Chapter Thirty Two

A/N: No reviewers.

For all Merida's determination to fight, it was another five months of tedium in France before she set foot on British soil again. Vevina had somehow noticed almost as soon as she was gone, and the young woman had been so distraught with worry when her young cousin finally returned home that she confined her to the house. It was rather ironic, she supposed; she had travelled more than a thousand miles to be trapped at the window once more.

It was a fire message from Vevina's old school friend that had finally convinced her to support the war effort in Britain. The young woman, Fleur Delacour, had been married to Ginny Weasley's eldest brother for almost a year, and for all the airs and graces she had had when she was younger, she had become one of the leading fighters with the Order of the Phoenix. And it was much easier to send information about the resistance from an isolated cottage in Devon than it was from the dormitories at Hogwarts.

"Where are you going?" Merida asked, relishing her cousin's frustrated jump as she realised she had been caught. The elder woman was stood by the door, fastening the belt of her coat around her and tucking her wand away in a robust bag she had slung over her shoulder. It was clear that Vevina was not simply popping out to the shops.

"Don't you start." the brunette sighed, holding her bag protectively, as if she worried the redhead would tear it from her hands. "I take it you've been spying on me this whole time?"

"I saw the fire message, if that's what you're asking." Merida answered, not backing down. There was a horrible thickness to the air between them, and it made her stomach turn. Vevina had always been the one person she could rely on, even more than her own mother. It did not feel right to be at odds with her.

"Meri, you're staying here." Vevina stated, addressing the question that the young woman had not even bothered to ask. "I told Aunt Minnie I'd look after you. You've already slipped away once, I'm not going to let you do it again."

"But I wouldn't be slipping away anywhere!" Merida protested. This was the only card she had left to play; it had to work. "I'd be with you. If you're that worried about what I'll do when I'm out of your sight, then there's your answer."

Vevina waited a few moments, her face turned away from Merida's, as if she could not bear to let the girl's pleading face affect her decision. In the end, she heaved a sigh, retrieved a fur-lined jacket from the coat stand and held it out to her.

The familiar landscape of the Scottish Highlands was comforting even in darkness, the faint lines on the horizon like the comforting presence of a parent towering above her. The air around them was silent, as if even the birds were afraid to tweet, for fear of attracting the Death Eaters' rage. It was not enough, it seemed, for the Dark Lord to hold the British witches and wizards in permanent terror; he had done the same for Britain itself.

"Are we going to Hogwarts?" Merida asked, keeping her voice low. Even though the wind almost drowned out her voice completely, she still could not shake the feeling that someone would overhear.

"You are." Vevina answered, a little more cryptically than her cousin would have liked. Immediately, a sinking feeling appeared in her chest, as she realised Vevina's plan. "There are a few members of the Order of the Phoenix hiding out just outside Hogsmeade; I'll stay with them for the time being. It's as close as they can get without the Death Eaters pouncing. I'm too old to pass as a Hogwarts student, they'd notice me in a heartbeat. But not you. If you want to fight so badly, Hogwarts is where the fight is going to be. Your mother will be there to protect you. If you'll let her, that is."

Merida chuckled, although her eyes were beginning to sting. Over the past year or so, she had said far too many goodbyes, enough to last her a lifetime. This one hurt more than most.

"I'll see you soon." Merida promised. She was well aware of the circumstances around them, well aware that a promise to see anyone could never be guaranteed in a war, but it made her feel much better to say it.

"You'd better." Vevina replied with a watery smile, and threw her arms around her cousin's neck. It did not seem too long ago that they had been children together, running round the garden with sticks and pretending to be grown up witches. Now look at them.

Vevina walked with her for as long as she could, until they reached the outskirts of Hogsmeade village. There was a path into the school through The Hog's Head, or so the older woman had said. The pub was owned by Albus Dumbledore's estranged brother and, although Albus and Aberforth had a rather strained relationship, the younger Dumbledore wanted the Death Eaters gone as much as anyone, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure that happened.

The passageway was dark and cold; even with her wand-light, Merida could hardly see the next two steps ahead of her. Great cobwebs loomed down from the ceiling, shimmering silver in the dim glow, and the young woman was certain she could feel them clinging to her hair and clothes as she walked on.

Eventually, she saw the slightest chink of light shining in the distance, a beacon of hope beckoning her towards it. She ran a little faster than she should have done, the toes of her boots catching on the uneven ground below her, and pushed against the heavy wooden surface she found there. It was not a door, not quite; it felt almost like the back of a painting.

Suddenly, the barrier gave way, and Merida went tumbling to the ground, hitting the hard stone floor with a thud that knocked all the air from her lungs. The quiet bustle of the room dulled to silence, she could feel every eye turn to her. Then a voice so familiar it almost brought her to tears echoed across the room.

"Meri!"

A/N: Slightly boring cliffhanger, but there you go. Meri got her way! But it definitely doesn't mean things will be easy from now on. Hope you enjoyed, please review!