Chapter Twelve

A/N: Thank you to sammiSTRICK for reviewing the last chapter.

Tensions were rising at Hogwarts, that much Merida could feel quite clearly. It lingered in the air, in the stone, in the books. The sense of fear was everywhere, as Voldemort began to rouse his troops once more. There was no denying it now, no pretending of blindness or denial. This was a war, and only one side could emerge the victor.

By her association with Dumbledore's Army, which her mother was extremely annoyed with for this reason, the young woman had also become a follower of the Order of the Phoenix, the main targets that Voldemort had. She had put herself directly in the line of danger, and Minerva McGonagall was not happy with that in the least.

"But I'm learning to defend myself! If it comes to a war, then I'll need to know how to fight, otherwise I won't stand a chance of being able to help!" the redhead had exclaimed, when her mother had addressed the issue late one night.

"You shouldn't need to know how to fight, or to help in any war at all, Merida, you are only fourteen years old!" her mother had cried out in response, trying desperately to make her daughter see the reason that she had come to see for herself.

"Well, like I said, Mum, this is a war. None of us should need to fight, but we're going to have to. Or do you want Voldemort to win?" The young woman's controversial question silenced the professor immediately, as she thought of a fair argument to give. Finding her mind had surfaced with a blank, the elder woman changed her line of attack from pushing at the girl to pleading with her.

"Meri, please." Minerva implored, leaning towards her daughter, who sat in the chair just opposite the elder of the two women. Merida's gaze was closely fixed on the flames, as if she was fearful of looking her mother in the eye, in case she should be convinced against what she had believed previously. "I'm your mother. I just want for you to be safe, that's all."

"But that is exactly what the problem is, Mum." the young girl told her mother, though with none of the ire that she had expressed the previous time she had spoken along those lines. "I'm not safe, none of us are, and that is never going to change, unless Voldemort is vanquished once and for all. And if that is the only way to make everyone safe again, then the Order is going to need all the help they can get. I'm not going to stand by while innocent people die."

"Who's to say that-" the professor began, but the redhead cut her off once again, pulling at the woman's heartstrings once more.

"Vevi told me about last year. When that boy, Cedric Diggory, was taken into the maze. He thought that he was gained glory for the school, but he came out dead, all because of Voldemort. He had never hurt anyone, Mum. That is why we have to fight Him, because this could be happening every day, maybe even right now. The sooner we end this war, the less people are going to get hurt, and the less innocents will die because they stood in the way of a madman who believes that he should the ruler of all the Wizarding World. Because he is wrong."

The speech had struck Minerva dumb, and for a fair few minutes, she was unable to find the words to speak to her daughter. In the end, she spoke none, but wrapped her arms tightly around the girl, clutching onto her as if she would disappear if she did not.

"I'm sorry, Mum. I know that you're just worried." the young woman sighed, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of the elder's robes, which were stained and dampened by the tears running from her eyes. Her mother did not give her a verbal answer, merely continued to stroke her daughter's auburn locks, trying to cease the water streaming from her own eyes, before it began to drip down onto the younger's hair. She may not have always been strong, but she wanted to appear so, if only for Merida's sake.

"It's alright, Meri, I know that you just want to help your friends, and I understand that." Minerva conceded, a slight smile brought to her face by the affectionate eye roll awarded to her by her only child, who had moved a little further backwards, so that she could see the woman as she was spoken to. The fact that the child, as she still thought of her as being, was happy made her feel precisely the same, as she only wished for the happiness of her daughter in life. "However, I want you to be careful. You can help the Order as best you can, but don't you deliberately put yourself in danger. I won't have that."

"Alright." the young girl sighed, her tone more agreeable than it had been in a while. Satisfied that their conversation had come to an amicable conclusion, Merida stood from her seat, stretching her arms out above her head contentedly, before she flashed a tired smile at her mother, the time of night finally catching up on her. "Goodnight, Mum."

"Goodnight, sweetie." the woman sighed, leaning back into the cushions of the chair in which she sat. She was deliberating whether or not to speak the words that had come into her mind, as she knew that they could force the young woman to become defensive once again, but as soon as she had reached the doorway of her bedroom, the elder made her choice, and spoke once again. "Meri?"

"Yes, Mum?" the redhead questioned, a slight look of confusion accompanying the fatigue that flashed across her face.

"I just want you to know. There are people in this school, people that you see every day, that could not have the same views as we do. There are some that could even become members of the Death Eaters. Be careful who you trust."

After giving her mother a brief nod, Merida retired to bed, her mind full of only one thought.

'What if one of the people Mum was talking about was Draco? And what if she is telling the truth?'

A/N: Please review!