollered at him. "The Thestrals bought us time! We still cannot Apparate!"

"Thes..." There was an explosion above them as a spell meant for a Thestral missed and hit the canopy above them.

Cedric was on Nuckel's back in moments and the two Burok took off, the surroundings melding into a blur of dark colors. They could hear the shouts of other beings, of bewildered and enraged centaurs, and of alarmed Hippogriffs. The ponies burst through the canopy, up into the sky, and the feeling was worse than any Harry had ever felt. Flying was his favorite thing to do, but this...it wasn't flying. Convulsions in his stomach left him feeling weak and sick and sweat was pouring out of his skin as if he was a spring of water. He tasted blood.

The Burok descended and landed gracefully upon the earth and their riders (including Theodore) dismounted as quickly as they could, all retching and holding onto their stomachs, willing the pain to go away.

Despite the agony, Harry could feel relief flooding over his mind as he realized, gratefully, that they had escaped.

Decided it was about time they got reintroduced :D